Witch's Daughter And The Devil's Son

"This means that any man, regardless of who he is, would go crazy for you, coveting your beauty to the extent of ending both of your lives. That man will see nothing but you, his entire world will revolve around you, and you will never be able to get rid of him unless both of you die."

Seren was about to speak, but Sierra cut her off.

"It will begin with admiration, and that man will pamper you, giving in to your every need and want. This will evolve to devotion and then obsession, and it will be torture for him to leave your side. He will think of you, nothing but you, every minute and every second of his life, to the point he will neglect everything else—his family, his friends, his vocation, his dreams, even his body's basic needs. Unless he dies from the lack of food and sleep, he will transform into a mindless being that will keep pursuing you until your death. 

"A single glance. That is all it will take for a man to be damned for the rest of his life," Sierra warned. "Do you understand your situation now, Queen Seren?"

Seren was dumbstruck upon learning the truth.

'No wonder…no wonder they insist I keep this veil…'

She had no care about her appearance, and neither did Drayce. Even if she was ugly, her husband would continue to remain by her side. But the truth made her lose hope. 

How could she allow Drayce to lose his mind? How could she let him be a shell of the man he used to be? What use was beauty when her wish would bring harm to her husband?

The helplessness in her heart morphed to fury.

"Why?" she asked as her body trembled in anger. "Who is this goddess to me? Why did she do it? What did I do wrong—"

"So that you can never wield that hellfire hidden inside you."

"I don't understand." Seren shook her head, her voice growing hoarse. "What is the relationship between these two things?" 

"The power that originally belonged to the Deity of fire, that hellfire inside you, it is an ironclad rule that someone of the earth element will never be able to use it—- but there is an exception." Sierra explained. "There is nothing absolute in the world, and the most powerful exception to every impossible thing is the power of the heart. Humans call it true love. 

"This Deity of Desire does not want even the smallest probability of you gaining control of hellfire, a power that could threaten not only the pantheon of gods but all three realms.  This curse will make you never find your true love. With all men who see your face falling into a crazy obsession over your beauty, then there is no chance for them  to fall in love with you and you with them."

Seren lightly touched the fabric of her veil. "My mother put this veil on me to prevent that curse from happening."

"Indeed."

"Is there no way to lift this curse? Won't I be able to show him my face ever?"

Sierra let out a heavy sigh. "Even the goddess who casted it cannot remove her own curse. Only true love can lift it."

"True love?" Seren looked at her and then said, "Drayce, he…he loves me—"

"Does he like you, or does he love you?" Sierra asked, "What about you? Do you feel the same for him?"

Seren looked at the woman in confusion. "A husband and wife are supposed to love each other."

Her answer caused Sierra to fall silent. Even Evanthe did not know how to react. Under their judgmental gaze, Seren felt small.

Sierra's voice broke the silence of the glade. "Do you know what it means to love someone?" 

The young woman nodded. "Dray, he is important to me, the one I cannot live without…"

"Can you differentiate between the feeling of being grateful and being attached? Can you guarantee that you don't simply enjoy the way he adores you? Can you ensure it is not simply you starving for affection because for the first time in your life there is a person who cares for you and prioritizes you?"

"What do you mean? You mean I don't love my husband?"

"I am not saying that." Sierra let out a deep sigh. Even though her face was hidden under a hood, Seren felt the woman's gaze on her body. "Your Majesty, I only wish to help you identify what you feel, whether or not it's love, whether or not it is admiration or infatuation, young love or true love which is meant for a lifetime. There are people who fall in love and feel they can never exist without that person, but they fall out of love after time. Will this be the case for you? 

"Do you know Drayce Ivanov as a person? Do you understand his thoughts or heart? Do you trust him? Even if your answer is yes to these questions, that does not mean you love him. Your husband is the one who gave you everything you dreamed of, and more. Freedom, he gave you freedom.

"Then, are your feelings a mere extension of the gratitude you feel for him?"

"I…" Seren inevitably staggered, taking a step back as if Sierra's questions delivered a heavy blow. "Why do you doubt the love I feel for him?"

"I am not saying anything for sure because I can't tell whether it's true love that you have for him. I am simply stating doubt because…" Sierra stopped as she clutched her robe in her fist. Perhaps, this was the opportunity to be honest with her daughter. "...because your mother had put a curse on you to never fall in love."

"Never fall in love?" Seren mumbled as she took her time to process what she heard was right. This time, her tone was a little higher, hysterical in disbelief. "Cursed to never fall in love?"