Juniper looked around the small room in the one-bedroom house. It appeared dusty and neglected, as if it hadn’t been thoroughly cleaned in years. Turning back to Karn, she asked, "Do I have to pay to stay here? Or is this so kind of house arrest?"
"You don’t have to pay to live here," Karn stated. "Do whatever you want, but keep in mind that eyes will be on you." He decided this mont, while she seed a little calr, was the perfect ti. "Also, who were you talking with earlier?"
"It was an old lady," Juniper replied. "Telling she’s a guide sent by the Moon Goddess," she murmured, laughing humorlessly at herself.
Karn was confused by her sudden, dark amusent. "Why would such a guide co to you?" he asked, trying to figure out if she was lying or delusional.
"Exactly," said Juniper, keeping her gaze low. "She was only pissing off and adding more wounds to my already hurt body and mind."
"Why did she introduce herself as a guide to you? What exactly did she say?" Karn asked, knitting his brows together in suspicion.
"That she would help ," Juniper answered. As she said it, a chilling thought crossed her mind: ’Was she Ophelia?’
"You better not try deceiving the royal family," Karn warned, moving closer to her, his shadow falling over her face. "You were already caught joining hands with Ophelia once. Juniper, don’t fall into her trap if you truly want everything to turn right for you. You also heard Carlos and his grandmother’s warning about the consequences."
Juniper held his gaze and nodded her head.
"If I catch you crossing the line," Karn’s voice dropped, "your next destination will be the prison, Juniper."
"Will you be around all the ti?" asked Juniper, her eyes searching his face.
"Kind of," he replied vaguely. He wasn’t about to reveal that Gabriel had already planted a dedicated spy to monitor her every activity. "I will take my leave now. Clean the house and manage it in whatever manner you want to."
As he turned to leave, Juniper called out, stopping him. "Please, can you tell how Dominick is doing?"
"I have no information on that," Karn replied flatly, side-stepping the question entirely, and left the house without a backward glance.
~~~~~
As Karn stepped out of the elevator of the building, his eyes fell upon Aisha, who was waiting for the car to descend, holding several shopping bags in her hands.
"Hi!" Aisha said, offering him a soft smile.
"Hey," Karn greeted back. He stepped out of the elevator’s path, ready to leave, when Aisha’s voice stopped him.
"No, it wasn’t," Aisha affird gently, adjusting the bags in her grip. "Many people co and go in my life, but none ever truly understood the way you did. Karn, you ca into my life when I least expected that anything could ever turn better for ."
She looked at him with earnest eyes. "I hope we can stay friends, at least," Aisha asserted, giving him a aningful, grateful look.
"I don’t think I should stay friends," Karn clarified, his voice deliberately asured and honest. "You know I had a crush on you. You never know when those feelings might resurface in , and then what will you do?"
Aisha bit her bottom lip, her eyes falling to the bags she was holding. She was visibly upset by his blunt refusal. But then, she understood him. She gave a way to Karn, who walked out of her sight.
~~~~~
Dominick dried his wet face using the towel, finally stepping out of the washroom. After Casaio’s harsh scolding, the confrontation had, ironically, been a needed jolt. He realized he was only increasing his anxiety by constantly thinking about Juniper.
"Your Highness," a servant’s soft voice interrupted his montary peace, a quiet knock accompanying the address, "Her Majesty the Queen wishes to see you."
Dominick lowered the towel to the chair and went to the door. He opened the door and glanced at the palace servant.
"You can ask the servants to clean the bedroom," Dominick instructed her and went outside. He saw his mother sitting on the sofa of the drawing room, patiently waiting for him only.
"Nick, my boy!" Mabel rose to her feet as soon as she spotted him and opened her arms. Dominick rushed to his mother, embracing her.
"I am sorry for putting you in worry. I am doing well now," Dominick said, pulling himself back from the hug first.
"It was deeply unfortunate, Nick," Mabel said, her hands resting gently on his arms, her expression etched with concern. "But surely, a separation or a break would have sufficed? Was it truly necessary to outright reject her? Juniper is your other half, Dominick. A fated mate gifted by the Moon Goddess herself," she pressed.
"Mom, she was my other half," Dominick asserted. "I have officially registered for a divorce as well. Clearly, the fate assigned by the Moon Goddess was not ant to sustain a future with ."
He pulled back slightly. "I honestly gave Juniper every chance I could. And believe , I own my own faults; I understand I made terrible mistakes and caused her pain, yes. But Mom, she crossed a line that is incorrigible. She thought of seeking Ophelia’s help. That is why she hid it from . Think about that ring. What if she had actually used it? What irreversible damage or horror could have been unleashed upon the family or the Kingdom? I realized that the only choice left, the best choice for everyone’s safety, was simply to let go of her."
Mabel simply stared into the eyes of her son. "Then, what do you plan to do after this? Also, I heard about you and Casaio’s relationship from Zilia. You have to revive the mories of your elder brother, which he has completely forgotten. Just don’t mind his word, even if he says sothing harsh to you," she advised him.
"I will work on it," Dominick assured her.
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