The Evil Emperor's Fragile Heart

Mana had always been very observant – it had been one of the things that had made her such a successful lawyer even at a young age. So, she had naturally noticed that something was wrong with Raven at the moment.

And so she let him pull her along the street until he finally stopped at a secluded corner. The guards and servants stopped a little distance away respectfully, giving the two young royals a chance to speak privately.

"Sorry," Raven mumbled awkwardly.

"Want to tell me what's wrong?" Mana asked gently.

Raven's face crumpled in embarrassment. "I…" he began, then stopped, at a loss for words. "I'm sorry," he said miserably. He had acted on instinct just now, and he wanted to take Mana away. She had been so excited and eager when she was speaking with Fox…and it had made him unbearably jealous.

Mana frowned. "Why are you apologising?" she demanded.

Raven looked away.

Mana crossed her arms and waited patiently.

After a while, Raven gave in. "He's too old for you," he mumbled.

Mana blinked. "Er…what?"

"Fox," Raven said. "He's too old for you."

Mana was thoroughly confused. "Why does his age matter?" she asked.

Raven went very pale.

Mana peered at him worriedly. "Raven? What's wrong?"

"You…you don't mind the age gap…?" he asked miserably.

Mana shrugged carelessly. "None or ninety, how does it matter? I'm interested in his skill. Didn't you think that his machine was really cool?" she said.

Raven's complexion improved slightly. "You're only interested in his machine? You don't like him?"

Mana arched an eyebrow, a suspicion forming in her mind. To test out her hypothesis, she said lightly, "Of course I like him."

Raven looked sad again.

Mana's heart softened and she couldn't bear to tease him anymore. "You like him, too, don't you? He's just like an enthusiastic puppy around you. He admires you so much that I couldn't help liking him – plus he's smart, too. I think we can be friends with him."

Raven's eyes widened in shock. "You liked him because he admired me?!" he cried.

"Well, yes. It also helps that he's got the makings of a great inventor," she told him. She reached out her small, tender hand and pinched Raven's cheek gently. "Don't you already know that I'm horribly biased in your favour and that I'll automatically be predisposed to like anyone who treats you well?"

Raven's smile was radiant.

Mana narrowed her eyes. "So…you were jealous? Because you thought I was falling for him?"

Raven nodded, cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Mana laughed. "My dear Raven…do you seriously think there's even the slightest chance of me being romantically attracted to anyone?! I'm only ten, for heaven's sake. Besides, with an outstanding person like you by my side, could anyone else compare? Not to mention that I would never cheat on my fiancé, no matter what!"

She didn't mention that if she did end up falling for anyone, it would probably be Raven himself. In her short time here, Mana had already realised how precious Raven had become for her. Perhaps…by the time they grew up in this world…she could gradually forget about the pain caused by Liam and try to love someone again. And wouldn't Raven be the prime candidate for her affections…?

Raven's rainbow eyes shone warmly. "Could you…could you promise me?" he asked in a whisper.

Mana didn't hesitate at all. "Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a needle in my eye," she intoned in a solemn voice. Bright green light with specks of amber and silver flashed for an instant.

"No!" Raven cried, horrified. "Don't say that!"

Mana pouted. "You told me to give you a promise, and I did," she pointed out. "Why are you still unhappy?"

"I don't want you to be harmed!" Raven exclaimed.

Mana shrugged again. "Well, it's already done. You're my fiancé – I don't see why it's a problem to swear my fidelity to you."

Raven's face turned serious. "Then I'll give you a reciprocal promise," he said. "I will never love anyone except you in my life, I promise." He made a strange gesture with his fingers, and there was a flash of black lightning for an instant, followed by a rainbow.

Mana was touched by his solemn oath. She would protect this precious boy, and she would try her best to overcome her mental block and love him properly and whole heartedly in the future, she promised herself. He deserved it.

"Then I promise to love only you, too," Mana said, and the three colours of her magic flashed again, this time in the shape of a flower.

Raven stared at her in amazement, and then looked down at his hands. "Mana…" he whispered. "I…I felt my dark magic become complete for an instant just now."

Mana became excited immediately. "Really? What do you think was the trigger? Was it our promise to each other?" she asked in a rush.

Raven nodded. "I think so," he said shyly.

Mana clapped her hands in delight. "That's great!" she said.

"We can experiment again later," Raven said happily. "Will you help me?"

"Naturally," Mana replied. She looked at the box in her hands, containing the opal, and then looked up at Raven again. "Let's go and look for some gold. I want to make a ring for you with this opal, and I want to do it with my own hands, just like Papa."

Raven swallowed nervously. "I…can I make one for you, too?" he asked in a low voice.

"Sure," Mana said, quite pleased at his offer. "Let's go to find a proper jewel first, then."

Raven shook his hand and pulled out a little pouch from his pocket. He put it in Mana's palm. "My paternal grandmother…I only saw her once in my life…gave me this and said that it would glow when I met my perfect match," he said. "She was a recognised prophet, and I heard that she was the one who prevented me from being killed when I was born." He paused for a moment, and then whispered, "Mana…I…the first time I saw you, it glowed."

Mana was quite intrigued. She opened the pouch and pulled out a bloodstone from it. It was no ordinary bloodstone, though – it was just like her eyes – brilliant emerald green with specks of amber and silver. It glowed with a soft light when she held it up.

"It really matches my eyes," Mana remarked, surprised.

Raven nodded. "So…would you wear it as a ring if I made it for you?"

Mana gave him a hug. "Of course I will!"

Raven smiled brightly. "What metal should we use? Just gold? Or a mix of gold and silver?"

"Perhaps a mix of gold and platinum," Mana replied, tapping her chin. "Let's buy several different types of metal and then we can experiment at home with what looks best!"

Raven agreed easily.

"And I want us to have matching designs!" Mana demanded.

Raven laughed shyly. "I'd like that, too," he said.

Having decided on their next destination, Mana and Raven headed to a shop that sold precious metals.

And ran straight into King Jaren and Jules.

The king smirked as soon as he saw them and held out a hand to Jules. "Come on, pay up," he demanded. "I told you they'll come here, son."

Jules grumbled and handed his father a gold coin.

Mana raised an eyebrow. "What's going on here?" she asked curiously.

Jules sighed unhappily. "We made a bet. Papa said you two will come here to buy metals to make your engagement rings yourself, while I thought you will head to a nice restaurant for lunch," he said. "I lost."

"Well, we'll go for lunch after buying our metals," Mana informed him. She smiled brightly at them. "Papa, Big Brother – you won't believe what all Raven and I found today!"

King Jaren chuckled and ruffled her hair, and then did the same to Raven. "Come on, then, my little brats – let's get you the metals you want."

"Make it quick," Jules said grumpily. "I'm hungry. I've already digested the love soup we had in the morning."

Mana grinned. "How did you like it?" she asked.

"It was as wonderful as ever," Jules told her. "I've only had it twice before." He lowered his voice and whispered to her. "Papa almost cried when he saw it. I think the last time he had that soup was when Mother was still alive."

That was probably true, Mana thought to herself, feeling heartache for her jovial father who hid his own pain away so deeply that even those closest to him rarely saw it.

"I can make that soup base," she whispered back to her Big Brother. "If you and Raven can manage to make the pearls, we can try and make it for Papa before he has to go back to the capital."

Jules rubbed her head affectionately. "That will be nice," he said quietly. "I think he'll like it."

The two siblings watched their Papa fondly. King Jaren was speaking animatedly with Raven, who was showing him the opal and the bloodstone.

"Let's get the metals," Mana announced, and all of them went into the shop.