The King's Beloved

The king smirked at Azalea. Letting go of her neck, he lifted her chin and pulled her towards him.

"There … that\'s the eyes I want to see. Keep it that way, you\'ll need it".

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Azalea frowned at the king and pushed him away. With a last devilish smile, the king walked backwards and vanished into thin air. Azalea sighed deeply as she saw the king fade away. She was angry at his behaviour, yes, but worried as well.

The king teleported back to his office after meeting with Azalea. The room was well lit and filled with bookshelves at almost every corner. There was a receiving area where luxurious sofas and coffee tables were placed. On the walls, you\'ll see paintings of sceneries - a mountain, a garden, a river, a waterfall, the Floating Kingdom, and a mansion. The windows were big and were connected to the balcony. It had an extension room where meetings seemed to be held since there was a big round table in the middle, surrounded by 17 chairs all around it. The king\'s office table was located near the balcony, where a soft chair was neatly tucked inside. There were papers on top of his desk and a couple of clutter on the sides but it didn\'t hide the beauty of his table. It was made of enchanting woods topped with thick black glass. Its corners had gems as decorations, so as the chair. And at the middle of the table was a name plate made of black onyx glass where his name was written. However, the sun was too bright and it reflected on the glass. One could only make out the words "King of Gaia" from it.

Upon arriving, the king slumped himself on his desk chair and leaned his head on the chair\'s headrest. Breathe in, breathe out. The room was too silent that only his deep sighs could be heard. He continued his sighs a few more times while he stared blankly at the ceilings. Its beautiful carvings and design did nothing to delight him.

"That\'s one deep sigh you got there, your highness," a man\'s voice suddenly greeted the king.

Immediately realizing what he just said, the king knitted his brows and rolled his eyes to the direction of the voice without moving an inch. He glared at the man he saw - and there he was, Clavis Sortis, the wisest judge.

"Spying on me?" the king asked him in a scornful tone. "You do know I value my privacy, right?"

"I do. In fact, I know a lot of things, your highness," Clavis confidently answered him with no hint of fear on his face. Unlike the other Generals and Judges, Clavis always carried a calm face, devoid of worry or fear of anything. He had this forever tranquil and confident face for some reason. Partnered with his light blue hair and eyes, this caused him to be known as the "Ice Prince" by most of his subordinates and admirers from the noble families and commoners.

"But of course you do, you are the \'wisest\' judge afterall".

"Yes, I am".

"Hahahaha! As arrogant as ever!" the king rose from his chair and stared at Clavis. "Tell me, why are you here? What do you want?"

"Nothing much," Clavis shrugged his shoulders. Then, with a serious tone, "Just wanted to remind the king, and hope that he\'s NOT forgetting something important".

The king flinched and answered him with a scowl on his face, "There is no need for you to worry. I COMPLETELY remember everything".

"Good. And I hope you stay away from these \'love\' talks with that human. You are so easily influenced afterall".

The king was provoked even more. "I am not!"

"Love has nothing to do with your duties as king. Remember our purpose for coming here, and act on it. That\'s all you need to do".

"Shut up! I know what I\'m doing".

"Yes, clearly, you know," Clavis mocked him.

"It seems to me, your tongue is getting sharper and sharper, Wise Judge?" now with a threatening voice, and his aura going intense, the king warned Clavis.

Clavis simply cloaked himself with his powers - a barrier made from his holy power. He cared not for the king\'s anger.

"Violence over reason as always, your highness? Now, you really are making it clear that you \'know\' what you are doing".

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut UP!" the king grew very frustrated at him.

Clavis sighed. "This conversation will not bear any fruit. You\'re still being impulsive and continually lets your emotions dictate you, rather than the mind. Work on that. I will not tolerate a foolish king. The others may dote on you and follow you blindly, but I am NEVER one of them. So expect me to keep you in check all the time".

And with his final warning, Clavis left and vanished into thin air, leaving the king vexed and disoriented. He sighed again for the last time, and slumped back on his chair as his hands pressed on his forehead and his eyes reflected full sorrow.

Meanwhile, Selena could be found carrying a bouquet of flowers in front of the Forbidden Chambers. The bouquet had different flowers in them all in white - an iris, a rose, a lily, and lastly was a lavender which stood out since it was the only purple in the bundle of whites. She laid the bouquet on the floor and lighted a candle beside it. Then, she kneeled in front of the door, closed her eyes and began to pray. After a few minutes, her prayers were done and she stared blankly at the door. Her eyes reflected loneliness and longing.

"Rania … ," she softly whispered.

Unbeknownst to her, on the other side of the door was Rania, also staring at the door as her right hand touched the vines gently.

"Rose, Lily, Iris, Selena, Azalea and everyone … ," Rania started speaking in a soft yet passionate voice. "I promise ... I WILL come back and save you all. I will not let our world remain in ruins. I will not let families be separated. I will not let this war prevail. I WILL do everything in my power … But until then, be strong and take heart!"

Such warm words … unfortunately no one could hear it since she was inside the chamber.

No one … except Selena.