Aether’s face lit up with wild hope, but I merely stepped over to stand beside Ethan.
Taking his arm, I turned and smiled at Aether.
“Who said you were my fiancé? I’ve already spoken with the King–I’ve chosen Ethan as my consort. The Starfire family’s amber pendant proves it.”
The crowd fell into stunned silence. Then an uproar broke out,
No one had expected me to choose Ethan.
He was just a minor divine, one without favor or power.
He was calm and reserved, unlike the other Dravon nobles who constantly tried to show off and curry favor with me.
Most of the time, he simply watched from a distance. If our eyes met, his ears would turn scarlet.
Had I not seen the quiet affection in his gaze in my past life-
Had he not risked everything to retrieve and bury my body-
I would never have believed that this boy cared for me at all.
Many had claimed to love me, but most only wanted the Starfire goddess for the power that came with marrying into the Dravon line.
Only Ethan had been different.
My gaze shifted back to Aether.
In my previous life, he had only dared summon three divine flames.
Surviving that alone had left him covered in wounds.
He had been unwilling to accept such mediocrity-
Even marrying me and gaining access to power wasn’t enough. He wanted to prove himself.
So he sent me a secret message, begging for my help.
I secretly activated the Nirvana spell and shielded him with my own Heartflame core.
That battle left my core damaged. It took me two centuries to recover, and I bore the aftereffects
ever since.
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But because of that battle, Aether became the first to ever survive nine divine flames at once
He was worshipped as a hero, a once–in–a–generation King
No matter who spoke of him, they praised him as the one.
But he had always been too greedy.
With memories of his past life to guide him, he had summoned all nine flames again–without hesitation, without care for who might be harmed.
He never cared whether I was injured, or if I would suffer lasting damage.
From beginning to end, Aether had only ever cared about himself.
I looked once more at the roiling divine flames. This time, I doubted he could even survive the
second one.
Just as that thought crossed my mind, a second violet–gold flame shot out with a thunderous boom.
“No!” Aether’s face contorted with terror, but it was too late.
The divine flame struck the peak of the volcano with a violent burst.
Howered my gaze and saw the summit glowing with fire.
All eyes were fixed on the smoke and flames swirling from the mountain.
After a long moment, the King sighed and raised his hand, dispersing the remaining divine flames.
My gaze fell upon the lava. Aether lay in a crumpled heap, soaked in blood and unconscious.
“He’s still a member of the Dravon family, after all,”
The King said, almost as an explanation to the crowd.
Then he raised a hand and sent a stream of divine energy into Aether’s body.
Aether slowly came to, and was dragged from the pool in complete humiliation. Once, the attendants had treated him with great respect, knowing I’d favored him. Now that he was injured and disgraced, they were indifferent, even disdainful.
Someone had come to Aether’s aid, but Shael wasn’t so fortunate.
She had sacrificed her Heartflame core for him.
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Now that it was shattered, her body aged rapidly-
In just a breath’s time, she looked like an old crone in her eighties.
Tears streamed down her withered cheeks. She tried to speak, but in the noisy crowd, no one paid.
her any attention.
Aether, at least, had learned one thing. He didn’t ask me for anything else.
He just stared at me, dazed.
The King’s gaze fell on me. I nodded casually in return.
It was I who had asked him to spare Aether.
Aether caught the small gesture immediately.
His eyes lit up.
Staggering toward me, he suddenly dropped to his knees with a thud.
“Serin, I was wrong…”
Regret was written all over his face.
“Serin, please forgive me. I only want you. I’ll devote myself to you–I swear, I won’t ever think of anyone else again!”
I stared into his eyes, watching him hold his breath in nervous anticipation. It was thrilling.
Then I lifted my foot and kicked him aside.
Shock crossed his face as he fell back.
I leaned down, my lips almost touching his ear, close enough to smell the fear radiating from his
body.
Word by word, I asked, “Aether, did you ever imagine this day would come-
when you ripped out my Heartflame core with your own hands?”
His pupils contracted violently
He collapsed, unable to stay upright.
I spared him no more glances. Taking Ethan’s hand, I headed for the summit.
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“Come on. I’ll go with you.
But for some reason, Ethan didn’t move.
“What’s wrong?”
Everyone’s eyes turned to us–even the King looked puzzled.
Aether’s expression twisted with hatred.
“He doesn’t want to go! Serin, did you really think everyone loved you?”
C
