CHAPTER 188: NEED HIM

"Luna Ariana, are you okay?" Raven suddenly asked, curious. He had come here, and it seemed the queen had been on the wall. Ariana turned with a smile and closed her eyes.

"Yes, Mister Raven—thank you for the concern."

Raven nodded and then spoke again.

"You are welcome, Your Grace. The carriage is ready for departure."

Ariana nodded. They were at the royal palace; she decided to continue staying at the royal duplex for now. She would go to the royal place once her husband woke up. She still had hope — deep hope.

"Very well then," she said, following Raven toward the entrance. The carriage stood ready; the driver opened the door. Ariana gave him a brief nod before gracefully entering. Raven bowed as the carriage began to move. He had other matters to attend to, so he would be staying at the royal palace.

Ariana had tried to be strong these past years. She had tried not to feel hurt, but the pain came, and today it felt worse. She visited her husband every single day and always had hope, but today it felt like her hope wasn’t there at all.

Her heart squeezed. She held her chest as if that would help calm it; she could not even distract herself with nature like she usually did. Today, she could not help herself.

A tear fell from her eye, and she immediately wiped it away. She pressed her lips together and muttered in her head — something she had done countless times.

"Don’t cry. Don’t cry. You are strong, and Zavren would be very proud of you. Now you have come this far, and he too has come this far," she whispered. Another tear fell; she wiped it away and inhaled and exhaled several times. She finally calmed a bit.

The carriage came to a slow stop as the gate to the tiny duplex opened by a guard. The carriage moved before stopping just in front of the duplex. The door opened, and Ariana calmly stepped out. She walked to the entrance; the maid who was cleaning the rail bowed. Ariana gave a calm nod as she entered, and there she saw the queen mother eating chopped fruit. Ariana stopped in her tracks, turned to the lady with a calm smile, and walked toward her.

"Oh, my queen has just finished her meeting," the lady said.

Ariana laughed softly at the lady’s words and gently kissed her forehead.

"Good afternoon, Mama. I will go inside now to see my husband," she said. The lady nodded with a smile.

"Go, go. I don’t want him to be mad at me," she said softly. Ariana smiled widely.

She climbed the stairs softly. As she reached her room, she missed her baby. Just as she entered, her heart warmed instantly at the view before her: there stood Vreni, running to Lady Leah. Ariana laughed softly — her daughter now loved walking and running around the duplex, and seeing that made her smile. Little Vreni turned her golden eyes to Ariana; she smiled widely, showing her front upper and lower ten teeth, which made her even cuter.

"Momma," she called as she ran to Ariana. Ariana laughed and knelt, spreading her arms wide. Vreni met her mother’s warm embrace. Ariana carried her as she hugged Ariana’s neck; Ariana spun her gently as she laughed softly. A wide smile spread across Leah’s face as Ariana sat down on the bed, still carrying her.

"Momma," the baby repeated, resting her hands on Ariana’s cheeks and staring deeply. Ariana managed a soft smile and hummed in response to the baby’s cuteness.

"Yes, pretty princess Vreni." The baby smiled, and Ariana’s lips parted; she could not help but smile more. Her hair was so long.

"Momma, I cwan dwance," Vreni said. Ariana laughed at her words — she was just too cute.

"Just like him," she said, pointing to the picture frame. Ariana’s body stiffened. There, in front of her, sat a painting of Zavren as a child wearing a princess gown.

Ariana had told them to bring the painting from the shark house to the duplex, and her little daughter had not said anything about it — until today, when she pointed to it. Ariana didn’t know why, but her heart melted more, and she wanted to cry.

She stood with Vreni in her arms and walked toward Leah, handing her over.

"Stay with Aunt Leah. Momma wants to meet dada," she said. The little girl nodded in understanding. Ariana moved, missing her chubby cheeks softly.

She walked to the door and stepped out, closing it softly. She moved calmly toward the other door at the end where Zavren was. But just as she reached to open it, she could not bring herself to. Her chest tightened even more. She tried her best to stay calm but could not; all the emotions crashed over her. She pressed her back against the door, and tears began to spill from her eyes. She sat down on the floor by the door, her forehead bulging against it as her shoulders trembled and tears poured forth.

"Z... Zavren, please come. I want you to wake up. P... please. Little Vreni needs you. I n..need you. Please, I can’t keep going like this. If you love me, come back, please." The tears flowed as she managed to stand. She moved her hands to open the door, but she could not; it felt like she would only be more hurt if she gave up. She cleaned her eyes as her lips trembled.

She had tried to be hopeful, but today it seemed she could not. Even the thought of seeing his face, which usually brought her hope, now filled her with fear. Fear that she would not be able to see him awake — that was why she could not even bring herself to open the door.

Today she would not be visiting him — for the first time in three years, she decided not to visit him.

"That is your punishment, my love," she whispered in the most broken tone ever.