You.. youu…

Celestia's shoulders trembled, literally trembled, as Selena's words stabbed right into her chest one after another. Every single word felt like a slice, a cut, and worst part? She couldn't even defend herself. She couldn't say "you're wrong," because she wasn't. Because Selena wasn't lying. Because every bit of it… was true.

Her eyes were put in genuine confusion. Did I never love him?

The thought hit her suddenly and violently, like she punched herself in her own chest. She tried to shake her head a little, as if trying to put her thoughts back in place, but everything was falling apart inside her head.

No… Of course she loved him. If she didn't love him, would she ever have accepted the engagement in the very first place?

Like was her mother going to decide for her who she would marry? Obviously not. That was never how it worked. She was the imperial princess her mother would never force anything on her like that. Like literally she was the one who went to her mother and said she wanted to be engaged to him. She remembered that day clearly. She was young, excited, nervous. She wanted him. She chose him.

They got engaged after that. And back then?She was genuinely happy. Just that alone proved she loved him.

And yes, after she grew older, after responsibilities and throne and pressure became real and well actually revelation of fact that Razeal unable to ever become strong, she had second thoughts, she thought maybe she was little immature back then, maybe not ready, maybe too fast… but even then, she had never wished anything bad for him. She didn't want him destroyed. She didn't want him suffering. She always cared in her own way.

But she had duties way bigger than herself. She couldn't be selfish. She couldn't just run after feelings when entire empire was watching her. She couldn't disappoint everyone including her own self.

She was simply being cruel to herself

But that never meant she didn't love him. She always did… She just could never show it properly. She couldn't afford to be soft.

Celestia fought inside her own head, not even reacting to Selena's rage for a few seconds, just trying to tell herself she wasn't heartless… that she truly did love him.

But Selena didn't stop.

"You literally chose your dignity above him," Selena shouted, finger stabbing the air right in front of Celestia's face. "Literally when I said he might die if someone didn't help him.. you still chose your stupid dignity over him just literally two minutes ago. So what love are you talking about??"

Her finger trembled but her words were sharper than a dagger, word by word, slicing, burning.

Then Selena pointed her finger at her own chest.

"I loved him," she said, voice cracking in the middle. "Selfish? Yes. Wrong? Yes. But I did love him. And that's true."

Her whole hand trembled now, but she didn't stop.

"Do you think any girl out there will do what I did? Lowering herself to that extent? Throwing away dignity, letting the world think she got defiled, just so she could marry him? I didn't care about my dignity. I was ready to do the worst for him."

Selena's voice choked, her breathing uneven.

"Yes maybe he would've been hurt too, but he would've understood. He would know how better I am for him than you. I am farrr better for him than you ever were. I deserve him more than you. I loved him more. More than anyone... Not like you.. You sacrificed him.. If your love was true you would've sacrificed anything for him not sacrifice him for something you deemed important.. So yeah your love was fake mine being true."

Her finger pointed at her own face, trembling heavily. She wasn't lying. Not a single word was lie.

"He would've appreciated me," Selena whispered, pain and truth mixing together in her throat.

Celestia finally opened her eyes properly, regaining some calmness, her earlier flared emotions slowly dimming. Maybe Selena's words triggered her, maybe they stabbed her pride, maybe they cracked her heart open… but now she forced herself to speak steadily.. Deciding just to change the topic and talk to improve stuff.. Proving who loved him or not isn't going to do anything afterall.. She thought to herself.

"We were naive," Celestia said, her voice low but clear. She looked at Selena with a calmer expression, though Selena looked like she might explode again any second.

"I think instead of attacking me and yourself… you should accept what we did. Yes, the mistake we made… happened. It's done. There's no point in proving who was right or wrong. We didn't do any of this knowing that it would lead him on such a dark path. We were selfish for ourselves but… we didn't intend to hurt him so no need to question me now.. It wouldn't change anything."

