The Evil Emperor's Fragile Heart

"So…when did you figure it out?" Mana asked Raven. "And how? You didn't even know the old Mana."

The two of them were seated in her room, and Raven had just cast a magical ward to prevent eavesdroppers. He had learnt it especially from King Jaren.

Looking at Mana's impatient face, Raven smiled slightly. She was perfectly at ease now, he observed with relief.

"At the ancient master's cave," Raven told her. "I had suspected that you'd had a fateful encounter which made you gain extraordinary knowledge before that…but after we visited the cave, and you seemed to know all the languages on the walls…I realised that you were from the same world as the ancient master and his allies."

Mana blew out a whistle. "Really amazing," she murmured. "I don't think there will ever be a day when I'm not in awe of your brains, Raven!"

The little boy blushed. "You're even more amazing than me," he replied.

Mana shook her head. "I was more than twice your age in my original world," she told him. "I was…I died there, and then suddenly woke up here and somehow received the real Princess Mana's memories."

"Do you…do you want to go back…?" Raven asked. His shaking hands betrayed his nervousness.

Mana smiled at him. "I have nothing to go back for, and that's assuming I knew how to return, which I don't. There's nothing left for me in that world now…and I like my life here. I have you and Azar and Big Brother and Papa and Grandpa and Grandma…"

Raven was visibly relieved.

"So…you had questions…" Mana prompted.

"What was it like? Your original world? Is it very different from ours?" Raven asked eagerly. "Did you…did you know the ancient master?"

Mana laughed. "Hold on, hold on, I'll tell you whatever you want to know," she told him. Except for either version of 'The Legend of Mars' – she really did plan to tell him everything he asked about.

She began by explaining how there was no magic in her world, but there were many things that were much more advanced, like airplanes, phones, computers and the internet…and how there were hardly any monarchies anymore and most people of the royal families only held nominal powers. She spoke about her legal career as well – something that didn't even exist here. She also told him how the ancient master belonged to a different timeline from her – ironically, it was the ancient master and his allies who had come from a far distant future of her world, while she, a contemporary person here, was actually the real 'ancient' person compared to the ancient master!

Raven listened, mesmerised.

After a long, long time, Mana's tummy made loud noises of protest. Raven coughed lightly, feeling embarrassed as well as guilty.

Mana laughed and pinched his cheeks. "We can continue this later, anytime you want," she told him.

He brightened immediately. "Really?"

"Of course," Mana said easily. "Now that you know, there's no need to hide things from you. In fact, I'll often want your help."

Raven's responding smile was bright enough to light up the room.

"Seriously, though, I hadn't expected you to be the first person to figure out the Princess Mana was substituted by someone else," she observed. "I'd thought King Jaren would be the first one to know."

Raven hesitated for a moment, and then said quietly, "He does know…and you're not someone else. You really are Princess Mana."

Mana stiffened.

Raven quickly explained, telling her about his conversation with King Jaren about Queen Dora's soul magic.

Mana was struck speechless. It was unbelievable! She had assumed that she had simply transmigrated here because her name happened to match Princess Mana's…but to think that her soul was actually split…no wonder she felt at home in this world as much as in her original one…! No wonder Papa and Jules felt so familiar…!

Seeing Mana in a daze, Raven simply waited quietly by her side.

Until his stomach growled.

Mana was jolted out of her thoughts at the noise and Raven's flushed cheeks made her laugh.

"Sorry," she said, smiling brightly. "Let's go for lunch!" She grabbed Raven's hands and ran out.

And ran smack into King Jaren, who was just returning from the court with plans to join his family for lunch. Jules and Azar, who had attended court with Papa today, were right behind him.

"Whoa! My little ones, where are you off to in such a hurry?" King Jaren asked, grabbing Mana and Raven with one hand each.

Mana grinned up at him. "Lunch, Papa!" she said happily.

"Lunch, Grandpapa!" Azar said, imitating her tone, and jumping from Jules's shoulder to King Jaren's.

