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Their love was like a play.
It is a romance written in a script. Of two people reunited through childhood memories. Mutual attraction at first glance. An exchange of words that ignites a spark between them that will bloom into a burning fire of passion.
A love between a prince and a noble.
Of Alberu Crossman and Cayla Henituse.
"I found my smile when I saw the light at the end of the tunnel"
It was an unassuming meeting.
They are of age. As most people in nobility, it is expected of their families to plan their future— marriage talks. Because of a friendship between Zed Crossman and Deruth Henituse, the prospect of the firstborn daughter being wed to the first prince often comes up.
It wasn't meant to be taken seriously. There were other candidates. Other families had the same opportunity.
However, after Alberu's mother died, so did his father's love for him. He became an outcast. No longer favoured and his right to the throne comes into question.
So, when it comes time for Alberu to find a wife, the only lady willing to stay by his side is Cayla. His childhood friend, with whom he lost contact after his mother died.
"Where will this game of male and female take us?
Of male and female"
To Alberu's surprise, Cayla is unlike the rumours that were being spread. She isn't kind nor soft. She doesn't hold her tongue when it comes to stuck-up nobles who only see her as an unruly lady with no manners.
But she is more than that.
She is intelligent. In the first week of living in the palace, Cayla wastes no time weeding out the disloyal servants that had snuck their way inside his home, and quickly discerns the identities of Alberu's Dark Elf allies. But she does not care for their lineage. All she cares about is whether they do their jobs properly or not.
She is quick-witted and clever. The dry and boring meetings with the nobles turn into an interesting beat-down by his new fiancée, who has little patience for bullshit, and swiftly unravels the nobles' back-and-forth talks. Cayla has no tolerance for incompetence, and the nobles quickly learn that Alberu's new fiancée has neither the patience nor the desire to keep a delicate balance.
She is strong. Despite the backlash from the nobles for her "unruly behaviour" and "rudeness", Cayla does not back down. She retaliates against their accusations with results, especially after she has taken over the meetings as Alberu's advisor.
With Cayly by his side, Alberu realises that he has strong support. After living for so long without anybody by his side, his life and position sitting upon a tower made of sand, having a reliable and strong support, feels like a dream.
Cayla is like a dream come true.
"We were accomplices, we got rid of our complexes"
Alberu learns to work with her. He learns to release some of his burdens onto her. He learns to listen to her advice and heed her warnings. He had thought his instincts were strong, but they are pale compared to Cayla's wits.
Her past as an "unruly lady from the Henituse County" was borne out of expert manipulation of perception. She twists words, executes scenes, and fabricates rumours to lead public perception into one she desires.
People have written her off as a crude, cruel, and useless lady with no marriage potential. As if her only notable characteristics are her beauty and her ability to bear a child. Nobody was willing to have a strong-willed woman.
"To make you understand, you just had to lift an eyelash
You just had to lift an eyelash"
Perhaps that is why Alberu likes her. Only somebody strong can stay by his side, as the prince who fell out of favour with the king. As a prince with no backing.
Cayla Henituse is strong-willed, clever, and cunning. She matches Alberu's pace. She fills the holes in his life. She cuts down the enemies in his path and builds a support network for him.
"I was ready to engrave your image in black ink under my eyelids
So I could see you, even in an eternal sleep"
At the time, Alberu could truly say that he was in love. He loves her. He starts the wedding preparations, planning to keep her in his grasp and all the light she had poured into his life.
"Even in an eternal sleep
Even in an eternal sleep"
But then, something changed. She changed.
It was like a blink in the eye. Cayla was still clever. Witty. Sharp and intelligent.
But it is like something is weighing her down. An invisible burden that he isn't aware of.
Alberu wasn't sure where it had come from or when it started.
No. That is a lie. He knew when it had started.
Cayla stops him one night, with worry on her face and a fire burning in her eyes. She meets his gaze and tells him.
"There is a bombing tomorrow, at the king's party. You must call it off."
Alberu is confused. Who would be bold enough to attack at the king's birthday event?
"How do you know this?" He asks her.
"I just do," she replies. "I went back in time. I have seen war, Alberu. The Roan Kingdom will be engulfed in flames."
Alberu, regrettably, does not believe her.
He doesn't know why. He should have.
