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After Princess Larya left, King Vien summoned Vitav to the throne room, but was alarmed to hear that Vitav was nowhere to be found.
"Find him at once!" He ordered, sending the Palace guards into a search frenzy.
King Vien did not stop there... He shared his memory of Princess Larya's confession with the Magic Council members, and then ordered a Kingdom-wide search, sending powerful mages after Vitav.
Several Grand Mages performed an advanced Trace Spell on him, but it was no use. Vitav had somehow cloaked his aura from their magic, and even the arrows on a few ancient magic compasses spun in confused circles, or didn't move at all!
"He's a genius!" Exclaimed one of the High mages, but Grand Mage Sidian shook his head.
"No. He has become a dark mage. I've seen a similar spell in the dark magic book... If he can cast that spell, then we might be dealing with something far more dangerous here!"
Vitav was proclaimed a criminal and the true mastermind behind his mother's dark magic schemes, and anyone who offered him assistance would be brought in for treason...
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Meanwhile, Celia was frantic with worry.
An early summer sun had recently been bathing the skies, and Celia had spent the last few days with Taze, both of them visiting a different Palace garden each day, to enjoy the flowers, gentle breezes, and butterflies.
It wasn't lost on either of them that a month or two from now was usually around when Taze died, so they basked in each other's company, extremely thankful that they had averted at least part of the cruel fate Vitav had written for them.
But now, Celia was unable to enjoy the beautiful garden surrounding her.
Vitav's escape meant her enemy was out of sight, and that made her uncomfortable.
"Cheer up." Taze said, handing her an apple, and he sat beside her on the ivory bench.
"He has lost the title of Prince, so he'll have a hard time convincing the Fairies." He looked at her in sheer awe and admiration.
"And since you even turned Princess Larya, he has lost the support of the Merpeople... How did I earn such a magnificent Crown Princess?!"
It took a few seconds for Celia to realize what he had said, and her head swivelled to look at him. "Crown Princess...?"
He merely gestured at her hands... She had accepted the apple without thinking, but the instant her fingers touched it, it turned into a clear crystal apple, with a glinting silver and ruby ring inside it!
The ring was forged to resemble two silver vines woven around each other in an unbroken circle, which was attached to a silver crown grasping a large ruby.
Celia shot to her feet in surprise, and colour rushed to her face as Taze knelt on one knee, holding out a hand to her. Her eyes watered, but her hand went on its own to rest in his, and he planted a gentle kiss on her knuckles.
"Celia, I planned to propose on your sixteenth birthday, to make up for the lifetimes I didn't... But though I had located the book by then, I wasn't certain of my fate, and I didn't want you in needless danger.
"I was being silly. Fate itself is endlessly uncertain... You change one thing and risk another. The dark flame is gone now, yet endless dangers still await.
"All I'm certain of is my feelings for you! I desire nothing more than a long lifetime spent with you...only you, and I will fight endlessly for such a future! But if my life is destined to be short, I would rather spend it all belonging to you..."
Celia was now in tears, overcome with emotion.
It was only now that she realized she didn't deserve such a beautiful thing,
Surely she shouldn't be so happy... not after condemning Taze to twenty-five lifetimes of suffering!
"H- *hiccup* How can you accept me so completely, after so many lifetimes of suffering?!"
Taze stood up and quickly pulled her into a hug.
"Shhhh... Don't mention that." He soothed, as his hand ran comfortingly across her back. "You should never have listened to that alter-fellow! I'm the one who was wrong... I should have awoken earlier that night."
"You were poisoned! I didn't notice back then, but the incense in the roo-."
"It doesn't matter. I'm a Plant Mage, so shouldn't I have noticed it?" He broke the hug and held up her chin, using his free hand to gently wipe her tears.
"I was distracted that night, and with good reason!" He kissed her forehead. "How about we forget the past, uh? Have a conscience! This is now eight years of unrequited lov -!"
