CHAPTER XLII
"The Moon That Doesn't Arrive"
Celeste's POV
The view outside the palace was like a dream painted by the stars themselves.
The sky was dressed in soft gold and silver — like morning and dusk had fallen in love and met halfway. Crystal-clear waters sparkled like they were trying to mirror the heavens. The wind carried the scent of snow-touched roses and sacred lilies, blooming only on special occasions like this.
I stood by the grand archway of the palace balcony, my fingers gently brushing the edge of the stone railing, and I couldn't help but smile. The sight before me wasn't just beautiful — it soothed something deep in my soul.
It was as if…
> The moon itself had descended upon Earth.
Everything shimmered. Everything whispered magic. Everything felt… perfect.
And yet…
> Something — someone — was missing.
A strange ache settled in my chest. The kind that doesn't scream, but lingers. Like a soft echo of a song once played, now forgotten.
My eyes searched the sky, the path, the garden… but what I was truly searching for wasn't in the scenery.
It was a presence. A name. A shadow.
> It was her. It was him.
The one who shouldn't matter anymore.
The one who had made promises, broken truths, shattered magic… and yet, still managed to take root in my heart.
> Caelum.
Or was it Vorgath now?
I didn't even know anymore. I didn't know who I had fallen for. I didn't know why I still waited.
All I knew was this—
> "As if the moon had come down to Earth," I whispered softly to myself, "but even then… it feels incomplete."
> "Because the one I wait for never arrives."
There was a hollow sort of ache inside me. A betrayal buried under layers of longing. A love I never asked for, and yet, it had chosen me. Played with me. Haunted me.
I held a hand to my chest.
The music of the ceremony was beginning. The swayamvar had officially begun. Pixies and royals had gathered. Lights danced. Wings sparkled.
Everyone was waiting for the Queen to descend.
But even surrounded by all this light, I felt the shadow of absence stretch behind me like a silent cloak.
> "Why do I still wait for you?" I murmured under my breath. "Why does my heart still look for you in every face?"
A breeze swept past me — gentle, like a touch.
And suddenly… I remembered a moment.
The way her fingers had brushed mine when we were just girls laughing under moonlight. The way her eyes held galaxies and danger. The way her lies were always wrapped in softness.
My heart was a fool.
But it still remembered.
Still hoped.
Still… ached.
> "She won't come," I told myself. "But I'll keep pretending I don't care."
And then, with a deep breath, I turned away from the view. I adjusted the crown on my head, gathered the folds of my gown, and prepared to walk toward the crowd.
Toward my destiny.
Toward a choice I would have to make… even if the one I wanted wasn't there.
Because sometimes…
> Even when the moon doesn't rise, the night still has to go on.
"A Garland of Doubts, A Heart of Longing"
Celeste's POV
They had started to arrive.
One after another.
From all corners of the realm — from distant lands with skies of saffron and oceans dyed in berry red.
> "Hello, Princess. I am the Prince of Safron Skyland."
"Greetings, I come from Berry Crimson Cove."
"Your beauty sings louder than the winds of my kingdom, Your Majesty."
Voices like these began to echo all around me — too many names, too many promises, too many declarations of charm wrapped in velvet words.
And all I could do was nod and smile… and feel my stomach turn with every step.
Each time a new prince walked toward me with practiced poise and dazzling confidence, I felt the air tighten around me. Their smiles were polished. Their intentions loud. Their eyes curious… too curious. Some stared with admiration, others with desire, some with greed.
> And I?
I stood there like a statue carved for display — adored, but untouched. Seen, but not understood.
Flash and Chiko fluttered around me like loyal guardians, sensing every ounce of discomfort I felt.
Every time one of the princes came too close or lingered too long, Flash would distract him with witty remarks, while Chiko would pretend to trip and spill flower dust — causing enough chaos to break the awkwardness.
They were my shield. My sanity.
But how long could they protect me?
I glanced toward the seven Queens standing gracefully under the sacred arch of Frosthevan, holding garlands made of seven different magical flowers. Each garland represented a virtue — courage, compassion, strength, wisdom, loyalty, clarity… and love.
> When the moment came…
I would have to choose.
The one who earned the garland from all seven Queens would be the one I would crown — the one I would marry.
And I…
> I was terrified.
My hands were trembling beneath the folds of my gown. My heart was loud in my chest.
> "What if Caelum doesn't come?"
The question rang like thunder in my bones.
But then, another voice whispered gently within me — a softer truth I hadn't yet admitted:
> "Maybe I'm not even waiting for Caelum."
I paused, swallowing the realization that had been growing in me like ivy around a forgotten wall.
> "Maybe… I've been waiting for Vorgath."
And I didn't know why.
Not really.
Maybe it was because my soul had touched hers through lifetimes.
Maybe because even in her cruelty, I saw pieces of a shattered heart that once knew love.
Maybe because… even when she lied, she never looked away.
> I don't want to kill her.
I want to save her.
I want to hold her.
I want to live beside her.
There.
I had said it — if not aloud, then to the only person brave enough to hear it:
> Myself.
Something inside me had already been claimed by her — not by her darkness, not by her power, but by the echo of the girl beneath it all. The one who once laughed under a starlit tree. The one who still searched for warmth in cold rooms.
> She had become a part of my breath.
And I didn't want to let that breath go.
But I couldn't marry Vorgath. No one could.
> She was danger.
She was prophecy.
She was a curse.
And yet…
If I married Caelum — the name, the face, the role — maybe… just maybe… I could keep Vorgath close.
Maybe that was the only way I wouldn't lose her completely.
Because choosing someone else would be easier… safer… logical.
But loving her?
> That was madness.
And still…
> I craved that madness more than peace.
So I stood tall, heart screaming in silence, as the garlands shimmered in the hands of Queens.
Waiting.
For the one whose very presence could unravel everything.
> Waiting…
For her.
To be continued…