"The Dark Pit"

…

The sound of the chirping birds outside the window woke up Ely. As the sunlight was welcomed in the King's bedroom, she slowly opened her eyes, and what she first saw was the face of a sleeping handsome man. 

"If this is a dream, I wouldn't want to wake up," Ely muttered. She kissed the tip of King Maro's nose.

He suddenly opened his eyes, catching her in the act, and before she could turn her back on him, he quickly embraced her.

Ely realized that both of them had no clothes on, and she turned red as a tomato. She lightly slapped herself, "Am I dreaming?"

"No, you're not," King Maro chuckled, "I thought I'm going to be able to wait for our wedding night, but when you kissed me, I lost control."

"I… Uhm, I apologize, it must be the white wine… I was drunk, so-"

But the King didn't let her continue. He bent a little and kissed her soft lips.

Feeling embarrassed, she lightly pushed him away and said, "Please let me take a bath first…" 

"Then I'll ask them to prepare the bath for us."

"Wait, we're going to bathe together?"

"Hmm? Of course. I don't see why we couldn't. Do you not like to?"

"I like to, but- Oh, I mean…" she kept on stuttering, and the King was amused to see her acting all shy even though they had already done something that only a husband and a wife could do.

He kept on teasing her until he was satisfied, and when the bath was ready, the two of them proceeded to the bathing room. After checking the spa's warmth, they stepped down into the waters. Ely volunteered to scrub the King's back, and in return, he promised to build a sandcastle with her in the afternoon. 

They both know that they had already stepped beyond the line of being friends. King Maro had emphasized clearly that he had no intention of letting Ely go. He even said last night, "Even if the gods punish me, I'd still choose you." 

Being touched by this, Ely decided to fight her fate. The King of the nation was willing to give up his life to keep her by his side, but why couldn't she? After all, she felt like it was already her second life after attempting to drown herself in the bathtub in the past.

She wanted to live together with Maro, because she knew it's only him who could make her happy once again. 

'Screw fate… I'm going to marry him!' she thought fearlessly, not even minding if the mysterious priestess could hear her thoughts at that moment. 

But then, she remembered her conversation with the old priestess:

x x x x x FLASHBACK x x x x x 

"I can already foresee what will happen to you," Priestess Diane told her in a serious expression, "You shall gain the King's trust, but in the process, you shall fall into a dark pit… and nobody can save you."

"A dark pit? What do you mean, Priestess?" 

"It is a warning. Be careful of the King."

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x 

She pondered as she combed her hair, 'What dark pit could she be talking about... She didn't mean it literally, right? And why should I be careful of Maro?' She was waiting for him to return from his assembly, as he promised to go with her to the beach in the afternoon. 

Her trail of thoughts was interrupted when there was a sudden knock at the door. "Come in," she responded.

The door opened slowly, and a tan-haired maidservant entered. "Greetings, my Queen," she bowed politely, "I am Agatha, one of your new maidservants," she closed the door beside her.

Ely gestured for her to approach her, which she followed. She asked, "How can I help you?"

She took out a folded paper from her pocket and gave it to her, "I am here to deliver this letter."

Ely carefully opened it, "Thank you… But who would send me a letter- Oh..." and she was stunned when she saw its contents.

"If you wish to respond to this letter secretly, I shall deliver it, my Queen," Agatha excused herself and stepped out of the room.

Ely furrowed her eyebrows as she read the letter:

x x x x x x x x 

Dearest Elizabeth, how are you?

Ever since I've met you in the Temple of Destiny, I couldn't get you off my mind. I may not remember you, but my heart ached when I left you there. You know, I regretted not taking you with us.

I heard that you will soon marry my twin brother. I know you don't want to because of his ruthless nature. 

Elizabeth, your husband and I are one, and we share the same body and soul. I am willing to marry you. How does a second marriage with the same person sound? 

I think it will be sweet, and I look forward to it. 

I will be waiting for your reply to my proposal.

From: Seiro, or Adam, whichever you prefer.

x x x x x x x x 

When Ely finished reading the letter, she trembled, and she was panicking inside her head. Why did everything happen at the wrong time? Destiny was surely unkind to her, and she didn't know what she did to deserve it!

She took the paper, quill, and ink, and she placed it on the table. She thought hard about what she should reply.

She wanted to tell Seiro honestly that she had no more intention of betraying the King. She wanted to tell him that his twin brother was not ruthless; he's simply just strict and meticulous about his duties as a King. And she wanted to tell him that she didn't wish to marry Seiro. In short, she wanted to reject his proposal.

But her hands were still trembling as she held the quill. 'This won't do… I have to handle this matter properly!' She then took deep breaths, and stood up. 

When Ely mustered up her courage, she crumpled Seiro's letter and walked towards the fireplace. She threw the paper onto the blazing fire.

As she watched the paper burn rapidly, she wondered if she did the right thing...