Tama felt a soft touch on her head – a giant palm rubbed her brown hair. She reopened her eyes, looking up at Gerart. His gaze seemed warm and compassionate, his eyes blazing like two flames. His pale golden eyebrows rose in the inner corners, showing sympathy for her sorry sight. His lips formed a gentle smile.
"You're sixteen, from what I hear?" he asked, taking a seat by her side.
"Oh…" Tama wiped her tears off, shuffling somewhat away from him. She didn't know how to react. He seemed mild, unlike what she expected. "Y-Yes… Your Majesty," she muttered. "I'm turning seventeen this year, though."
"Quite young, then…" Gerart's smile deepened, but it showed pity more than anything else. "I wished to request you when your mother suggested an arranged marriage, but I didn't think she'd offer you up herself! I mean… I don't know how it is in Hasurei, but here, it's been about thirteen years now that a woman's age of consent is eighteen. So, if nighttime duties are what you're afraid of, we won't have to do that until your eighteenth birthday."
"But, Lady Dienschein told me I'd have to do it today!" Tama said. That old hag! What was she playing at?!
"Oh?" Gerart frowned. "She's always deemed my law 'unreasonable'… Very well! Thanks for informing me! I'll talk to her tomorrow."
"Okay…" Tama eyed him warily. I hope that woman doesn't get killed for this! She thought. "T-Then… can I go to bed?" she asked.
"If you wish!" Gerart chuckled. "I was about to, myself."
Tama clambered onto the bed and set herself comfortably against the puffy crimson pillows, covering herself with the warm blanket of the same colour. Gerart followed suit, lying beside her in the same bed. He clasped the candle flame with his two clawed fingers and extinguished it, giving way to darkness save for some moonlight penetrating from the glass doors. Gerart pulled the canopy curtains on his side, but Tama was the one lying near the glass doors, so the moonlight kept falling on their bed. Tama preferred it that way. She didn't wish to remain in the darkness with this giant man. Gerart noticed her unspoken yearning, so he didn't press her.
"So… Your Majesty mentioned that the age of consent in your kingdom is eighteen," Tama broke the silence, wishing to learn the truth rather than be consumed by fears. "Why, then, did you want to request my hand from my mother? I mean… my older sister, Alvina, is eighteen. She's better suited for you, considering your laws!" She remembered Princess Alvina because she was still bitter about her brother Yannou prioritising her yesterday. That annoying princess should've been sent here instead of Amida! Tama thought, pouting.
"That's a good question." Gerart smiled. He lay supine, folded his hands on his blanket with his fingers intertwined, and looked up at the canopy. "I promised I'd explain everything to you when we remained alone, so I'll be frank: I needed you, Amida. That was why I consented to your mother's proposal, to begin with."
"You… needed me?" Tama blinked in surprise. Oh, dear… I think I did well to come in Amida's stead! She thought. "W-Why?" she asked.
"Because of your curse." Gerart looked at her, his eyes regaining the cold and calculating gaze. "Your curse was conceived a millennium ago by the first Lily Knight, Prudus Rochefeu, of King Arthur Blackthorne's eleven Flower Knights, isn't that correct?"
"Oh, y-yes." Tama nodded. "Why_"
"He was the author of many other curses, Amida, more powerful and deadly than yours," Gerart replied, his voice grim. "One of them gave way to an abomination, a creature so potent that even Carneh the Shadow God couldn't put it down – Chimera, the unnatural spawn of hatred."
He knows about Chimera?! Tama widened her eyes. But wait, that's right… Gerart von Drachenwelt is the late Dragon Priestess' son! I completely forgot!
As Shadow God Carneh's granddaughter, Tama knew about Chimera – the worst creation of Prudus Rochefeu, an abomination spawned by hatred. She remembered Grandpa Carneh saying that curses were unpredictable in the emotional humans' hands, that they could surprise even the Devil! – Those words had long become a running joke between Tama and her mother the Lotus Priestess. Average mortals, on the other hand, knew nothing. No normal human could see Chimera or feel its presence unless it showed itself, and when it did, it could resemble anything, so its essence remained undetected.
Tama recalled that Gerart von Drachenwelt was no average mortal. His mother, the late Dragon Priestess, was a demigoddess – the daughter of the Sun Dragon God, Drakeon. The Sun Dragon Emperor was a deity of light, the only entity capable of defeating Tama's grandfather, Shadow God Carneh.
