Rebirth: The unfavored Princess is the Tyrant King's favorite-Chapter 39: Did I just do that?

"No princess, it was just a figure of speech. I was just making an example. I don’t know the exact act of true love that can break the curse and set you free, but I know one thing: you need to break the curse before you turn 18 years old; otherwise, there will be dangerous consequences," Lord Algrith said.

"Why?" Luciana asked, seeing how grave the cat’s tone was.

"This Lord has lived for two centuries, and some of my memories of past events are fuzzy, but I’m certain the darkness inside you will begin to grow, and you will begin to become a danger to all those close to you," he said in a heavy tone.

"There’s a darkness inside of me?" Luciana asked, her heart thumping as her breathing became labored. There was an impending sense of doom in the air.

"This is your last rebirth, princess, and the prophecy will be fulfilled. Have you heard about the legend of the dark princess, who would plunge the world into darkness and turmoil? Her awakening will cause the release of a series of tragedies that would plague the lands," Lord Algrith said.

"The legend of the dark princess? Isn’t that just a myth?" Luciana asked.

"No, princess, it’s not a myth, and there have been sightings of her star recently; there’s a rising tension between the leaders of the six countries after the astronomers reported it. People have begun to search for the princess of darkness for various reasons. Some want to kill her before her full power manifests, and some people want to find and use her powers for their advantage," Lord Algrith said.

"Do you truly believe there would be someone capable of that? When I was young, I remember hearing such stories; there were speculations that the Star of the Dark Princess was spotted in Zubrekacadesh. That is why that country is closed off from the remaining countries, and their people are treated as witches and wizards and burnt at the stake when found in other countries," Luciana said, sharing her knowledge of the subject.

"Yes, what you said is true. And you don’t need to ask; I truly believe there’s someone capable of that; I have felt the dark energy emanating from her, and it was a disaster; she couldn’t control it, and she unknowingly began to hurt those close to her and even herself in the process," the cat said.

"So powerful? But since Zubrekacadesh is cut off from the remaining countries, if the princess of darkness is born, she would be stuck there and no longer be a threat to us, isn’t that so?" Luciana.

"What if I tell you the princess of darkness is already out of Zubrekacadesh and has been staying amongst us?" Lord Algrith asked, and Luciana’s mouth opened in shock.

"How is that possible?"

"Everything is possible in the world we live in, princess. That is why we must break the curse before your 18th birthday. All your remaining souls must be healed, and you must be restored to your former self."

"You talk as if the princess of darkness’ awakening and the breaking of my curse are interlinked. If that is true, doesn’t it mean we have less than a year to break the curse? I’m past 17 years already," Luciana said, exasperated; all this information was making her head spin.

"Yes, we don’t have much time left, and breaking your curse and the awakening of the dark princess are indeed linked together; I will tell you everything you need to know step by step. But you must follow what I tell you," Lord Algrith said.

He had wanted to tell her the truth about her real identity; she was the dark princess. But the darkness within her was too terrifying, and he didn’t want to risk scaring her. With the sort of power she had within her, fear was her worst enemy. The more she became scared of her ability, of the future, of the unknown, the more the darkness within her would feed on her fears and cause her to become more destructive. It was best to take it one step at a time.

"Okay, tell me; I’m all ears," Luciana said, even though she didn’t want to believe everything the woman in her dream and this cat were saying; it was true that strange things were happening to her.

She had made Evelyn trip just by thinking about it; she also caused the white roses to turn into something unbelievable, and the fast pace at which her cuts healed the other time was crazy, not forgetting how she was now able to speak to the cat.

"We need someone powerful by your side in your journey to break the curse. It would be best if the person shared the same interest as you," Lord Algrith said.

"Where are we going to find that kind of person? I’m sure they will rather choose to burn me alive if I tell someone what is happening to me. They would think I’m a freak; I don’t think I can trust anyone with everything that is happening to me," Luciana voiced; her reason was indeed valid.

