The Evil Emperor's Fragile Heart

"Then…will you believe me?" Raven asked softly. "Mana, will you believe what I promised just now?"

"I will," Mana said and flew out of Bella's arms to rush to Raven and hug him instead. "Who else would I possibly believe in if I don't believe you?" she asked.

A slow smile bloomed on Raven's face, as beautiful as a flower bud opening up into its full glory.

Jules and Bella exchanged a rather relieved glance – after all, both of them adored Mana and Raven. How could they bear to see their little sister and little brother be so upset and aggrieved? As it is, they always felt that there were too many responsibilities on Raven's small, young shoulders even though he was just a child – and Mana had admirably stepped up to help Raven with everything she could ever since Raven had entered their lives.

More often than not, Jules felt that rescuing Raven back then was probably the best decision he had ever made. It had somehow happened automatically, actually – he hadn't had any thoughts back then. He had simply found a young child being attacked by some ruffians and had rushed in without thinking. And he was very glad that he did.

And even more than that, Jules was very, very proud of how far Raven had come since then – the little boy's progress had been nothing short of phenomenal – and Jules had no doubt that Raven was going to be (and to some extent, he had already established himself as such) the most talented and most powerful and most outstanding person of their generation. And Jules was very, very proud of the young Raven, and he was determined to protect this child who was as precious to him as his own little sister Mana.

And now, Mana and Raven had already become one unit (a rather powerful unit, at that) – so much so that they went beyond ordinary soulmates.

Of course, it worried Jules, too – because if something happened to either Mana or Raven – didn't that mean that there would be double the blow, because both of them would be affected?

Bella ended up voicing the question that was plaguing Jules, actually.

"So…this fated soulmate business," Bella murmured. "How exactly does it work? If I pinch Mana, does that mean that Raven will feel it and vice versa?" she asked with a small frown. "What are the parameters for you to share whatever is happening with you with each other?"

Mana and Raven looked at each other and shrugged.

"I don't know, actually," Raven replied. "I can feel it these days when Mana is feeling particularly happy or sad. It's just that I didn't realise exactly what it was – but now that I think back on it, yes, it has been happening."

Mana nodded in agreement.

"It's probably only things beyond a certain threshold that flow across," she said. "I can feel it when Raven's powers are becoming unstable or if he is feeling a strong emotion. I think it started back when Raven lost control of his powers when his grandfather was being very dramatic. I didn't realise that it was the bond of fated soulmates that was causing me to sense Raven's feelings or feel it when he was injured or sick. But yes, it's been there for a while, so I wasn't as surprised as Raven to find out exactly what it was today."

Raven stared at Mana, his mouth falling open in shock. "That – that long? You – you knew?!" he cried out in dismay. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Mana shrugged. "I wasn't sure – I'd have told you if I knew what it was myself," she said lightly. "Besides, it's a good thing. Without me being involved – who knows what you'd end up doing to yourself!"

Raven had a hurt expression on his face. "Mana – you don't trust me…?" he asked in a small voice.

Mana sighed and then leaned forward to kiss the boy on the cheek. "I do," she said. "I can trust you blindly with everything and everyone – except when it involves your own welfare." She rubbed Raven's nose affectionately with a gentle finger. "But now that you've given me your promise to take good care of yourself – I don't have to worry so much any more," she added with a soft smile.

Raven stared at her for a long moment and then shook his head in a good natured manner. "You are just too clever with your words," he murmured with a pout. "I can't even manage to be angry with you…"

Mana grinned mischievously and hugged him again.

Jules and Bella cleared their throats loudly.

"So," Jules said crossly. "Mana, you figured out what was happening but you never told anyone about it?"

Mana gave him an awkward smile. "Big Brother, I wasn't sure of what was happening, exactly – I thought it was just sympathetic pain when I saw Raven hurting, and I was confused and…" she trailed off, her eyes fixed on the floor. For all intents and purposes, she looked like a cute little kitten with drooping ears and a drooping tail what was being scolded for scratching up her human's favourite book and shredding it to ribbons. One couldn't help but want to reach out to pet her soft hair and see her bright, sparkling eyes.

Jules, Bella and Raven knew very well that Mana was simply leveraging her cuteness to get away from a tricky question and use her adorable appearance to get them on her side! Even then, when facing such a sweet image of cute little girl acting like a kitten – what could they do? Obviously their hearts and all their anger melted away into nothing!

Since Mana's head was bowed, no one could see the devious little smirk on her face!

And Raven, who was the only one who could possibly have guessed that Mana was actually scheming something, was too busy trying to convince himself that this was manageable and as long as he could take care not to get into dangerous situations and get himself injured or something – Mana would be safe. Part of him wanted to experiment and see how much the impact of his injuries would be on Mana – but the rest of him couldn't bear the thought of seeing Mana hurt at all – so these experiments were never going to happen.

Of course, it didn't even occur to Raven that all these experiments would involve him getting injured in the first place – and that would be painful for him. It was a good thing that Mana couldn't gauge every thought that came into his head – because if she heard his thoughts, there would definitely be another round of angry shouting and frustrated tears from her.

"So…we're good now, right?" Mana asked in a small, sweet voice, as if she wasn't the one who had been shouting at her fiancé and throwing tantrums a short while ago.

Raven nodded immediately, wanting to get this unpleasantness over with as soon as possible. When Mana cried, it hurt him more than when someone was beating him up. He never, ever wanted to see her cry again.

"All right," Jules said helplessly. After all, Big Brother Jules couldn't put up with the two adorable young ones, could he?

Neither could Bella – so she simply smiled and reached out to pat Mana and Raven affectionately on the heads.

"Now, we have to fix everything for our outfits for tonight – especially for the two of you, Big Brother and Big Sister Bella!" Mana declared. "Both of you need to wear it and show and us and then we'll fix any small changes which may be need right away. You have to be the best looking couple in the entire world tonight!"

Jules and Bella glanced at each other and flushed. Jules wouldn't admit it openly because it was somewhat embarrassing, but he was really, really looking forward to Bella wearing the dress that he had spent so much time and effort on – the dress he had made with his own hands for his beloved fiancée.

Bella, too, was equally eager to try on the dress Jules had made for her all by himself. She was so touched and so grateful for having won the affection of this wonderful, wonderful young man! Even if the dress had been a super ugly one, actually, Bella would have proudly worn it to the evening banquet and shown it off – but who knew that Jules, who had never shown the least interest in sartorial affairs before – was actually secretly designing and developing such an ethereal outfit for Bella? The dress truly was the most magnificent outfit Bella had ever seen, and even the smallest accessory or bit of jewellery had been prepared meticulously by Jules for her. And he hadn't forgotten to make a matching outfit for himself, either – including the accessories.

"All right," Bella said shyly.

Mana rubbed her hands eagerly. "Great," she said, looking almost as excited as the older couple. "Raven, let's put up a temporary barrier in the middle of the room, and then you can help Big Brother get changed, and I'll help Big Sister Bella."

Raven could only nod in acquiescence.