He's the same as me. Tama looked at Gerart. A god's grandkid! And his power is a direct threat to mine… This is bad! My brother Yannou and I share the shadow power of instant healing, but if Gerart hits me with his light, my wounds won't heal! And even if Grandpa Carneh comes to save me, he'll only get hurt since Drakeon's light is his weakness!
As she worried about the implications of her tying the knot with her worst enemy, Gerart went on elaborating about Chimera, thinking that his wife, Princess Amida, must be clueless about these matters.
"Now, since the gods are no longer allowed to directly influence our world, they had to find another way to deal with Chimera," he said. "Demigods were the obvious answer, but alone, they proved no match against that creature since it was endowed with the power of all six gods combined. Demigods are hardly found in the same timeline, and when they are, they don't get along, so it was a millennium before several of them managed to unite and take Chimera on. By then, the monster had grown too powerful. The two demigoddesses who united their powers to fight it perished on the battlefield."
"Oh… You mean Phoenix Priestess Maluma Albaris and the Dragon Priestess?" Tama asked, tears coming to her eyes.
The Phoenix and Dragon Priestesses perishing on the same battlefield was a widely known fact, but the detail regarding Chimera was omitted since mortals didn't know about its existence. The common belief was that the Phoenix and Dragon Priestesses died fighting each other. Tama knew the truth since she was a god's grandkid and, to her family, that battle was a personal matter. The Phoenix Priestess, Maluma Albaris, was Tama's and Yannou's aunt – the beloved wife of their uncle Valkas, the king of Lunaria.
Auntie Maluma died fourteen years ago, and yet Uncle Valkas has never been happy since… Tama thought. But Little Brother Arubah has had it the worst, I reckon.
Arubah was Valkas' only son – Tama's and Yannou's cousin. When his mother Maluma died, he was still a baby, so he grew up with Tama and Yannou in the Lotus Temple, raised by Priestess Anne Lotosse – Tama's and Yannou's mother. That was why Tama and Yannou were so close with Arubah that they called him "brother", while he saw his aunt Anne Lotosse as a second mother. The only residues Arubah was left of his real mother were his godly blood of the Flaming Phoenix permitting him to control fire and the crimson plume he carried in his hat – the phoenix feather from his mother's hair.
Up until this moment, Tama never thought how much pain the death of the other demigoddess – the Dragon Priestess – must've brought her teenage son, Gerart von Drachenwelt, back then still a prince. She teared up because of her love for her little brother Arubah and her newfound pity for Gerart.
"You know the Phoenix and Dragon Priestesses died fighting Chimera?" Gerart jumped up from the bed, staring at her wide-eyed. "How?!"
"Oh…" Tama froze. I shouldn't have revealed that I know things mortals don't! She thought, but the solution dawned on her. "I… My teacher told me!"
"Teacher?" Gerart blinked.
"Yes, the Lotus Priestess," Tama said. "I was assigned to her care. While treating my curse, she also taught me many things."
"Oh… that's fair." Gerart lay back down.
"But, that didn't answer my question." Tama wiped her few tears off, regaining her composure. "Why did Your Majesty need me?"
"To get my revenge, of course!" Gerart said. "My mother's death brought great sadness to my grandfather, Sun Dragon Emperor Drakeon, so he bestowed upon me the rare power no human has – his godly spirit. That's why all dragons other than the aquatic ones obey me, and even the aquatic ones respect me. I'm the Sun Dragon God's earthly vessel! The power I possess must be enough to kill Chimera. It's hiding now, but the dark curses of the same source are linked, so if I break another curse created by Prudus Rochefeu, it will help me trace Chimera!"
"So, you planned to kill me before my eighteenth year?" Tama asked, no longer shivering but eyeing the canopy with a defeated look. I can't believe this man… Of all the Drahs, he's the most conceited! She thought. It's a surprise he's got Drakeon's power, but even that wouldn't kill Chimera! Gerart may be a godly child, but he's still a human. His mortal body can't harbour all of Sun God's light. Grandpa Carneh couldn't beat Chimera because his power has restrictions on this earth too, and yet Chimera was in its weakest phase back then! How come Gerart thinks he can beat Chimera now when his body isn't as powerful as my grandpa's immortal one, and Chimera's been nurtured by human hatred for a millennium?! She looked at Gerart. "If one god's power were enough to beat Chimera, Grandp_ Grand Shadow King Carneh would've done it long ago."
