“I love you, Dray,” she whispered before leaving a soft kiss on his forehead.

After wiping away her tears, Esther called for Lady Saira inside. Her former lady-in-waiting already had a sorrowful expression on her face as she knew why the Queen had called for her.

“You know what I am going to say,” Esther told her with a soft smile.

With her eyes moist, Lady Saira nodded. “Y-Yes, Your Majesty.”

“I trust you that you will take care of him like your own son,” Esther said.

Tears rolled down her eyes as Lady Saira nodded. In the end, she had to keep her head lowered as she could no longer stop herself from crying. “I promise, Your Majesty…”

Esther merely gave her a sad smile before disappearing from her son’s chamber. Only then did Lady Saira allow herself to fully sob. Esther had been a master and a friend to her, and despite their status, Esther had treated her like a sister, to the point she even revealed the secret of her identity to her and asked her to look after her one and only son.

Lady Saira looked at the little prince sleeping soundly on the bed, who was ignorant of the heartbreak waiting for him in the morning.

Her crying whimpers echoed within the quiet chamber…

After leaving her son, Esther appeared inside her husband’s chamber. In the dim moonlight streaming from the open window, Theron’s tall and handsome profile was highlighted in contrast to the darkness of the night. He was in his sleeping robes, sitting on his armchair while staring outside the window with a glass of alcohol in hand.

He had been the same every night for all these years. Ever since that Devil’s Curse ruined his life and his wife made her sacrifice, the King could no longer sleep without the help of alcohol and even his sleep would be disrupted by nightmares. During the day, the King was his usual dignified and composed self, but at night, away from prying eyes, he was nothing but a shell of his old self…

Esther stared at him from behind, from where only the back of his head was visible, but she could sense the grief and loneliness surrounding him. Tears appeared in her eyes once more as she knew she was the reason to turn him like this.

There was a time when she used to call him a rogue as he was a cheeky rascal filled with hope and dreams for their future, but that rogue was long gone and left in his stead was only an empty shell of her husband who’s the sole reason for living were the responsibilities and guilt he chose to carry.

She was the reason his life turned like this, and no matter how much she wanted to apologize, it would never be enough. Her arrival in his life brought him nothing but pain.

This was the last time she was going to see him, and she wanted to at least make it a night she would not regret. With a shaky breath, Esther walked towards him with slow yet steady footsteps.

As if he had sensed her presence,  Theron turned his head and gazed at her from over his shoulder. He didn’t know why she was there all of a sudden, but aside from surprise, he felt a bitter longing for his wife.

Seeing her walking towards him reminded him of those nights years ago, back when they were ordinary husband and wife, back when just the sight of her made his entire heart be filled with warmth

Would it be fine to hold her and tell her he yearns for her? That even though things had changed between them, deep in his heart, it’s her and only her he wants?

For the past few months, Esther and he had been spending more and more time together,  and although he never showed it and admitted it, he felt as if the colours were more vibrant and the days were brighter with her around him.

Esther walked closer towards him, their gazes locked on each other, and when she was but a step away from him, she fell to her knees.

“What—”

But Theron was forced to swallow his words because of the look in her eyes. Though he didn’t understand why she suddenly kneeled in front of him, his chest felt an unknown heaviness. Her eyes looked at him as if she was not going to see him again.

“Esther?” he called out.

Instead of responding, his wife held his right hand between her hands and Theron simply watched her, not pulling his hand away. She held that warm hand against her cheek and closed her eyes for a while as if to savour its warmth. She then looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.

At the sight, Theron felt his heart clenched in pain. He moved the hand cupping her face to wipe the tear about to fall from her eye.

Though both didn’t say a word, it was as if these two lonely souls were crying out the pain they had kept inside their hearts for the last several years.

After a while, Theron opened his mouth.

“Did something—”

“Don’t say anything. Let me be just like this,” she said, her voice requested in earnest.

Theron listened to her and caressed her cheeks gently with his thumbs to make her feel better.

“Theron, will you ever forgive me?” she asked looking into those eyes that showed her tears pained him.

Theron simply looked at her for a moment. Not answering her, he leaned closer to her as his face neared hers and his lips touched hers.

Esther closed her eyes as once again tears rolled down them. After so long he was this close to her and she had almost forgotten how his touch felt.

That small peck on the lips that lasted only a few brief moments felt heavenly to her.

Theron’s lips parted away but his face was still closer to her.

She opened her eyes to look at him and heard him, “I was never upset with you to forgive you. Even if I was, I had forgiven you long back.”

Her trembling lips curved into a light smile which showed she was happy to hear it but it pained her to see how much he still loved her.

He wiped those tears once again and closed that tiny distance between their lips to kiss her.

Esther once again closed her eyes and felt her husband’s warm lips sucking and nibbling her cold ones gently. She responded to the kiss as so many emotions engulfed her.

It felt like an eternity since they shared intimacy. Now as they were close, once again they felt that same old fire burning inside their bodies.

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