[ WHO DO YOU WANT TO SEE ]
"I built this house here because of you, but why don't I feel like coming to you at all?" Abesselom muttered, staring at the boundaries.
"When will you try to go beyond it?" His pet, Gideon said telepathically to him.
"Not like I can go there? I don't even know their ways, how can I leave with people I don't know? He replied, still looking out the window.
" You are their rightful king, they will have no choice than to accept you." Gideon countered in Abesselom's head.
"That's what I don't want. To force myself on them." He said as he walked back to his bed and lay on his back before closing his red eyes to sleep.
Gideon soar up in the sky knowing his master didn't need his presence anymore. He had somewhere else to be.
__________ Azura's residence.
"Your Majesty, please calm down, I don't think what His Majesty said is true, please be calm." Lora said, trying to calm Azura who kept pacing in her room, thinking of what Marcus said to her at the dinning.
" How can I be calm Lora? If what he said is true then how did all those men cross the boundaries? You told me only one person can, apart from me." Azura asked angrily.
" Am sorry Your Majesty, but what I said is what was written in the scrolls, you read it yourself too." Lora said with her head hanging low on her shoulders.
" I don't understand something here. First it was Marcus, then the masked man, and now this unknown prince, and all of them came from the same place that is bound to us. How is that possible." Azura asked but non of her ladies seem to have an answer.
" Come to think of it, those men are all from the dark supernatural powers, and their aptitude are the same as Marcus said, but why do I feel the same way towards them all?" Azura said to herself but of course, her ladies were listening.
" Your Majesty, I don't understand you? How do you feel?" Lora asked boldly.
Azura stopped pacing and turn to her ladies. At the wave of her hand, her ladies including the maids went out of the room leaving her with Lora. "Sit." She commanded and Lora did as she was told. She sipped on the herbal brewed tea that was served to her earlier, before she decided on talking.
"Remember the man we met up north at the forbidden bridge?" Azura asked and Lora nod her head, and she continued to talk. "He's My husband and the one I love." she said calmly with a smile on her face.
" Is he princess Chesa's father?" Lora asked out of curiosity, trying to go straight to the point.
"Yes... I mean no... The thing is, he was my husband from the life I remember living, and he was Chesa's father in that life. But that's not the problem here." Lora gave Azura a questioning look which made her continue talking.
" When he's with me, I feel how much we love ourselves, especially how much he loves me. And this morning, I felt the same way towards the Prince from Dewan kingdom, even though I don't know him. Not just that. When ever you talk about the masked man, I feel the same way." Azura said with guilt written all over her.
" What about His Majesty, do you love him at all? Lora asked as a friend trying to help her friend out.
Azura shook her head as tears filled her eyes, she felt guilty for being a bad wife to Marcus, maybe she was a bad queen to her kingdom as well. Lora stood from her seat and sat beside her when she noticed Azura was crying.
"Your Majesty, you have every right to love who ever you want, but the problem here is, how will you know if that person is your destined husband?" Lora asked and that caused Azura to life her head, showing her teary eyes to Lora.
" I don't want to live this life anymore Lora, I want to go back to my own life. My daughter might be waiting for me." Azura said as she broke into tears.
Even though life was a difficult one for her in the life she remembers, she wished to go back to it. She had no reason to worry about a kingdom nor a curse, or a destined husband. She didn't have to control supernatural powers she didn't own, nor was she supposed to look out for people who are ready to get her. The only problem she knew was her abusive husband.
"Your Majesty, this is your life, the real Azura is you. The other life might be a dream because you were in comma for too long." Lora tried to console her.
"No Lora, that was my real life, I even have a second husband who looks just like Marcus, and he's abusive, I think he's the reason why am here. Because I made I wish I didn't want to open my eyes to see him again, please help me go back to my children Lora, please."
Azura was becoming desperate, she was ready to do anything to go back to her real life. She didn't want to leave the luxurious life of a woman she didn't know how to impersonate. she was scared she might even end up creating trouble with the power that is in her.
