THE CHOOSEN ONES

"So, why are you so eager to break off the engagement with that kid?" Master's question caught me off guard as I was cleaning up the blood on the floor.

My hands stiffened, and I felt my chest hurting thinking of the answer.

"I thought you liked him," he said while licking his paw like a normal cat. 

A bitter smile appeared on my lips as I continued cleaning the floor.

"Eh, aren't you answering me?" He got annoyed, and I chuckled bitterly.

"It's a heavy topic; you won't understand." I gave him a tired smile, and he looked puzzled. Trying hard to read between lines, he came up with his own conclusion.

"Did that brat say anything to you hurtful or insulted you?" He said it with a bit of concern and anger in his tone.

He wasn't wrong. 

Sometimes people we love hurt us the most. The amount of hatred Ezekian directed towards me broke me more than my family's ignorance and the venomous attitude of the Court of Ignis, the emperor's orders.

His hatred and anger were so intense that he would rather choose to drink poison than spend an hour with me.

Though it all happened in a future about which nobody other than knows, does it change the fact what I had to go through?

Hadn't it been someone else instead of Ezekian who did those things to me? With this second chance in hand, I would have made their life living hell.

But even after all those things, I would rather keep him far away from me instead of harming him.

"You know, when I first met Pumpkin Pie's mother for the first time, I really thought there couldn't be any woman more difficult than her." Master's sudden words brought me out of my thought, and I was stunned seeing how he snapped back into human form when he started talking about Claude's mother.

Sitting on my bed with his legs hanging down, he spoke fondly of her.

" Why? Did she try to kill you or what?" I chuckled and threw the dirty paper, which I used to clean the blood, in the dustbin at the corner of my room.

He shook his head. "She threw cow dug on me when I first met her." I gasped hearing his words. Throwing cow dug on Edwin Ronald—that woman must have been a difficult one. 

"When I asked her to say sorry, she just said," He got in the mood of mimicking her tone, and I couldn't help but admit, Claude's parents surely had an interesting love story. 

"Who told you to walk with your eyes on the ground?" I burst into laughter when I heard the mimic of her tone. Master shook his head and chuckled, "I was like, if a person won't walk with eyes on the ground, where would he look in the sky?"

"Wow, it was an intense meeting. But where were you even walking to be welcomed with cow dug?" I asked while grinning.

" There is a village called Veros in Velmors. " " Oh, you mean the village known for producing some of the beaf meat in the city?" I was stunned when he nodded. " What were you even doing there?" 

He scratched his neck. "The son of village chief is a key figure in the tower; he had invited me, and I also thought of taking a break, so I went there." 

Wow, destiny is really something. Who would have thought a simple trip to a western village called Veros would allow him to meet the love of his life, the only person for whom Edwin Ronald ever got on his knees and begged, the only person for whom Edwin Ronald would become such a different person?

"It turned out she was someone from the Eastern Empire and had bought a cattle house there. And was staying for a while to look over the business before handing it to a reliable manager and leaving for Easter Empire." I got more interested. I did hear that Master decided to move his residence near the Eastern Market because of his wife.

"Then what happened?" I asked, "During my stay in that village, we crossed paths again and again, and we fought a lot. I mean, she was really a very difficult person to handle."

"You still fell for her, didn't you?" I poked his knees, and, surprising enough, that man was blushing like a teenager. "Well, it was impossible not to fall for such a pure soul like her. It was just 2 weeks, but I knew it was either her or nobody else. I proposed to her, and she had the same emotions as me, but for some reason she kept refusing."

I frowned, "Huh? Why? " " I thought it was because she didn't want to move to Wymhold and I said I would just move to Eastern Empire with her. She also refused that and said, she didn't want to drag me into a messy situation."

It sounded suspicious. "Did she have some identity?" He looked at me and said with an obvious look, "Of course she did." I got even more curious. " What? What?"