She glanced sideways at Selena, who was breathing heavily, chest rising and falling fast, like the rage and sadness inside her was suffocating her from within.

"It was a mistake," Celestia said again. "A mistake that ruined everything. But still a mistake."

Her voice got even softer.

"And instead of deciding for yourself what punishment you want… like dying, shaming yourself, or throwing yourself into torture… I think we should let Razeal decide."

Selena's eyes widened slightly.

She wasn't expecting those words.

Celestia continued, her tone firming up again:

"Rather than you choosing pain or punishment for yourself… let him choose. Let him decide what he wants from you and me. You revealing anything now.. it's selfish. Not because of bad intention. But because you want to lighten your guilt. You want to feel better by hurting yourself not because it's going to gell Razeal in anyway."

She shook her head.

"Trust me… Razeal isn't going to give a damn about that."

I have apologised.. He didn't even want me to tell him the reason why I did it.. he said, "what is this going to change." Do you think he would be satisfied with what you are going to do?..

"No, he wouldn't.."

Celestia let out a small mocking chuckle, but it wasn't really mocking it was bitter, helpless, the sound of someone who already got slapped in the face by reality and had no strength left to pretend anymore.

"The thing is… we want to be forgiven."

Celestia turned fully toward Selena now, walking closer, step by slow step until she stood directly in front of her. Their faces close. Their eyes connecting, clashing, trembling with emotions neither wanted to show but couldn't suppress.

"From his mouth… we want to hear that he understands why we did what we did. And then we'll try… to repair what we destroyed. To give him happiness or whatever he wants." Celestia's voice softened not gentle, but heavy, serious. "I will accept any request from him… as long as it is ...reasonable."

She paused, inhaling deeply.

"I want to give him a better life… something that might help him forget the pain and suffering he went through. That's all we can do now, Selena. And you should really understand one thing.."

Her voice shook, but she kept her chin high.

"We… and no one else… can change what already happened. No one can."

Her eyes didn't waver as she said it.

Selena finally lowered her head, her eyelashes trembling.

"That's going to change nothing…" she whispered, the words barely holding themselves together. "I don't think… there is anything that will make him happy after what happened… after everything he suffered."

A shaky breath escaped her throat.

"And honestly? Forget forgiveness. I'd just be happy if he doesn't try to kill me. I know what I did. I know very well that I deserve to be killed by him." Her voice cracked. Like she couldn't even identify herself anymore.

"I mean… I literally destroyed his life."

Her fingers clenched the fabric of her own dress tightly. "So I can't even say he is overreacting if he hates me… or if he wants to kill me."

She closed her eyes, voice dropping to a painful whisper. "I think he didn't try to kill me because he wasn't strong enough… but if he was… he'd definitely come for me. I'm very aware of that too."

The madness in the situation… the despair… it softened her tone completely. Even Celestia paused for a moment.

Selena looked up at her again, eyes red, yet calmer now because Celestia had calmed down too. The whole environment felt heavy but quiet… like both of them were finally speaking truths they'd buried for years.

Celestia exhaled through her nose and lifted her chin.

"If he wants to kill me… he can try but only when he becomes deserving enough." Her tone took that arrogant imperial edge again, that tone of someone who grew up being told she was above the world. "And that… I don't think I'll ever allow him."

A cold smirk tugged her lips.

"He is never getting stronger than me. And I am definitely not going to stand there and let him kill me."

Then her expression turned faintly dismissive, almost pitying.

"From his perspective maybe I am someone who deserves to die. Maybe I am guilty. But I am not…" she said, shaking her head. "It was just a naive mistake. My life is far more worth than that."

The way she said it absolute imperial confidence made Selena stare at her with widened tired eyes.

"My life is written for greatness and glory," Celestia continued, voice rising with each sentence, her confidence returning like flame reignited. "To be remembered as someone special, supreme, greater than even my ancestors each one stronger than the last. And I will have my own special place, even among the greatest."

She paused. Her voice lowered but remained firm.

