The Commoner Consort: The Country's Respected Empress

'Will he take it back? But I don't want him to think that I am keeping a precious thing desperately! It looks very expensive!'.

Xavier takes the chain from her hand.

Maya's heart dropped and she looks at Xavier confused.

'Did he.... So .. He never meant to give me that?! Did I do a mistake by give it back to him by earlier?! Now I don't even have this chain with me! I shouldn't-'.

Xavier caresses the chain for a second and looks at Maya's big eyes staring him. He smirks "Didn't you say that you don't believe in marriage customs?".

Maya nods subconsciously 'What's he talking about?'.

Xavier puts the chain in her neck Again and smiles "Then I am sure you might not mind this?".

Saying so he caresses the pendent for a last time and smiles contently seeing the chain on her neck.

He hops on Charles and nods "Will meet you tomorrow in the place where we met first My Lady. But early in the morning. I have my duties the whole day. I can't procrastinate them. So be an obedient student and I also wish you don't make your Master wait".

Maya nods in a daze and sees him riding his horse. She felt her heart burdening seeing him going away.

She holds the pendent and sighs.

'I think... I can't be ignoring the religious customs anymore...'.

'This man ... Will let me in peace only after breaking my rational thoughts...Did he put this chain again?'.

She smiles shaking her head "He is a mere Strangerman after all...".

Maya holds the pendent and wonders 'Shall I remove it? I want to but..'.

She closes her eyes defeated and about to remove the chain. She feels her hand starts to itch where she was hurt. She forgets about removing it while looking around.

'I have to leave now..'.

She ignores it and walks carefully to find her way back to The Pavilion. She hides the chain inside her robes which were covering her necks, without removing the chain this time.

'I should find the way soon. The General must have reached the place.....Pavilion...and if Sarah finds about my absence Celina will be in trouble '.

Thankfully Maya found her way back fast and reached The Countryside Pavilion. She found worried Celina at the backyard of the Pavilion who was pacing to and fro nervously.

Seeing Maya, Celina runs to her and gasps "Ma'am! Something bad happened!".

Maya gets shocked "Bad?!".

'Did Sarah found it already?! Or The Empress's message came?!'.

Celina nods repeatedly and whispers "The woman... they said she won't wake in future!!".

Maya stood confused but a pang in her heart. She cries involuntarily "Is she dead?!!".

Celina drags Maya hurriedly "Ma'am! I couldn't understand anything! I eavesdropped only this much! Please come with me before Sarah comes to report you!".

Maya creases her eyebrows "Let's go there straight!". Without realizing Maya pulls Celina by her hand and leads Celina into the Pavilion.

Celina whines scared "Ma'am.. Shouldn't we wait till Sarah arrives?! What if she finds out that I sneaked there and blurted everythjng out to you?".

Maya starts running "We have no time for explanations. I will save you-".

Maya stops at midsentence in guilty conscience.

'I had promised that woman the same thing, before I brought here... Stop making false promises Maya! Don't do it if you are incapable of fulfilling it!!'.

She runs with all her strength but she gasps for breaths suddenly before she could even run few yards

Suddenly she felt weak contrast to her 'normal' self, as she only felt some incredible strength at her situations like this before. Literally she had to underplay her strengths so that she wouldn't be found. But now it's different.

'Everyone thinks that getting hurt would make them weak and vulnerable. But I always considered my curse as a boon. Because in contrast, it makes me strong and invincible! I will only feel weak and vulnerable when I get fine. Till now I couldn't find any patterns that how my injuries heal....But why am I feeling so exhausted now. I shouldn't feel like this now with my injur-'.

Maya jerks suddenly and looks at her injured hand.

Celina gasps feeling Maya's shock "Ma'am?!". She looks at Maya confused 'Does Ma'am not want to go? Jesus Christ! I got saved from Sarah!'.

Maya looks at the tied gauges and looks at her other hand holding Celina's hand in utter shock.

Celina frowns gradually "What happened Ma'am?! Are you alright?! Why are looking at your hand?! Is it hurting?!".

Maya is still looking at her right hand holding Celina's hand in horror and disbelief.

"Impossible!!! How...".

Celina shakes Maya as she was frozen "Ma'am? Are you alright?!".

Maya is lost in shock and just nods.

Celina purses her lips confused 'But why is she scared suddenly?! The look of fear doesn't suit her face..yet she looks gorgeous...with those mesmerizing eyes!!'.

Celina leads the shocked Maya to The Pavilion's Infirmary.

Maya is still confused.

'Is my injury healed? Or Its fine for now? But where did my strengths go if it didn't heal? If it's truely healed... Now what miracle happened?'.

"The Queen has arrived!!"

Celina announces Maya's arrival.

Sarah comes out of the sick room hurriedly and looks at Maya scared. But her face is filled with more worry than fear. She speaks "This servant deserves to be punished for not being able to complete Ma'am's order!... The woman ...is dead".

Maya enters the room absent-minded as her mind is numb. Entering the room was just an action of instinct. She is still in a great shock as it shook her beliefs of her entire life. She thought that she learnt enough about her curses and powers but she was wrong!.

'Until I find the right cure, I can't be at-'.

Maya stops seeing the dead woman lying before her. Maya felt her eyes staring right through her soul.

THUD!!