TO BIDDING GOODBYES...

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"Leave me!!! And why should I listen to you?"

Cynthira broke out from her brother's hold, annoyed at him.

"When you did not think twice before leaving the house, the village...leaving your bride to be stranded at the village square!!"

The silence that persisted was long and only to be broken off by Cynthira, herself.

"When you did not think...why should I to you?"

Ruqui looked down, not being able to form an immediate response. He had no idea why even he took the sudden decision to leave everything behind when he had been hesitant all those fifteen years to even go out and look for his mother.

"I suspect you have no idea...he was supposed to wed today and instead chose to run from his own wedding..."

Cynthira went on to explain the situation to Ambrosia, who was watching the entire scene unfolding before her with no viable reaction.

She did not even know why she was here when she should have left a long time ago.

But when this mortal started to explain as to what had happened, she could not help but relate the matter to her own.

She had run away from her home too to escape a wedding. She looked at him and he did too, before parting their gazes away.

"Our family was humiliated in the village square. A taint on Ramirez, the bride's reputation...no care to all that at all. And why would he? "

It was clear that Cynthira was having a breakdown. And she was ranting it all out at that moment.

Both Ruqui and the Princess looked guilty. Although Ruqui could not understand but whatever Cynthira was talking about humiliation and being a taint on the bride's reputation, Ambrosia could tell that all of it was incoming upon the Palace and the Capitol.

She could remember the words of Lavanya who had claimed how her action would hurt the mortal young Prince even though she did not mean it to be intentional.

"...because he never considered us as his family!"

And that was the breaking point. Ruqui could not help himself but call out his distressed sister's name.

"Cynthira!"

"Don't Cynthira me!"

"I left... because...because I was not ready!"

Ruqui finally let the words out. She looked at her brother questionably as if it was not obvious that he was not ready for the wedding but he never protested against it either.

"As if it was not obvious, Ruqui...you could have told them, you were not ready to."

Ruqui walked up to her as she was standing in between the vampiress and him, from a reasonable distance to each of them.

"And you think that it would have been enough to halt the wedding?"

He interviewed. And the answer to the question, both knew all too well.

"You could have been not ready now...but maybe in the future, you would change your mind? What if..."

Cynthira tried to play the 'what if' card when for Ruqui there could never be a 'what if' as he would never ever be ready to wed anyone...anyone at all.

"There is no what if, Cynthira...either I wed Ramirez and destruct both of our chances to be happiness ever again or leave..."

He reasoned with his sister. Her emotional and sensitive state of mind was restricting her from thinking straight.

He held onto both of her shoulders. Her tearful eyes made his heart soar. He always had a soft spot for her and he would forever have so.

"And I chose to leave..."

Cynthira could not help but sob out when he put it that way.

"...the gossips, the talks are momentary but a marriage is not and I deny to bind myself with someone that I know can never love."

His words somehow made sense to the standing Princess. A marriage, of course, was not momentary. Leaving behind was also the only option she had.

If she were to go missing in the Mirror forest and never ever to return back, the Palace would forget her with time, finding another alternative in its place.

And Lavanya was there too. The title would right away pass onto her after the Princess.

So her mother would always have a hier and could maybe...maybe still could carry on with the contract with Lavanya, in her place and it was obvious that the raven-haired vampiress had a soft spot for the mortal young prince.

They were all better off without her. The thought came to her mind instantly and it made her more convinced to leave for the forest right away, more so ever.

The thought that she was only being selfish and nobody would have ever done what she had done to her mother, her only family...it was changed upon discovering that there were still beings who ran away from the arranged wedding too if they did not see it to fit them.

The presence of Ruqui made her feel less guilty about her own decision at that moment.

As the howling of the wild animals surfaced and the sun hid underneath the clouds, it was a clear indication that the evening would be here any moment then.

"You must leave!"

Ambrosia spoke out, breaking the sister and brother moment, putting her sword back inside its shell hanging on from her waist.

"Before it's dusk..."

The Princess completed and then quietly walked away to the opposite end, not waiting for them to say anything.

Cynthira was watching her disappear. She too noticed that her feet were not touching the ground.

"You need to leave, Cynthira."

It made her glance back at her brother, not being able to believe him. Ruqui remained rooted in his decision.

"I m not going back. I'm thankful that we had this conversation..to see you one last time, but I can't go back!"

Her eyes watered, realizing that there was no way she could persuade him to come back anymore.

"Take this..."

He tore off his bracelet, a sapphire stone bound in the thin thread, given to him by his father before going to the war.

"...as a reminder that I was a part of your life. I hope you live a long, happy one, sister...I will forever love you!"

She accepted the bracelet as her tears rolled down her cheeks, uncontrollably, knowing that this was their farewell and to not knowing if they would ever see each other again.

He pulled her in for a hug and as the moonlight cast itself over the sky, Ruqui watched her walk away, not looking back even once, not wanting to lose the hope that they would meet once again in the future.

But this was a goodbye for the final and a beginning to a new chapter in his life...

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