"You're mistaken! Maro is a kind King. He is not just as expressive as Seiro-"
"So you think you know my brothers more than me?!" Prince Kaio raised his voice, and it echoed in the room.
Ely couldn't talk back to the prince, when she saw his face red in anger. She stared at him with a worried expression.
Prince Kaio recognized that he was very emotional about the matter. He turned his back on her, "Queen of Ballad. I want you to behave yourself. After all, brother Seiro thought that you wanted to escape from the King because of your replies to his letters."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Ely gasped, "I never replied!"
"If it's not you who he has been exchanging letters with, then who? Don't be ridiculous," Prince Kaio reached out for the door handle, "Don't hurt my brother Seiro. My subjects and I are scheming for the King's dethronement, and I am using you to convince my brother to take the throne, but his feelings for you are genuine," then he closed the door loudly.
Ely felt her knees weaken and knelt down on the floor. It was then that everything made sense to her. General Lum, the person who she thought she could trust in the King's absence, and Clan Leader Owen, the one who gave the news about the King that made her excited to leave the palace, were actually scheming with Prince Kaio.
If Prince Kaio didn't know about the fake letters, then it must be either General Lum or Clan Leader Owen who made them, that was why Prince Seiro was now holding on too much onto her, thinking that she felt the same way towards him.
Ely sighed as she stood up, then walked towards the big, glass window which faced the sea behind the palace. She sat on a cushioned chair beside it and gazed at the glistening sea by the sunset.
She stared at the same beach when Maro first confessed to her, and loneliness became evident on her face. Her tears fell because of regrets. If only she knew that everything would turn out like this and that she would eventually fall for the King, she would have accepted his proposal back then...
Soon after, Prince Seiro came inside the room, ordering the servants to leave them alone, then they closed the door. He was pushing an intricately carved wooden cart wherein there were plates of shrimp and crab dishes, and a bottle of red wine.
"I hope you like these," he carefully placed down two empty plates on the opposite sides of the rectangular-shaped wooden table, then transferred the dishes in the middle. Aside from that, he prepared the wine glasses, filling them half-full with red wine. When he was finally done setting up the table, he sat in front of her and gave a wide smile, "Let us eat, shall we?"
But Ely just stared at the shrimps and crabs.
"Ely? What's wrong?" Seiro asked. "Is the food not to your liking?"
She gave a subtle smile, "I like it. It's just… it's been so long since I last ate these."
"I see. Why don't I take out the shrimp meat and crab meat for you?" Prince Seiro told Ely, before concentrating on the dishes.
As he took out the shrimp meat with his long fingers, Ely couldn't help but feel nostalgic. In front of her were Adam and his favorite red wine. She didn't ask him to, but as if it was an instinct and a normal act of his, he helped her with her food, just like before when he still had not forgotten his memories of her.
It was as if Adam was back.
"Adam…" she muttered, and she quickly covered her mouth as tears continued to fall from her eyes.
"Ely?" Prince Seiro almost touched her face, but he withdrew his hand because he had just touched the shrimp. "Are you okay?"
Ely wiped her tears, "I remembered Adam doing this for me… And he also likes red wine… Sorry for ruining the mood, you just reminded me of him-"
"But Ely, I am Adam."
She was startled by his response. "But you're not-"
But Prince Seiro put some shrimp meat on her empty plate. "Here. Eat up, and cheer up!" and he smiled sweetly at her.
As they ate the flavorful meal with red wine, Prince Seiro lightened up the mood by changing the topic and asking Ely to tell him more about his life with her. Seeing how excited the innocent prince was, she tried not to ruin his mood, after all, he might also be a victim of Prince Kaio and his allies' schemes.
And so, she started describing how her world greatly differed from the world they currently lived in. She described the modern architecture of the buildings, and hi-tech gadgets like cell phones and laptops. She also told him about how she started as a novice in the entertainment industry, that she was always bullied back then, and how she successfully debuted as a ballad singer.
Prince Seiro enjoyed the stories of another world from Ely, and when he also heard about his life there, it made him amazed about what he had been doing before he got back. Even though he couldn't remember anything about these, he felt like he would enjoy living there.
After a long while, it got dark outside, and they finished their conversation, as well as their food. When the Prince had washed his hands clean, he asked Ely to go with him to the beach to get some fresh air. Prince Kaio's mercenaries guarded them attentively from a distance.
As the moon reflected on the surface of the calm sea, the two of them walked side by side on the sandy shore. "The moon is lovely, isn't it?" Prince Seiro asked her, as the two of them glanced at the bright, round moon.
Ely nodded. She stopped walking when he grabbed her hand and kissed its back.
"Ely… This scene somehow felt romantic, didn't it?" Prince Seiro's gray eyes gazed at Ely's ocean blue eyes. Still holding her hand, he said, "Ely, you are very special to me. I know you're already my wife in your world, but I also want you to be my wife in my own world."
Ely didn't know what to say. The scene was too familiar for her.
How long had it been when Maro confessed to her on the same beach? He rejected him because she couldn't forget Adam.
And now, Adam had returned to her alive and he's proposing to her once again, yet she's thinking about Maro. How ironic.
"My beloved Ely. Can you be my Queen?"
"Be my Queen, Ely... You're not allowed to say no." She heard King Maro's voice in her head, and it made her heart ache.