She hurried from the hall, leaving a palpable tension in the air.
The Emperor turned back to face Adonis, his voice warmer now. "Fear not, my son. I know you protect her, but the time has come for our family to know the girl who has captured your heart and mind."
There was no room for refusal. Adonis, who had been watching his father with eyes that held a mixture of loyalty and apprehension, nodded silently. Deep down, he knew the coming moment might be a test, not only for Daphne but for their entire relationship.
When Adonis told Daphne of the Emperor's wish to meet her, surprise and fear flickered across her face, as if her quiet world had been invaded by unexpected news. A silent space stretched between them, but it wasn't a heavy silence; rather, it held a quiet that offered hope and eased her anxiety. Adonis looked at her with a gaze full of confidence, his blue eyes gleaming with a mysterious light, as if they held a promise that she wouldn't be alone in this moment.
"There's no need to be afraid, Daphne," he murmured, his deep voice touching her heart like the gentle waves of a calm sea. Those words were like a rope she could hold onto and lean on, making her feel that safety lay in his presence.
Together, they walked towards the palace gardens, where moonlight flowed gently through the blossoming branches, adding a magical touch to the radiant flowers. Daphne's violet dress swayed gracefully with each step, as if the fabrics were dancing in harmony with the light breeze that caressed her face. Her soft hair, styled around her shoulders, added a touch of gentleness, and her luminous violet eyes reflected the moonlight as if telling unspoken stories.
Adonis walked beside her, careful not to let his hand touch hers, yet he didn't stray too far, keeping close as if an invisible bond drew them together. His steps were quiet, but he possessed a strong presence that made everything around him seem to wait for what would happen next.
"Everything will be alright, I promise," he said, his tone full of tenderness, as if his words were forging a protective shield against her fears.
Daphne looked at him, her heart beating rapidly as if she could hear the sound of his heartbeats merging with her own. She smiled at him softly, the smile that bloomed on her lips like a promise of a hopeful moment, a moment she wouldn't have felt if not for him.
When they reached the garden where the Emperor, Amefira, and Helior were waiting, the dim lights made the scene look like a painting. The blooming flowers, the moonlight filtering through the branches, and the soft sound of the wind all combined to create an unforgettable moment. Everything around them was silent, as if the whole world was watching this crucial moment in Daphne and Adonis's lives.
The garden was filled with serenity, with the soft whispers of the wind rustling through the leaves like unseen secrets. The bright moon watched the scene from above, scattering its pale light on the path leading to the garden. Daphne stood silently, her luminous violet eyes moving between the faces surrounding her, a feeling of fear and anxiety gripping her, while her heart beat at a pace that didn't match this eerie calm. Every movement around her seemed to steal the air from her lungs, as if she were trapped in an inescapable nightmare.
As she entered the garden, Helior, who offered a faint smile, was noticed.
"I am pleased to meet my son's beloved," the Emperor's voice came, calm but carrying a subtle tension that seeped into the atmosphere, as if each word dragged a wave of unease behind it.
The words had barely reached Daphne's ears when Amefira cut in with her cold voice, which was like frost in the middle of winter. "But, were you not taught manners?" Her gaze was sharp and severe, as if she were rearranging everything in her vicinity, even the air currents. The voice was like a whip, lashing against the walls and reaching Daphne's heart, leaving a rapid pulse throbbing in her temple.
Adonis took a step forward, as if an invisible barrier separated him from them, placing Daphne behind him, his eyes gleaming with strained anger. "Do you mean she should bow to you like everyone else? Don't pretend to have control here." His words were as sharp as a sword, piercing the air with a chill that threatened to shatter everything, but his tone held a hint of protection, like a shield breaking the force of a strong wind.
The Emperor turned towards Daphne, following the small details that piqued his curiosity, as if she were an ancient riddle refusing to be solved. A strange bewilderment washed over him, and he sighed, his voice serious, carrying a note of caution. "Amefira, stop." Then he turned to Daphne, his eyes showing both curiosity and wariness, as if searching into her dark past. "So, what is your name, girl?"
"I suppose she hasn't learned to speak yet," Amefira's comment was dry and laced with sarcasm, but this arrow pierced Daphne's heart, causing her face to flinch as if she had received a harsh blow. She looked at Adonis, who stood like a solid rock in a storm.