"What do you mean?" Gerart frowned, registering her mocking tone. This mortal princess dares look down on me?!
"All I mean is, no matter that your power may be equal to the Sun Dragon Emperor's in its restricted form, it's not enough to kill Chimera. Shadow God Carneh failed to beat that creature when it was still weak. Now, it's too strong, as you mentioned. All six gods are needed. If the five other gods create vessels like you, then humanity might have a chance." Tama shrugged.
"Oh…" Gerart cooled down, realising his bride wasn't doubting his power but highlighting a fact he'd also considered. "But, I can't convince the other gods to do anything, not even the Water Dragon Empress…" he said. "And yet I can't wait forever! That beast killed my mother. If I don't eradicate it, she would've died for nothing!"
"So, you wanted to kill me for a half-baked plan?" Tama rolled her eyes.
"It's not 'half-baked'!" Gerart argued. "I would learn where Chimera is. Finding it once, it would no longer escape my godly sight. Then I'd think of something."
"Oh?" Tama smiled. Her tense muscles relaxed. "They say King Gerart the Bloodthirsty is cold and calculating, and yet he seems hot-headed like everyone else when it concerns his family! That's a relief… Up until now, I thought I'd married a monster!"
"I figured! That was written all over your face." Gerart chuckled. "Anyway, now that I know you're my soulmate, I can't kill you, so I'll have to find another way to deal with your curse."
"What do you mean, 'deal with it'?" Tama raised an eyebrow. "And what's with all that 'soulmate' stuff? You and Ronna keep repeating it!"
"It's the sacred laws of the Dragon Pact," Gerart replied. "The humans bonded with mated dragons are destined partners because dragons mate for life and bond with one human for life. If the dragons are a match, so are their humans."
"But, even if you're a match, why can't you kill each other?" Tama asked. "I mean, theoretically."
"You'd incur a curse," Gerart replied, "because you'd be violating the divine law. You may not end up with your destined partner, but killing them with your own hands is another level of crazy. Someone like Prudus Rochefeu might do that, but not a sane person."
Tama laughed at his blatant remark. Gerart followed up with laughter. His little wife seemed to share his sense of humour.
"So, the only other way to break your curse is to heal you before you turn eighteen," he said, answering her other question.
"What?" Tama looked at him, bewildered. "It took the Lotus Priestess forever to find a cure!"
"A cure exists for every curse." Gerart shrugged. "Even if the Lotus Priestess couldn't, I'll find it."
"Oh, don't you underestimate my mo_ mentor!" Tama punched him on his arm, which only made him smile. "To your knowledge, we've already found a cure!"
"Really?" Gerart looked at her, his eyes brightening.
"Yes, Shadow God Carneh has devised a countercurse," Tama replied. She mellowed now that Gerart expressed his wish to heal Princess Amida and showed such excitement about finding a cure. It was true he did it because he thought that she – his 'soulmate' – was Amida, but it didn't matter. His kindness merited a reward. "The Shadow God did it for the Lotus Priestess, who cares about me," she said.
"Oh? That's perfect!" Gerart smiled. "I've sent an invitation for King Valkas of Lunaria to our wedding feast after tomorrow. He'll likely come. We can discuss the details with him!"
"Sounds awesome!" Tama grinned. I'll explain my situation to Uncle Valkas when I see him. She thought.
"Alright, it's settled!" Gerart said. He yawned, covering his mouth with his hand. "I guess… goodnight, then? If you have no more questions!" he added with a chuckle.
"Well, you've admitted that you're no threat to me, so no more questions!" Tama laughed. "Goodnight, Your Majesty!"
"Call me Gerart," he muttered, his eyes closed.
"Goodnight… Gerart!" Tama smiled, watching him tucked into the blanket, his bushy pale yellow hair spread all over his pillow.
Tama shut her eyes too. After their long conversation, she was reassured that Gerart wasn't another Ishgal but, in fact, his opposite. Ishgal appeared gentle and proper as a prince but was a manipulative brute, while King Gerart was named "Bloodthirsty" but proved to be mellow and earnest. Tama figured she could trust in his honour and sleep without fear beside him.