The King's Beloved

The alluring woman stood tall with her flawless long legs even if she was wearing flat white shoes. She wore a tight blue dress that had a high slit on each side, topped with a white blazer that had large sleeves like that of a kimono. Her light blue hair was wavy and very smooth, fluttering with her every movement. She walked like a model as she paced towards Selena and Clavis. And the nearer she got, the more you could see her youthful beauty.

'This woman is a mother? She's like his sister!' was Selena's first impression of her.

Clavis' mother stared at them for a moment while crossing her arms. "Hmm … so I presume you're my daughter-in-law?"

"Ahm, yes, I am. My name is Selena Fidelis," Selena stood up from her sitting position and curtseyed towards her while bowing her head. A slight blush could be seen from her cheeks.

"My name is Mitis, but you can call me mother, you're gonna be my son's wife after all," she replied with a warm smile on her face. She lifted Selena's face by her chin, and stared at her for a moment. Her gaze was penetrating yet captivating at the same time. She had the same eyes as Clavis - eyes that seemed to look at your soul. "You've got great eyes, I like it".

"Hey, don't keep staring at her," Clavis reprimanded his mother.

"You call your mother 'hey'? That's so rude my dear son! How could you?" Mitis' tone was very high pitched as she tried teasing her son.

Selena laughed awkwardly at them.

After Mitis finished teasing her son for a whole minute, she stopped and looked around Clavis' room. "My dear son, you really don't know how to please a girl do you? Now, I really wonder how you got such a good fiancee. Just look at your room! You could have decorated it with her taste at the least!"

Clavis was alerted. His mother was getting suspicious. He looked at Selena who looked at him as well.

"Ah, I - I'll have it redecorated then. She can choose how she wants it to be".

Selena's eyes brightened. "Really? I can?"

"Ugh, yeah …," as much as he didn't want his room touched, Clavis couldn't really disagree at the moment.

"That's good then," Mitis smiled. Then, she turned to Selena and grabbed her hand. "Don't worry deary, let me know if he bullies you, okay? Simple things like this, you should be demanding it out of him! He's gonna be your husband so he should spoil you to the fullest. No need to be shy about anything".

Selena blushed again - like how girls normally blush when they talk to their idols or any highly respected people. Mitis gave off that warm, gentle, and very accomodating vibe. She seemed to be really easy to get along with, as opposed to what Selena initially had in mind.

'She seemed like a really cool mom and very kind and warm and personal … But how in the world did Clavis end up the complete opposite?!' Selena kept thinking.

"My dear son, one of these days, I'm going to ask your father to teach you how to be a proper husband".

"Ugh, please, just let us be. We're not going to be like you and father".

"Then that means you don't love her enough! Oh, poor Selena. How did you ever fall in love with such a man?"

Clavis was starting to get irritated. "Why don't you go back to your duties, mother? Or go and flirt with father somewhere?"

"Why did I have such a cold son? Here I am, just trying to visit him and his fiancee, and I'm getting thrown out. I'm such an unlucky mother, aren't I Selena?" Mitis animatedly acted out like a drama queen.

"Hehehe," Selena laughed awkwardly. You couldn't really blame her if everything showed on her face.

"Speaking of that, Selena, deary, what did you even like about my son? How did you manage to fall in love with him? That in itself is a miracle! I've been wondering for some time now ever since I heard my son finally took a wife!"

Clavis' stiffened at the question of his mother. In his mind he was hoping Selena could answer in a convincing manner. But then, upon looking at her, even she was frozen with the question. He should have known his lie wouldn't last that long with Selena's great acting skills.

"Ah - " they both tried to speak in unison.

Selena and Clavis involuntarily looked at each other. Then, Selena decided to continue what she was going to say.

"Ahm, I think … it started when …," she was blushing really hard now like a red tomato and her words started to stutter, "well, I was in danger before and … he saved me … even if I was a human, not a Magi. I'm not of the same race, but still, he showed k-kindness to m-me".

Clavis was startled - he didn't expect her to answer that way - and it was really convincing. He looked at his mother to check her expression and Mitis could be found smiling warmly at Selena.

"Awwwww, you're such a sweet, sweet child. My son doesn't deserve you," she complimented Selena and gave her a big, warm hug. Her large chest drowned Selena.

Clavis sighed. Selena's answer kept on repeating in his mind -

'I'm not of the same race, but still, he showed kindness to me'

- That phrase kept repeating over and over.

But then, Clavis didn't really save her out of kindness like she thought. His initial decision was to leave her alone and let her die.

'She should be thankful for her and not me,' was what he thought as his expression darkened.

And a sudden feeling of guilt, clouded Clavis' heart.

WHOOSH ....

A sudden gust of wind came into Clavis' room. A black hole suddenly appeared behind Mitis and from it descended the doll-like girl with light blue hair - the one who took Rania to the Floating Kingdom, and the same woman who observed her from the Forbidden Forest.

"Illumináire!" Mitis greeted her cheerfully and gave her a hug after letting go of Selena.

"You're back," Clavis greeted her too.

Selena was confused since she didn't know who she was.

"Yes," she responded with her expressionless face, "I'm back, mother, and brother".

And after greeting them with a nod, Illumináire fixed her eyes on Selena.