The King's Beloved

~ [Music Recommendation: "Family" by Joe Hisaishi (Howl's Moving Castle OST) - available in Youtube or Spotify] ~ Please listen to it in loop while you read this part to experience the utmost beauty of this scene ~

A few more hours passed and the sun could be seen illuminating the once dark surroundings. Clavis was still in the spare bedroom transformed into an entertainment room, wiping the sweat on his forehead with his arm. He was tinkering with something as he sat on the purple couch.

"Phew, finally it's done," Clavis smiled at himself. He looked pleased with whatever he made. Turning his head towards the window, he saw that the sun was already rising. "I should go wake her up now". Then, he got up from the couch, walked towards the door to leave, and made sure to lock it after. He couldn't afford Selena accidentally walking in there before he told her to.

Clavis went back to the main bedroom where Selena was still fast asleep. He sat on the side of the bed and brushed her hair with his fingers.

"Selena," Clavis called as he gently caressed her cheeks. Seeing her peacefully sleeping face, he smiled and stared at her beauty. His eyes wandered from her eyes, her cheeks, nose, and unto her lips. As his eyes explored her face, his fingers unconsciously moved towards her lips, brushing it lightly. "Ahhh … I've really fallen so deep".

"Uhmmm," Selena grunted and twisted her body sideways, towards him.

Clavis took the opportunity and leaned towards her, lifting her chin, and kissing her lips in the process. Feeling the soft pressing on her lips, Selena's eyes slowly opened.

"Clavis?" she whispered.

"Good morning, sleepy head".

"It's morning already?" she asked as she got up from bed, rubbing her eyes and yawning. A few more moments and she was fully awake. Looking at Clavis, she noticed, "Huh? What's that dark circle in your eyes? Did you not sleep a wink? What have you been doing all night?" Her face turned into panic. She cupped Clavis face and stared at it intently.

"It's nothing," Clavis held her hands, "I just had to finish something important last night. Don't worry, I'll just heal it up and it should be good".

"Seriously, is your king passing so many workloads on you?"

"Ha ha ha, he is lazy but he gets work done. Anyway, I need you to prepare and dress up. We're going somewhere".

"Hm? Where?"

Clavis smirked. "It's a secret".

And so, Selena got up and prepared as Clavis advised. She took a bath and much to her surprise, dressed up with the beautiful dress Clavis prepared for her. It was a long, lavender colored, evening dress made of satin fabric, and topped with chiffon. On its chiffon fabric were intricate embroideries of scilla flowers in white gold threads. The chest and waist area of the dress were adorned with white flower ornaments. She paired it with white gold accessories for her ears, neck and wrists, and white high heels covered in lavender floral laces for her feet. Lastly, with the maids' help, she held her hair up in a braided bun with flower hairpins matching her floral dress. The maids also helped with her makeup, though there was barely anything that needed to be done with her face since she was naturally gorgeous.

After glamouring up, Selena got out of the dressing room, followed by the maids. Clavis welcomed her outside and when his eyes laid on her, it was as if he forgot to breathe. For a couple of seconds, Clavis was stunned by Selena's bewitching beauty. He did not blink, or breath, or move from his position. His heart just kept on pounding as if bursting from his chest. He tried to hide his blush, though he was unsuccessful.

"Pft! Ha ha ha ha!" Selena bursted laughing. "Cat got your tongue?"

"Ahh ... ," Clavis finally moved, biting his lips, and lowering his eyes in embarrassment. "You … you look … b-beautiful," he shyly said. 

Selena grinned so happily hearing the compliment of her beloved fiancé. She quickly walked towards him and hugged his arm.

"You're looking very handsome yourself," she complimented him in return. 

Clavis, too, wore a rather formal lavender suit, with color and design that matched Selena's dress. Standing next to each other, the two looked so perfect together that the maids couldn't help but giggle. Granny, the maid who took care of Clavis from his childhood, took a lot of pictures - as instructed by Mitis, of course. Selena could have sworn she heard her mischievous laugh at the back of her head while she noticed that Granny was taking too many pictures.

