Sibyl stood still for a fraction of a moment. But then she jerked her arm away from his grasp.
Liar.
She did not believe that he had any emotions for her. It had been twenty-three years. Nobody waited that long to say they had any feelings for someone else.
"Whatever. It's too late Jero. Do what you have to do here in Faria and then go back home to your family. Don't expect me to fall for your sweet words."
"I'm not lying to you." His eyes grew fierce.
"Fool me once, shame on you—we got Talia. Fool me twice, shame on me—we got Tarot."
"Love, there was no shame—"
"Fool me a third time and I might as well go jump into the lake. We're not going to have another illegitimate child."
She turned away, missing the hurt that sprang into Jero's eyes.
'My children are not illegitimate!"
For the first time, Jero's face stiffened and he became visibly upset.
"Don't you dare call them that." His voice was gruff with emotion. "They are MY CHILDREN and I claim them with full legitimacy."
"That's not possible, Jero. We're not legally married."
"That's what you think."
Sibyl turned back to him, her eyes were dagger points.
"I don't remember ever marrying you."
Jero laughed. "Have you forgotten who you're talking to?"
"How can I forget? It's been hanging over me like a hangman's noose for over two decades."
"Sibyl. I am a king. I create and ratify laws. I preside over legal rulings. I had us declared married a full six months before Talia was born."
Sibyl threw out her hands in protest.
"That's not possible. I was already on Earth by then."
"Love," he shook his head. "You don't need to be present when a decree has been issued by a sitting monarch. You were a married woman even before you left this realm. No man would have been able to legally marry you here."
Sibyl whipped her head back to glare at him.
"So what would have happened had I actually married another man on Earth?"
Jero shrugged. "It would have been invalidated as soon as you stepped back into this realm. You would simply be considered as a woman who was cheating on your husband. Any child you had with that man would truly be the illegitimate child—not Talia, not Tarot."
Sibyl's jaw dropped. "Unbelievable! Absolutely unbelievable!"
"Sibyl. You can believe it or not, it's up to you, but the truth is—our children have always been legitimately ours."
"They are MY CHILDREN." Sibyl hissed.
Jaro gritted his teeth. "One thing that you must begin to get used to is the fact that you are not their only parent. I am their parent too. I also have the right to see them and to be in their lives."
Sibyl swallowed and looked away.
She was not so unreasonable that she would challenge that assertion. No matter what happened between them, Jero was still their father.
Sibyl was the one who had taken off with Talia and had not allowed him to see her. It was the same for Tarot. Their children had grown up without their father because of her choice, not his.
"Fine. Go see them. Give them your full support. I have done the best that I could for them all these years. It's your turn now."
"Sibyl." He tried again. "Why does it have to be one or the other? Why can't it be both of us, taking care of both of them?"
"Because no matter what your legal system says, I don't feel married to you. I never have."
Jero took a deep breath. Here goes everything.
"What would it take to make you feel as if you were married to me?"
"I am willing to make concessions for the sake of the children, but I refuse to make concessions to accommodate you or your wives."
"That's perfectly understandable, Sibyl." He sighed with resignation and turned her to face him.
"What if I divorce all my wives to be with you. Will you accept me on those terms?"
Sibyl blinked. This was something she had never thought would be possible.
Whoever heard of a King divorcing the Queen of a kingdom? At the very most, he would simply not interact much with her.
The Queen's role was not just as the wife of the King, she also held a political position almost as important as the King himself.
Had he given her that option at the time when she was pregnant with Talia, Sibyl would have gladly jumped into his arms.
At this point in her life however, it just seemed to be too little too late.
"Why now? Why not a decade or two ago when the children were first born?"
"Sibyl, at that time, I had children who were still not yet fully grown. I could not divorce their mothers. All I could do was extend to you, the same position that they all held so that I could be a father to all my children."
"And now?"
"My youngest child from those women are older than Talia. They have their adult lives to live and don't need me as much as when they were young. Tarot is still only thirteen."
Sibyl pursed her lips. "You know my little Tarot grew up just fine with only me for a parent."
She stopped to wipe a tear from her eyes.
"Poor little Talia had it worse. She grew up with only my attendants to raise her because I was trying to hide her away from the prophecy."
"And you did a wonderful job Love, but they need a father right now." He reasoned with her.
"Talia needs to be able to stand proudly and claim her position as Queen of Faria. Tarot, when he gets older, will need his Prince title to be able to stand above the crowd and do what he needs to do."
His voice grew firm.
"There is one caveat however, and I cannot break this one. It's not my wives you have to accommodate if you will be with me. It's my other children."
"What do you mean?"
"I can divorce my wives for you but I cannot abandon my children for you. My oldest son is the Crown Prince and will be king when it is time for me to step down. I cannot take that away from him and transfer it to Tarot, much as I love the boy."
Sibyl shook her head.
"I don't have any issues with your children. Your children are your children and that will never change."
"As for Tarot, there is something about him that you do not yet know but which I must inform you. This is something that you must keep to yourself, as it could prove to be dangerous to Tarot should this information be known by the wrong people."
Jero raised an eyebrow.
"Of course. This will stay between the two of us."
Sibyl leaned closer and whispered into Jero's ear.
"Our son Tarot will be the future Wizard Emperor of this entire realm."
Jero gasped. "How…what makes you think that this could be?"
Sibyl laughed at his shocked face. "Do you not know who you are married to?"
"I am not just a High Seer. I am the current High Priestess. All visions flow through me, to be disseminated as I see fit."