Chapter 6 – Ashes of Betrayal

Anger.

Revolt.

Outrage.

A thousand words tried to capture how she felt, yet none seemed fierce enough.

Ravi did this to her. The king and queen did this to her—sent her into that shadowy labyrinth out of pure fear. Fear of being dethroned. Fear of her power.

After all she'd done for them. For the kingdom.

She couldn't even find the words to express her sense of betrayal.

But time would heal those wounds.

Ravi got the punishment he deserved—she made him taste the same medicine.

As for the king and queen, they were stripped of their titles and confined to a quiet wing of the palace for the rest of their days.

Rubia became the new queen. With that came even more duties and responsibilities. She buried herself in work, filling her mind with tasks to avoid thinking.

Sometimes, she couldn't help it. She'd find herself wishing he were alive—alive and happy somewhere, anywhere, even if it wasn't by her side.

She imagined seeing him again, though she knew it would never happen.

He is dead, she told herself over and over. But something inside refused to accept it, so she'd push the thought away and return to the stack of papers on her desk.

In human terms, Rubia would live for eternity. And Haniel—the only one she ever truly loved—would live on forever in her memories.

"Do you come here often?"

She smiled.

"Haniel," she whispered, opening her eyes to gaze at him. "I miss you so much."

"I know."

There was sorrow in his eyes.

"I just wish I could stay dreaming, but you always wake me up," she lamented. "So cruel."

It was funny—she couldn't even stay mad at him, no matter how exasperating he was.

"You'll see me again with your eyes wide open, Rubia," he promised. "Out there. In the real world."

It was all she wanted more than anything.

But she knew it couldn't be. It was just a dream.

He was the first person who ever truly saw her, the first she ever loved.

But it wasn't meant to be.

She decided to respect destiny's plan. At first, she believed she would carry his memory forever—but forever was too long, and the pain would last just as long.

So she made a difficult—but necessary—choice for herself.

She would let him go. She would bury him deep in her mind, locking away every memory.

And perhaps—in another life—she might see him again.