Author's note: this is from Seraphina's point of view

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I was confused. Why would Graike pick owing a favor to Aldus in exchange for staying until I wake up? Some things didn't add up.

"What's the deal with Graike?", I finally asked Aldus the question that was on my mind since I entered the dining room for dinner. "He is staring at me like he never saw a woman before."

"He is a dragon.", Aldus stated the fact. "They have a soft spot for beautiful women, and you are a beautiful woman."

I read about dragons and I knew they like women, but now that Aldus said it and I connected it with Graike's stare, I felt my hair rising. "He is not dangerous. Is he?"

"He will not dare take you by force. But he will try.", Aldus responded with a stiff smile. All three of them agreed to give you space tonight. I'm sure they will approach you in the morning."

I understood that Aldus added the last part with the goal to distract me. It didn't work. "When you say, take me by force… you don't mean…" I waited for him to explain.

"I mean, take you to the dragon realm to be one of his wives. Graike is a prideful creature, full of confidence. He will not force himself on you, but he will be persistent in wooing you until he wins you over. There is a big possibility that the more you reject him, the more he will pursue you because he is not willing to accept failure as an outcome."

I pinched the roof of my nose. Half-relieved and half-frustrated.

"I really don't need another guy pursuing me."

Aldus gave me a complicated look. "Maybe that is exactly what you need, Serina. You grew up believing you are inferior. It's time for you to understand how precious you are, and not because you are my daughter or because you are immortal or because you have abilities, but because you are… you."

I knew that Aldus's words were supposed to fluff me up, but I was not in the mood for that.

"I don't need romantic pursuers. You, treating me well is all I need." I remembered one more person, so I quickly added, "And Krob."

Aldus let out a long exhale. "I might believe those words if we had this conversation before your power exploded when you heard that Duke moved on."

I lowered my head. He was right. If Aldus is the only one I need, I would not care what Duke is up to.

I hated my inability to move on, and I hated my dependency on Duke, but I couldn't deny that Duke was the only man in my heart and that he mattered. The best I could do was to suppress those emotions and hope they will fade in time.

"But Duke didn't move on, Serina…", I heard Aldus say.

I was not sure how to respond. I was touched that Aldus is encouraging and my heart warmed by the fact that he immediately investigated the validity of the information I received.

Aldus is amazing, but if I want to be strong, I need to face the reality no matter how ugly it is.

"You don't know that. The fact that Duke is not married or dating someone openly doesn't mean he is thinking about me."

"That is true, but unless you confront him, you won't know."

"I don't think I can do that.", I admitted.

I hated that I was weak and powerless when facing my demons. And I hated that I was unable to let go of my high school crush which never went beyond friendship.

If I think about the situation logically, it's stupid of me to hope that Duke has me in his heart after all this time. It's questionable if I was ever in his heart, to begin with.

Duke is a handsome man with a lot of money and power that comes with it. Mona called him a rich finance wizard and I can't imagine that he is lacking women who are willing to be by his side. Duke always brimmed with confidence that made everyone look at him in awe as he was successful in anything he did, a stark contrast from me who was a nobody.

Duke for me was like a celebrity crush, one that you get to watch from afar, and collect newspaper clips and posters to hang on the wall… with the difference that I got to talk with my celebrity crush and be his desk mate.

Aldus touched my chin and made me look up to him. "I understand that you need time, Serina, but don't run away from the problems. Think about your options and don't lie to me that he is not important. You are already hurting thinking that he forgot about you. By reaching out to him, you will either confirm your suspicions and know that your pain is genuine, or maybe you get a pleasant surprise."

I pressed my lips into a line to prevent my chin from trembling. How does he know?

"There, there…", Aldus said, and I saw that he is handing me a paper tissue.

Did I start crying again? It looks like it.

Once I calmed down, Aldus warned me again not to go out or to the south wing of the villa.

"But I am not sleepy.", I retorted. I really wanted to check it out.

"Good. Then, use the rest of the night to reflect on how you controlled the air. The more you figure out on your own, the better."

This time, I listened. I knew he was right.

Creating winds and tornadoes is a power I need to understand and master. I was not sure how it happened, but I was eager to recreate it.

…

The sunrays seeped into my room and I opened my eyes.

I remembered the chaos in the sunroom, but I had no luck in remembering how I triggered it. There was ache and desolation and feeling of betrayal, without the recollection of energy within me or controlling it.

I got out of my room and headed to the south wing of the villa. Aldus said to leave it for the morning, and technically it's morning so…

I made my way through the hallway that leads to the sunroom and I noticed that it's blocked by a semi-transparent heavy plastic curtain that hung from the ceiling and reached the floor.

I stepped through the gap in the plastic and entered what I can describe as a construction zone.

The plastic was there to block the dust from coming into the rest of the villa.

It was still early, so any workers still didn't get here.

My mouth hung open when I realized that there was no sunroom. Instead, brand new marble covered the ground, and that's it. There were no walls, no ceiling, no glass, no colorful mosaics. Only the empty floor.

I walked around and stopped in the area where the garden used to be.

I could see the walls of the rooms closer to the South side of the villa were being rebuilt.

Did I do this?

"Good morning, Serina.", Graike's voice came from the side. "Admiring your work?"

"Good morning.", I wished back and paused at the sight of his muscle-packed torso. Why is he not wearing anything on top?

Graike's smug smirk told me that he caught me ogling at him. I tried to keep eye contact, but his raven black hair danced in the breeze over his forehead, demanding attention.

Damn it! He looks good and he knows it!

I cleared my throat as I forced myself to focus. "Admiring this mess is the wrong description for what I'm feeling."

Guilt swelled inside me. I knew how much Aldus loves this villa and he took pride in the sunroom, saying that he designed the colorful mosaics that are now gone. Completely.

"How much damage did I cause?", I murmured to myself, but Graike heard me.

"I heard that your display of might was spectacular.", Gaike said with amusement in his voice. He turned to me. "Do you want to see the current state from an aerial view?"

I didn't know what Graike had on his mind, so I nodded in agreement.

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