Cicilia continued
" I always thought it was your love for me that you gave me so much love and care. but then she came. The way your majesty looks at her shattered my heart. It was a look I never saw in your eyes for anyone before. Blinded by jealousy I wanted to make her miserable, I wanted to humiliate her. "
Asher was silent for a long time. Then he finally spoke,
"Cicilia , I never meant to lead you on. You're dear to me, yes. But like a family. Like a younger sister. Your mother was my nanny. She raised me alongside you. That bond is sacred to me."
He stepped away from his desk and looked directly into her eyes, his own filled with a quiet sadness.
"But Stephania , she is different. What I feel for her " he paused, as if struggling to put it into words. "It's something I can't explain. It's not kindness or duty. It's not even just love. It's gravity. She pulls me in without trying."
He let out a breath. "I'm sorry you were hurt. Truly. But what you did was unforgivable . Putting her in that position was too cruel for you ."
Cicilia's lips quivered, but she said nothing.
"You'll be confined for now," Asher said, "Not as a punishment alone but for your own reflection. I can't trust you near the queen until I know this won't happen again."
He turned away. "Guards."
As the doors opened and the guards re entered, Cicilia didn't resist. But just before they took her away, she whispered, "I wish it was me."
Asher didn't respond. His heart felt heavy not with anger, but with regret.
" Another family member betrayed me again. " Asher told himself.
The soft light of morning streamed into the chamber and touched Stephania . Stephania blinked awake, warmth surrounding her. Her silver hair spilled across the pillow, and as she shifted slightly, her eyes landed on the man beside her.
Asher was seated at the edge of the bed, papers in one hand and a pen in the other. His damp hair clung to his forehead, clearly fresh from a bath. A few buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing the defined lines of his chest and the subtle dips of his collarbone. The shirt hung loosely on him, effortlessly seductive. He looked tired and focused and achingly beautiful.
For a moment, Stephania forgot to breathe. Then she abruptly shook her head, internally scolding herself. Stop staring, that's inappropriate. As if she told herself.
"Is my queen having strange thoughts this early in the day?" Asher smirked without looking at her.
Stephania's eyes instantly turned away from him and a faint blush crept across her cheeks. Before she could recover, Asher turned to her, his grin wicked.
He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice, "Should I be worried?"
She shot him a flustered glare. "You should behave like a king."
"As you wish, Your Majesty." He gave a theatrical bow from where he sat, then chuckled softly and brushed a lock of her hair away from her face. "How are you feeling now?"
Stephania nodded, the warmth in his tone settling her. "I feel great, really."
"Good," he said, setting aside the papers. "Because as the Queen of Vorga, your duties begin today. There's work to be done.
Her eyes lit up with curiosity and purpose. She sat up straighter, excitement beginning to bloom in her chest. "I'm ready."
Asher smiled at her, this time softer, proud, even. "Then let's show them the kind of queen Vorga deserves."
Meanwhile in the kingdom of Eldrida:
A storm was brewing over the golden spires of Eldrida .
King Everard stood by the arched windows of the royal council chamber, It was the third notice this week. More royal guards had collapsed during training, fevered and delirious, their bodies shaking and slick with sweat. Their bones ached as though crushed under invisible pressure. The worst part , their magic was fading. One by one, their auras dimmed like dying embers.
And now, whispers had begun to spread. Nobles from influential houses were falling ill too . Sons and daughters with no history of illness. The same fever. The same pain. The same terrifying silence from magic that once sang in their blood.
The door opened behind him. The court physician entered, followed by three senior sorcerers, their faces shadowed with fatigue.
Everard turned. "How many now?"
"Twenty-two knights," the physician replied. "Sixteen noble heirs. And three younger mages from the academy. All with identical symptoms."
Everard's voice was low. "And not one of your potions worked?"
The physician lowered his eyes. "None, Your Majesty. It's as if their bodies are rejecting all magical intervention. As if something is eating away their connection to the arcane."
The king looked at the lead sorcerer, Mareon.
Mareon stepped forward and unrolled a parchment map of the kingdom, marked with red ink. "There is a pattern," he said "Every single one of them, at some point in their life, has taken the magic inducing potion either to awaken dormant abilities or enhance existing ones. Some as recently as last month. Others, nearly a decade ago."
The silence that followed was chilling.
Everard's brow furrowed. "Are you saying the potion is the cause?"
"Not exactly," Mareon said. "The potion was stable. But something inside it . A latent curse, a buried alteration has now awakened. And we do not yet understand why now. Something has triggered it."
"And is it spreading?" Everard asked.
Virelle, the youngest sorceress, stepped forward. "It's not contagious like a plague. It's not spreading by contact. Only those who consumed the potion are affected. But there may be hundreds across the kingdom who've used it. Thousands, even."
A weight pressed down on Everard's shoulders.
His elite guards. His loyal nobles. His gifted magicians.
All vulnerable.
And if this continued , the kingdom will be defenceless even before they attack Vorga.
"Can it be cured?" he asked finally.
The youngest of the three sorcerers, Elwin said "We don't know. The sickness is bound to the their mana flows . Removing it may erase their magical abilities permanently, if they survive at all."
"This is sabotage," he growled. "It has to be. From inside or out."
Mareon nodded. "This is a curse masked as a gift."
" Let's go to the underground laboratory where the potion is being made" Everard said with an irritated look showing discomfort on his own decision.