"How was your trip?" Yurian asked, seeing her lost in the valley of thoughts. She hadn’t spoken much since she sat in the car and had said on the phone earlier that she was arriving alone.

"It was strange and exhilarating, to say the least, and I feel like a bitch we see in movies, the cold-hearted bitch who purposely breaks someone’s heart," she sighed, her hand clasping the left side of her face as her elbow rested on the window of the car, supporting it. Her gloomy countenance was making Yurian uneasy.

"Tell me everything," Yurain asked with his jaw set tightly and Aselia did, she only excluded the part where she wanted to throw herself at a random stranger from her dreams. She still had to contemplate that part and needed time to think. She didn’t want to share his details with anyone yet.

"Huh! Royalty, now I didn’t see that coming. Imagine always wearing a gown, jewellery and heavy make-up. To only say sweet things and act like a proper lady. Wouldn’t have been that bad?" Yurian purposely teased, knowing too well she hated all that. He wanted to lift her mood, she was drowning in self-loathing.

"Yeah! I am not cut out for that life but it still hurts to think how it all ended. I don’t know what they did to him. He couldn’t even remember me and I know he wasn’t acting just because Casmian might have asked him. He was lost and confused, just like I was when I woke up and found my memories were missing."

Aselia confessed with a forlorn look in her eyes. She believed there was more to what had happened. A lot more at play she didn’t understand yet.

And it hit Yurian. This was Xiran’s doing, he had to be there. Did he see them together and lashed out by beating up Jaguar and taking away his memories? Yurian gulped, this was bad and he knew soon he would be calling him. So Yurian stayed quiet.

They arrived home. Aselia rushed out of the car to go meet Esma and Razian. The night was already falling when she entered the cosy house. They were waiting for her and were overjoyed to have her back. Free hugs went all around as Yurian brought her luggage inside and found his parents all over her. Rony was barking and wagging his tail, his tongue hanging out.

"Good to have you back, Leia. We missed you," Esma said, kissing her forehead. She was beaming, her eyes shone with love she held for Aselia.

"Me too," Aselia sought her motherly touch and warmth after the emotional rollercoaster she had been on. She lingered in her arms, not wanting to let go.

"Go freshen up, we will have dinner together," and Aselia headed to her room.

They sat down for dinner and asked Aselia about her trip. She sighed but narrated to them the short version of who Jaguar was. They were utterly astonished as well but consoled her aching heart and Aselia was glad to have them.

"I always knew he was shady, something about him never sat right with me. And he was hiding his whole identity," Esma shook her head and patted Aselia’s hand.

"Yes! But he had been there for me in difficult times and his family was nice. King and queen were very humble and made me feel welcomed," she confessed in a low and sad voice.

"We understand dear, building relationships and being ripped from them is not easy. But this is the way of the world, people come and leave only ones who are meant to be, stick around." Razian offered her a small smile and she shook her head in agreement.

Later, Esma and Razian informed her that they will be leaving for their trip the next day. Aselia was glad but she knew she was going to miss them immensely.

In such a short period, they had become such a huge part of her life and she couldn’t imagine them not being in it anymore. Once the dinner was done everyone headed to bed as it was a long day and early morning Esma and Razian had to leave.

Sleeping was an arduous task that night. Aselia tossed and turned but her emotional state and overactive brain refused to let her have any rest. She thought about that mystery man and his touches, and it was enough to make her skin tingle and give a rosy hue to her cheeks. Her heart fluttered with desires and her stomach clenched again and again.

"Fu*k this!" she groaned and finally quit the thought of falling asleep in the middle of the night. She wanted to drink some water to cool herself down.

Exiting her room she was walking to the kitchen when she heard Yurian talking to someone on the phone in the middle of the night. The voice was low and she could barely make out what he was saying.

Firstly, she thought it would be Frila so she didn’t want to overhear, but a name she had a vested interest in escaped his lips and had her stopping in her tracks. The house and night were silent so his voice was slowly seeping out of his room in the corridor.

She tiptoed to his room and stood with the wall in the corridor so her shadow won’t fall and be seen from under the door. The elven girl began to eavesdrop on his conversation.

"I tried to stop her, believe me. But that Jaguar was so insistent and she wanted to go with him," Yurian whispered on the phone and her spiky ears almost stood up.

Silence.

"Xiran! I can’t control her love life. And I am not obligated to tell you everything," Yurian’s words had Aselia drawing in a sharp breath. Were they talking about her? How did Xiran know her? She was sure she had never met the man or even knew about his existence until a few days ago. Why was he calling Yurian in the middle of the night?

Didn’t Jaguar say he led the charge against his father, meaning he was involved with hunters? That meant Yurian knew him.

"I didn’t know that he was a prince and he would be taking her to the royal palace for a Masquerade Ball. I thought he was just a guy taking her to meet his..." Yurain was cut in between by Xiran on the other side of the phone. He was so furious with Yurian for letting her go there alone.

"You people have endangered her. If something happens to her now, I will hold all of you responsible," Xiran almost yelled at him.

"I know, I should have guarded her better but it’s not easy to change her mind when she set it on something, you know that better than anyone else," Yurian replied with a deep hollow sigh.

And, Aselia was left even more confused and mortified than ever. How did he know about her when she knew nothing about the man? Yurian’s words echoed in her brain: "You know that better than anyone else."

"Is she in love with him?" Xiran suddenly asked, his fury could be heard through the phone by Yurian; who was just glad she wasn’t or Xiran might have blown up.

"No! But she deeply cared for him. He was her constant support and she tried to fill the gap you left, but somehow she couldn’t," Yurian’s answer relaxed Xiran but it perplexed Aselia. Her heart was going berserk against her ribcage by now and she had broken out a sweat. The little beads of perspiration trickled down her temples.

What was going on?

The call ended soon after but Aselia was petrified at the revelations and she didn’t yet have a clear picture. How much Yurian had been hiding from her and why?

’I want access to his phone,’ she finally told herself and knew what she needed to do. She already knew his stupid code.

Her legs were shaking and she lowered herself to the floor, taking her head in her hands. Aselia couldn’t comprehend why Yurian would hide something like that from her. She trusted him with her life and yet she felt betrayed.

All she wanted was answers now, being fed up with everyone telling her lies, it was time to find the truth of what happened to her in that mystery year. She going to use any means possible to unravel what actually happened.

-------------------

Jihlia on the other hand had followed their car from a safe distance and hid in the tree outside their house. He saw the house number, street number and area. His beady eyes scanned everything and memorised.

Once he had taken all the required information he flew away under the moonlight to provide the sensitive information regarding Aselia. The night was doomed and the coming day wasn’t going to be as bright as Yurian, Xiran and Aselia would have wished.