Aphrodite sank into a restless sleep.
At some point, her body temperature began to spike violently—burning and freezing at the same time. Cold sweat dampened her temples, while her chest rose and fell as she breathed in ragged, fearful gasps.
From the depths of her unconsciousness, a voice echoed.
Faint. Distant.
The voice crawled toward her like an ancient whisper from a dimension she had never known, carrying the strange articulation of a foreign language that nonetheless made her soul tremble.
Aphrodite couldn't understand a single word. Yet somehow, the voice felt as though it were whispering right beside her ear. So close that the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
“Wake up…”
Aphrodite furrowed her brow in her sleep. A searing sensation pierced her chest.
“Wake up…”
Her body began to shake violently.
Gasp!
Aphrodite abruptly opened her eyes. She was gasping for breath as though she had just been dragged up from the bottom of the ocean. She sat rigidly on the cold king-size bed.
Yet, without realizing it in the slightest… something about her was wrong.
The sea-blue irises that had always been her defining feature were now submerged in a deep, blazing red—like pure blood. That wasn't all. Strand by strand, her grayish-white hair began to change. Red. Burning like embers that swallowed the darkness.
Aphrodite still clutched her wildly beating chest, sweeping her gaze around without knowing what had just happened to her appearance.
Click.
The bedroom door suddenly opened. A senior servant stepped inside with a tray in his hands.
“Your Highness, it's time for—”
CRASH!
The servant's sentence was cut short. His eyes widened, reflecting utter terror. His face instantly turned as pale as a corpse.
Aphrodite slowly turned toward him, staring in confusion. “What's wrong?”
The servant stood frozen, unable to speak. His eyes remained locked on Aphrodite's face—on one gleaming, demonic red eye and the blazing red hair that had marred the fairy's entire beautiful appearance.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Aphrodite asked again, frowning.
The shock was so great that the servant doubted his own sight. He squeezed his eyes shut, closing them tightly as he prayed.
And when he opened them again—
Zap.
Everything vanished like an illusion. Aphrodite's hair had returned to its soft grayish-white color. Her eyes once again shone with a tranquil ocean blue. There was no trace of burning embers, no terrifying aura. Everything looked normal.
The servant swallowed, his saliva tasting salty. His trembling hand rubbed his chest.
“Your… Your Highness…”
“What exactly is wrong?”
“N-nothing is wrong, Your Highness,” he replied quickly, bowing his head deeply to hide the tremor of fear in his voice. “The Crown Prince has been waiting for you to have breakfast with him.”
Aphrodite regarded the servant with lingering suspicion. In the end, however, she merely nodded slowly. “All right. I'll get ready.”
As soon as the bedroom door closed again, the servant immediately leaned his back against the hallway wall. He was breathing heavily.
What did I just hear and see? Was that… black magic?
Not long afterward, Aphrodite was seated in the magnificent dining hall.
The breakfast atmosphere was warm. King Vaelric asked about the comfort of her sleep in a dignified tone, while Queen Elyndra couldn't stop smiling sweetly at the sight of Aphrodite sitting beside her crown prince.
Kaelum himself looked exceptionally captivating that morning. The aura of his perfect-prince persona was utterly enchanting.
After finishing their meal, Kaelum rose to his feet. He extended his leather-gloved hand toward Aphrodite.
“Ready, my lady?”
Aphrodite looked at his fingers before taking his hand. “Where are we going?”
Kaelum winked and flashed a mysterious smile. “It's still a secret.”
Aphrodite smiled and let out a resigned sigh. “All right, I'll come with you.”
“That's my wife,” Kaelum said, kissing Aphrodite's hand.
The sight made the Dragon King and Queen immensely happy. Though Aphrodite possessed no magical power, her beauty truly complemented Kaelum perfectly.
The back garden of Valtharion's palace stretched far wider and wilder than Aphrodite had imagined.
And there, in the middle of an open grassy field, Aphrodite's steps came to an abrupt halt. Her eyes glittered with awe.
A massive dragon covered in black-and-gold scales stood proudly. Its great wings were folded elegantly, while its sharp eyes reflected the gleam of the morning sun.
There was also a lake, whose water was now swirling through the air into a small tornado before moving into Atherion's hand.
“Is that magic?”
Atherion turned toward her.
“You've never seen it before?”
Aphrodite shook her head. “No.”
The water then transformed into a thin mist before falling back into the pond. Kaelum arrived and immediately cut in.
“Atherion.”
Atherion merely glanced at him.
“What?”
“Don't show off in front of my wife.”
Aphrodite looked at Kaelum.
“You can use magic too?”
Kaelum smiled.
“A little.”
Atherion let out a short laugh instead.
“He calls that being able to use a little magic?”
Kaelum shot him a sharp look.
“Shut up!” Kaelum ordered his younger brother, Atherion.