The Source of All Evil

Chapter Twenty-Four

Michaela Walker.

“Get out!”

Cynthia held her swollen cheeks, hastily attempting to leave, and stopped when the Evil Master called her name. “Take the princess with you and arrange a room for her to stay.”

His darkened eyes never left Michaela, who was heaving for air after trashing the room. The princess seemed as if she wanted to stay but obliged when the Evil Master turned his glare towards her.

Alone with him in the room, Michaela had a rare smirk on her lips, displaying the irritation and sadness she felt in her heart. “What now, Rafe? Are you going to show me how ‘cruel’ you are?”

Rafe’s angry expression disappeared, looking indifferent as he said. “My real name is Raphael Evret, the sole heir of the Demon Emperor, Ezekiel Evret. I took in Adrius as an Imperial official and left him in charge while I went to search for you. . .”

“Good for you,” she cut in, tapping her foot impatiently. “But I’m not interested in listening to a bedtime story right now.”

He fixed her with a firm glare, heaving a sigh as he continued. “I stayed in your world for years and learned a thing or two about how to survive there. I hid my powers well, using my wits to earn money to keep searching for you.”

“Rafe, Raphael, or whatever your fricking name is, I don’t give a damn!”

Before she could even finish her sentence, he shifted next to her, using her powers, holding her shoulders with a firm grip. “You want to know the truth, so listen!”

“You lost that privilege when you fooled me for weeks!”

“Well, I’m sorry if you are easily fooled! You wanted to believe me, and you did, so don’t blame your stupidity on me!”

“Ugh!!” Michaela shoved him away. The sense of anger she felt kept her from bursting into tears, saying. “I’m glad my naivety provided you with some entertainment all this time.”

She turned around and picked up Kirby off the bed, aiming to leave. But of course, he wouldn’t let her. The Evil Master grabbed her by her waist and held her in his arms, pulling that smug grin she hated. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Let me go!”

“No matter how hard you try, you’re not leaving this place. . . I know you, Michaela. I know your little tricks, so I assigned a hundred guards around the area and outside your room to keep you from escaping. On the Enlightenment Day, all of this will be behind us.”

Michaela gave up struggling, fixing him with a condescending glare. “Do you actually believe that I’ll stick around until then? Do you really think that if I marry you, I’ll magically forget about what happened?”

“Actually,” he went on with a devious tone of voice. “You see, on the Enlightenment Day, I’ll perform the ritual to connect your soul to this world. Meaning, you’ll forget everything about your life in the lower plane, and you’ll be my beloved, Michaela, that was born and raised in this world.”

Michaela stared at him as if she’d be able to detect if he was lying, and when he smiled down at her, she had a hunch that he was telling the truth. That must be why he chose that day to have their wedding, using magic to compel her into forgetting her past and become the woman he obsessively adored.

Michaela could only think of one thing, and that was how stupid she was to like this man. She often complained about how people would act unwisely when it came to matters of the heart, and yet, she fell for the same curse, liking a man who was in love with the owner of her body.

Until this moment, she had this glimmer of hope that the kisses she shared with him were real and that he liked her, too.

Seeing that she didn’t reply, the Evil Master had a satisfied smile on as he let her go, exiting the room. Michaela took a seat on the bed, thinking of a way out of this mess.

She didn’t know when she fell asleep and only realized when her eyes fluttered open. It was brighter outside the window, illuminating the large room. Michaela knew that she exhausted herself from brooding too much, that fatigue took over her, putting her to sleep.

She sat up, looking around the room as if it was the first time she’s seen it. She kept herself busy by exploring the room, which had a large bathroom, an inner room that served as an office with a large shelving unit, and the main room with the large, sophisticated bed that she left in a mess.

Michaela walked to the only window in the room that stood tall, almost reaching the ceiling, opening the double glass door to the balcony. She had a sense of deja-vu when she spotted a tree beside it, and when she looked down, not only that the room was almost three levels high, but a group of guards was patrolling the area.

Giving up on the silly idea that crossed her mind, as it wouldn’t have worked anyway, Michaela went back to the room. With her hands on both her sides, she gnawed on her lips as she looked around, glaring at the double door across from her bed, which she figured would be a closet.

Thinking of clothes, Michaela raised her arm and sniffed herself, wrinkling her nose in disgust for not taking a shower yesterday. She opened the double door, surprised to see that it was definitely a closet for an Empress, as it was another large room, but filled with dresses, shoes, accessories, and such.

She rummaged through it for something to wear, as she couldn’t stay in the same clothes she was wearing for now. She might be pissed and in a dire situation, but being in a fresh set of clothes would help her be more productive. It was something Kirsten said every time she dropped by Michaela’s place and shrieked at her icky state.

She couldn't find something comfortable to wear, as again, there were only dresses for her to choose from. She picked up a sky-blue one, running back to the bathroom, going through a large cabinet that contained many towels, different types of soaps, shampoo, even some fragrant herbs. She found what she sought, working her magic before taking a shower.

Michaela was always self-sufficient. She used the soap to clean the clothes she was wearing, hanging them in the balcony to dry.

She heard knocking on the door, and someone loudly declared that Princess Nirvana was asking for an audience. Michaela was the one to open the door, surprising the princess as she pulled her hurriedly inside, closing the door.

“What. . . What are you wearing?!”

“You like it?” Michaela wiggled her eyebrows at Princess Nirvana, who looked too overwhelmed that got rendered speechless. “This is what we call Lolita style in our world. The dresses here are too long and too plain, so I cut this one short. It looks great with my boots.” She said, looking at herself in the mirror, appreciating her handiwork.

“So, what I take from your merry mood is that you’re fine with staying here?”

Michaela chuckled, fixing her hair in front of the mirror, casting a glance at the princess. “Nirvana, honey, of course I don’t want to stay here. But while I was taking a shower, I stopped and thought of a genius plan, to not only escape this place but to also embarrass that jerk to the point of losing interest in your sister.”

“And what would that be?”

Princess Nirvana perked up her ears, listening carefully to what the other instructed her to do once she’d leave this place.

Michaela stepped out of the room with the princess when a maid came looking for her. She walked with her hands behind her back. Her smile unnerved all the maids and guards she passed on the way.

“Here, take this.” Michaela discreetly handed the vial to the princess under the watch of the guards, leaning down as she planted a kiss on her cheek. “Please send my regards to your parents. Also, if it’s no trouble, can you let Malick and the others in Hema village about what happened?”

“Of course, Michaela. You take care of yourself and stay away from trouble.”

Michaela smiled. “When did I ever get myself in trouble?” Aware of the irony of the situations she was in, rolling her eyes when the princess playfully quirked an eyebrow at her.

Michaela watched as the princess left, riding on a Windhorse, surrounded by many guards. They flew beside her, using their spiritual powers, escorting her to the Crystfire Kingdom. She sighed, watching as the princess disappeared in the horizon, hoping that she’d manage to do as she asked from her.

Instead of returning inside, Michaela decided to take a stroll around the courtyard. She’s left Kirby inside just for the guards and their Master not to get suspicious over her, yet from the corner of her eyes, she could see them following closely.