"Daphne, her name is Daphne," Adonis replied, his voice filled with pride and tenderness, as if her name held the key to his past and future together, igniting a fire in his heart that had never been extinguished.
Amefira's eyes flashed with defiance, but she remained silent, as if she saw something in Daphne that was too significant for words. There was something about this girl, something she couldn't ignore, as if her past told a story completely different from the one everyone else saw.
"And are you her official spokesperson?" Amefira said, her tone charged with disdain, as if placing a heavy stone of anger in Daphne's heart.
Helior approached Daphne quietly, offering a nearly imperceptible smile as if it were a message meant for her alone. "I will leave now, but it was an honor to meet you, Daphne," he whispered as he drew closer, his lips brushing her ear gently, as if his voice alone filled the space at that moment, settling deep within her like a storm. "I still want to know why you were in the palace that night."
A slight tremor ran through Daphne's body, as if that memory had returned to his mind, filled with pain and fear. Everything around her began to intensify in tension and sharpness, as if she were moving in an unreal world. Her eyes met his, and a faint smile touched his lips, as if saying, "Do you remember?".
Daphne, silent in a world that did not understand her silence, felt that this moment was more than just a meeting; it was the beginning of rediscovering her secrets.
Adonis and Daphne's gazes locked in a moment of silence, as if the whole world had paused. He gently pulled her hand, but his grip conveyed the strength of his jealousy, which he couldn't hide. He leaned closer until she felt his breath on her face, as if all the lights had dimmed, leaving them in their own private space.
"Don't let him near you, Daphne," he whispered, his words laden with both pain and love, making her feel as if time had frozen.
Her eyes widened in surprise, gazing at his face, which expressed only one thing: deep affection. Her scattered hair danced with the light breeze, as if everything in this moment, from the whispers to the touches, pulsed between them as if they were alone in the world.
The Emperor finally spoke, his voice deep and his tone calm, tinged with a hint of nostalgia. "I have always worried about Adonis. He has faced the world alone for so long... but I see him differently now. I worry about him less, and that is thanks to you, Daphne."
Her hand trembled as she clutched her notebook to her chest. She raised her eyes to find the Emperor's gaze directly on her. But she couldn't respond. She grew flustered and her face flushed, as she took a small step back, as if trying to escape the weight of the words her heart had heard.
A soft, yet chillingly cold, laugh broke the silence. It was Empress Amefira, who sat on a marble bench beside the fountain, sipping from a cool glass of wine. She said with a sarcastic tone, "But Your Majesty, don't you think love needs words? And how will Adonis build his future with a girl who cannot even utter his name?"
A heavy silence fell over the place, but Adonis slowly turned, his brow furrowed and his eyes blazing with anger. Before he could speak, the Emperor raised his hand, and with a stern expression, said, "Enough, Amefira. We are here to bless, not to criticize."
The Empress's face paled slightly, but she masked her unease with a faint smile.
The Emperor's tone shifted as he turned towards Adonis and Daphne, saying in a warmer voice, "I have come to announce joyful news. Tomorrow, I invite you all to Helior's wedding celebration. I want you to be a part of this happiness. Bring Yarrow and your little cat, Daphne. It will be an unforgettable celebration."
At that moment, Daphne was writing rapidly in her notebook, while Adonis watched her, waiting for what she would say. After a few moments, she held out the notebook to him.
Adonis read the sentence in a hoarse voice, but his eyes held a strange gleam: "Thank you, Your Majesty... but can love prove its existence without words?"
The Emperor raised his eyebrows for a moment, but then smiled a smile that held many meanings, and said, "Love, my dear, does not need words. Only hearts that know how to beat truthfully."
Adonis then looked at Daphne with a gaze unlike any before, as if his words were telling her, "You are enough, just as you are."
Then, the scene began to shift gradually, as if those words laid a new foundation for a relationship that would soon be tested under the pressures of the future and its mysterious secrets.
**In Empress Amefira's thoughts:**
"I thought getting rid of Aster was my greatest victory. That woman was not just a rival; she was his weakness, a chink in the Emperor's armor that I had worked years to forge. She bewitched his mind and made him see the world through her frail eyes. But I managed to eliminate her with an intelligence no one else possesses, with a cunning that only I can master.
Now, I see her ghosts everywhere. She has returned through this boy... Adonis. Every time the Emperor looks at him, that face I hated returns to his eyes, the same look..."