Evelyn's POV:
I felt something rushing in my body. Something that was soothing my miserable heart. The pain that caused havoc in my whole body was gradually fading away. I could sense some sort of energy, engulfing me in its deep den.
"More.... I want more... Please let me have it all," a light moan escaped from the grip of my lips.
"Don't worry, Eve! I am right here. This pain will soon be over. Just hang in there for a little bit more, " a voice brushed through my ears, along with a gentle pat on my head. It was my brother's voice and the gentle calloused hand also belonged to him. My brain responded to it. My tensed body relaxed on its own. I found comfort in those words and caressing.
"Ahem!" I parted my lips once again, ensuring him of my accord. Then, I went back to sleep, lying in the warm embrace of this new energy that was colliding with my body and brain.
*******
A beaming light made its way into my closed eyelids, waking me up from my slumber. I blinked several times before closing its way with my hand. I slowly opened my eyes under the shadow of my hand. When my sight became clear, I withdrew my hand, slightly. Before my very eyes, across the window, was resting a glamorous and beaming moon, whose piercing light forced me to arouse from my respite. I tried to assess the state I was in. Upon tilting my head a little away from the shining moon, I found my brother near my bedside, sleeping on a chair. Suddenly, the events of the past came flooding into my brain. I remembered the last time I was having a conversation with my brother and suddenly lost consciousness.
"Wait... What is this feeling? What's going on in my core? Up till now, I have never felt anything in it. But now something seems to reside in it. Something unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time. Just what happened during the time I was unconscious?" I clenched my chest and then looked over at my brother.
"Brother! Brother!" I called out to him.
Isis suddenly opened his eyes and gasped as if I had scared him out.
"Eve! You are up! How are you feeling?" he looked towards me and then hurriedly came over to my side. His voice was full of concern and affection. I could see his swelled-up eyes. God, I must have hurt him a lot.
"I am fine, brother," I said.
He looked over at me with tears brimming eyes. He carefully took me in his warm embrace and welled up.
"This time you truly scared the hell out of me. Which idiot plays this kind of game with her brother?" his voice was shaking.
"Well, it could be no one other than Evelyn. The little idiot sister of a sweet brother, " I whispered. "Ohh! Also, nobody other than me can dare play this game with my brother. I won't let anybody do this. Don't you remember Mom used to tell us that only she can scold us and nobody else? So, I am the only one who is allowed to hurt you. Ok!"
He giggled. I could feel his arm moving behind my back, probably trying to wipe his tears. He slowly freed me from his embrace, but not from his hold and leaned his head against mine.
"Of course, only my sister has the strength to shake me to the core," he said, flicking my forehead.
"By the way, what happened when I was unconscious? I can feel mana in my core. You know I don't have any mana since birth but the most surprising fact is that it's not yours. Am I wrong?" I curiously asked, rubbing my
sore forehead.
His eyes darkened. The whole room turned into dead silence. I looked at him, anxiously. Then, he sighed and broke the ice.
"Eve! I have a lot to say. So, just listen to me first, after that I will happily accept any punishment you decide for me," he spoke in a serious tone.
I gulped. My heart started pounding heavily against my chest. I prepared myself, just like I always used to do while fighting demons.
"I am all ears, brother!" I replied.
He explained the whole situation to me. And I listened to everything he had to say, attentively. My brain took no time to process all of the information. I could feel the emotions flowing out of his every word.
"So, now you are in Royal Palace. And you have already made a mana contract with His Highness. It was all because of him that we could save your life," he looked over me, affectionately.
"And I guess you don't know that a Royal Prince only shares his mana core with the lady he wants to spend his life with, which makes this decision even more difficult. That's why the crown princess selection event takes place every year to assist the prince in making this decision," his voice deepened but then he let out a sigh.
"However, this time, His Highness, Zanier Alpheus, has already made a mana contract with you, which makes you his legal wife and the Crown Princess of Euphoria. The King has already announced that there will be no selection event this year, and the Royal Wedding will take place in the coming months," he added.
"Understood!" I replied.
He looked at me surprisingly, as if I had said something I shouldn't have.
"W-What! Are you not mad at me that I made you marry a guy you don't even know and love?" he asked, with bulging eyes.
"What's there to be mad about? This was inevitable. If I were in your shoes I would have done the same thing, or even worse. My brother is so strong that he could make a decision in that situation," I shrugged my shoulder, trying to ease the tension.
"Besides, now that I have ended up in this situation, there's nothing we can do now except to face the consequences. And don't you worry brother, I will work very hard and won't let anybody take advantage of me, even if it means the Royal Family itself," I said, hoping to ease his worries.
"That's my sister," he chuckled, patting my head.
Then a knock echoed in the room.
"Who is it?" Isis inquired.
"Sir, it's His Majesty the king and His Highness, the crown prince. They have come to check up on the lady, " the voice stated.