Theron had drifted to deep sleep with a smile of content on his handsome face. He looked like he had not slept this peacefully in years and was finally getting his first good sleep with his wife in his arms.

On the other hand, Esther only slept briefly as she knew she had little time left. She accompanied her husband in bed for the last time till before the break of dawn.

At the first crack of light on the still dark sky, she felt her heart clench. She knew it was time to leave, and if she wouldn’t do it now, she would never be able to leave. When Theron wakes up and finds her in his embrace, he would once again shower her with love like the old Theron.

Her intuition was telling her that this night had healed the wounds of their past. Theron would not let her be away from his sight even for a moment, trying to patch up and compensate for the time they’ve lost, and it would only make it more difficult for her to leave.

She looked at her husband who was in a sound sleep and caressed his cheek gently.

“It’s good that you are sleeping because my sleeping spell doesn’t work on you and I wouldn’t be able to leave with you awake,” she whispered softly, her gaze gazing at the face of the man she cherished more than her own life for the last time. “Trust me, I love you more than you can ever think of, and that is why I have to leave. If there was only an enemy, I would rather stay and face dangers with you by my side, but there what we’re against is destiny. I have now learned that it’s impossible to struggle against destiny.

“I tried, didn’t I? We tried, but my love…” She let her fingers tenderly brush against his cheek. “But we’ve gotten a harsh lesson in exchange, haven’t we? When I break a rule, I will be forced to give up on what is precious to me or that precious one will suffer. Hurting you once is enough. I will not repeat my mistake. I cannot let you and Dray suffer because of me. You both are precious to me.”

Esther kept smiling, forcing herself to keep her resolve strong, but a single tear betrayed her and fell on her pillow as she watched her husband’s sleeping face.

“When you wake up…When you wake up and see me gone, I know you will feel betrayed. Since I played you a fool, you will end up hating me, won’t you? I will accept it. That hatred might help you move on from me. But you have Dray and Keiren by your side. You have Mother, and there’s also Lady Clarisa and Lady Yahvi…you won’t be alone…

“I am sorry, Theron, but I have to leave. Be strong, all right? Continue being a king beloved and respected by all. But do not overwork yourself and try to cut back from drinking too much liquor…

“I am yet to leave, but I already miss you. I have so many regrets but I cannot do anything about them. I should not have come into your life in the first place but…now nothing can be done to change it. I am happy. You made me so so happy, you really did…I-I…”

Esther took a deep breath, regaining her composure. Once more, she let out a beautiful smile, a smile so beautiful yet heartbreaking that anyone would have thought it would have been better to cry.

“Thank you so much for loving me even after I keep hurting you again and again. That love is precious to me. Thank you so much.

“Farewell, my husband.”

Esther slowly freed herself from his hold and stepped out of the bed without making any sounds. She put on her clothes in a hurry with the help of her magic and also corrected her appearance where her messy long hair was tied in a braid. Aside from having red-rimmed eyes, her appearance was flawless. She disappeared from the King’s chamber after taking one last look at her husband.

There were still other people she had to visit other than just her son and husband. After leaving the King’s chamber, she appeared inside the Vermillion Palace, precisely Keiren’s chamber where the young boy could be seen asleep in a messy state. Seeing the blanket kicked off his body, even mumbling incoherent words as usual, Esther could not help but chuckle. She sat at the edge of the bed and properly tucked the young boy in bed.

“Though I did not give birth to you, I think of you as my own son, my first son. I love you as much as I love Dray. Such a good kid, I wish you to always stay strong and healthy. Grow up as handsome and amazing as your father, and remember to take care of your little brother. Dray is naughty, so it will be a lot of responsibility, but you are a good big brother, aren’t you, Keiren?”

She touched the bracelet in his hand which he always wore. It was black beaded bracelet with a white jade in the middle which was a token of his identity as a prince of the royal family. It was something that he would keep with him all the time. She put a spell on that jade, a little gift from a mother to her child.

“The spell in this jade will always keep you protected and immune to any supernatural powers that will try to harm you. Nothing will be able to hurt you as long as you have this with you. As a mother, I can do this much for my son to protect him.”

She planted a kiss on his small forehead and disappeared from his chamber, only to reappear in Lady Tyra’s quarters where the woman was already waiting for her along with someone who was standing in one corner.

“Your Eminence.” Lady Tyra bowed to her.

Esther accepted it with a light nod and looked at Dusk who was in his human form, looking like a healthy young lad, a far cry from his pitiful appearance back when she first found him. He was staring at her with his hands behind his back.

She went towards him. “Aureus.”

Aureus was Dusk’s birth name. He also bowed before Esther, and she lifted that head and held his shoulder the moment she stood in front of him. “You have been a good child, Aureus. I believe your parents must be proud of you, wherever they are.”

With an embarrassed face, he could not look straight at her. He moved his hands that he was hiding behind his back towards Esther. What he was holding were a bunch of tiny purple flowers that gave off a mild, sweet aroma.

“Flowers for me?” she asked and accepted it with delight.

“My mother liked these,” he informed. “They are called sea lavenders. I brought them from the coast.”

“They are beautiful,” she said with a pleasant smile. “I see your mother has exquisite taste. Even the name she gave you, ‘Aureus’, is beautiful.” She moved her gaze from those purple flowers to his golden eyes looking back at her.

The young guy fidgeted uncomfortably. “Do you really have to go, Your Eminence?”

Esther admired the simple bouquet as she answered, “You know I have to leave.”

“Can I…Can I come with you?”

To that question, she shook her head. “I know that you consider me as your mother, but think about it, don’t you also think of Dray as a brother? How would Dray feel if both you and I were to leave him behind?”

Dusk nodded in understanding, but his eyes turned moist as once again he was going to lose someone he thought of as family.

“Once I am gone, Dray won’t be fine at all. I wish you to stay by his side and take care of him like you always do. Someday, a day will come when you too have to leave and go back to your own people. But that’s an issue of the future. For now, stay here. You will be safe as long as you stay with Dray.”

“If that is your order, Your Eminence.”

“My order…” She patted his head. “This is not an order, Aureus. It is simply a mother’s wish. I wish for you to be his trusted companion and guide him while growing up. Can you do that for me?”

Dusk nodded with determination. “I will always be by his side.”

She continued, “I have put a spell on you which will protect you till you become an adult. As an effect, you won’t be able to transform into a human form unless Tyra allows you to. Once you are a fully grown adult, it’s up to you whenever you want to transform.”

The lad understood. “Can I show my human form to Dray?”

“Why are you asking me that? It is solely your decision if you want to let Dray know about your human form or not.”

Dusk once again nodded and Esther showed him an item she was holding on the top of her palm. It was a small crystal ball, its size one to be easily held in one’s palm.

Dusk looked at her and she explained, “This is a magical crystal which can record images. Since you gave me these lovely flowers, then should I also give you a gift too?”

She tapped on the surface of the glass crystal with a finger and colourful light could be seen revolving inside. “I prepared a map for you when you become an adult. One day, when you want to return to your kind, you can use the map in this crystal to guide your way.”

“Thank you, Your Eminence…”

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