“You no longer have a mother. She died while giving birth to you, but your father is indeed the current king. If you want, you can ask him—”

“No! I don’t want to! Let’s leave!” she said with her tears not stopping.  “The ones who had abandoned me and wanted me dead, I don’t want to even see them! Let’s go, Draven!”

“You don’t want to meet your family? You have a father, a step mother and half-brothers.”

“No, I don’t. I don’t want to have anything to do with them. If they were a poor family or a fallen family, I could have tried to understand their difficulties, but it seemed like I was thrown away on purpose.”

“Maybe you want to question them—”

“N-No, I don’t…” she sobbed harder, her shoulders trembling as she remembered what kind of life she had experienced.

How much pain she had gone through, struggling to survive, while her family was living a life of luxury. Maybe they had forgotten her. Maybe no one even remembered her.

Was it because her mother died, and they didn’t want her?

How cruel they must be to abandon a baby— no, wait, didn’t Draven mention they initially wanted to kill her?

What kind of people was this royal family? They were even worse than the wild animals. At least these creatures looked after their children.

“Take me back. I want to go back,” she said, desperate to return to her safe haven. “Please? Let’s go.”

Draven hugged her to console her. “Alright. Let us go back to Agartha. Don’t worry.”

“I don’t ever want to step in this place again,” she said as she continued to cry, burying her face in his chest.

Just then, they heard noises of guards approaching near where they stood, causing Ember to bite her lips, muffling her sobs. They saw the guards salute two men, before leaving to give them privacy to talk. Based on their uniform, they seemed to be high-ranking officers.

Aside from the two officers, Ember, and Draven, the walkway on top of the wall was empty.

“Greetings, Commander.”

“Have you found clues of the princess’ whereabouts?”

“Please punish us for our incompetence. We have secretly sent search parties to that mountain again and again, but not only the princess, but also the first group we sent,  there are no signs of them.”

“Not even their corpses?”

Draven felt Ember’s grasp tighten as she heard those words.

“Are they talking about me?”

Draven did not answer.

“So they want to make sure I am dead.”

Just as she said that, the man whose position seemed more superior between the two continued,  “She might not be dead. Continue searching for her. Broaden your range. Tighten the security on the borders and search the rest of the kingdom.”

“These cruel people.” Ember made sure she would remember the face of this cruel man, and then turned to Draven. “I don’t want to stay here even a moment longer. Please, let’s go.”

Draven accepted her wish and they disappeared from the palace wall.

While teleporting back, Ember requested that they travel faster than their earlier speed. Draven gave in to her request, shortening intervals of their stops.

When they reached the edge of the forest beyond the mountain ranges surrounding Agartha, Draven offered his weak-looking mate another elixir. “Have another one. The next will be our last teleport.”

Ember drank it without any complaint. She was tired physically as well as mentally. All she wanted was to return home and sleep. “Please take me to the cottage. I want to sleep there.”

Draven agreed. When they next materialized out of thin air,  they arrived inside the cottage near the dandelion field.

Draven wordlessly helped her lay on that small bed. The sounds of her muffled cries echoed inside the room, and he kneeled next to the bed, allowing her to vent the grievances she tried to hold in. After some time, her crying died down to sniffles.

His heart ached at the sight of her tired and swollen eyes.

“You have been through a lot. Rest well.”

She didn’t even have the energy to reply to him and closed her eyes, falling immediately asleep the next moment.

The next day, Ember found herself waking up more exhausted than when she slept. It was almost noon when she opened her still swollen eyes. However, she was alone in bed. Her mate was not with her.

Instead of searching for him, she continued to lay on that small wooden bed, staring at the ceiling in a daze. She recalled what happened the previous night.

The capital city of Valor. The royal family. The palace.

‘Princess?’ She felt like laughing at herself. ‘What is so good about being a princess who is abandoned by her family? They believed I was a cursed child? They tried to kill me? Maybe Gaia thought they were too ruthless and pitied me, that’s why she ran away bringing me with her. I am glad I didn’t have to live with them. I am glad I had Gaia with me.

