“Do you think of any way the people will start believing that you are normal?” Magnus lowered his hand from her head.
“I need to first check my eyes on someone. However, no one will volunteer to look into my eyes,” Alora said.
“Your mother will,” Magnus responded.
“No. What if-” Alora ceased the question in her mouth. She wasn’t confident of her ability nor she trusted Stella’s words. She sighed and quickly sat down on the step. “If anything goes wrong, I’ll end up taking the life of my mother.”
Magnus recalled the vision that Izaak had shared with him.
“I cannot live a life keeping my gaze down and head low. I wish to live normally, but for that, I need to end my fear. I’ve no idea how to do it,” Alora stated.
“With this attitude, you won’t be able to end the fear.” Magnus lowered himself to his knees before settling beside her. She put her head on his shoulder while she tenderly held his arm.
“It’s normal to have fear. I understand that it’s traumatic for you since you’ve seen people perishing with your eyes. Don’t feel burdened. When you feel right, you can test your eyes,” Magnus asserted.
“Hmm.”
“We aren’t supposed to tell the purpose of your eyes to anyone. It will bring danger to you. So, keep it a secret from the others. Only Brother Izaak and Griffin know about it since they will help us,” Magnus explained to her.
“I won’t. Vampires won’t like to see humans and werewolves as equal to them. Even His Highness doesn’t like the werewolves,” Alora remarked as she tilted her head to look at him.
As Alora and Magnus were engrossed in the conversation, they didn’t realize a pair of deadly eyes were watching them, standing far from them.
“Magnus, let’s walk over there and then we will go to bed,” Alora pointed to her left side.
He nodded at her and the two stood up. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, they walked hand-in-hand in the direction that Alora asked him.
“Alora, I’ve decided that we both will live in the palace once we return to Velaris,” Magnus informed her.
“My entry will be restricted by the King himself,” Alora muttered. “Does His Highness miss living with his family?” she queried.
“No. I never miss them. When I used to, they were not present around me,” Magnus said.
“What do you mean?” Alora curiously enquired. She realized that she wasn’t aware of Magnus’s past or his life. “Why doesn’t His Highness tell me why he is so distant from his family?” This question she desired to ask him for a long time, but she couldn’t find the right chance.
“Do you want to know? What if you get bored?” Magnus chuckled.
“Why would I be bored? We are supposed to share all these things with each other,” Alora said. Alora insisted on him to tell her about his past.
Magnus hummed and decided to tell that part of his life, which was unknown to everyone.
“A war?” Alora was stunned to learn that at the time when Magnus was four years old, the entire kingdom was in chaos.
“Yes. The war went on for five years and it took three more years to bring stability and peace in the Kingdom. I hardly saw my father and mother as I started growing up. In the initial years, the vampires grow faster than the humans. A four-year-old would look like a ten-year-old,” Magnus explained to her.
“What about the Queen? Was she in the war too?” Alora asked.
“No, she was with Lillian. I was under the care of my aunt, who is no more. Alaric is three years older than me while Izaak is five years older than me. When I was in a growing stage, I always waited for my father and mother to see me. They never did,” he said as he recalled the time of his childhood.
Alora sensed his sadness while he shared brief information about his childhood with her. “Were you not in the palace? Were you at your aunt’s house?” she queried.
“Yes. I lived in her house till I turned 12. I never liked my family, who neglected me, especially my father, who thought I’d grow up by myself. I know a kingdom needs its King in the time of war, but a child also needs his father. And I needed my father even if it was for a day. I learned through my cousin that my father had visited Elmswood. Yet, he didn’t get time to meet me,” Magnus said with a chuckle.
“Perhaps, your father was busy with vampires,” Alora murmured.
“I thought the same. Father should have called me to see him at least,” Magnus said in a complaining tone.
Alora understood that as a child, Magnus wanted much-needed attention from his father and mother. His childhood was the same as hers. The difference was her mother would always be there. However, for Magnus, his both parents were absent from his childhood days.
“You know why I started liking you the moment you opened your mouth. I always wanted a person to talk to me. Random things. I wanted someone to give me attention to without any motives,” Magnus asserted, suddenly smiling at his words.
Alora glanced at him and he also tilted his head. “I also had no one to speak with me. I liked Prince Magnus the moment I found out I could only speak my heart out with him,” she said with a smile.
“Then why did you not propose to me first?” Magnus questioned her.
Alora stuttered at his question. “Where are we? I think we have come far from the cottage,” she said while turning around.
“Do you wish to go back? Are you sleepy now?” Magnus asked.
“No. Magnus, when is your birthday? Last time I asked you, but you didn’t tell me,” Alora complained.
“It falls in the winter season,” Magnus replied.
“That’s too late,” Alora said. “Ahhh.” A low scream escaped her mouth as Magnus suddenly carried her in his arms.
“It’s time to return,” he said and began walking toward the cottage.
“But I’m not sleepy yet,” Alora stubbornly said.
“You are. I don’t want you to cry tomorrow seeing the dark circles under your eyes,” Magnus proclaimed as he began walking fast.
Alora moved her face close to his neck and closed her eyes. She didn’t know when the sleep engulfed her eyes in his arms.
Magnus noticed that she was asleep now, so he carefully brought her back to the cottage. Without disturbing Alora’s sleep, he lay her on the mattress. Brushing away the hair strands from her cheeks, he tucked her inside the duvet after removing her sandals.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.