"Your Majesty, if this isn't your life, then where is the real Azura? I know she's you because I was with you through out your unconscious state till you waked up. I can swear no one swapped your body with any one elses." Lora said with a convincing tone, but non of it entered Azura's head.
"I need to see him, he has to send me back to my real life." Azura muttered.
"If there's someone who can help you understand what is going on better, I think it's the masked man. But I don't know how you can reach him. I wonder why he hasn't shown up since you went into comma." Lora said in a low tone as if she was thinking out loud.
"What else, he might be feeling guilty for putting the real Azura's life in danger, and maybe for swapping my life with hers." Azura commented angrily.
"But why do you say so Your Majesty? He did nothing wrong." Lora said with a sad face.
Azura told Lora about the night Marcus visited her for the first time when she waked from the comma. She narrated what Marcus told her to Lora, especially the fact that the masked man was responsible for the comma she was in. She told her Marcus was there to save her and the masked man got angry and injured her purposely.
Lora opened her mouth in shock upon hearing Azura saying Marcus was there to save her. "Your Majesty, if what you are saying actually happened, then I think it's was the opposite of what His Majesty had told you." Lora said with a worried face, not sure how to explain things to Azura.
" Which ever way it is, I don't care. All I know is I have to find a way to get out of this life." Azura remake.
Lora had nothing to say anymore, she'll let the queen find out the truth by herself, hopefully, she'll find her destined husband along with the truth. "Will you like to take your bath now Your Majesty?" Lora asked, breaking the unexpected silence that took over the room after Azura's remake.
"I need to find him, I have to talk to him, maybe he'll help me. Azura muttered.
" Who do you want to see Your Majesty?" Lora asked with a worried look.
" My husband. He said he got me here, maybe he can send me back." She replied and got up from the sofa.
She went to the window, thinking of how she'll find a way to send information to Enoch. Thankfully, she saw the eagle up high in the sky, and it was no doubt it was coming to her.
She rushed back to the table in the center of the sofas, took a writing stick and a piece of paper. With the help of the wooden lamps, she burn the edges of the paper to give it a beautiful look before writing on it. She folded the piece of paper and got some stands of her own hair to tie it before going back to the window.
Gideon was already waiting for her on the window sill. She stretched her hand out showing her palm to Gideon. "There's a man named Enoch, who stays at the inn called Abess inn. Please deliver this to him on my behalf will you?" Azura said and Gideon picked the rolled paper with his huge black claws and took off, flapping it large wings as it soar up in the evening sky.
"Lora, I want to take my bath now, let the water be a little bit hot." Azura said with a renewed Will to live, behaving like the queen she is. Lora smiled at her sudden change of emotions and quietly went to the bathroom to prepare for the queen's bath as she wanted it.
__________ Africh Palace
Pearler whipped her crimson hair behind her shoulders as she placed the freshly brewed tea she personally prepared for her husband on the table in front of him. Marcus dropped the paper he was reading on his desk beside the tea set and picked up the tea cup. He brought it to his nose and smelled it before taking a sip of the tea as Pearler watched.
"Tell me why you are here, I know you want something, this tea proves it." Marcus said, not looking at Pearler but the tea in his hand.
"Nothing dear, I just wanted to know what portion you want me to make, and for who." Pearler said as she took her seat opposite her husband's.
"I want you to prepare a lust portion, it for Azura." Marcus answer blatantly, confirming Pearler's doubt.
"Why must it be her, what does he want to do this time." Pearler asked herself inwardly.
"Chesa's birthday is coming on in some months, I want it to be done by then. Azura will be happy and won't mind what she eats on that day, I'll find a way to get that friend of hers away, and with the help of the maid, I'll make her drink it and I'll get what I want from her." Marcus said calmly with a mischievous smile.
Pearler felt unwilling to do as Marcus said, but she knew she couldn't say no to him in anyway.