"I understand, but like I said, the person must share the same goal in interest with you—your husband. He’s the reason you are in this predicament in the first place, and he’s the other side of the coin. The both of you represent the two sides of the coin," Lord Algrith said.

"Nicholas? Would he even believe me if I told him something as absurd as you are telling me? He would think I’m crazy," she said, shaking her head. Luciana thought it was a bad idea.

"You don’t need to tell him; you can show it to him."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Love, you must rekindle the love you once shared, and you must make sure the first time you both join your bodies and surrender to each other, it must be of your own free will. It must be like the very first time, 2000 years ago, when you chose to surrender to him wholeheartedly and unconditionally."

"At that time you chose him and didn’t care about the consequences because you embraced what you truly felt for each other, not caring about how the world was going to judge you. He was your husband’s brother, and you were his brother’s wife, but it didn’t stop you," Lord Algrith explained.

"Lovemaking? Is that all? Are you sure this is going to work just by the two of us having sex?" Luciana asked, her mood dampening. It seemed she had to hurry and brace herself for the idea of making love with Nicholas without going stiff because of fear.

"It’s not only about lovemaking; there are some factors you’ve got to consider," said the cat stretching lazily. He was feeling tired after talking for such a long time.

"It must be on an auspicious day, and there’s an important artifact that must be in the room with you," he added.

"An important artifact?" Luciana asked.

"Yes, the soul-searching lamp; it will search for the prince’s scattered souls and cause him to relive everything through a dream. If Prince Nicholas remembers the past, we will be one step closer to breaking the curse."

"And where do you think we can find something like the soul-searching lamp you are talking about? Would it be something easy to find?" Luciana asked.

"It wouldn’t have been easy to find, but I know where you can find one, and luckily for you, it’s right here in the capital. Pearl Auction House is planning on auctioning a rare soul-searching lamp in their next auction; you need a lot of money; it might be quite expensive."

"You don’t need to worry about the money since we must get it; I will not spend any effort in getting it," Luciana said.

When she had gotten married in the princess of Florendel’s stead, the king of Florendel, who didn’t want people to suspect she was a fake, had given her quite a large dowry, and combined with all the chests full of gold, pearls, jade, silk, and other treasures she received from the emperor of Gloryland after her marriage to Nicholas, she was quite rich.

"When will the next auction take place?" She asked,

"It will take place tomorrow, my lady," Lord Algrith replied.

"So soon," Luciana said and nodded. It seems it was for the best. Nicholas was out of the capital, so she should be free to go out of the prince’s manor tomorrow without any hiccups.

"You talked about an auspicious date; must it really be on an auspicious day?" Luciana asked.

"Yes, it must be, and I recommend the day of the red moon festival. People will light lanterns and make wishes; others will pray and perform certain rituals; the spiritual energy on that day would be very strong, and the timing would be just right," Lord Algrith explained.

"Isn’t the red moon festival in just eight days? Isn’t that too soon?" Luciana asked.

"You have said too soon twice in a row. What is holding you back?" Lord Algrith asked.

If Nicholas remembering the past is what is needed, then so be it.

"No, nothing is holding me back!" Lucia said in exasperation and threw her hands in the air just to hear a cracking sound.

Her eyes widened seeing the crack in her dressing mirror.

"What just happened? Did I just do that?" She asked no one in particular.

"You could have; you threw your hands in the air just now, facing the direction of the mirror," Lord Algrith said leisurely; it was as if he had seen her do things like this so many times before.

"You think so?" Luciana mumbled in a daze and walked towards the mirror to touch it only to see the cracks in the mirror closing up, and the cracks were disappearing. Her eyes widened in horror, and her hands flew to cover her mouth to prevent the scream that was about to come out of her mouth.

"D...Di...Did you just see that?" She asked, her mind racing.

"Yes." Lord Algrith said.