❁ Five ❁

Jasmin's Point of View

❁

Malachi is my husband.

My innocent body was deflowered by that… devilish immortal. I can't believe this. How much has he used my amazing body for his lustful desires in two years time? Gods, thankfully I have no memories of that or I would never be able to look at him in the same way.

Widening my eyes, I touched my belly, "I… I never had any babies with… Malachi, have I?" Please, tell me I haven't.

Petra blushed, "Babies? No. None."

I let out a sigh of relief, and started to take a look at my body inside my clothes, looking for any… marks he could have left on my skin that would prove if we've had done anything around this time. "Do we always sleep together? Me and Malachi?"

She chuckled, "For all I know, yes. But Princess, if you are looking for any… lovemaking marks," oh, that's a sweet manner of saying it. "You don't have to worry, whatever is it that you two do in particular, he doesn't seem to leave any marks that would be visible. I help you dressing up every day, so, I would definitely be able to tell." My relief was obvious and she seemed to be finding it funny.

And here I thought the all mighty Malachi Leo Litchenegger would be a savage monster in bed. "Ugh, now my mind is plagued," I cursed my lewd thoughts, feeling my face burn. "Petra, how is my relationship with Malachi? How did… us… even happen?"

Petra licked her bottom lips, "Two years ago, on the Late Empress birthday party, when you both were single and the offsprings of the rulers of the Empire were infatuated with you two, you two disappeared and when your mother found you, you were laying naked with Prince Malachi, as he held you in his arms. It was quite the scandal. Then your family made his marry him to you and take responsibility for taking you virginity away. In no time, you two got married. That's it!"

That's it? Gods have mercy of my soul. The bastard deflowered me on such an occasion? What in actual… ugh. "Are you sure that's all?"

"You've once told me that you had been drugged. You didn't really explain it to me, but you said that someone tempered your food with an aphrodisiac and then you that happened," what? "It wouldn't be a surprise if that was the case, as the Crown Prince and the 3rd Prince were interested in you, and the 2nd Princes was into the Fifth Prince. If there's something I have learned is that people do anything to achieve their goals. Many people of high rank in the Empire didn't like the idea of neither you, nor Prince Malachi joining the Imperial family in such high positions, thus they would definitely have a reason for doing that."

Disgusting. Mortals are disgusting. Though I doubt that behavior is only kept for mortals. As a Royal Immortal, I've been through situations of power play like that, and I've also been pestered helplessly by people who wanted me for my beauty and to be the King of Heavenly Soul Recesses. Such as Emilian Morina, that piece of trash that schemed countless of times to be with me, but I always managed to avoid it.

"So," I licked my lips, "me and Malachi was never a love match?!"

"Unless you two have a distorted way of showing your love through hatred instead, than no!" Hatred? Are we nemesis here too? "Even before your marriage, you've always despised one another, Princess. That hatred dated back from before you two were sent to the Empire as a peace flag. Your Kingdom and his were never friendly, nor allies, and the two Royal families were always hostile towards each other. That includes you two. You were always bickering and being mean, cursing, and badmouthing the other. Even now, you still bicker a lot, but when you are alone or with me and Josef," she rolled her shoulders.

Oh? Hah… seems like we are destined to such a fate. Be it mortals or immortals, our rivalry seems to be written in stone. It makes this marriage and the fact that he deflowered me even more embarrassing. "So, even if we are married, we still are in the same place?"

"I wouldn't say in the same place, but you still act like bickering rivals when there's no one around. When there's someone else but us, you stick together in your own way. Maintaining the appearances!" Ah.

That's comprehensible. Well, looking at the good side, we live with each other, we sleep in the same room, and we are in the same territory. I'll be able to stick to him and watch him. It'll be easier to kill him. Only an immortal can kill an immortal, after all. That way I'll also be able to help him on not getting wounded by anyone, as only I can harm him.

And we are married, even if I like it or not. I can't taint my fame by having a weak husband who gets harmed by those bastards. I'll have to be extra careful with him, because the 3rd Prince is also an immortal acting as a mortal, even though he doesn't know that. The same goes for Aurora, and whoever else is here. I'll also have to be careful with them.

I can't get myself killed. My family and my realm depend on me getting through this, so I can kill him and avoid him from getting corrupted and killing them all in the future. That can't happen again.

But what doesn't gets in my head is that Leo is always a pushover in here. Is that karma? Is he really getting beaten up by these bastards and has no cultivation to fight back? We are both in the same shit now it seems. "Petra, what are Malachi's weaknesses?"

"He's too kind, is physically fragile even though he does not look like, never had a good relationship with his siblings because they were all jealous of him for being called the most beautiful, the most mentally smart, and being their mother's favorite child. I would say his mother could also be a weakness. And," she avoided my eyes again, "you."

I raised my eyebrows, "Me? How am I his weakness?"

"You are. Just as he is one of yours, Princess. You are married, but you haven't grown stronger yet. You can't defend each other, as a married couple would, and you both have lots of enemies in the court and outside of the Empire. Despite your annoyance with one another, you will protect each other out of duty with your vow of marriage," she has a point.

Nonetheless, I feel weird hearing her tell me that. "Whatever. What about his family? I don't remember his parents or his siblings' names."

"The Royal family of Bathelt is formed by King Prescott Valentin Hochmair-Gredler, Queen Evangelina Coraline Hochmair-Gredler, 1st and Crowned Prince Preston Vincent Hochmair-Gredler, 2nd Prince Andreas Owen Hochmair-Gredler, 3rd Princess Sophia Ravenna Hochmair-Gredler, and 4th Prince Johannes Ambrose Hochmair-Gredler. He's the youngest son just like you are the youngest in your family!" Oh, wow.

Look at that. The prodigy only child of the Immortal Land of Garnet is the 5th child of smaller Kingdom and has to share the spotlight with his four older siblings. Hah, if it was the Leo I knew, he would hate it.

He would, undoubtedly, be thankful for losing his memories of it.

Malachi Leo Litchenegger was never good at sharing. Look at what he did just because he couldn't share the spot of strongest with me. That devilish immortal is the most egotistic person I've even known, and he was born to be an only child. Having siblings does not suit him.

"Can you keep my loss of memory a secret, Petra? Even from your husband? It'll be bad for both of us if anyone hear about it, wouldn't it?"

A nod, "It would. Don't worry, Fifth Princess, I'll never tell a soul about this. I just want you to get better soon. But, please, keep your attitude, and don't let anyone else step on you. You are royalty, so, raise your head like such!" Oh, I'm starting to enjoy this mortal.

I smiled softly, "I will."

"Fifth Princess! Fifth Princess! Fifth Princess!" A maid came to us running, seemingly exasperated. "Fifth Princess! Fifth Princess!"

"Yes? I'm here. What is it?" I held her by her shoulders, helping her take a breath as she was panting. "Calm down, kid, breath. Only if you can breath normally you will be able to tell me whatever is it that you came here for." She looks around 13, 14 at maximum.

"Fifth Princess!" She panted. "You have to come to the 8th Castle right now," that's where I live, right? "His… His Highness, your husband, Fifth Prince Malachi is… he's…"

Malachi? Shit. "What happened to him?" I frowned worried.

"He's unconscious, Fifth Princess," she panted, still feeling it hard to breath. "Josef took him to your wing. He was unconscious and in pain… and covered in shit!"

I couldn't even hold the spontaneous burst of laughter that left me.