"And I would be ashamed of myself if I threw away such future just because I made one mistake. I know I deserve punishment… but giving my life? That's too much. That I will never."

Selena didn't interrupt. She didn't argue.

She just listened, silently staring at Celestia, the disappointment deepening but her exhaustion stopping her from screaming again.

After a long moment of quiet, Celestia spoke again.

"Well…" she exhaled dramatically, lifting her chin. "I'll let him slap me once. Across the face. Anywhere, even in public. That's all he deserves."

Selena's expression didn't even twitch. She just stared.

Celestia blinked

Looked away.

Then sighed.

"…Alright. Three." Her jaw tightened. This clearly pained her more than anything. "Three slaps. I'll let him slap me three times on my face. But not anymore. One more and I'll fight back. Hell have concequences."

She said it like she had just signed the hardest contract of her life.

Selena still didn't say anything.

Just silently staring at her.

Celestia awkwardly glanced sideways, unsure.

"Why are you looking at me like that…" she muttered.

Selena finally inhaled sharply, disappointment dripping off her voice.

"You still… are making it look like a joke to you, Celestia." Her eyes lowered her voice broke in quiet disappointment.

"Maybe you can never feel what he went through… Everything that happened it's always calculations for you. Everything you say is always 'reasonable,' always 'logical,' always 'responsibility.' Maybe if you could for once look at this from your heart and emotions instead of just your thoughts… maybe you would feel it."

Her eyes trembled.

"What actual heartache it is… to live knowing someone out there is suffering every moment because of you."

" I… am putting my dignity down for him…Accepting him slapping me on the face… even in public, in front of everyone… And you should understand what that means more than anyone, Selena."

"It is… the same as killing me," Celestia said, her voice trembling just a little even though she tried to appear composed. "I did that because… I care too, ohk?"

She looked back at Selena, her platinum eyes narrowing full of wounded pride trying to defend itself.

Selena didn't argue. She just… exhaled shakily and shook her head, wiping the tears on her cheeks with trembling hands, trying to regain some composure.

"Sure…" she whispered, weakly. As if she had no energy left to argue anymore.

She wiped more tears away, breathing unevenly.

"I just… I just hoped the world was like how God says it is…" Her voice lowered to a murmur, raw and exhausted. "If only things could be solved with just prayers… maybe none of this would've had happened."

Her fingers squeezed themselves tightly.

"As many prayers I did… so many… begging Him to give me Razeal…" Her voice broke. "If He had blessed me with him back then… if things had aligned just a little differently… this point would never have come."

She let out a soft, pathetic laugh..

"What am I even doing…" she muttered to herself. "I feel like I'm going to lose my trust in God at this rate. Honestly, it's ridiculous…"

Celestia's brows furrowed. She watched her friend so full of confusion.

"I remember the words you used to say when you were a child," Celestia said suddenly.

"Huh?" Selena looked up, her eyes swollen and unfocused.

"If you aren't getting something even with praying… then think how bad it must actually be for you," Celestia said calmly, repeating the same old quote Selena herself used to say.

Selena stared at her in silence.

She remembered those childish words clearly.

But hearing them now… from Celestia's mouth… That made it sound like weird.

"It's not the same thing…" she murmured.

"It's different, Cels…"

Celestia shrugged softly, almost dismissing it.

She didn't push further.

For a moment, silence stretched between them again.

Then Selena drew in a breath full of hesitation, fear, and hope all tangled together.

"So… what do you think… what might be Razeal's reaction… if I told him the truth…?" she finally asked.

"So… what do you think… what might be Razeal's reaction… if I told him the truth…?" she finally asked.

Celestia blinked, tilting her head.

"About what?"

"That…" Selena swallowed hard.

Her voice trembled. "That I did all that because… I loved him."

"I know… I know it's bad to even think like this now," she whispered, rubbing her fingers together anxiously. "But… what if… h-he gets… complicated… inside… and maybe… forgives me…?"

----

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.