Chapter 196 : Born to be loved.

Pashidowl seemed to be all over the place when they got back to the room. Eros simply laid in bed, thinking of his encounter with Liam " How shall I punish him? And what was with that look earlier "?

Pashidowl scoffed as he momentarily stopped panicking, " I wouldn't do that if I were you ". Eros rolled his eyes [ Don't tell me what to do ] then frowned, " What are you thinking so hard about anyway? It's not like you ". Pashidowl suddenly appeared in his face, " You're right, it's that empress of yours ".

Eros raised an eyebrow and he went on, " Trewa tried to take over her consciousness a while ago. You need to understand the disaster that would be unleashed if she was successful ".Eros nodded slowly [ That makes sense. You two hate each other ] " Then it's a good thing she didn't, right "?

Pashidowl was no longer listening as he chuckled to himself suddenly then sharply turned back to Eros, " Sepatina hates me even more than her mother...but that's besides the point. What you should really worry about is Nectar ". He made a disgusted face as he pulled at the sheets " And why would I do that "?

Pashidowl darted around the room, his smokey face making an attempt to pace " She's a lot stronger than we previously gave her credit for. To be able to break free of Trewa's trap so quickly and safely was also an unexpected variable. Though she's the second person to break free of it ".

Eros frowned [ It feels like he's talking to himself ] " What happened to the first person "? Pashidowl frowned as he closed his eyes, trying to recall and shrugged " Though she escaped, her body detoriated quickly due to the constant struggle and she died. Quite foolish if you ask me ".

Eros couldn't help but laugh all of a sudden, " Though she's oblivious to many things. I'm sure the only reason Trewa was even able to make an attempt was due to Nectar's exhaustion ".

Eros suddenly covered himself in the sheets and Pashidowl shouted angrily, " What are you doing "? Eros yawned, getting comfortable " Getting some sleep. You're always free to stay up worrying ".

~ ~ ~

Nova had been awake a while now. Too restless to go back to sleep, she sat up in bed and looked out the window at the clear night sky [ Dimitri said it'll be winter soon.....That was your favourite season ] Being sensitive to his surroundings, her actions made Dimitri stir slightly and opened his eyes.

When he saw Nova looking out the window, he thought there was some kind of threat " Why aren't you asleep "? She snapped out of her daze and turned to him with a tired smile, " I can't sleep ".

Dimitri yawned, nodding in agreement " Yeah, that much is obvious. My question is why is that "? She was silent for a few seconds then suddenly spoke up, " What exactly is going on here "? He raised an eyebrow in confusion and she went on, " It's hard to explain ".

He sighed with an encouraging smile on his lips, " Then say whatever's on your mind ". She looked at him and realized he wasn't mocking her and she smiled, " I'm sorry, I was never good with words ".

[ That's why I liked draw and paint instead. It was always a lot easier for me ] " Why are you here?.....You seem like you'd rather be anywhere else than here sometimes ". He shrugged as he spoke nonchalantly, " Because I would. Do you have any idea how furious I was when I found out we were engaged ".

Nova frowned slightly [ Why does that hurt my ego? ] " And why is that, I thought I was a princess or something "? Dimitri laughed tiredly, " It might seem hard to believe now, but you used to have a really rotten personality and you were definitely not the nicest of people ".

Nova nodded slowly then frowned again, " I still don't get it ". He groaned, face palming himself as he explained further, " You were the complete opposite of the Knight's code. I lost a lot of respect and credibility among the troops 'cos of you ".

Nova nodded, bringing her knees close to her chest " I can't change that but I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble. What else did I do that you hated "? He seemed shocked and asked suspiciously, " Is that a trick question or you really want to know "?

She nodded, " I'm curious so yes I want to know ". He cleared his throat, turning his upper body to face her " What I hate most about you is the crazy obsession you have with your younger sister ". [ I finally said it ] Though he was satisfied, he was ready for her to scream his head off.

She suddenly raised her head, looking surprised " The empress "? Dimitri sighed with a slight smile, " I would have thought you were playing dumb but you didn't explode in a rage so I guess you're not ". Nova frowned, holding herself tighter " I hated her "?

He scoffed, " More like you were extremely jealous of her for some reason. Lest I forget to remind you, the whole military hates you too ". She tilted her head curiously [ Wow. The real Nova was really disagreeable ] " What did I do "?

He glanced at her then looked straight at the door " You took the heart of the Actso Isles military ". He looked at her with a mix of sadness and anger, " Nectar Qudi Socta and Liam Kres Soul. Do you know how disappointed and upset everyone was when they found out she'd be sent here against her will "?

Nova suddenly frowned as she spoke seriously, " Why would that be my fault "? Dimitri seemed surprised by the sudden question, " What's that supposed to mean "? She went on steadily, " This might not seem like much but being a princess is not easy.....and I realize now that I didn't phrase that well ".

She bit her lip nervously as she mumbled to herself. " Try again then ", she glanced at Dimitri whose serious yet encouraging expressions soothed her. When Pollen opened her mouth, she realized it wasn't her words coming out of it but Nova's.

" .....All my life, My mother told me I was destined for the finest things in life. My father expects me to be the image of perfection he could never be. And Nectar? She was and always had everything I couldn't dare dream to be or have ".

Dimitri became flustered when he realized she was at the verge of tears and tried to calm her down, " It's alright Nova ". She swatted the hand that reached for her face and pouted, " No, it's not! She has that accursed heart, the protection of others and as much as I hate to admit, an amazing personality ".

She suddenly turned the other way, looking out the window " Yes, I'm a spoilt brat. Yes, I'm a princess living in luxury. Yes, I got lucky and should love the fact that I was born.....but that's the difference between Nectar and I.... ".

She sniffed back as she wiped her tears and whispered to herself, " I should love the fact that I was born as a princess but Nectar was born to be loved. And it seems that no matter what I do or how I act, no one is ever going to love me ".