MISTRESS OF FLAME

CHAPTER 63

"What... will happen to your other half?"

"You will not see him again after tonight. Hakkeran will remain in the shadows, like he always has." Hakkeran answered without an ounce of hesitation. "I'm happy that I'm now talking to you as the whole me, but I don't think the whole me deserves you, my lady. Only Hakken deserves your attention and affection. Only Hakken could make you happy."

Sollel was thankful that her blood of flame was weak, because if it's not, she would have burned Hakkeran in annoyance. "You're such a dimwit, Hakkeran. Hakken is you, you idiot. He is half of the whole you and not a different person. How long has it been since you split your body and consciousness that you're thinking like he's a separate person at all?"

"Every rebirth for three lifetimes." Hakkeran answered.

"No wonder..." Sollel muttered under her breath and she flicked Hakkeran's nose. "Your name may be Hakkeran, but you're my Hakken. You keep saying that Hakken is nice and sweet and only he deserves me— don't give me that crap, Hakkeran. When I told you I want to meet the whole you, I already know that you and Hakken are the same person. Yes, I like Hakken, but I like the other side of you too— the Hakkeran who took care of me in the Shivering Valley and the Hakkeran who chose to stay in the shadow for my sake. I want Hakken together with Hakkeran and I don't want Hakken if Hakkeran is not together with him. Because honestly, if you two were a different person, I would not hesitate to have you both and make you two mine."

Hakkeran was just gaping at his Krahika while she was talking and scolding him that he even stopped ascending the stairs. And when he heard her last words, he was in disbelief that his lady actually considered having them both.

"H-how... how did you find out that we're the same person?"

Sollel shrugged as if it was not a big deal. "My memories were hazy because of the after effect of the moonrite stone on me, but as I slowly recover my strength, my memories were getting clearer as well. After consuming that flame sorcerer's essence in the clearing back in Ager, my memories started to come back with clarity and I remember you."

"Me...?" Hakkeran asked as if he couldn't believe that his Krahika remembered him, a lowly soldier she fought.

Sollel nodded while finding the stunned Hakkeran adorable. "Of course. How could I forget the warrior who wanted to marry me if he won?"

Hearing that, Sollel had to stop herself from laughing when she saw Hakkeran's face turning red. But the most adorable part was that his face was red, but he remained expressionless as if nothing could faze him.

He's really whole now. Sollel observed. If it was just Hakken, he would blush and act embarrassed. If it was just Hakkeran, he'll be expressionless as usual. But now that they're whole, the reaction had become whole too. Ah, my adorable warlord.

"And I remembered your arcane's weapon ability," Sollel decided to put Hakkeran out of his expressionless embarrassment and added. "When I fought with you, you used your arcane weapon's ability to split your body and consciousness in half, doubling your strength and fighting prowess."

"You didn't even doubt that you might be wrong?" Hakkeran still couldn't understand his queen's confidence that they were the same person knowing that he had a different face than Hakken.

"I baited you back in Ager to make sure, of course." Sollel smiled innocently at Hakkeran and Hakkeran sighed at his Krahika's slyness.

"Is that why your attitude towards me changed when we entered the Valley of Bones?"

"Yes. I will never take interest in you if you were not the warrior I fought all those years ago." Sollel confessed. "And you're adorable when we met again. It's my weakness."