It had been a couple of days since the emperor had woken up from his coma. Celine was playing with Sir Vigos' child while chatting aimlessly away. Ever since Sir Vigos had brought Habibti to the palace, Celine's mood had lifted tremendously. The child greatly resembled Yasna, which brought a smile to Celine's grim expression at the uncanny appearance.
She felt lighter, especially since the emperor had woken up again. His collapse had shaken Celine more than she thought it would. The mere thought of his death scared her, and her heart seemed to twist in a way that was unfamiliar to her, even though he wouldn't have died. She was sure that her mind had already differentiated Zayden and Akihiko as two different people. One lived in her past memories while the other was almost a blank slate, a stranger to her. So why was her heart even more shaken? Why was she so nervous?
She had felt an overwhelming sense of relief when the emperor had opened his eyes, yet the emotions were replaced by embarrassment soon after. For the first time, her cheeks were stained red as she realized everyone had seen her devotion to the emperor as she clung to his bedside for many days and sleepless nights. It was only logical for Celine to run away.
Celine couldn't bring herself to look anyone in the eye, so she spent the days with Habibti instead and hid from the emperor.
As if on cue, Akihiko barged into the room, making everyone jump in surprise. When Caelina quickly set down the surprised child to greet the emperor, he nearly ran to embrace her, and Caelina's eyes widened.
"It's been so long, Caelina." The emperor breathed into her neck, tickling her entire body.
Celine felt goosebumps run down her back as she shivered. The way he called her name was hauntingly. . . sad and filled with unspeakable sorrow. She forgot about her own embarrassment and smiled warmly.
"I hope you are feeling better, your majesty. We were all worried for you." She gave him her brightest smile, for Celine genuinely missed the emperor. She had wanted to see him, yet her embarrassment kept her from visiting.
"Did you. . . regain your memories?" She slowly asked.
After hearing no response from him, Celine trembled. "So it's true. . "
"Her spell was broken after her death. There was no more power to uphold the curse." He explained.
No one would know how much pain and suffering the following words entailed as he held her for a long time. He pulled her into his arms even more, desperately clinging to her and burying his face into the nape of her neck. There was no sign that he would let go anytime soon, and Celine didn't push him away because she felt her shoulder dampen from tears. She wrapped her arms around him in return and gently patted his back, understanding how overwhelmed he must feel.
His next few words shocked her to the depths of her soul as he momentarily pulled her away to speak. His eyes were filled with years of longing, a look that Celine was not familiar with.
"From now on, I am only looking at you." Akihiko promised softly, inching his face closer to hers. The familiar scent of roses covered his nose and he smiled with warmth. She had always smelled like roses to him. He had been yearning for this scent for far too long. "Even when I didn't remember you and our memories had been lost, I was still drawn to you. I know I am fated to fall in love with you over and over again. You should know I will always make my way back and return to you."
He knelt to one knee, which prompted Sir Vigos to hold onto Habibti and slowly exit the room. Celine barely noticed, for she froze at his humble appearance. He was slightly disheveled as if he had just woken up. His normally clean and swept back hair was now messy, yet his beauty still shined brilliantly. She was amazed by an action that was unbefitting for an emperor who was kneeling before her. "I am sorry for making you wait, Caelina. I'm sorry for not protecting you well, I'm really sorry."
"..."
Tears unknowingly trickled down her cheeks as she heard the intensity of his sincerity in those words. Celine knew he was apologizing for not remembering their precious memories, yet the promise felt deeper, and the words sounded as if the apology was a hundred years in the making.
The bitter emotions and injustice Celine hid over the years were unraveled at once by his words, and she couldn't keep the tears from falling. Since her husband's death, he was the first person to make her shed genuine tears that didn't numb her heart. She was surprised by his words, but his confession was hauntingly beautiful.
Akihiko wiped the tears away with his thumb as his heart ached.
"Wouldn't my love truly be impenetrable since I ended up falling In love with you even after losing my memories? It would be like fate." He smiled at her with the deepest affection, and she immediately knew what kind of love he had for her. Her face hardened, yet the emperor's expression remained unphased. He wanted to caress her, yet he decided to keep kneeling to prove his sincerity and devotion. He was also shaking nervously, and it was so noticeable that Celine also became anxious.
"You're making everything sound too romantic right now. I know you must be overwhelmed from all those memories you received so don't rush your words and rest some more your majesty. " She pushed him away lightly, disregarding his feelings as a fleeting moment of weakness. In truth, she was at a loss for words, shocked that Zayden had come back to her and that their memories were aligned once again. She had so much to say yet her tears kept falling and the words couldn't be organized into normal sentences. Her hands trembled, not knowing how to react or stop the rush of emotions coursing through her.
"It was all you. You gave me confidence and helped me grow as a person. When everyone believed that I was unworthy and ugly, you looked at me as if I was the most special being in this world. You are the greatest blessing for me. How can you expect me not to love you? How can you deny that I love you?"
The Emperor refused to leave and intensely stared at the iridescent colors within her eyes as if in a trance. He felt as if he was dreaming, and that Celine was an angel who had returned just for him.
Celine wasn't sure how to handle or respond to his emotions, yet one fact she knew for sure was that his words melted her heart. The sweet words were like honey to Celine's ears as she widened her eyes. It was as if the man before her was someone who was deeply connected with her entire being, and she felt her body screaming to get closer to the emperor. A faint blush began to form on the apples of her cheeks like a rose in bloom. They stared at each other for a long time, standing in comfortable silence and admiring one another's presence. The emperor had many words to say, yet he also kept silent and just appreciated her existence, making silent promises that she would always be safe and happy from now on.
Celine would forever remember this particular day, where she felt a strong force stirring within herself. It was drawing itself towards the emperor, and Celine had no choice but to stay frozen in time. She spent the rest of the day reminiscing about the past with Akihiko, and the cherished memories were eagerly exchanged, entangling their fates together once more.
***Hey guys, I just wanted to note that I read your guys' comments and I do try to improve my story based on the feedback I receive. If you guys have any more feedback on what you would like to see, please comment here or message me privately. I would like to better my writing and storyline! This is my first story and I am not sure if I am doing well and I know I have a lot of room for improvements. I want to thank you all for the constructive criticism! I also wanted you guys to know that yes, there is a lot of tragedy in my story because I'm emo and that's how I like my novels... But there's always a light at the end of the tunnel so don't worry ;)
Thank you again for reading my story!