King Jaren chuckled and led the three children and one baby dragon to the dining hall. Grandpa and Grandma were already waiting for them with a table full of steaming dishes that had just been served.

Mana and Azar attacked the food with similar gusto, while King Jaren pulled Raven to his side for a moment.

"You used a ward earlier?" he whispered to the young boy, casting a small, almost imperceptible ward around the two of them.

Raven nodded. "I asked her about her world," he said softly. "And told her about the soul magic."

King Jaren's eyes brimmed. "How…how did she react…?" he asked nervously. Did Mana feel at home here, with memories from two of her lives? Did she feel like a stranger? She seemed like she cared a lot for the family and she really did treat him like her own father and Jules as her big brother…but did she feel comfortable enough, loved enough…to want to stay here? The good thing was that Jules had no idea about the sickly and gloomy Mana from earlier, so there were no shadows there…but it was different for King Jules. He had nurtured his daughter with an incomplete soul for ten years, and he was very happy to see her so lively and cheerful and healthy now. He was amazed and thrilled that Dora's soul bridge had actually worked out so well, but he also worried that Mana might feel homesick and may want to return to her old world…after all, she had spent a lifetime there.

As if sensing King Jaren's anxious thoughts accurately, Raven smiled and inclined his head towards the general direction where Mana was eating happily. King Jaren looked at her and an involuntary smile crept up on his face. His little daughter was happy here, wasn't she? Would she smile and laugh so brightly if she wasn't?

"She looks happier today," he murmured.

"She is," Raven agreed. "I think she had been feeling nervous about this world, too…but now that she knows that this is her world, too, she's probably very relieved. Also…her parents and her elder brother died in the other place, so I feel she's especially happy that she has you and Big Brother here…"

Mana suddenly looked up from her plate and caught their eyes. She waved at them happily, beckoning them over.

King Jaren dissolved the private ward and accompanied Raven to the table.

Conversation flowed easily as all of them ate. Mana kept adding things to Raven's plate. It had become a routine for Mana by now – initially, when she brought back Raven and Jules to the summer palace, she had been alarmed at his miniscule appetite. She had noticed how he wouldn't reach for any food by himself after the initial serving, and how Jules would scoop things on to Raven's plate every time he picked up a dish. Pretty soon, it had become the siblings' habit to put things on Raven's plate until he was declared that he was full and burped.

The efforts of Mana and Jules had not gone to waste. Raven looked like a healthy twelve-year-old now, and his cheeks were rosy. He was a very good-looking child – he'd definitely have been a celebrity in Mana's old world.

After their meal, the dishes were cleared up quickly by the servants. Grandpa and Grandma retired, claiming they needed their afternoon nap.

"I miss the love soup you all made for me back in the summer palace," King Jaren murmured, his eyes full of nostalgia. "How nice it would be to have it again…"

"Love soup, Grandpapa?" Azar asked innocently.

King Jaren began to describe the love soup cooked by his children in great detail until Azar was drooling.

"Mommy! Daddy! Uncle Jules! Want love soup for Grandpapa!" the little dragon demanded.

Mana, Raven and Jules looked at each other. How sneaky of Papa to entice Azar like this! He knew no one could say no to the adorable little dragon!

"Love soup! Love soup!" Azar chanted and leapt into Mana's arms.

"All right, we'll have it tomorrow evening for dinner," Raven promised.

The little dragon leaned out from Mana's arms and nuzzled Raven's face. "Azar love Daddy!" he cooed.

"Daddy loves Azar, too," Raven said with a smile.

"Hmm? And what about Mommy?" Mana asked, tickling the little dragon under his chin.

"Azar love Mommy!" the baby dragon said promptly.

"Mommy loves you, too, little one," she said, planting a kiss on the top of his dark head.

"How about me?" Jules demanded.

"And me?" King Jaren followed up right away.

"Azar love Uncle Jules! Azar love Grandpapa!" the little dragon said obediently.