The stone walls echoed Arzenio's heavy breathing. It had only been a day since Alea disappeared from his sight, but for Arzenio, that day felt much longer.
Arzenio stood on the tower balcony, staring at the gray sky.
In his chest, there was an empty space that even the cold wind couldn't fill.
That night, he could still remember the smell of Alea's hair.
Her soft laughter.
Her panic.
The way Alea called his name with a trembling voice when she was cold.
He closed his eyes, and the longing came again, piercing, suffocating.
"It's too quiet without her..." whispered Arzenio.
The court fortune teller entered without knocking.
"Prince Arsenio," he said hoarsely, "I sense a new turmoil from Destiny."
Arzenio did not turn around. "What is it?"
"Someone you let go... is not completely gone."
"I sense... that your connection is still alive."
"The loss of half your breath is a sign that destiny is not yet complete."
Arsenio clenched his fists.
"Is he safe?"
"Is he alive?"
"I am certain he is alive," replied the fortune teller. "But he... misses someone."
Arsenio closed his eyes.
The image of Alea's face, the last time she looked at him with teary eyes, reappeared.
"Does she... miss me?" Arzenio asked, almost whispering.
The fortune teller smiled softly.
"Only time will tell, Prince, but remember this... A great secret is growing inside her, and it will call you back sooner or later."
Arzenio's heart trembled uncontrollably.
He knew that feeling.
The same feeling he had when Alea held his hand for the last time.
The feeling of belonging.
The feeling of loss.
Arzenio's feelings were completely chaotic after Alea's departure. He himself didn't know why, but Alea's presence seemed to change everything.
Arzenio walked quickly towards the palace hall, where his parents were talking with the elders of the Arzen kingdom.
"Mother, I want to find Alea," he said firmly without hesitation.
The face that resembled Arzenio's looked surprised.
"You're going to the human world? Did I hear that right?"
The woman with a crown on her head stood up and walked towards her son. Her face was full of worry because whatever her son had decided, no one could stop him.
"I heard you correctly. I will search for Alea."
"But, son, in a few days, you will be crowned king, and I hope you won't go anywhere until the ceremony is over." The middle-aged woman, who was still very beautiful, stared at him.
Arzenio sighed deeply. His coronation was very important for the kingdom of Arzen, considering that his father was not in good health.
***
The afternoon sky looked gloomy when Alea left her office building. The air felt colder than usual, causing her to pull her jacket tighter around her while rubbing her stomach, which had felt strange since morning.
The nausea had subsided... but the feeling hadn't completely gone away. It was still there, lurking quietly.
Throughout the ride home, Alea stared out the window of the online taxi she was riding in. Her reflection looked tired, her eyes dimmer than usual.
Alea had refused Elton's offer to drive her home because she wanted to go somewhere to confirm what was bothering her.
"Why am I like this?" she muttered.
When the taxi stopped at a red light, her eyes accidentally fell on a small clinic sign on the side of the road:
Gotong Royong Clinic—General & Pregnancy Checkups
Alea froze.
Soraya's voice from the office asking questions, Elton's confused face, the sudden nausea
Everything was spinning in her head.
Then Arzenio's face appeared so clearly.
Alea swallowed hard.
Her throat felt dry.
"Sir, can you stop in front of that clinic?"
"Sure, Miss."
As she got out, Alea's steps felt heavy, as if each step made her chest tighter. Her hands were cold and trembling, but she still opened the clinic door.
The smell of antiseptic greeted her, adding to the tension in her chest.
"Good afternoon, how can I help you?" greeted the nurse at the reception desk.
Alea took a deep breath.
The voice that came out of her mouth was almost trembling.
"I... want to get checked. A pregnancy test."
The nurse nodded kindly, but Alea felt the world swaying around her. She was directed to a small waiting room and sat on a white chair that felt too hard.
Alea's hands unconsciously held her stomach.
"I just want to make sure. Maybe it's just normal nausea... maybe I'm just sick... or tired..." she whispered, trying to convince herself.
But the more she tried to calm herself, the stronger that strange feeling swirled in her stomach, as if her body was giving an answer before the test results came out.
"Alea? Please come in."
Alea stood with weak legs.
Every step toward the examination room felt like walking toward a new chapter in her life.
A chapter she might never have imagined and that might bring her back to someone she shouldn't have forgotten.
Alea sat on the edge of the examination bed, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.
The nurse gave her a small cup for a urine sample, and a few minutes later Alea sat back down, waiting for the results.
Time seemed to pass very slowly.
There was a soft knock on the door.
A female doctor entered with a clipboard in her hand.
"Okay, Alea, the rapid test results are in."
The doctor smiled gently, but her expression also showed caution.
Alea swallowed hard, her hands immediately going cold.
"What are the results, Doctor?" Alea's voice was almost a whisper.
The doctor sat down in the chair opposite her, then placed the test results on the table. Two lines were clearly visible.
"Congratulations, you're pregnant."
Alea's world seemed to stop.
"W-what?" The sound came out so small and broken.
The doctor nodded again, more slowly. "You're pregnant, Alea. It's probably still very early. A few weeks."
A few weeks?
The words hit her consciousness like a slap.
A few weeks, exactly the time when she was still in Arzenio's world.
Alea's stomach suddenly felt warm and heavy.
Her breath felt like it was floating.
The doctor continued, "If you want, we can do further tests, but you look very pale. Are you okay?"
Alea looked at the floor, her eyes watering, but not because she was scared.
It was more because of a huge feeling she couldn't name.
"I… I don't know what to do," her voice broke.
"I didn't even realize I had been gone from this world for so long."
The doctor looked at her with empathy.
"You're not alone. Many patients feel panicked when they receive news like this. Take a breath, okay?"
Alea nodded, trying to breathe, but her sobs came out first. Her hands covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking.
Not because of fear.
Nor because of shock, but because in her heart, the image of Arzenio appeared so clearly.
His soft voice.
The warmth of his body.
The last embrace before the portal separated them.
"Arzenii," Alea whispered very softly, almost inaudibly.
The doctor stopped writing.
"Do you want me to call someone to accompany you?"
Alea shook her head quickly.
She didn't want Soraya or Elton to come.
Not now. Not in her fragile state.
"I... I want to go home alone."
The doctor nodded understandingly.
"Okay, but if the dizziness or nausea gets worse, come back, okay?"
Alea stood up, her legs feeling like cotton. She walked out of the clinic, clutching the test results tightly.
Outside, the evening breeze swept across her face, but no wind could be colder than the reality she had just received.
She was pregnant.
And the father of the baby…
Only she and God knew.