He blinked his eyes. "I never tried to know." I was speechless. Does love make a person blind or what? He knew his lover has a hidden identity, yet he didn't bother knowing?

"She asked me to give her some time and wait for her. I agreed. She went back to the Eastern Empire, and I kept on waiting." His eyes became sad. I didn't want to make him feel sadder, but I was more curious.

Maybe there can be some hidden clue in the love story of Master. Its not that I am interested in someone else's business; surely that's not the case.

" Then?" I asked. "For 2 years, I kept sending letters to her every day. Like it's not hard for me to transmit a letter from one continent to another." I didn't know if he was bragging or telling his long-distance relationship.

"But she rarely replied. I didn't give up, but the fact that she asked for me not to come to the Eastern Empire while missing my letters," he let out a deep sigh. "You thought she wasn't interested?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Even if I am the strongest mage of this century, I still can't force my love over someone, can I?" He looked at me sadly. I could feel that part. You can't force someone to love you.

"But then, 9 years ago, someone came to the magic tower. Unexpectedly and without any prior notice,"" His eyes were shining and I could clearly see what came next.

"It was her, my love, my angel, My XueHua." He smiled brightly as he softly rubbed his finger over the green jade ring on his ring finger. 

I was stunned. To think even a great mage like him is such a fool for his wife, I couldn't help but curse myself for being unable to get myself a lover.

"She said she was ready to move with me and start a whole new life altogether. We build our home next to the Eastern Market; she said it wasn't necessary, but I just didn't want to make her feel left out. We got married; we had pumpkin pie. Everyday with her felt sparkling and beautiful. " He was smiling and blushing ear to ear, speaking of the love he had lost long ago.

"But then one day, when Pumpkin Pie was around 6 months old," he paused, and his face started losing its light.

Again, another unexpected revelation. Claude's mother didn't die at his birth, but rather 6 months later.

"She was nowhere to be found."

I frozen and looked at him in shock. My blood started running cold; she wasn't there?

Didn't Claude's mother die? ISN'T THIS WAY EDWIN RONALD BECAME SUCH A LIFELESS PERSON?

"She went missing? Not dead?" I asked in pure disbelief. He shook his head. "Yeah. I did say to everyone that my wife is dead just to avoid more drama, but in truth she went missing." His voice was cold and grim, just like yesterday when we met.

"So, where did she go? I don't think anyone would have kidnapped her from inside." I spoke, and he nodded.

"There was no sign of struggle, and I found something more interesting. The day before vanishing, she had mixed some sleeping pills in my food. Most often I would be resistant to any kind of those things, but that strange pill was strong enough to knock me off."

Such powerful sleeping medicine? How odd!

"I checked my study to check if all this time she was after my magic spells." He stopped. I couldn't think what to prepare to hear next.

"The formula to create an arcane explosive that is 10 times more powerful than any other explosive existing in the market and consumes fewer mana stones wasn't there. In fact," He clenched his jaw tightly.

"Nothing related to the use of magic in combat was there in my study. 39 different kinds of spells and formulas, all of which took me along with my fellow archmages years to create, were gone." My heart sank.

Arcane Explosive was something that the Eastern Empire introduced to the world in its war with a nearby country. To be more specific, it came from the martial world's unorthodox sect.

It was a terrible war and when words spread that Unborthodox Sect has a speical explosive, it created both fear and thrill. It happened 2 years after that incident.

So, as I was working directly as the Emperor's sword, I had chance to learn about its functions. It was a great shock to us. Martial Artists are known for using Qi but to create an explosve using mana was unexpected. But for future usage, the ministry of War bought tons of such explosives for a great forture.

" The Arcane Explosives, did you create the formula on your own?" I asked him and as i thought it was a positive answer.

Ha, this is crazy. Master's wife is someone from Unorthodox Sect. No, what is more suprising that Master's wife never died in the first place.

The more I learn about him, the crazier I feel about the entire situation. To accuse someone for such a great crime when they had nothing to do with it? Court of Ignis never fails to leave me speechless.