On the day of the event, Cayla was being unreasonable. She demands an investigation. Guards. Extra security, if not, remove the event altogether.
Alberu tells her to stay at the Palace of Joy. She was in no state to attend the event.
Then, the bombing.
Explosions.
Destruction.
Deaths. Countless deaths.
And in the middle of it all, Cayla. Her red hair is recognisable when the heroes, a group that had stopped the bloodthirsty mage, throw her at his feet.
Alberu is in shock.
"We found her trying to escape with the mage," the black swordsman informs.
"I was not trying to escape!" Cayla hisses, pushing herself back to her feet while dusting off the dirt that has stained her clothes. She is wearing all black, with pants and a cloak to hide her appearance. "I was trying to stop that mage."
"The mage recognised you," a mage informs. Her eyes stare at Cayla like she is a suspicious character. "He said 'his liege will be disappointed with you'."
"He's insane and spouting bullshit. I had nothing to do with this." Cayla vehemently defends.
"What were you doing here?" Alberu finds himself asking. His words don't fit the chaos inside his mind. "I told you to stay at the palace."
"Were you expecting me to let everyone die?" Cayla questions. "You weren't going to do anything, so I took matters into my own hands."
Alberu isn't sure what has possessed him when he replied coldly;
"Cayla, this doesn't look good on you."
"I was supposed to love you but I saw the rain
I blinked my eyes and you weren't the same"
Cayla's eyes widen. She seems in shock at his words.
"I was trying to save people," she says, her lips twisting upward in an incredulous smile. "I warned you, and you did nothing. Was I supposed to sit back and let people die?"
"How did you know that this would happen?" Alberu asks.
"I told you."
"That excuse does not make sense."
"What?"
"Do I love you? I don't know if I love you
Do you love me? I don't know if I love you"
"Since there is no clear answer, you will be confined in the palace until further notice. An investigation will take place, and your fate will be decided then."
"Alberu… you can't be serious?"
"I was supposed to love you but I saw the rain
I blinked my eyes and you weren't the same"
"With how the situation looks right now, you are very suspicious."
"…I'm your fiancée."
Alberu replies coldly.
"All the more reason to suspect you."
Alberu meets her gaze with unwavering coldness. He sees the moment something breaks inside of her.
"Do I love you? I don't know if I love you
Do you love me? I don't know if I love you"
Alberu confines her to the palace while he sends the guards to investigate. Secretly, he sends his own spies to uncover the truth. It is better to start immediately before Cayla has a chance to destroy the evidence.
Unfortunately, because of the unfortunate death of the king during the attack, he takes the throne out of necessity. The investigation into his fiancée has to be pushed back until further notice while he pays respects to the nobles who were killed in the attack.
During that time, he doesn't speak to his fiancée. He doesn't avoid her. They have dinner once a week, but it is with stilted silence.
Cayla no longer holds the sharp wit that gets Alberu's head spinning in awe and admiration. She is quiet and seething. Like a hornet inside a hive waiting to be triggered. Yet the only entrance to the hive is blocked, forcing her to stew in rage, unable to express her frustration.
Nobody knows of Cayla's involvement in the Plaza Bombing Attack. Only Alberu and the heroes are aware of it.
That night, his spies came to Alberu's side and offered a plate of ashes. The remains of a page burned in the hearth.
"We found this in her room."
Alberu can barely make out the letters scrawled in ink. A date. It coincides with the time of the attack.
"She was also reported to have sent a letter to her family, possibly warning them of the attack."
Basen Henituse was supposed to attend the event, yet he was nowhere to be seen.
"Did you find anything else?" his question feels numb in his own ears.
"There was a bag inside a hidden compartment. It contains various items that suggest she was planning to run."
His spy shows him the bag. It contains a bunch of jewels from Cayla's dresses, a way to obtain money should she be on the run. There are a couple of teleportation scrolls, a long piece of rope, a dagger, and a couple of potions.
Alberu feels something cold settle inside his heart.
"Put a tracker on the bag and return it."
His aides and followers notice the tense silence. They know something has gone wrong. They stay silent and away from the storm that is brewing in the palace.
"To stop your suffering, all I had to do was say, “I love you”
It hurt me to hurt you, I've never suffered so much"
Time passes, and before he can blink, it is already time for their marriage. He had planned it for months; the preparations were already underway before he was swept up with work. It is unexpected. A royal marriage after a tragedy a month prior?
