"It's Ijekiel. Ijekiel Zyaire Clover." His majesty said.
"Oh okay your majesty Ijekiel."
"You are aware, you don't have to call me your majesty." he says as he proceeds to slice his beef.
"Oh okay, King Ijekiel."
He seems displeased again.
Pokey giggled. "No Lenlen.... Father meant you can call him father."
"But I already have a father..." I say which seem to have made his majesty a little bit disappointed. "...so can I just call you papa?"
Papa's mood brightened up. "As you wish." he says smiling kindly. "In another matter, the name you must use from now on is Valentine Zyaire Clover."
"Really!?" I say unable to contain my excitement but then suddenly feeling sad.
"What's the matter Valentine?" his majesty- I mean papa asked.
"I just remembered about Father and Mother, I wonder how they're feeling after I decided to live with you and leave them so suddenly..."
"We can always visit them as you'd like and they're welcome to visit you anytime." his majesty says.
"Thank you, papa."
***
It was night time and Pokey is fast asleep once again. Sigh... she's just a kid after all.
Suddenly I remembered about the random bookshelf in the hallway and decided to check out what's hidden behind that door. Oh em gee I'm so snoopy haha!
I reached the bookshelf and stood in-front of it. "There's gotta be a secret switch here." I tell myself as I poke my hands on every part of the book shelf. Sigh.... nothing's working. What am I doing anyway? It's as if I'm a thief in the middle of the night.
But before I leave, "one last poke." I tried to move the book at the highest of my reach and the bookshelf rotated taking me along inside.
"WEEEE!!!" I say as I hold on tight on the bookshelf, because I was frightened I'll get sent flying somewhere.
I was thrown inside a dark cozy room. It's just a normal bedroom. I guess nothing to see here. I'll just take my leave.
I was about to take my leave when suddenly someone jolts in front of me but was not able to do so completely because of the cuffs around it's wrist, ankles and neck.
My heart pounded so fast, I almost had a heart attack at the age of eight.
But whom it is, is what shocked me the most. It's Auntie. Although she is in half in the form of a beast, I recognize her.
"Gggrrr...." she says.
I moved closer to her and she moved back.
"Auntie."
The redness from her eyes decreased along with her sharp nails and fangs. Her expression became calmer. "....Valentine?" she says.
"Auntie? How did you know I have this name now?" I looked a little different now compared to my previous appearance as I now have a much more healthier complexion, yet I noticed that my physical appearance remained the same as my past life, so no wonder Auntie will recognize me. I mean I gotta admit the beauty of my bloodline in my past life will pass as a character in fantasy world.
"Valentine!" she repeated as she places her hands on my cheeks.
"Yes, it's me Auntie! Your favorite niece!"
She hugged me. "My daughter!"
"Huh?" Suddenly I realized that his majesty was standing behind me. Where'd he even come from?
"Valentine?" He says. "Athena? You're not attacking?"
"Your majesty, why is Auntie tied up here?"
"That's because she was cursed to turn into a beast, she became hostile, and that is why I had to lock her up here. Her memory was erased. I couldn't talk soberly with her."
"Ijekiel..." says Auntie which surprised papa.
"Athena.... you're back!" he said touching Auntie's left cheek.
"Ijekiel....Valentine. She's our real daughter, the one you have is fake!" I was too caught up with the moment that I payed no attention to what Auntie said.
"I know." papa says as he kisses Auntie's forehead. "Let's remove your cuffs."
***
We sat on the large bed. Auntie hugged me once again and I hugged her back.
"Valentine, I suppose it's time that I introduce to you, your mother. Athena Zyaire Clover."
"Mother?" I've always dreamed that on my next life, Auntie becomes my mother.... now it came true.
"Valentine, you're back." she smiles at me. "You shouldn't have given our daughter away!" Auntie tells papa which I agree on. "And you even kept that girl in place of her." she added.
"Ever since they told me to keep Penelope, whom they claim to be my lost daughter, I had my doubts on the Calzolai clan, because I know who my real daughter is. I've always been watching over her." papa said as he looks at me. "However I decided to keep Penelope, to let them believe that they've fooled me."
"So.... the prophecy isn't true?" I asked "That I'll die if I stay beside you?"
"That.... I'm unsure of. Elder Makoto is against the Calzolai clan, therefore I was certain that he's on my side, however, now that I saw how Athena transformed and healed right when you came close to her, it could be that he only told me to throw you away was because you were the remedy to your mother's curse all along."
I knew it. I don't trust that prophecy.... and it even turns out that Pokey isn't even the real princess, how did I turn out to be the villain in the book!? I even ended up being killed in the end.
Sigh, but I couldn't blame Pokey, the Calzolai clan might have just used her, she's just a kid after all.
I wonder if the real Valentine met Auntie, her real mother like how I did....
~End of Chapter 9~