" Did you try to find her?" I asked him.

He looked down and chuckled bitterly, " I did. In search of her, I even ended up signing contract with the Eastern Empire to create an exiliar which help to boost QI but I failed.'' I was shocked and speechless. But then came another question.

" Even after all of this.... Do you still love her?" I asked him.

Honestly, what his wife did was more evil than what Ezekian did to me. Maybe his answer would help me with something. " I do." He answered without any hesitation.

" But, I don't want to see her face in my life ever again." He said with a bitter smile and I could feel his pain.

" Even after all of this.... Do you still love her?" I asked him. Honestly, what his wife did was more evil than what Ezekian did to me. Maybe his answer would help me with something.

Maybe his answer would help me with something.

" I do." He answered without any hesitation. " But, I don't want to see her face in my life ever again." He said with a bitter smile and I could feel his pain.

" You can't stop loving a person but you can't ignore your own feeling too. The betrayal, the pain I felt and still feel and will continue feeling can never be soothen with a simple sorry." He said and it was an idea I shared with him too.

I looked down at my lap.

I never expected sorry from Ezekian, I never expected him to say how he regretted being so harsh and cruel with me. But, I never expected him to love me back too. I never expected him to understand me.

If I want, I can surely be with Ezekian and live my dream life with him. But, its not something I can allow to happen to myself.

So, I won't try to make anything work with him. Also, in 5 years he would marry someone and have his own family too.

" I share the same reason as you, Master." I looked at Master, my voice cold and firm.

" So, that brat indeed did something horrible to you?" He seemed cold. " Not yet but he will if things go wrong." I nodded.

I looked at him as if asking him not to dig more into it and he nodded.

" Also, as much as I have some soft corner for him, I can't ignore how his first thought after seeing my power is to kill me." I said coldly. master seemed suprised.

" You saw through him?" " Not that hard."

He nodded, crossing his arms over his chest he continued our conversation, " Why do you want to get inside Solomber Palace? Don't you know its a forbidden place. Even for your father, it would be suspicious to let you in."

I should tell him about that guy in Solomber Palace. He is someone who would be the biggest sufferer of the Palace Conspircy. Maybe someday I would tell about my past life too.

" To break free the future Emperor of Wymhold from Imperial Palace's conspiricy." 

At my declaration master's eyes widen, he was in disbelief. 

"Wait, you really meant it when you said you want to be the King Maker?" He held me by my shoulder and started shaking me. 

" Has power gotten into your head, Foxy? You want to mess up with the future successation? Leave that bastard Emperor out of the question, do you think you can make an illegemate child the Crown Prince and then the Emperor without facing the Empress and Consorts?" 

My eyes widen hearing the illegemate child thing? I held his wrist to stop me from shaking.

" How do you know about the illegemate child of the Emperor? Not even my father knows about him?" I frowed. Master looked like a cat which got caught in a trap and I grew more suspicious.

" Hey, hey, you can't avoid answering?" I glared at him and he let out a tired groan.

" Daamn it. I didn't think I would expose myself like this." He cursed himself and I kept glaring at him, demanding an answer.

" How do you know about-" " Remember I told you I know another child who is born with both mana and aura core?" 

My eyes widen and heart sank. The Prince is the someone Master talked about?

" Are you saying, Emperor's illegemate son is someone who has both mana and aura flowing in his veins just like me?" My throat felt dry.

But... back then, he used neither of them. 

" And according the Empress's order, the former tower master sealed his mana core and blocked his aura path. As a result unless his mana core is unsealed and the block is removed, he can use them." He sighed.

To think, that person even gave Ezekian hard time in their sparing just through swordmanship alone-

Just how powerful he could become if he was able to get the guidence.

" You should give up on that child. You will invite Empress's anger without any reason. That woman is more rotten than the Emperor." Master sounded serious but I wasn't going to step back because of that old hag.

I smirked. Is it what it feels like to be God's favourite?