-HIM-

The next morning, I had breakfast with Theoron's sister alone. She told me her brother was busy entertaining some other guests, due to which he couldn't be there with me.

"Where are you taking me today?" I asked while she was pouring herself some tea.

"First, we'll be going to the Great Shrine," she answered, "It's a little bit farther from here, based in the mountains. It has an amazing view of the sea,"

"What is in the shrine?"

"The shrine is dedicated to Valdemerca's father, Armertheron. There's a library full of their works," She told me.

"I hope the librarian lets me borrow some grimoires from there," I joked. She smiled forcedly before explaining, "The library doesn't lend them. Most of the grimoires are said to be cursed. Some believe that the library itself is cursed. Once some thieves tried to enter the library and steal some of the grimoires, but they lost their minds in there and killed themselves,"

"I must say, you're getting me too excited about that place," I couldn't help but comment.

She laughed and added, "But it's a really beautiful Shrine,"

"But what about you, Theresa?" I drew out carefully, "You must have access to the library. After all, you can read Voynish. Can't you?"

Instantly, her smile died down, and she looked a bit uncomfortable.

"It's not like that," She clarified, the warmth of her voice slowly dissipating, "I can read them, but that doesn't mean I should read them. They contain spells and curses I have no business of knowing," She told me darkly. "Anyway, we must hurry. Emperor has told me to show you our grand shipyard. He's sure that you'll love it," she added dismissively while maintaining the enthusiasm in her voice.

~

After an hour, we set out in the city with a procession of five carriages. Theresa and I had the third carriage to ourselves. The other carriages were occupied by a few of my men and some people from Theoron's court and a couple of Theresa's ladies in waiting, and a couple of servants. Lars was somewhere in those carriages as well.

I could tell throughout our journey that something was bothering Theresa. There was this restlessness in her actions, her fingers kept fidgeting, and when she thought I wasn't paying attention, she would look at me warily. All this was an indication that she was anxious.

To add more, a tense silence hung thickly in our carriage. She was looking outside the window whenever I glanced her away.

"Tell me, Theresa," I broke the silence, "How many times have you been outside the kingdom?" I asked her.

"Never," she answered. "But I have travelled the kingdom far and wide, the land and the sea... all of it at least once,"

"Land and sea, you say?" I cocked an eyebrow. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably a bit before nodding.

"What are your favourite places?"

"They are mostly shrines," She told me.

"What about the shrine of Lagrifiri?" I asked. Instantly, there was a change in her face. It was as if I had cursed her, "have you visited it?"

"That's a shrine no one can visit, your majesty," she told me curtly. "And whoever goes there never comes back,"

"So do people who die," I added with a dry laugh. "But I find it amusing how people in this kingdom can come back to life for the Emperor's convenience," My words slowly drained the blood off of her face. She looked at me wide-eyed.

"I don't understand what you meant to say by that," Instantly, she defended herself.

"Forgive me if it rubbed you the wrong way. It was never my intention. I was curious to know what happened to the princess for the last five years,"

"I was sick. Terribly sick," she shot.

"Sickness is one thing, and death is another. Why declare a person dead even when they're terribly sick?" I urged.

I could see her breaths getting shorter while small beads of sweat started to break off onto her forehead. She looked away outside the window as she answered, "It was a strange time. I was neither alive nor dead. Most days, it felt like I was going to die. It would have been harder to explain this to the people. It could have created terrible chaos. For the sake of peace, I was better declared dead to the world," she spoke, still staring outside the window. Her voice sounded breathy and on the verge of breaking.

"It must have been a dark time for you," I softened my tone even though I was assured that most of her words were not true.

"Yes, it was," she spoke sharply, looking back at me, "and that's why I don't like talking about it. I know people speculate all kinds of things about the Emperor, but the truth is as simple as a breeze," She spoke assertively this time.

"We're here," She announced with a quick glance out the window. I had been studying her so pensively I hadn't noticed that the carriage had stopped and someone was already holding the door open. Theresa left the carriage first, and I followed after her.

I found Lars waiting outside. He cocked an eyebrow at me. I shook my head at him lightly and continued after her.

We had to climb some stairs up the mountain. During this, Theresa ignored me and stuck with her ladies-in-waiting instead. The rest of the crowd followed after us.

Most people were out of breath after climbing almost a hundred stairs up to the shrine. Conveniently, there were benches at the top for people to sit down and catch their breaths before entering the shrine.

"I believe we have more interesting things waiting for us inside," I offered Theresa my hand as she fanned herself. Her face was red, but I could still see the wariness in her eyes. She looked at me coldly, a hint of scepticism flickering in her eyes. She accepted my hand reluctantly.

Nothing.

The moment she put her hand into mine, all the illusions shattered like glass. It felt nothing like the first time I touched her. I remembered the sensation so well. It was gentle, like the brush of a feather, yet it felt like a thunderbolt hit me.

I felt none of it when holding Theresa's hand.

Even though I had my doubts already, a large part of me was largely disappointed at the emptiness of her touch. Then why was the mate-pull there?

It was then when the realisation hit me like a brick wall— only I felt the mate pull. She never showed any signs of feeling the mate pull, unlike her.

Whenever I touched her, I could hear her heart racing and her breaths shortening before calmness would wash over her. I could always see it in her eyes whenever she looked at me.

Theresa never had those reactions. Then why was I feeling it for her?

Was it all an effect of a love potion?

No, a love potion cannot imitate the mate pull so precisely. It must have been something much more powerful than that... a work of a skilled mage.

The nothingness of her touch pierced my heart with a burning spear, but I didn't show any of it on the surface as I helped her up the shrine's steps. The things that happened next were just a blur. I couldn't focus on anything else but the mate pull.

It was all fake. It had been fake all this time with Theresa.

Chaos started to unfold inside me as the realization gradually sank into me.

It had all been an illusion all this time. And who could have done this?

Theoron.

Like water withdrawing from the shore before a storm, I felt myself withdrawing from my surroundings. All I could focus on was the chaos that was starting to build inside me.

I needed to let it out.

I was craving destruction. It felt like the only way I could settle the chaos inside me. It was all I could think of. It was making me restless.

I didn't care what was happening around me anymore. All I could think of was how I had been deceived. Of all the things, he chose this way of doing it to me. He chose to trap me in a superficial mate bond with a girl he claims to be his sister!

The rage I felt was slowly starting to awaken the monster I had put to sleep a long time ago. I could hear its heart beating inside me again. I could feel its craving for blood. I could taste blood in my mouth again.

"Are you alright?" A voice asked. I didn't care who it was.

"Leave me alone," A growl came out of my lips.

"I think he's tired. The change of air isn't doing well for him. He'll be alright if he rests for a few days," Lars excused on my behalf.

"Are you sure?" That voice asked again.

Theresa.

Suddenly, I wanted to turn around and rip her throat out. The thought of digging her heart out of her chest was starting to bring water to my mouth.

"Yes, he'll be alright. You don't need to think too much about it," Lars tried to convince her, digging his fingers into my arm painfully to bring me back to reality.

"Alright then, we'll have to stay at a Guild Member's house tonight. It's going to be stormy soon, and we wouldn't make it to the palace in time,"

"No problem. He'll be alright. He just needs to rest," Lars excused before I felt someone pulling me away. I was being taken somewhere, but I couldn't see. All I could think of was bloodshed.

"Alex!" Lars yelled at me, "What's happening to you? Come back, please! Don't give in to it! I don't have our mages to help you! Please, listen to me!"

"I will kill Theoron," I growled. My voice came out deeper and darker. It was unrecognizable. "I want to eat his heart,"

_