The King's Beloved

~ [Music Recommendation: "The Heart\'s Tale" by BigRicePiano (Instrumental only) - available in Youtube] ~ Please listen to it in loop while you read this part to experience the utmost beauty of this scene ~

The king\'s eyes met the unrelenting gaze of the Wise Judge, Clavis. He paused, and sighed, thinking if he should start another debate with him. But then again, he just finished one with Avarus. His mind was too tired to go and start a new battle.

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"Not because you don\'t see what the Supreme is doing, means He\'s not doing anything," Clavis continued to advise the king.

"You\'re not gonna let this go, are you?" the king asked in a listless tone.

"Not until you listen … and understand … and regain your faith," Clavis\' eyes burned with passion. "Did you not believe a thing that my sister told you? The vision that she saw, and the interpretation of it? There is hope! The Supreme is -"

" - And what do you want me to do?" King Calum shouted. "Just wait for this so-called hope, and do nothing while our planet perish?" 

"I didn\'t say you won\'t do anything. That would be hypocritical faith. You act based on your faith is what I meant".

"That\'s what I\'m doing - acting based on my faith, which I don\'t have anymore," King Calum shrugged.

Clavis sighed and pressed on his forehead.

"This … visions and dreams … and interpretations that you speak of, I\'m sorry but even those, I don\'t believe in any longer".

Clavis\' eyes widened in disappointment. 

"I …," Clavis gulped before continuing, "I can accept if it\'s my interpretations that you find untrue … BUT … I cannot tolerate you saying that my sister\'s visions are nothing but hoax! Your highness, she is THE Oracle! The one and only appointed by the Supreme! How can you utter such disrespectful words?!" Clavis\' calm demeanor was lost in an instant. He breathed heavily in his anger and yelled before the king.

"Even if she\'s the Oracle, she\'s still a Magi. Her dreams and visions are subjective to what her mind thinks. If she hoped too much for a miracle, would it not happen in her dreams as she wants it to? So forgive me if I find her visions … flawed, for a lack of a better term".

At these words, Clavis dropped his shoulders, and sighed as he shook his head in dismay. A moment of silence passed by.

"Remember this day, your highness," Clavis declared, his voice echoed throughout the whole empty throne room, and his eyes reflected holy anger. "The day that you rejected the Supreme and his chosen servants! The day that you left wisdom and understanding! Just as you rejected Him, He, too, will reject you!"

King Calum felt a shiver run through his skin … as if some spirit touched him. "Was it holy power?" he asked himself.

"But as for the visions that He revealed to His servants, they shall come to pass. And on that joyous day, the work of your hands will curse you and hunt you all the days of your life! Then, you will remember this day and tell yourself, \'I should have believed in the Most High\'".

"Huh," the king scoffed. "Don\'t worry, I will definitely remember. Let all curses fall before me. I\'m used to them anyway. Let me take them all. But as for the planet … I will not stop doing what I think is right for it and its people".

With a last sigh, King Calum and Clavis parted ways, and teleported back to their offices to resume their duties.

Meanwhile, news of Nefastus marrying the oldest tribe head reached her. As expected, she loathed the idea to the point that she almost destroyed her whole bedroom in her anger. She quickly went to her father afterwards to discuss the matter. Avarus was resting in his office when she arrived.

"Father!" Nefastus shouted as she barged in rudely at her father\'s office. "What is this news I heard about?! Tell me it\'s not true!" Tears could be seen at the corner of her eyes. Her face fumed and her breathing, heavy.

 Avarus was speaking to a couple of servants that time. His face turned displeased as soon as he saw Nefastus. He waved his hands, gesturing to the servants to leave them.

Avarus sighed before he answered, "What you heard is true, my dear. Be grateful that your sentence is lowered to a simple torture and marrying an old tribe head - oh, and producing a child. If not, you would have been dead by now".