However, the citizens were excited for the wedding. Everything was already done. All that's left to do is attend the event and officialise their union.
Unable to push back the date or delay an official event, Alberu and Cayla went to their wedding.
Alberu faces the wedding the same way he faced all difficult choices in his life. With his head high, a smile in place, and his emotions buried deep inside his mind, unable to be reached.
His happiness is not a factor in this union. Only the political power uniting with a Henituse will bring. To his support system and his influence.
"I've never suffered so much"
Cayla is beautiful as she walks down the aisle. Her white dress sparkles like diamonds under the sun. The bouquet in her hands is incomparable to her beauty.
She smiles at him, but it doesn't reach her eyes. Her reddish-brown eyes are not alight with fire that burns with the heat that rivals the sun. It is a flickering flame in the wind. A lone candle burning inside an abandoned room.
While Alberu did not scorn her, his absence harmed her regardless. He ignores the hurt in her eyes as he stands in front of the priest.
"When I put the ring on your finger, I put on the handcuffs"
Everyone cheers for the new royal couple, yet in the back of his mind, all Alberu can think of is her possible betrayal. That Cayla is involved with the organisation that started the bombing.
Whilst they get married, Alberu sends a spy to sneak a surveillance device into Cayla's room. It will be difficult for Cayla to notice the device because she is not a mage.
"All this time passes and I suffered your nonsense"
On the night of their honeymoon, Alberu refuses to touch her. He leaves her in the room, choosing to sleep in his own room. If she turns out to be a traitor, she does not want to involve a child in their marital problems.
He ignores the hurt expression Cayla sends his way. A woman who is a master of deceit could have easily faked her pain.
"I suffered your nonsense"
Their romance falls through the gaps. What is supposed to be a fantasy-like love has been turned on its head. The seed of doubt has been sown, and Alberu is unwilling to put his heart on the line. Not for a woman.
"I was ready to engrave your image in black ink under my eyelids
So I could see you, even in an eternal sleep
Even in an eternal sleep
Even in an eternal sleep"
As the years progress, their marriage continues to fester like a rot.
Cayla tries to regain trust. She takes over managing the palace affairs. However, Alberu orders a servant to keep an eye on her, and for every document she touches to be reviewed by his trusted Dark Elves.
She tries to host events on behalf of the crown. So many things go wrong throughout the entire process, up until she is caught fighting with the hero Choi Han, uttering vile words toward the destruction of Harris Village.
"I was supposed to love you but I saw the rain
I blinked my eyes and you weren't the same"
The guards had to separate them.
Cayla doesn't host another event.
She stops doing anything.
All of her actions are monitored. All of her letters and documents were reviewed. All of her advice and warnings are taken with suspicion and doubt. Every word is analysed with a fine comb for any hidden agendas or double meanings.
Cayla is being suffocated in the palace, and nobody has the sympathy to release her from this pain.
"Do I love you? I don't know if I love you
Do you love me? I don't know if I love you"
Her husband does not send her a kind word or warm touch. He treats her coldly and distantly, like a threat that must be navigated, instead of a partner he is wed to.
In the halls, Alberu pretends he doesn't see her. He passes her without a second glance, like a ghost haunting the halls, unknowing or uncaring of the withering rose slowly rotting in his palace.
"I was supposed to love you but I saw the rain
I blinked my eyes and you weren't the same"
In his mind, he is protecting his life by being cautious. He has lived his entire life walking on a platform made of sand. To put his heart on the line for a woman who could tear it out with no remorse, it is a risk he isn't willing to take. Not when it is his responsibility to care for the kingdom he has inherited.
Cayla is an unknown threat. Until she is proven otherwise, he will keep her at arm's length.
"Do I love you? I don't know if I love you
Do you love me? I don't know if I love you"
Alberu pours himself into his work. War is brewing. He is working with the heroes, making them into a ray of hope for the citizens as they attempt to remove the organisation that has wormed its way into his kingdom.
More bombs have been distributed throughout the Roan Kingdom, creating chaos and unease among the people.