But still, Selena wondered, "Where are we going though? Is there a banquet that I don't know of?" Lost in her thought, Clavis escorted her out of their chambers and towards the main garden in the Sortis household. They walked past a couple of servants who were beaming with joy and greeting Selena so happily. This piqued her curiosity more and she pestered Clavis for answers but he simply smiled at her. Giving up, she pouted and continued walking with him.

After a few more minutes, they finally arrived at the main garden. It was a big maze on the outside, but the center was wide enough to hold a soccer match. Tall hedges obstructed the view, so Selena was unsure where to go, but Clavis guided her. In no time, they reached the center of the maze.

"SURPRISE!!!" 

Everyone inside shouted as they popped out confettis and cast sparkle lights and random small flowers all over the place. Music started playing in the tune of "Happy Birthday", a human's song, and the crowd chorused in singing. The whole Sortis household was there - Mitis, Clavis' father, Illumináire, the priests and priestesses, and the servants - all smiling so happily as they sang and clapped their hands for Selena.

"Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear Selena,

Happy Birthday to you!"

Now, it was Selena's time to be stunned. Everyone finished singing already but her mouth was still opened wide, unable to utter any word. The feeling of her heart slowly melting in her chest kept her from speaking. She felt that if she uttered even a single word, she would burst out crying.

"What's the matter?" Clavis patted her head, "Cat got your tongue?"

Selena exhaled deeply, after holding her breath for so long.

"I - I …," Selena gulped, and tried to breathe. She tried her best to hold back her tears but as soon as she rushly said, "Thank you," tears came flooding from her eyes. She covered her face with her hands as she sobbed. There was this joy in her heart that she couldn't contain … joy and gratefulness.

"Ahhhh~" Mitis quickly walked towards her and embraced her so warmly. Illumináire followed along and joined the group hug. The others wanted to join but they were afraid no one would be able to breathe in such a big hug.

Everyone laughed and cried with Selena. The whole atmosphere was covered by the warmth of their kindness and love … even for someone of a different race than them. Such a blissful moment was engraved into their memories.

It took awhile for them to recover from crying but they ended up laughing with one another after. Mitis hosted the birthday celebration and everyone got a turn on stage presenting their gifts to Selena while the others provided entertainment through dance and singing. As Selena watched them, she couldn't help but appreciate all the efforts that they put in celebrating her birthday with her. The whole garden was decorated in hues of purple, just like her hair - from the tables and chairs, to the decorations, the pillars, the stage, and everyone wore a purple flower brooch on their chests.

Selena was so happy. In fact, the word "happy" was simply an understatement. She was overjoyed. Ever since she was a child, she never really celebrated her birthday. Thus, the reason why she even forgot that today was her own birthday. Though she had parents whom she loved, they were too busy to spend time with her. So every year on her birthday, she got used to not celebrating it and just got out of their house with her nanny somewhere. She got gifts, yes, but never a celebration. Never in her wildest dreams did she thought of having such a grand party prepared for her. And they were all Magi at that … the race who conquered their planet and kidnapped them.

Truly, you could never judge an entire race, or nation, or any group at all, by one person alone. Yes, some of the Magi were cruel, but not everyone. Each person was an individual of their own, with their own opinions and beliefs … each responsible for their own deeds and choices, not the deeds and choices done by others. This, Selena came to realize. And with such a warm family as the Sortis was, she couldn't help but just be thankful for everything.

Looking back through her journey in Floating Kingdom, ever since she got captured, not everything was desirable. But seeing where it took her now … she couldn't help but thought … perhaps, it was destiny.

"Everything happens for a reason".

She was unable to see the bigger picture before, but now, it was getting clearer to her. And maybe one day, she'd be able to see the whole picture that her destiny was painting for her.