That time, I was left dumbfounded and thought it over.
Ragriel, the Goddess of Mate Bond… That was me? I have the capability to connect and break a couple’s mate bond?
Then it hit me.
Which reminds me, about Claude and I… I knew we uttered the words of rejection against each other. It was already known that there was no way that a broken mate bond could be able to interlace again.
Unless that was the Moon Goddess’s works Herself.
But that was a rare case.
Since I am the Goddess of Mate Bond, then did it mean that I… used my ability? Unconsciously?
Was I the reason why Claude and I’s mate bond reconnected?
I looked up at the ceiling to see that the moon shone my way. It was an open ceiling yet there was moisture that came from the dew which was why I could see the moon and the stars in the sky. I stared at the moon. I stared at it as if I could tell that it was watching me while I was enduring the pain searing on my ankles and wrists with the chains that contained wolfsbane as it slowly drained my strength.
It also made me realize that the missing piece I kept looking for was now in front of me. But I didn’t expect that my mother would be the Moon Goddess herself and my father would be the most wanted malefactor in the Waevalon Kingdom.
This was an unexpected turn that I did not foresee.
“Mother…” I murmured. I gasped when the place I was in suddenly changed into a… “Lavender field?” My eyes widened as I got up and I roamed my eyes around.
(Ragriel.)
I stiffened upon hearing a godly female voice. I turned around to see the woman who had silver hair flowing in her hair and a blinding light shielding her face. “Moon Goddess?” I blinked as she flew towards me and hugged me.
(My dearest daughter… You have found a way to communicate with me.)
“Huh?” Found a way to communicate with Her? What was She talking about?
I was forced to look up at Her as I felt her warm hand caressing my cheek. I squinted my eyes a little. Weird… I somehow saw Her facial features. She has-
(There is not much time, Ragriel. You must escape now. Claude is here to save you.)
My heart jumped out of my ribcage upon hearing Claude’s name. “C-Claude is here?” She nodded. “But… about Father…”
(Stay away from him, Ragriel. He is not going to spare your life and Claude’s life,) She said in a concerned tone. (Please… I beg you, my daughter.)
I stared at Her, not knowing if I must trust Her after Lothim told me that he hated the Moon Goddess for hurting him. He even told me that I mustn’t trust the Moon Goddess anymore as She knows how to bend Her promised words and would leave me in despair if I kept trusting my mother.
(Do not believe in his words, dearest. He is twisting everything.) She sighed and distanced a little. (It is not my fault that I stayed away from him in the first place. It is his twisted mind that brought me not to show myself anymore. It is…) she paused as if She didn’t want to say the words. (… I have made a miscalculation in choosing your father as my mate. I have made alterations in the laws of nature to see if he will end up on a different path however, Magnius was born to bring peril to my subjects.) She took my hand. “Magnius will try to kill you. The future… I can see your future. I must warn you, Ragriel. Go back and escape with Claude! Hurry!)
I gasped when She started to fade away. I reached out to Her. “W-Wait! M-Mother! Wait!”
At that moment, I opened my eyes and gasped for air, wide-eyed. I got to see the familiar ceiling and the moonlight. Then I realized I collapsed on the ground as I slowly got up.
I felt a little dizzy as I shook my head to try getting it off but it didn’t work. I glanced at my wrists which were gradually burning my skin. I hissed softly while I was trying to recall my uncanny encounter with the Moon Goddess-I mean with my biological mother who was the Goddess of Werewolves and Creations.
“Oi!”
I looked up to see the two masculine rogues that guarded back when I had a fine dinner with Lothim last night. “What?” I asked in a cold tone.
“Get up there. Lord Magnius is looking for you,” one of them said before they opened my prison cell.
I arched my eyebrow. “What does Father want with me again?” I asked as they harshly pulled me up. “Hold it! That’s painful!” I barked when I hissed in pain from more contact of the cuffs to my skin.
But they didn’t listen as they pushed me while I kept hearing the sound of the ball and chain grease on the ground. I endured the pain as we sauntered our way to another route where my father was residing. But before we could turn to the next route, I heard in a few miles that the war was still ongoing.
I halted from walking as I kept hearing loud screams of death from the battlefield. I already imagined the sea of dead people piling up there. I was certain that some of them were getting rotten already.
I already assumed this war was over. But Father has many reinforcements of rogues which were why the war was getting to prolong than before. I was hoping that this would be finished as soon as possible.
I have so many soldiers that were already courting their death on the battlefield. I was hoping this would get to an end already.
“Move!”
I shot the man glare who pushed me again. I was so close to strangling his neck. I would love to kill him however, it would alert all of my father’s people if the other was alive.
I also wondered now as to what my father wanted from me again. Must be looking for the answer to his proposal since I haven’t said anything about it? I haven’t even uttered my decision about it.
