"She's not Laira." I say, my voice low and confused.

Zander's eyes still remained fixated on her as if he couldn't believe his own sight, "She is."

"I am and am not." Layla answered rising from her sitting position on the bed.

Her white gown flowed behind her like a cascade as she approached us, a gentle smile pulling at her lips.

I feel my senses grow alert at the smile. Nothing good ever came when she smiled at me. Not anymore.

But this time, she didn't halt in front of me or glower or threaten. She acted as if I wasn't even present and walked past me towards Zander.

Layla raised her hand to hold Zander's face while he just stared silently, still seeming in a shock.

Layla's thumb sweeped across Zander's jaw as her smile grew soft, "I missed you, Zan."

Zander blinked, once then twice, before a pained expression took over his features, "I don't understand."

I don't either.

But something about the way she looked at him so in love and the way just her presence had Zander's every mask crumble from his face had a strange feeling clawing at me.

"I was at the sea and a ship crashed harshly with the shore that day," Layla began making me shift my attention to her but her gaze was intent on Zander, "When I went to check in, I found the captain dead inside his cabin and a girl on the ship taking her last breath. It was Laira. On her dying bed, she told me she had to go to Helvon to the king's castle and no one would recognize her except her brother. She didn't have enough time for me to take her to a nearby health care. I didn't know what to do than watch her die."

"When the royal guards came searching for Laira's ship, they thought you were Laira. And you didn't correct them?" Zander completed and Layla nodded in accordance.

"I had nowhere to go after I was banished from Seagill. I came to know from the guards' confusion about who the dead girl was that indeed no one had ever met Laira before. When she was to visit Helvon, her brother, the only one who knew how she looked like, was out on the trial in Hades' castle. Pretending to be Laira was my only chance at gaining a place to live."

Something about the admission makes my heart sink. She had nowhere to stay. But....

"I'd never banished you out of the kingdom. It was just the castle. You could've lived anywhere in the kingdom." I murmur, "But you left."

This time, she looked at me, a bitterness coating her face, "You think the merfolks would accept such a light punishment? You think they let me be after Ursula announced what I did?! Aren't you a little too naive, Marilla?! Or are you just pretending to be?!"

Dread coiled it's way up my veins as I stared at my sister, "What did they do...."

Layla's eyes turned stony but instead of answering my question, she focused back on Zander who was silently observing.

Layla took a step closer to Zander before resting her head on his chest. I noticed how Zander's whole form stilled, a horde of emotions flickering in his eyes.

"I might've pretended to be Laira, but my love for you was true, Zan. It was very true. I'd not expected to fall for you. I'd just seeked for shelter but you made me fall so deep. I'm sorry for lying to you about my identity but every moment we spent was real." She looked up from his chest and held his face again, "I love you."

That strange citrusy feeling returned and I ignored it again. I was too focused on how Layla actually seemed so genuine.

She really loves him. . . .

I also noticed how Zander's eyes flickered over her face in complete conflict, "I thought you were. . ."

"After breaking into Helvon, Charlotte had taken me away along with your mother. I barely escaped from her alive. She was terrible. After I escaped, I couldn't even reach out to you because I didn't know how to enter Helvon."

Wait now that's a Lie. She's lying.

If it wasn't an illusion that day on the clock tower, it means Layla knows how to enter Helvon. And that was something dangerous. Unless, it really was a shadow creature in Layla's illusioned form that had pushed me off the clock tower and not the actual Layla. . .

But she still had many occassion to 'reach out' to him when he was out of Helvon. The court meetings being one of them. And she didn't try then.

If Zander thought the same, he didn't show it on his face. His expression softened and he wrapped his arms around Layla gently.

"I'm sorry you couldn't reach out to me." His arms hung loosely around her.

I heard Layla let out an aggrieved sigh as she clung to him, "I missed you so much, Zan."

Not being able look at them both anymore without feeling my head bursting, I glanced away.

Although my giving them their moment lasted only for a minute before an angered voice called to me,

"Marilla! It was because of you I couldn't be with Zander anymore. You gave Charlotte the entryway. I know that!" Layla fumed forcing me to turn back to her.

She wasn't clinging to Zander anymore. Her furious gaze was settled on me.

I almost wanted to roll my eyes but refrained myself, "Why thank you for reminding. You both can continue having your happy reunion. I'll take my leave."

I push past her towards the exit door when her voice stops me,

"I have Ursula and Avyanna captive."

My head whips to her so fast, "What?"

Even Zander's eyes shoot to Layla with a frown which Layla didn't seem to notice.

"I'll give you two choices, little sister." Layla began stepping closer to me, "You come along with me to the Black Sea and do as I say or Ursula and Avyanna die along with the other abducted folks."

"You'll die if I give you the throne, Layla." I remind her of the blood oath, brushing away all her other words that had my blood chilling.

That was the only reason she didn't own the throne yet. I would've given it to her long ago if I could.

A smile flits accross Layla's face, "Now now, that's where you're mistaken. Every oath has a loophole and I found the two loophole in your oath. You can't give the throne to anyone. I can snatch it from you by killing you or if you get married, your husband will become the king and he can hand me the throne instead of you."

"You want me to get married." I say in utter disbelief.

"That's the only choice, Sea Doll. If you don't wish to die, ofcourse. You marry a man of my choice and him as the king will hand me Seagill's throne or everyone in captivity dies and that's a lot of people. If that's not enough, I have my allies all over Seagill who'll poison the meals of the merfolks."

"How could you-" I began only to be cut off by her.

"How could I do this?! Did you ever think before stealing my throne?! Did you ever think what it'd do to me?! You didn't! You just left me to die! So it's high time I pay you back." She let out a bitter laugh, "Consider yourself lucky that atleast I've got another loophole that doesn't include killing you when that's always an option."

She'd searched for a way to get the throne without killing me?

I didn't know what to make of it. Layla does something utterly terrible and then there's some motive behind it that has me questioning whether she's truly as evil as she portrays herself to be.

But whatever her issue, she had no right including the merfolks safety in it. Who was she going to rule over if she was bent on ending their lives for her own motives?

"Don't worry, you wouldn't be the only one getting married. Zander and I will get married again. This time, our marriage will be valid unlike last time when I'd taken vows with a fake name. This time, it'll be real." Her gaze slid to Zander, "You will marry me again, won't you Zan?"

Zander's face was a mask of indifference. His eyes flickered from Layla to me and I saw something akin to regret flash within them before he glanced over at Layla,

"Yes." He passed her somewhat of a smile which didn't feel quite right.

His answer though had me internally laughing at myself. How easily he fell into her sweet words despite him hearing all of the crap she'd just threatened me with. Where were his principles at as a king? He'd just let Layla kill innocent people for her own agenda?

Maybe he was too in love with his Laira aka Layla to distinguish between good and bad. Maybe he didn't care about others except himself but even then something felt off about his decision.

Or maybe I was just trying to find reasons because through the time we both spent together on the mission, I'd considered him somewhat of a friend.

Which was stupid of me. There was a reason I didn't trust anyone and I should've known better.

Ignoring the self-pity parade, I cast my eyes on Layla, the decision in me growing clear as ever,

"I...."

What is wrong with Zander?

What do you think will happen now?