Selaria's unconscious body landed hard on the bed as Zenith unceremoniously tossed her onto it.
"Careful!"
Epione yelped in surprise, glaring at both Siersha and Zenith.
Zenith dusted off her hands and looked at Epione. "What?"
Epione sighed, walking over to Selaria and adjusting her position, making her more comfortable.
When she turned back around, Siersha and Zenith were already lingering by the door—clearly ready to run away.
Epione sighed again, walking towards them. "Why was she unconscious?"
"Zenith did it," Siersha said without hesitation, pointing at her partner-in-cri.
"Hey!" Zenith slapped her hand away. "Don't sell out like that!"
"Am I wrong, though?" Siersha blinked innocently. "Can't believe you knocked out a princess."
"And you advised throwing her out the window." Zenith grumbled, glaring at her.
Epione froze mid-step. "You what?"
Siersha only shrugged.
"It was just a suggestion." She crossed her arms. "Would've solved the problem."
Epione exhaled sharply, shoving both of them out of the room before shutting the door behind her.
"I'm just glad no guards caught us," Zenith muttered as they walked down the hall.
Siersha nodded. "It would have been a problem if they did."
Epione crossed her arms. "Anyway, why did you knock her out?"
"She was trying to make fix...."
Zenith's words died in her throat.
A blush crept onto her face as she thought about it.
'Why did I do that?'
She fidgeted, avoiding their eyes.
All Selaria had done was ask for a little help.
And yet, before she knew it, her body had moved on its own.
Even though she knew Himl would never agree to go on a date with her...
'Did I feel threatened?'
She quickly shook her head.
No. That wasn't it.
Why would she feel threatened?
'It's not like I like him or anything.'
Siersha gave her a sidelong glance. "I'm curious too. Was it because she asked Himl on a date?"
"It's not!" Zenith denied, a little too aggressively. "I would never like soone who asked my mother out!"
Siersha's lips twitched.
"…Who said anything about liking him?" she murmured.
Zenith flinched.
Trying to change the subject, she turned to Epione. "Why were you even here?"
"Ah!" Epione squeaked, snapping out of her thoughts. "I was just looking around."
Siersha, who was staring at Zenith, turned to look at her.
She asked, "Why?"
Epione replied without even looking at her. "...I just felt sothing off."
Zenith's curiosity piqued as she asked, "Tell . I can help you."
Epione hesitated, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her sleeves.
She let out a sigh. "I just felt mana behaving weirdly."
"That's not a big deal," Zenith shrugged. "Lady Mariam would've noticed if sothing was wrong."
"…Maybe I'm overthinking," Epione muttered, though unease still lingered in her chest.
The wedding was one of the most important events in recent tis.
She couldn't help but have a bad feeling about this.
"Now that I think about it," Zenith mused, "I overheard people talking about the cursed princes."
Epione stiffened. Zenith caught it imdiately.
"Do you know them?" Zenith curiously asked, looking at her.
Epione exhaled tiredly. "...Yeah. They're my uncles."
Zenith ca to an abrupt stop. "Wait, what?"
Epione nodded. "They were my mother's brothers."
Zenith stepped closer. "What happened to them?"
"…I don't know," Epione admitted, shaking her head. "All I know is that they were special."
"How?"
"They were born with a gift." Epione hesitated. "...They were immortals."
Zenith's breath hitched.
Sothing clicked in her mind.
mories that she saw through Avilea's eyes.
'They talked about Asura's wedding…'
Everything started falling into place.
She stared blankly at Epione. "Do you know where Himl is?"
Epione blinked.
"He is with Sir Mortis," she replied, staring at her. "They were going to join a demigod's eting."
Zenith drew in a deep breath.
Her body trembled as a realization dawned on her.
'Avilea is Himl's daughter.'
....The thought hit her harder than she expected.
She felt torn.
Conflicted.
Was it the fact that Himl had multiple wives that hurt her? Or… was it sothing else?
She clenched her fists, drawing in a deep breath before looking at the others.
'One of his wives almost died.'
She recalled the man's words.
But the real question was—
—Who?
Epione quietly looked at her. "What happened?"
Zenith shook her head. "...Nothing."
Siersha, however, wasn't fooled.
She had already sensed that sothing was off.
Then, Epione spoke up again. "By the way, is it just , or does Himl seem… familiar?"
Siersha's head snapped toward her. "What?"
Epione frowned, deep in thought.
"I just have this feeling I've t him before." She glanced at them. "In Lumina, when I t Christina."
Siersha did her best to keep her expression neutral.
Instead, she asked slowly, "…How?"
"I don't know," Epione admitted, shaking her head. "What do you think, Zenith?"
"Why are you asking ?" Zenith grumbled, glaring at them. "Weren't you guys just as close to her as I was?"
They both turned silent.
****
Gwenyra's Palace.
In one of the grand chambers of the building, a figure slowly began to materialize.
The woman had an ethereal and enchanting presence, exuding a dark yet alluring aura.
