Chapter 310 - The Third Choice (1/2)
”ARE you too blinded with your obsession with Kalel Moonchester's face that you can't see that he's weird?”
Soleil blinked in confusion at what Luna said to her.
And if she'd be honest, she'd say that she was offended with her accusation. It was true that she liked Kalel's face. But it wasn't the only thing that she liked about him.
”Soleil Rosenberg, open your eyes,” Luna told her while munching on an ear of grilled corn. That was her snack while waiting for her brother to finish cooking their dinner. But since the Moon Priestess looked hungry, she offered her the grilled corn. ”Didn't you notice something different about Kalel Moonchester from the Nystrom that you met in your first life?”
She bit her lower lip.
That question seriously got her thinking.
”Lord Kalel seems to talk more than when I met him as Lord Nystrom,” Soleil said in a hesitant voice. To be honest, she noticed the changes in Lord Kalel. But she thought it was only natural since he was reborn in a different environment. ”And he seems to be more affectionate towards me now.”
In the past, she could say that she and Nystrom got a little closer before the two of them got reincarnated in this world. But she didn't get him to open up with her back then. Maybe it was because of the limited time that they had together. Yet, despite all of that, she really felt close to him back then. Not in a physical sense, but more of the fact that they seemed to have a silent yet solid understanding of each other.
Kalel, on the other hand, seemed to be physically closer to her. Yet, he somehow made her feel empty. And it wasn't just because he rejected her.
”It's strange, indeed,” Soleil whispered to herself. ”Lord Kalel feels physically closer to me and yet, I feel like our relationship today is hollow.” That thought scared her, so she looked at the Moon Priestess to look for some answers. ”What does it mean, Luna?”
”I also don't know the exact answer to your question,” the Moon Priestess said. ”All I'm certain is you and Kalel Moonchester will be the center of the upcoming catastrophe.”
She'd like to say that she was surprised to hear that.
But unfortunately, she wasn't.
”I heard the same thing from our Sun Priestess,” she said nervously. ”She warned me that my future husband is either going to be an ally that will make our country strong or an enemy that will bring an end to our clan.”
”I haven't meant your Sun Priestess yet but I think we're going to get along well,” Luna said casually. ”Anyway, do you think that Kalel Moonchester is the ”future husband” of yours that the prophecy referred to?”
She nodded hesitantly. ”I have reasons to believe so. At first, I was willing to bet that Lord Kalel is going to be my future husband that will help my clan and our country get stronger. I've always known in my heart that he's the one, so I went to Kalel Kingdom and saved him even though the Sun Priestess warned me about it. As soon as he took my hand, I confirmed to myself that he's really the only one for me,” she confessed, then she let out a deep sigh. ”In just a few days, I fell in love with Lord Kalel. Then, the prophecy started to scare me. If I ended up wrong and Lord Kalel turns out to be the enemy that will bring our downfall, I already know in my heart that I can no longer kill him.” She soon became teary-eyed. ”I have a feeling that I can and I will betray the Fire Mage clan for him. I don't want to lose either of them so I thought staying friends with Lord Kalel will prevent the prophecy from happening.” She laughed bitterly while wiping the tears off her eyes. ”But it's a lame choice, isn't it?”
”Uh-huh, it's very lame and stupid.”
She pouted at the Moon Priestess's bluntness. ”Can't you at least pretend to console me, Luna?”
”You grew up naïve because you've been spoiled a lot.”
She was hurt by the statement but she couldn't refute that.
”Anyway, keep an eye on Kalel Moonchester and his family,” Luna said, changing the topic casually. The Moon Priestess seemed unapologetic with the hurtful words that she said to her. This was the first time that she met a person who humbled her in a harsh way. ”There's a reason why he could either make or break you, Soleil Rosenberg.” She took a bite of her grilled corn before she pointed a finger at her lazily. ”Grow up and start acting like a clan leader, especially now that a war against Crades is about to happen.”
Soleil had so many questions for the Moon Priestess. But the cold look on Luna's face told her that she wouldn't spoonfeed her. ”I'll come up with an answer on my own,” she said firmly. ”As a woman and as the leader of the Fire Mage clan, I don't want to choose between Lord Kalel and my people because it means losing one of them.” She slapped her cheeks a little too hard to wake her up. ”I'll create a third choice so I could keep them both.”
***
”I KNOW why you provoked my poor little sister, but do you have to treat her so harshly?”
Luna wasn't surprised when she heard Winchell's voice behind her after Soleil Rosenberg left the shrine to train again.
She already noticed the Red Phoenix's presence a while ago. To be honest, he even released his bloodl.u.s.t directed at her several times. She ignored it because dealing with Winchell's tantrum would only be a waste of time.
Well, this was the first time that she personally met the Red Phoenix. But he had a bad reputation. And he was most infamous for being ”obsessed” with his little sister.
”Soleil Rosenberg grew up naïve because of you,” Luna said, then she turned around to face Winchell.
Much to her surprise, the Red Phoenix was standing a little too closely.
His deep purple eyes were glowing menacingly as if he was trying to intimidate her. She hated being intimidated, especially by an obnoxious man, so she did what she had to do: when Winchell opened his mouth to probably threaten her, she put the corncob on his mouth.
Winchell's face turned red from embarrassment, then he grabbed the corncob on his mouth and threw it on the ground while glaring at her. ”What the hell did you just do?”
She shrugged casually. ”Don't birds like corns?”
”Did you just call me a bird?” he asked in disbelief. ”I'm a Red Phoenix!”
”It's still a bird,” she reasoned. ”Just because a phoenix burn doesn't make it special.”
He closed his eyes tight and pinched the bridge of his nose as if he was trying to stop himself from strangling her. ”State your reason for approaching my sister,” he said, obviously changing the topic. When he opened his eyes, he looked dead serious this time. ”You're the Moon Priestess. Did Kyro send you here to spy on us?”
She raised a brow at her. ”Why would the Moon God send a spy on you?”
He didn't answer her question and it seemed like he had no intention to do so.
”I heard that the heavens have been thrown into chaos recently,” she continued. Since she could hear the voices of different gods, she was able to gather some information about what was going on as she traveled the continent. ”Is it true the three main gods have created different factions and are currently on a silent divine war?”