Venion Stan, after the death of his brother and officially taking over the Stan household, continues to cause problems. He creates issues within the noble court, gathering more followers to oppose Alberu's attempts to act. Without Cayla's swift action, Venion is bolder as he tramples over Choi Han because of his unknown status.
Thankfully, his unruly behaviour is put to an end, and the entire household's reputation is ruined by the underworld.
Civil war breaks out in the Whipper Kingdom. A long-running problem has finally exploded out of control. Alberu manages to gain mages who were fleeing from the kingdom and its tyrant, Toonka.
The Jungle catches fire. A blaze that could not be put out.
Then, the Jungle and the Whipper Kingdom join forces.
During this time, Alberu is invited by Adin, along with the other royals, to celebrate the 150-year anniversary of the Church of the Sun God and the 500-year anniversary of the Alchemists’ Bell Tower.
Too busy with his work, it has been a year since he had a proper conversation with his wife. The kingdom needs him. With each problem that arises, so does his paranoia that he might have a mole in his palace.
His mind keeps turning to his wife, even though she has not shown any signs of being a traitor.
"I hurt myself trying to fly
I didn't see the glass ceiling"
Cayla waits for him by the door the night before. Her complexion has gotten worse. She is paler. Her red hair is dull and messy. It is like a rose that is withering from being neglected.
She meets his gaze.
"Do you truly believe I am a traitor?"
Alberu ignores her.
"I will return in a week."
"…Okay."
That is the extent of the conversation. Alberu heads to the Mogoru Empire the following day.
Not a day has passed since he arrived at the Mogoru Empire, and he gets a call from his aunt.
"She's gone."
Cayla disappears. His wife is gone without a trace.
She didn't take the bag he placed a tracker on. Most of her jewels have been taken, except for the gifts he had given her. The Henituse family has no idea where she might have gone.
She has disappeared.
Yet the only thing Alberu could think of is;
"She's finally gone."
As if she had revealed her true colours, Alberu accepts her disappearance with little guilt. It is about time, he thinks. She must be tired of playing pretend, he tells himself.
He refuses to admit that he is the reason she is gone.
"You found me boring
If I loved you how you loved me
If I loved you how you loved me
If I loved you how you loved me"
It isn't until years later, while on the battlefield with the true mastermind leading the secret organisation, Arm, that Alberu meets her again.
Alberu was fighting the maniac, White Star. The armour covering his body is full of dents and scorch marks. Blood splatters from inside his helmet. His body throbs with pain from a mix of injuries and mana overuse.
White Star raises his flaming blade toward Alberu, intending to kill the king and finally take over the Western Continent.
But then, the fire that ravages the world in an unholy blaze, a golden ember falls between them.
Like a petal in the wind, the ember flies between them, landing on the ground that is covered in a mix of blood and flames. From its touch, the battlefield bursts to life.
Golden flowers spread across the ground, lighting the area with a warm glow. It swallows the flames like a sea of water. Soft flowers overtake the bloody battlefield that was raging with fire.
Glowing petals encase the fallen soldiers while branching roots grasp the enemies in a tangle of thorny vines.
Before their eyes, a transfer occurs.
The enemies scream. Their skin begins to wrinkle, face sinking into their skulls as their vitality is being drained from them.
Contrastingly, the grievous injuries of the soldiers are sealed up with a golden glow. Their health returns, with injuries closing without a scar, and limbs regrowing with rapid speed.
The enemy ranks wither and fall onto the garden of flowers as husks whilst the soldiers stand with renewed vitality.
Sprawling roots of branches explode from the ground, encasing the earth in twisting branches. A large portion of those branches shoots toward White Star, wrapping his limbs in thorny brambles.
"Tsk! You still have hidden people fighting for you?"
White Star's flaming sword cuts through the brambles. He sends a torrent of flames toward Alberu.
Before the king can block the flames, the branches rise from the ground to act as a shield, blocking the fire to protect him.
"You can't hide behind those weak branches forever."
"Who said anything about hiding?"
Descending from the sky, a blur of red attacks White Star.
It is quick. A flurry of movement too fast for Alberu to catch up. The impact of each attack shakes the ground.
Alberu stumbles and is caught by a large flower growing behind him. The confusion leaves him stunned, only able to watch the battle and struggling to keep up with what he is seeing.
Cayla. His missing wife. She is fighting toe to toe with White Star, wielding a golden sword that swings endlessly in a battle of speed and strength.
