Vows and Bullets -
Chapter 161 - 2nd week of September (Part 6)
Chapter 161: 2nd week of September (Part 6)
Please DON’T READ this Chapter yet. I will update this 2nd week of September!
Good news! My hands have healed now and I’m catching up on writing my missed Chapters. My apologies for all the delays. I will replace this Chapter with the real one soon, don’t worry, and upload a new one for the next day. I really apologize once again.
In the meantime, please enjoy the continuation of the story below titled "The King’s Beloved". This is the revised version I am planning to submit for paperback publication. Hopefully, I get a chance someday.
________________
(Part 24 - Continuation...)
"Purity," he started, "that is what your dress color signifies." His voice, gentle yet cold and mysterious.
The crowd looked at the young man’s direction, waiting for what he would say next to get answers from their curiosity and opposing speculations after what they just witnessed.
Slowly walking towards Rania, he continued, "For us Magi, our hair had been cursed by Pandora’s charm, the same with the dress you humans are wearing right now. Hence, the reason why all of us have differently colored hairs even if we belong to the same race."
Rania looked back at him as he spoke, confused as to why he was suddenly telling her those things.
"The moment we are born, our hair turns pure white, since a baby is the purest of all. Then as we grow older, that white changes accordingly to what our hearts inhibited, especially towards the king. In the whole history of Magi, there had never been an adult whose hair didn’t change and kept it white. Yet, here we are seeing a human in a pure white Pandora dress."
Then, he stood in front of Rania. Raising his hands a bit, he touched the chiffon cloth covering her dress’ skirt, trying to feel the magic cast on its fabric. Convinced it was a real Pandora dress, he continued yet again.
"I am known as the wisest Judge and yet, I do not understand. How? How can someone who suffered so much, be as pure as white?"
Rania sighed. It seemed she didn’t have any choice but to answer his query since everyone was staring at her. And so, she replied with a quote from one of the books she read.
"A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials."
Everyone who heard her gasped in astonishment.
"You say it is impossible for someone to achieve purity in adulthood but I say, it is only a matter of choice. Just as everything depends on our choices, so does our heart and soul."
The Wise Judge’s eyes widened and his mouth gaped in amazement of her words.
"If I choose to be pure, then I am pure! If I choose to be strong, then I am strong! All are but choices and it is up to ourselves to decide."
The crowd grew mixed emotions as they heard her words. Some were amazed and some were aggravated by her lack of respect, while the others were still bewildered. Just a moment ago, she was seen as someone wanting to kill the king, then suddenly, she was this wise woman speaking great philosophies. Some of them agreed with her logic while the others did not. Some were apathetic, and some were proud—being Azalea as the latter.
"Woman," the king finally spoke after being speechless for a little while. "What is your name?" he asked.
Rania turned her head to look directly at the king, which was yet again, another behaviour considered insolent by the Magi. Staring at the king’s eyes, she answered him despite the hatred that started to crawl inside her heart once again. But she chose not to dwell on hatred.
"I am Rania Caeles from the House of Pémptos," she said with confidence.
Unbothered by her so-called disrespect, the king muttered, "I see..." He was caught in a daze as he stared at her, bewitched by her beauty. Who could blame him? For Rania was indeed enchantingly divine at that very moment. With all the darkness gone from her, and this courageous radiance that seemed to emanate from her captivating countenance.
Breaking her eye contact, Rania bid her farewell.
"I believe I have performed my duty for tonight. If you’ll excuse me."
And with this, she turned her back to the king and walked away towards the door, and out of everyone’s sight.
"Clavis," the king turned to the Wise Judge.
"Yes, your highness."
"What should we reward the woman who entertained me the most tonight?"
Clavis thought for a moment, then answered, "Let her be given everything a woman desires, your highness."
"Then it shall."
Not long afterwards, the king and his Judges went on their way to rest. The party still continued for the Generals and nobles to socialize and enjoy themselves.
Meanwhile, amidst the cold weather and bustling noises that could be heard from the banquet hall, a young man could be seen sleeping outside, in the pavilion near the Forbidden Forest. Sitting on the soft couch with his wrist supporting his head, he laid asleep.
This young man had rosy white skin that reflected under the moonlight. Wearing a princely outfit of blue and silver, surrounded by numerous roses of the same hue, he shined. His black yet silky hair shone bright like obsidian. It was as if seeing a perfect picture depicting a sleeping prince under the night sky. A very magnificent sight indeed.
Despite the fact that the view was outstanding, it was such a shame that this man’s face was obstructed by his mask. Yes, he wore a plain, white mask, not letting a glimpse of any of his facial features, making anyone unable to tell whether his face was as beautiful as the scenery or that of a scary, horrid beast.
As Rania headed towards Pémptos Palace, she passed by the pavilion and saw the sleeping man. She initially walked past him, but when she thought she saw something, she halted, turned back, and walked towards him, passing on the hedges between the pavilion and the pathway.
"Black hair and a mask?" Rania mumbled to herself. "He’s not human, is he? I didn’t notice it before but... did the Magi capture males after us? What for? They said they needed us for—Oh wait, is their king into that? Oh my goodness! I should learn more about these Magi."
If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report