~ [Music Recommendation: "Hate" by Lucas King (Instrumental only) - available in Youtube] ~ Please listen to it in a loop while you read this part to experience the utmost beauty of this scene ~

"You're mine," King Calum whispered in an angry tone. "All mine!"

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"Ahh!... ahh… Calum, please… ahh… don't be… ahh… too rough," Azalea pleaded as her hands clasped on the bed sheets.

King Calum continued to use Azalea's body as he pleased. Azalea begged him to stop but he wouldn't. He only stopped after doing her for hours, until the sun's rays could be seen rising from the windows. Jealousy indeed, could cloud the mind of even the greatest rulers. And after jealousy would be insecurity, doubt, anger, bitterness, anxiety… until what once was the feeling of love… becomes hatred.

Though Azalea cried, and her tears wet the pillow where she laid, King Calum's gentleness and sweetness were nowhere to be found. Deafening silence filled their room.

"Your ex-lover is here to rescue you," finally King Calum told her the root of his weird behaviour. "Will you go with him if he fetches you? Or will you stay with me?"

Hearing the question, Azalea was very much dismayed. She never had a lover even back on her normal life on Earth. How could his trust of her be so shallow? And where in the world did he hear such ridiculous news? Azalea got up from bed and glared at her husband, not saying a single thing.

"Why aren't you responding? And why are you glaring at me?" King Calum asked, and glared back at her.

"You treated me like some pleasure doll because of that?" the contempt on Azalea's voice was apparent.

The king's eyebrows twitched. "You didn't answer my question." His anger heightened all the more. His mind that had been filled with anxiety wondered, "Why can't she just answer my question? Is she having doubts? Does she still love that man and wants to go with him?!"

"Do you even hear yourself, Calum?" Azalea argued. "You suddenly came back into our room, treated me like some prostitute, and then you asked me that? If I'll go with my ex-lover? I don't even have an ex-lover!"

"Lies!" he shouted and his voice echoed in the whole room. Along with it, a gentle shook travelled all throughout the Floating Kingdom.

Azalea was appalled. Not because of her husband shouting at her but because of the fact that… he didn't trust her. He would rather believe the lies told to him by whoever told him that, than to believe her - his own wife! Rivers of tears fell from her eyes. She felt sorry for herself. After all the love and trust that she gave Calum, it seemed that… his love for her was that shallow.

"So I'm a liar now," Azalea said as she lowered her eyes. "You didn't even come here to clarify things with me, like how a normal husband and wife would. But you came here to accuse me of something I didn't even do. I can't believe that all this time… sniff," she tried to stop her tears and breathed in. "Calum, tell me - did you even love me? Because if you do, why is it SO EASY for you to throw EVERYTHING that we've been through like it's nothing?"

King Calum was taken aback. Finally, as if a large thorn pricked his heart, he felt hurt seeing Azalea's disappointed face. But Nefastus warned him about it.

"She would try to plead with you, tugging your heart, like how I did in the past because I didn't want to let you go. But even if she appeared weak, don't trust her. She's only doing that to buy time, and to convince you not to harm her old lover."

Remembering it, the king kept his silence and didn't respond to Azalea's questions.

Alas, Azalea's last hope turned into ashes. "They" were done. Just like that, their relationship shattered like glasses.

"I see," Azalea smiled bitterly, if bitterly was even enough to describe the wretchedness she was feeling at that moment. "If that's the case… then, there's no point in continuing this relationship, right?" she scoffed.

Azalea might be utterly kind and loving… but this time, she couldn't bear holding onto someone who didn't really love her and trust her completely. It was her first heartbreak. She wanted to quickly run away and escape. She didn't want to stay there any longer. Her heart just kept on shattering every second and she felt suffocated.

And so, Azalea got up and dressed herself. Then, she quickly ran outside their bed chambers, with no specific place in mind. She just ran and ran and ran while crying her heart out.

Meanwhile, King Calum was left devastated from what Azalea said. Not moving an inch from his place, he stared blankly at the ring Azalea left behind. Yes, their wedding ring on which they vowed to love each other for eternity. In his mind, Azalea's words echoed over and over. And in his heart, which was filled with hatred and jealousy just moments ago, was now filled with regret, and misery.

On the other hand, Nefastus watched as the two lovers were separated from each other using her large mirror imbued with tracking magic. An evil grin could be seen from her face. Then, she flicked her fingers and teleported Azalea towards Tétartos palace. Unfortunately, Azalea didn't notice magic being used upon her. Since it was not meant to hurt her, the protection magic King Calum gave her did not deflect the magic. And thus, Nefastus' plan continued to come into fruition.

"Ah!" Azalea groaned as she bumped into someone. She almost fell on her back, had the person she bumped into not caught her just at the right timing.

The man who saved Azalea held her by the waist, and his other arm pulled her left arm towards him to prevent her fall. Once the shock left her, Azalea looked at the man who helped her. As she looked up and saw the face of her savior, she was somehow reminded of Rania's word way, way back from the day after she attempted to kill herself. Rania described him with love so apparent in her eyes.

"He had dark brown hair, and a really beautiful pair of green jade eyes. Just one look at him and you'll mistake him for an angel because he has such kind looking eyes," Rania giggled as she reminisced about her late lover's appearance. "Even his name is beautiful… Zeid Ardor. That's his full name."

"Are you alright, miss?" Zeid asked the woman who suddenly bumped into him. They were outside Tétartos palace, hiding in the shadows and shades of the trees and bushes.

"Zeid?" Azalea blurted out in her surprise. "Why are you here?"

Zeid's eyes widened. "How do you know me?"

"Rania… she told me about you."

Zeid's eyes lit up in an instant. "Rania? Where is she? I've come to rescue her!"

"About that… she -," Azalea tried to explain but suddenly, the whole Floating Kingdom shook violently!

As to why it was shaking, it was all because of the king's anger. And the source of his anger? Nefastus, showing him Azalea and Zeid's "romantic" rendezvous…

"Gather everyone," King Calum trembled in deep hatred. His eyes turned into that of a devil. "For today… we will punish and dethrone my very first queen!"

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Hi Beloved Readers!

I won Nomination Awards on last year's Webnovel Spirity Awards Spring 2020!

It's all thanks to all of your love and support! T_T I couldn't have done it without you all. Thank you very, very much from the bottom of my heart! T_T

I'll be joining again this year and hopefully, I win again. I'm so shy but I'm gonna be shameless and ask all of your support once more. XD Please check out my new story by searching for it in the app.

Title: "A Beautiful Catastrophe"

Please VOTE me with POWERSTONES on that story and leave reviews and comments. More PS, more chapter updates! And once again, thank you all so much!

Lots of Love,

Macy_Bae

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