Nefastus\' body trembled in fury. "T-that old, stinky, fat, and ugly Tribe Head?! NO! I will NEVER marry such an ugly man! He\'s as old as a grandfather already! No! Please father, do something about this! And to bear his child? Ugh! Disgusting! I\'d rather die than to marry him! Please no! Hu hu hu hu". She fell on her knees and sobbed. "I have kept my purity all these years for the king, thinking I\'d marry him. Now that he has a queen, I\'m even okay with being just a consort. But now I have to suffer just because of a human?! NO!"

"Ugh," Avarus rolled his eyes. "Have everything I taught you all these years simply passed by in your head?"

"Hu hu hu huh … What should I do, father? I can take the torture, wounds eventually heal. But not my dignity and purity! No!"

"If you don\'t want to marry that old tribe head, then just kill him," Avarus walked toward his daughter and patted her head. Then, he lifted her chin up to look at him. "Listen, my dear child. There is always a way to go around the \'rules\' and \'laws\'. You just have to think hard and be smart about it, do you understand?"

"B-but if I kill him, the king would surely know that I did it and -"

" - He will die," Avarus interrupted her, "on the day of your marriage. Not by your hands, so the king can\'t blame you. Then, you\'ll be free from his demands".

"What if he asks me to marry the next eldest tribe head?"

"He won\'t, my dear," Avarus smirked devilishly. "Though he won\'t have evidence to prove we\'re behind it, he\'s not that stupid to not speculate that we planned it. He won\'t risk another life just to push his punishment to you. In case he\'s stupid enough to do that, then we just kill the next tribe head, and the next after that, until all tribe heads have been replaced. He may be king for now, but he won\'t always get what he wants".

"Sniff … sniff … I see," Nefastus finally calmed down and wiped her tears. "How will you kill him though?"

"Hmmm … How indeed?" Avarus pondered for a moment. When a brilliant idea crossed his mind, he grinned and said, "You want to be a queen, right?"

"Yes! I love the king! He\'s rightfully mine!"

"Then listen carefully to what I\'m about to say …"

And so, the father and daughter continued their evil conversation. Hours passed by and soon the day ended. Everyone went to their homes, including the king. When he came back to his bedchambers, he immediately looked for Azalea and embraced her upon seeing her.

Azalea hugged King Calum back. "Are you okay? You seem very tired".

 "Yes, I am very tired," King Calum sighed. "Help me relieve my stress or I won\'t be able to sleep tonight".

"Hmmm … would you like a massage?"

"Depends on where you\'ll massage me," King Calum smirked.

Azalea blushed. "I-I\'m referring to a normal massage. Maybe in your head, your highness".

"Oh? Suddenly being formal with me?" King Calum teased her. "Just call me Calum, like you usually do. We\'re not in a public place, you don\'t need to be so formal".

"Then stop it with your teasing".

"Ugh, I don\'t even get a reward for being a great husband," King Calum pouted like a dismayed puppy.

"Hm? And what greatness did you do today?" Azalea asked, suddenly curious.

"I punished the person who tried to kill my wife, aren\'t I such a great husband?" he smirked again.

"You mean Nefastus? Wait! Don\'t tell me you killed her? You know, killing someone is not always the solution. You could -"

The king placed his forefinger on her lips, hushing her.

"Of course I know you loathe killing," King Calum assured her. "But I gave her the best punishment for what she\'s done".

Azalea sighed in relief. "And what is that \'best\' punishment?"

"Why don\'t you try to guess it?"

"Well, hmmm …," Azalea pondered for a moment. "Did you … torture her?"

"That is part of it, yes," the king nodded. "What else?"

"There\'s more?" Azalea looked surprised. She tried to guess them with all the knowledge she had for punishments. "Ahm, do charity work? Or have her banned from the palace? Or not allowed to go near me?"

"Ha ha ha ha!" the king laughed at her ridiculous ideas. "That\'s punishment for you?"

This time, Azalea pouted. "Urg, just tell me, then. Stop making me guess".

"Alright, in one condition".

"Huh? D-don\'t tell me you\'re copying me?"

"Heh, yes I am," the king nodded as he pulled Azalea\'s face closer to his, and gave her a sweet and passionate kiss.