When the boy stepped onto the dance floor, the orchestral music resumed. All the ghosts that not too long ago bowed their heads at the entrance of the man, now returned to their dances. Cautious, each of the ghosts made sure to leave enough room for the boy to travel across the crowd.
He was coming towards me.
As he approached me, the ghosts that he passed through quickly bowed their heads to salute him, returning them to their dances. A circle of ghosts surrounded the two of us, and, under everyone’s glares, Raon spoke to me.
‘Empress, why are you still here? I gave you a chance to run away. Why haven’t you used that chance?’
Thinking of the fact that he remembered my rank, I couldn’t stop but blush, an emotion that I soon tried to hide away, yet to no avail, as he raised his brow the moment he saw my red cheeks.
‘There is no place for me to go back if I don’t manage to convince you to stay by my side.’
He took a step closer to me as I followed with my eyes his steps.
‘You could have gone back, but you decided to risk your soul and walk through the forest, just to get me by your side? Tell me, Empress, what do you wish to achieve in a land like this?’
‘I know you’re thinking my wish is beyond the powers of a human, but let me be selfish.’
At that moment, I kneeled down in front of him, the ghost that until now ignored us and danced had stopped in their moves and turned around to look at us. Even the music paused for a short moment, as I stared into his eyes, as if the world disappeared before my very eyes.
‘Let’s make a deal. The two of us. Help me save my Empire, and I’ll forever devote my life to repaying you back. I swear this on my soul.’
Raon snorted as he heard my plea, a gesture that made me frown. As I opened my mouth to ask him what he found so entertaining, his gesture quickly quieted me down. With a flinch of his fingers, every ghost disappeared from the big hall, as if they were never there to begin with. The enormous room felt empty when the two of us were the only ones that remained.
He raises his left hand towards his face and, with a quick movement, snatches the mask from his face, and, as he let go of it, ashes were the only thing that remained from what was once a mask. Under my shocked expression, a smirk roses to his face.
‘You’re quite an interesting human. You’re not greedy for your own well-being, but you’re greedy for the sake of your people? Is it possible for a human to feel such emotions?’
Without thinking, I quickly rose to my feet and approached him. Although he was taller than me, I still dared defy him, as I stared deadly into his eyes, the smirk on his face vanished.
‘While I’m wearing my crown, I don’t exist. I am the future Empress of this land, if I don’t protect my people, what Empire would I rule? I have only one purpose, and there isn’t any shame in kneeling here, if I get to save them.’ I said, kneeling again, much closer to him than before.
His eyes twitched for a moment, his left hand quickly grasped onto my chin, raising my face. I felt my heart skipping a beat, while my hands started sweating. His sudden action made me wonder, would he give me a different response this time?
‘Why do you think I would help you? I don’t know how you were able to enter this land, but, let’s say, I help you, what guarantees me that you will be able to return your help? What if you can never enter this place? Then what?’
For a moment, I contemplated what he just asked me. The question was indeed a good one, knowing that I haven’t figured out how to enter and leave from this place. If I wasn’t able to come up with a response, then would that mean that even him, the ruler of this world, was unaware of how you can travel between the two lands?
‘I will find a way to enter this land, even if I don’t know how to at the moment, I am sure I will be able to find a response. After all, I am the Child of the Prophecy, the one who will go above and beyond my land to save my people.’
He smirked: ‘In this place, there isn’t any care for such a Prophecy. I can’t take your words as a guarantee.’
‘Then, let me ask you a question. Are you truly the ruler over this place?’
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