‘Gaia is my only family, and now, I have Draven too.

‘We will create our own family, and I will make sure I will shower my children with all the love I never received from my own parents.’

“Are you awake?” She heard the voice which she always wanted to hear and looked at the man who was standing at the doorway of the room, wearing only a plain white shirt and black pants.

“Morning.” She observed her handsome mate who made her forget what she was thinking a moment ago.

“Is it?”

He walked towards her while she sat up in the bed. “How long did I sleep?” She looked outside the window and realized it was noon. “I slept through the entire morning?”

“You were tired. You needed a good sleep,” he said. “You must be hungry. I have prepared a meal for you.”

She moved her gaze from a window to him. “You cooked food again?”

“I can’t let my mate who loves to eat a lot starve, can I?”

“Well, only a person  who knows what it’s like to starve truly understands how precious food is,” she said as she stepped out of bed.

Draven didn’t deny her claim. He understood what kind of suffering she had gone through. “You can take your time freshening up. I have already arranged the food on the table.”

Afterwards, Ember came out of the room and sat in front of the table with a forced smile. Draven served the fish dish on her plate which she started to eat quietly. As expected, it tasted good.

She gazed at the table filled with tasty food and said, “Even though I don’t starve now and I get to eat whatever and whenever I want, is it wrong for me to feel food is the most precious thing?”

“It is not wrong. In fact, everyone has their own priorities,” he answered. “None of them is wrong, only different.”

She remembered something. “That day when we were attacked by orcs, instead of caring for my safety, the safety of the food basket was more important to me. I could not bear to see those snacks meticulously prepared by Lady Cornelia being crushed under that orc’s feet. Erlos must think it was immature of me, but it was like a basic instinct for me towards food.”

With her moist eyes, she looked at him.

“I…I am pathetic, am I not?”

Draven observed her for a moment. He could see the things she got to know last night were affecting her more than she was letting on. She must be frustrated to know that there was no complicated reason why she suffered in life. Her family was well-off—-no, the wealthiest in the land. The royal family had a luxurious life, and her siblings must have good upbringing, with all their needs and wants provided.

Meanwhile, Ember lived a life worse than a beggar.

Draven recalled her appearance when he found her. Barely skin and bones, so dirty her skin was almost black. Injuries covered her entire body. If not for the elixirs of the Wood Elves and the potions of the witches, it would take her months, if not years, for her body to be healthy.

She did not even have her own name because she was a cursed child. She must feel betrayed and heartbroken.

He held her cold hand in his warm one and squeezed it gently.

“Do not think like that,” he said, his tone uncharacteristically soft. “You have lived a tough life and it’s understandable. I know you are affected by what you learned last night, but do not let your past define you.

“You are Ember Aramis, reincarnation of a deity, the mate of the King of Agartha. The supernatural beings in this kingdom are your people, and the ones in the palace your family. In Agartha, you have family and friends, people who welcome you and appreciate you as you are.

“Valor doesn’t deserve to have you. Those people don’t know what treasure they have lost.”

Tears rolled down her eyes as she choked back another sob, but in the end, she could not stop herself. Draven let her cry for a while.

“I know the truth brings you pain, but I hope you do not forget it; instead, use it to strengthen your heart. There are various people in the world, and many of them will disappoint you. You will have to learn how to accept things and move on.”

She nodded and continued to sob.

“Ember, from now on, live your life the way you want. Do what you want, and make sure you will no longer have regrets.”

After finishing their meal, they returned to the palace. Draven could no longer afford to stay away from his official duties due to the preparations for the approaching day of mourning. Various officials were lined up to meet the King of Agartha regarding various issues.

After returning to the palace, Ember remained uncommunicative, barely saying a few words before dismissing her servants. Reya and Clio didn’t dare ask her anything.

However, even though Draven busied himself with work, he would check on his mate once in a while, either by visiting her himself or sometimes asking Erlos about her.