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Chapter 2 - Kismet, Destiny, You and Me.

The Sun and the Moon bless the Earth with their light;

In the heavens they all spin in harmony;

The Sun brightens days, and the Moon roams at night;

Til the Earth hogged the Sun's light in selfish plea.

When it shoved the Moon behind its shadow;

The Moon revolted and deprived its eve of glow..."

"Betrayal." A voice uttered. "Nothing beats an ominous eclipse at dawn. Only the lore of a lunar eclipse evokes betrayal. Classic."

Underneath the midnight sky devoid of moonlight, His Regency Barbio stood by the windowsill of his chambers. An empty goblet at hand while admiring the pitch-black sky. Evil intents curved his lips, and the red flame crackling in the fireplace spilled his thoughts. Tonight, all his worries shall bury themselves, and by morning, the throne will be all to himself.

"Your Majesty!" A herald marched in. "The assassination... the assassination of blew over, Your Majesty!"

A harsh crunch of glass echoed around the room, and droplets of blood painted the floor red as the broken shards stabbed the hand that crumbled its pieces.

"Tell me what? Now?"

"T-the bandits you sent entered the chambers without struggle," the herald cried. "But the queen—I mean, Lady Genevieve was nowhere to be found, my lord!"

"Ridiculous! Where else could she be if not her chambers on this moonless night?!"

"I cannot answer that question, Your Majesty..."

Barbio cursed in apostrophe. "Damn you, Genevieve!"

***

Inside the castle walls of Grendella, a lady groaned in pain of childbirth. From dusk to dawn, subjects in white coats marched in and out of her quarters to assess the delivery. No heartbeat at normal.

"Preposterous!" a monocled man erupted."How dare the moon show its dark side on the young prince's birth! Fools will condemn him as an icon of doom!"

A maid rushed to his side, adding insult to injury: "Great Sir! The hundredth doctor uttered the same thing, deeming the delivery off his capabilities, and he's the last doctor for this evening!"

The gentleman clasped his hands to pray. "If the heavens can hear our prayers, please send us hope! Take my life instead if that would suffice—!"

"Announcing the arrival of Lady Genevieve!" a herald brought good news.

'Genevieve?' the crowd cried, 'Their final hope goes by the name Genevieve? How ironic!'

"Announcing the arrival of Lord Louis!"

The crowd gasped. Could this couple be—?

"I am Genevieve, a doctor by profession but a royal descent from the kingdom of Leighnia at birth." Genevieve's voice instilled reverence. "Your royal decree cannot restrict me, so I will assess the delivery myself."

The doors closed, and the 'forbidden' surgery began. An hour passed and what seemed like an eternity for the folks waiting outside exploded like a time bomb on the operating table. The lights went off, final stitches were sewn, every surgical instrument put back in place. Tears flooded the room but the sound of an infant's cry never came.

Seven bodies clad in teal scrubs bowed to Genevieve, and she lowered her head to match their gratitude before placing the newborn baby into Beatrice's embrace. It was a healthy baby boy!

"Here's your handsome young man," Genevieve smiled, "What's his name?"

"Julian," Prince Felix answered. "We agreed to name him Julian."

It warmed Genevieve's soul to see the family of three huddled together after overcoming a tribulation, so when an ice-cold hand chomped down her arm, she almost somersaulted from the shock; looking frostbitten in front of her husband.

"Oh, Louis, why are your hands so cold?"

"From worry, of course."

Genevieve's eye-roll triggered Beatrice's laughter. "When are you due, Gen?" she asked.

"In four months."

"Four months?" Prince Felix noted, "We'll be there."

"You better be," Louis added.

*****

And so after four months, Genevieve's water broke earlier than expected. Fortunately, Beatrice had plans ahead, and they arrived just in time to welcome another bundle of joy into their lives. She kissed Julian on the forehead while praying for Genevieve's safe delivery.

"Promise me you'll treat her like a princess when you get the chance, okay?" she tapped his small hand, "Hmm?"

Julian ignored his mother while his eyes focused on a spectacle outside the mansion. When Beatrice followed his gaze, the downpour permeated her lungs to maximum capacity.

"A meteor shower! It's a meteor shower!"

Prince Felix smiled. "How magical."

That exact moment, as if the entire universe aligned for the arrival of an angel, a beautiful baby girl came out of her mother's womb. Like the beautiful comets in the sky, she lit up the world brighter than the moon—her eyes even more scintillating than the sun. And looking down on her was Julian's pair of blue eyes that sparkled just as bright.

Kismet.

He was born on a lunar eclipse. She was born on a meteor shower. Like a perfectly handcrafted destiny, she'd been long bound to light his darkest skies.

"Celestine Leigh... her name's Celestine Leigh."