Her long, flowing golden-blonde hair cascaded around her, framing her striking red eyes as they scanned the room.
She wore an elegant black gown adorned with intricate golden embroidery, accentuating her figure.
Then, she spoke—her voice slow yet commanding.
"Co out," Innana called. "I know you can hear ."
A low hum resonated through the darkness.
"What pleasure do I owe to have you here?" A voice asked, calm and eerily familiar.
"Are you not going to show yourself?" Innana's gaze flickered around the shadows.
"...."
No reply ca.
She sighed. "What are you doing here?"
"Gwenyra called ," the voice replied. "Even though I can't descend into Lumina like you, I can still use a puppet."
"Don't give that crap," Innana snapped, her voice rising. "You think I can't see through your plans?"
"Even if you did," the voice whispered in a mocking tone, "what can you do?"
Dark pressure filled the chamber.
The air grew thick, suffocating.
The sheer force of Innana's restrained power sent a warning through the shadows.
"Don't even think of harming him."
"Oh, how could I harm him?" The voice cooed. "He's the only one who can fix us."
Innana's jaw clenched.
"I am not broken," she hissed.
No reply ca.
But—
The air shifted.
The presence lurking in the shadows grew heavier, more tangible.
Then, she stepped forward.
The puppet moved with an eerie grace—too smooth, too controlled.
Innana glared at her.
The puppet tilted her head.
She looked almost normal. Almost.
Though she bore a resemblance to the speaker, sothing was off.
The smile was too sharp, the expression too precise—like soone wearing a mask they had long forgotten was fake.
"No, Inna," the puppet said, voice drenched in false sweetness. "We are broken."
Innana glared at her.
The puppet tilted her head.
"Do you not like this face?" A slow smile crept onto her lips. "How about this?"
Her features began to shift.
Slowly, piece by piece, her face changed—morphing into sothing else.
Innana's glare was crucifying as the puppet's face beca identical to her own.
The only difference—raven-black hair and glowing golden eyes.
The puppet's smile widened. "Do you like my real face? Of course, you do."
"Don't test my patience, Ishtar," Innana whispered, her voice dangerously soft. "You have no right to wear that face."
The puppet—no, the entity wearing that face—tilted its head. "Why not? It was mine before it was yours."
"No." Innana shook her head. "Don't live in delusion."
Ishtar's smile didn't waver. She studied Innana before speaking again.
"Where is our dear, Inna?" Her voice dripped with mock concern. "I can't sense him."
"None of your business," Innana replied, glaring at her.
She had already taken precautions.
Before coming here, she had placed a barrier around Himl and Shyamal, ensuring their privacy.
If she hadn't, Ishtar would have torn through everything in her madness.
Ishtar's lips curled into sothing almost cruel.
"Are you so desperate to protect him from ?" She took a slow step forward. "But it won't work."
Innana remained still. "You talk as if he would ever choose you."
Ishtar smirked. "Can you really be sure? I can give him things you'd never even think of."
Innana's fingers twitched.
She knew what Ishtar was trying to do—digging under her skin, provoking her into lashing out.
She drew in a deep breath.
Trying to calm herself.
"Say whatever you want," Innana said, her voice dangerously calm. "You're not getting to him—"
"For how long?" Ishtar chuckled softly, golden eyes glowing in the dim light. "That's where you're wrong, dear sister."
Ishtar took a step closer.
They stood just a breath apart, staring into each other's eyes—
—As if staring into a mirror.
"No matter how much you fight it…" Ishtar continued with a sweet smile, "he always finds his way back to ."
Innana shook her head. "Not as long as I'm here."
Ishtar's expression shifted, as if she had grown tired of arguing.
"For how long are you going to keep watching over him?"
She asked, glaring at Innana.
"For how long are you going to keep losing him?"
"....."
Innana quietly looked at her, further irritating Ishtar.
"You lost him to Anastasia, even though you could have won."
There was a ti—
"When you learned about his reincarnation, you followed him—leaving everything behind."
When Innana and Ishtar were still one.
"…And yet, you lost him again to that foolish sister of yours."
Ishtar wasn't a goddess who was born.
"Even when he lived on that pathetic little planet, You. Watched. Over. Him."
She was a fragnt—ripped from Innana.
"And now that his soul is whole again, all you're doing is watching."
The dark, twisted nature of Innana—
"How long are you going to keep doing this?"
—Manifested into Goddess Ishtar.
Innana's hand blurred—
"Argh!"
—And grabbed Ishtar's throat.
"Don't be mistaken." Innana whispered, looking down at her. "Unlike you, I don't see him as my possession."
That made Ishtar laugh.
Her lips curled up in a twisted smile.
"Who are you trying to fool?"
Ishtar whispered softly, strengthening her body to et Innana's crimson eyes.
Even as Innana's grip tightened, she stared—golden eyes piercing through her.
"You see him as yours, just like ."
A silence stretched between them.
Then—
Innana smiled.
A twisted, broken smile that mirrored Ishtar's.
"So what if I do?"
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