A sweep of her leg summons countless golden petals to encircle her, acting as a shield against the ancient powers that attack her.
A swing of her sword effortlessly blocks the ancient powers as if they were nothing but pebbles.
A flick of her hand commands thorny branches from the ground to restrain White Star.
Attack after attack. For the first time in years, somebody can fight against the threat that has been steadily conquering the Western Continent with ease.
Calya is beautiful as she fights at a merciless pace. She is fighting as if this is her last chance. A last defence against this villain and the end of the kingdom.
Finally, White Star slips up, and Cayla takes an opening.
CRACK!
A branch stabs through White Star's chest from behind. The pointed end points toward Cayla, blood dripping from the root.
White Star stares at her whilst Cayla levels a vicious glare.
"Your time is warped," he says with an observant tone.
"And yours have run out."
White Star chuckles. "Do you think this is enough to stop me?"
Caylay raises her hand to the sky. Her eyes glow brightly with a golden hue.
"Go join your god in the pits of hell."
Beneath him, thorny branches rise and encase White Star in a ball, dragging him into the ground.
It isn't quick, but it isn't slow either. There is a muffled scream, possibly White Star claiming that it isn't his defeat. That is quickly replaced with a more panicked and desperate sound.
As if he realises that this is truly the end for him.
When the thorny branches descend into the earth, the battlefield is quiet.
A second passes.
Five seconds.
A soldier, tentative and unsure, speaks up. "Is it… over?"
Cayla looks towards the soldier. The glow in her eyes fades, leaving the familiar reddish-brown eyes.
She nods. "It's over."
There are a few seconds of stunned silence, as if the soldiers could not believe that the war they had been fighting a losing battle was finally won. That it is finally over.
Then, loud cheers.
Cayla steps away from where White Star had been dragged into the ground. She approaches him.
From beneath his armour, Alberu stares at his wife. The wife he had once loved, then ignored out of a seed of suspicion that should not have overtaken his heart so quickly.
Yet she stands in front of him, victorious in a war he had assumed she was a part of. Not as an ally, but an enemy.
Cayla stares at him.
She looks so much better than the last time he saw her. A lucious rose in full bloom. A far cry from the withered woman he left behind.
"Husband," she greets.
"…Do I deserve that title?" Alberu asks. "After everything I had done?"
A breeze blows between them.
"I was horrible to you," he admits quietly. "I wasn't even sad that you disappeared. I thought you had turned traitor."
"I was supposed to love you but I saw the rain"
I blinked my eyes and you weren't the same"
"You fucked up," Cayla says bluntly, the same tone she once had. The tone that conveys her intolerance of bullshit that she was known for, in a time that feels like a lifetime ago."
"Yet you returned to save me. Or was it out of convenience?"
"It might have been," Cayla says in a coy tone.
Alberu cannot help the chuckle rising inside his chest.
"Do I love you? I don't know if I love you
Do you love me? I don't know if I love you"
"The kingdom owes a debt to you," Alberu says. "I owe a debt to you."
"I'll cash it in some other time. For now, you have a lot to do, your highness."
"Yes…"
The war may be over, but there is still a lot of work to be done.
"I do have one request from you."
"What is it?"
Alberu barely catches the item Cayla throws at him. He looks at his hand.
The glimmering gold of her wedding ring sits in his palm.
"I'll be sending divorce papers soon," Cayla's smile curls her eyes into crescents. "You can keep everything. Just send me a large sum of money for my future."
"I was supposed to love you but I saw the rain
I blinked my eyes and you weren't the same"
Alberu stares at the ring for a minute. Then, he smiles bitterly as he closes his hand around the ring.
"Have you found another?"
"I have."
Her answer is expected, yet it still brings a sharp feeling inside his chest.
"Does he love you?"
Cayla's smile is unlike anything he has ever seen from her.
A beautiful rose. So this is what she looks like when he is loved.
"I should thank you for not touching me on our wedding night. That way, I can save myself for him."
Alberu smiles back. "I wish you a happy marriage."
In the end, this romantic play has a happy ending, running in a full circle that began from his mistake.
When he first thought;
"Do I love you? I don't know if I love you"
And her reply in the end;
"Do you love me? I don't know if I love you"