Shit… I must think about what answer I must say for him. But I couldn’t possibly kill Claude… I would never even do that.
Sighing softly, I was thinking of ways to escape silently right now. Though I was not in the best condition to fight due to the restraints I have on my wrists and ankles right now which gradually drained my strength, I still need to do something.
I was worried that Claude would already worry about me. I am certain that he would get mad at me if I happened to escape and I would be put up in sanction again so I could be far from Cloudy again.
Perhaps, that would be alright rather than being in here. At least, I still have a chance to see them unlike here where I was kept hidden and didn’t even know what was happening outside.
I looked up and saw two people wearing some cloaks which I already assumed were the doctors. They were the ones who treated the rogues who managed to leave and live even after going to the battlefield. They had supplies of antidote for wolfsbane and for recovery as well. I already witnessed them doing it so many times so it wasn’t surprising that we were going to meet them at this time.
They halted in front of us which made the two men from my back snort.
“What do you all want again?” one of them asked these two people wearing cloaks. They were even wearing hoods to hide their faces.
These two people bowed. “Lord Magnius informed us that we must treat Her Majesty, Luna Queen Rachellian.”
“What?” they parroted.
“That is not what he ordered from us! He said that we must bring her to the conference room,” one of the masculine rogues protested.
One of the doctors sighed before they removed its hoods revealing an old man with a cold gaze piercing the two men who stepped back upon seeing him.
“D-Doctor McKenzie…” the two men said in unison as their voices were trembling. They nervously bowed their heads before him.
I arched my eyebrow wondering what on earth was happening and why they looked frightened at the sight of this old man who I thought was the same age as my father.
“Go back to your post. I will handle the Luna Queen from here,” the man named Doctor McKenzie said with a frigid tone.
“But… about Lord Magnius-”
“I shall bring her to Magnius after she is being treated. Are you going to question it?” He arched his eyebrow.
“W-We dare not.”
“Then? Scoot now.”
Hesitant, the two men nodded before they turned their way in the opposite direction to walk away from us. I put my guard up when the old man whose name was Doctor McKenzie bowed before me.
“What are you doing?” I asked in my cold, fathomless tone while I was ignoring the pain I felt right now.
“I, McKenzie, greet Her Majesty, Luna Queen Rachellian,” he said in his deep tone before he looked up at me with a gentle expression. “I am your father’s attendant. As well as his friend.”
I gazed at him up and down. “So, you knew that I am Magnius Lothim’s daughter based on how you called me by my real name.” That made me want to keep my guard up more because that was already alarming if he was Lothim’s friend.
He chuckled and nodded. “I am well aware of the existence of the first daughter of the Moon Goddess.” My eyes widened. Did my father tell him about who I was? “I am the one who helped your father to take care of you, Luna Queen Rachellian.”
“How did… you know who I really am? F-Father told you?” He nodded. I was quite hesitant at his answer. “Do you believe him?”
He stared at me before he nodded again. “Why, yes, of course. I have witnessed your first miracle as the Goddess of Mate Bond,” he said softly.
“What?” I parroted, blinking. “W-When did I do that?” Alright… Must I be frightened about this or not?
“When you were four years old, Your Majesty. Just before Magnius decided to abandon you.” I gasped softly as to what he said.
That rendered me speechless. If he said that, then it meant that I really performed the ‘miracle’ as being the Goddess of Mate Bond. Must I really believe him about this? But based on how he was looking at me, he looked like he knew me before.
I even sensed familiarity with him as I met him in the past. Perhaps, this was how it meant. I really performed my ability… right in front of him.
I opened my mouth to ask him how on earth I did that when Doctor McKenzie spoke. “There is someone who eagerly wants to see you, Luna Queen Rachellian.”
I creased my forehead. “Someone?” I slightly tilted my forehead in bewilderment.
I had no idea who this someone he was talking about. I didn’t even know the people who were here who were under my father’s command.
Then my eyes landed on the person beside Doctor McKenzie who suddenly stepped forward and bowed to me.
“Um… Is this the someone you are talking about?” I asked wryly. I secretly sniffed that person’s scent but I found it weird since I couldn’t smell his scent as a werewolf.
That was… odd.
“Yes. This person tells me that he has been longing to see you,” he said as he chuckled softly. “If you may…” He ushered that person who just nodded.
Confused, I waited when that person removed the hood that was covering his head and his face. As soon as I saw who that person was, my eyes widened and I felt my heart leap from my ribcage.
The familiar smile and dark hazel eyes met mine. “I, Claudian Alexander IV, greet my mate, Rachellian Genesis Lothim.”
I immediately cried and didn’t hesitate to hug him. “Claude!”