He never finished because Celia had risen to her toes again, and this time, her hand grasped the back of his neck, pulling him down for a full blown kiss.
Taze's eyes were wide in shock, but not even two seconds passed, before his hand went around her waist, tugging her closer, as his other hand gently tilted her head.
Celia let out a soft gasp, and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, kissing her with a fevered passion to match a hunger that had lasted more than a few lifetimes...
It took everything in Taze's power to keep his hand from straying to improper places! And it took even more will power to eventually break the kiss!
He quickly turned away and ran a hand through his hair, as Celia panted behind him, hastily straightening her clothes.
"Where is Sara?!" He demanded. "The Palace Mages are too unsupervised... Young Ladies should definitely not wander the gardens alone!"
"You're only remembering that now?!" Celia asked with an incredulous giggle.
"What happens if a gentleman tries to take liberties?" He teasingly asked, then sighed when her arms encircled him from behind, the crystal apple still clasped in one hand.
"Any gentleman besides you would already be frozen solid!" She declared. "Now, are you going to put the ring on me, or not?"
"Oh? Do you think I would hesitate on such a thing?"
It was then that Celia felt something warm around her finger, and she stepped away in surprise, raising her hand to look.
She gasped to find the beautiful ring on her finger, and lifted the crystal apple to find it empty!
"When?!" She asked in delight, and he planted a kiss on her forehead.
"I can't repeat such things to a lady!"
A fine shade of red crept onto Celia's face, and her eyes widened...
He had done it while they kissed!
.
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That evening, Taze and Celia formally presented themselves to King Vien with their intentions.
He gave a deep laugh, his eyes narrowing with his mirth. "Rise! Rise! These are joyful tidings amidst dark times!" He looked at Celia. "That fellow Cedric hid you away for so long!"
'Cedric' was Lord Scarlett's first name!
"I hear you're the most promising Palace Mage! And you had the foresight to choose wisely and turn down that viper Vitav! Having you as Queen is Luxia's honour!"
The next few days were spent blissfully, but with the looming danger, Celia and Taze couldn't remain complacent.
They had won the battles so far, but with Vitav in the shadows, it was time to take further steps to counter any moves he might make.
Sadly, there was a lot that couldn't be done from within the Palace, so since Taze had been healed, Celia made the difficult decision to return home.
"Must you really leave?" Taze asked one night, right beneath the Star Crystal.
The two sat in its glow, Celia's head on Taze's shoulder.
"I must." Celia replied on a sigh. "He can strike at anytime, so we must put our own plans in motion..."
"I know this," Taze took her hand and kissed the ring on her finger. "...but I don't have to like it."
Celia shook her head, despite a fine blush. "Tch! You act like I won't see your clones outside my window... Or like you won't visit?" She looked up at him, suddenly a bit uncertain, but he gently flicked her nose.
"Of course I'll visit! But it won't be the same."
"I know." And they sighed in unison...
.
Celia could never be accused of being irresponsible, so she began her departure by teaching the new Palace Mages the spells she used to charge up multiple crystals at once.
Next, she wrote down every healing spell and technique she had learned in this life and prior, and the books were almost enough to fill an entire shelf!
The sheer volume and genius of it shocked Grand Mage Sidian to his bones.
"Astounding!" He exclaimed, clutching one of her books as if it was an ultra rare treasure. "Utter genius! Child! Where did you learn all this?!!"
"I had a great Master! Dr. Sylvadeen Florence! His theories showed me the way... Please put in a good word for him at the Magic Council!"
And before the end of that week, Dr. Sylvadeen Florence became one of the most sought-after Mages in Luxia!
Finally, Celia said her goodbyes to King Vien and Grand Mage Sidian, as she didn't foresee a Palace visit anytime soon.
And after she spent one final day with Taze, she and Sara returned to the Scarlett Estate.
'Vitav...' Her thoughts began, as the servants rushed forward to welcome her, and help Sara with the luggage.
'You won't get your way in this lifetime!'
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