Half a heart, half a crown

S I X T E E N

He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me. The moment our skin touch, I felt electrify sparks all over me. And I did not return the gesture back, I didn't hug him back, just my head resting on his rigid chest. I am disappointed, not at him but at myself. I came here for revenge and yet I fall for him. After staying here for quite a while, I still didn't find anything secretive that the palace needs. If I kill him just before I knew I like him, I would complete my revenge and even if I died here, I have already done everything I could.

"Magnificent?" Antonio said to snapped me out of my own thoughts.

Before I even knew, I am already stood in a safe distant from him.

"You are a very selfish person, King Antonio." The words slipped out of my lips too sudden than I thought.

He took a step forward and said "only selfish people get what they wanted." His eyebrow raised, "you're not selfish?"

I am selfish, very selfish. Because after hearing him out, I am happy that I was what he wanted, not Angelica. And they are fiancé, I purposely entered their lives and purposely stay. Without a word, I walk away from him.

***

"How long am I going to stay here?" I asked Rosemary out of curiosity.

She stopped what she was doing and turned her wrinkled gaze at me. "My darling, you are staying here until you have fulfill your wish."

I stayed silent and this causes Rosemary to wrinkled her brows in confusion. "Don't tell me....you..." just that she had a shock impression on her face and sat beside me, shaking her head in disapproval, she said "You are no longer wanting to take revenge, aren't you?" I didn't know what or how to answer, I wasn't quite sure of how I feel either so I shrugged.

"Listen to me, Queen." She sat straight, more focus than usual, "First of all, queen don't shrug and second of all, you are not giving up. Revenge is the only answer and you must not defy the fact that you need revenge." I looked at her with eyes full of wonder and I cocked my head to the side, "first of all, I am the queen so I obviously can do anything I want and second of all, to pay my revenge or not, it is my decision and why do you care?" This makes her eyes widened "Of course I care, your majesty. You are my queen, you are someone whom I respect." I focused on her face for a while until I decided to speak up, "Did I miss something important?" Without waiting for her answer, I added "Let me correct this, tell me something I need to know."

Rosemary stayed silent and with her hesitation, I knew something important that I missed out. She put her palm on my hand and squeezed it tight, "I think I knew who killed your brother." Just as the words came out from her lips, my eyes widened and I was eager to know. I squeezed her hand tighter than I expected "who?" My voice sounded rough and yet I could feel like I am breaking little by little. Rosemary gaze still intensely bored into mine and just as I was about to continue, her lips curled up into a smirk and said "See? You are not over your revenge so stop acting like you are." Every breath that I froze, came back and I glared into her "Why do you like to play around as if you are a three year old kid?" She looked at me and smiled "because three year old kid understand games more than adults do."

"And they understand the situation."

I stepped out from the bed and when I was half way to the door, Rosemary said " Antonio kill your brother." It is not very unexpectedly to hear it from the others and not from Antonio but what unexpected me the most is that Antonio lied.

"Do you know my brother?" I asked while my eyes swelled up from the word 'brother'.

"I do and I don't." His voice became deep and his gaze became dark as night.

"I saw you talked to my brother the night he died." I let the words flowed out from my lips hurtfully. "And he was happy, he was smiling."

"And I got nothing to do with him!" He threw the sword to the wall and causes it to break into two pieces.

Why did I suddenly thought Antonio wouldn't lie? He is my number one rival, of course he would do anything to win.

"And I got nothing to do with him!" He threw the sword to the wall and causes it to break into two pieces.

He got nothing to do with my brother? Rosemary I needed to hear the whole truth.

"You might think I lied but this showed that you are falling for him." Rosemary said, "you wouldn't trust someone who you suspect."

"Do you have any proof?" I asked.

"I don't, but I am sure of my answer." She said.

"How am I going to trust you if you doesn't have any proof?" I turned around to face her.

"Well I suggested for the best of you, you should." She said looking at me more strictly.

I took a deep breath, "so what? Are you going to let me blame others for my brother's death without any proof? And do you think Antonio would really do that?"

She looked at me with widened eyes "so, addressing him by his formal name, I guessed you and him became close. I am happy that you  and him became close, before." She said, "but now, you are so blinded by love that you don't know you are giving the tiger what he wanted."

My tempered started to rise up.

I am blinded my love?

I am?

Or am I? 

"Who do you think you're talking to, Rosemary?" I said through gritted teeth.

She took a step forward and without a trace of fear in her eyes, she said "I am talking to you, Magnificent Dillionio. You are blinded by love and you doesn't care anymore about your brother's death. You would believe your own rival and not the person who trying to help you. If you are going to be a queen of Ameragonia, then act like one."

My hands clenched into a fist.

"Who are you to know that I didn't care about my brother's death!" My voice rising up but I wasn't shouting.

I wasn't.

With hands crossed to her chest, she gave me a smirk, "then tell me your majesty, do me a favor."

"What do you want?" My voice sounded blunt.

"Well, since you are so blinded by the meaning of love, why don't you pay a revenge for our kingdom by seduction?" She said.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Seduction? I am a queen and you want me to seduce for a throne? For a revenge? I am not a slave.

I didn't answer her right away. Calling me 'blinded by love' already pissed me off. What game is she trying to play next? Hide and seek?

"What do you think, my dear?" She searched for an answer in my eyes and when she finally found one, she stopped.

"You want me to seduce King Antonio?" I asked.

Through a moment of silence, she said.

"Who says I want you to seduce King Antonio?"

Eyes staring into each other, I knew exactly who she was talking about.