Cursed With You

I Will Not Leave

Raffin, Jacina, Ferula and Magus Ivys spent their days in the magic storeroom, going through the hundreds of books and journals one by one. They started in the morning, stopped only to eat, and finished late at night. Although they were together all day, Raffin noticed Jacina was avoiding him. She answered Magus Ivy's questions, responded to Ferula's jokes, but when he spoke, she pretended he wasn't there. He tried not to take it to heart. If his guess was correct—Jacina's curse was that she would die if she fell in love again—then her attitude shows that she has feelings for him, but she's trying hard to fight them. His hopes were not gone. But they need to undo their curses as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, they found nothing useful that first night. But the next night, Ferula found something that might be promising. Transferring a curse to an animal. The journal said that it worked for low-level curses that didn't involve death. But there was no harm in trying. Jacina decided they would catch an animal in the forest the next day. Everyone agreed except Magus Ivys, who continued searching while the others hunted. Except for killing animals for food, sacrificing other creatures for any reason was not in the nature of light wizards.

Raffin thought they would set traps or something. But the wizards had their own ways. Not long after they stepped out of the portal, a wild boar appeared. Ferula cast her magic. The poor animal stood still. Only its eyes' movement and its confused moaning showed that it was still alive. Ferula was also the one who performed the ritual to remove the curse. She touched Raffin's forehead with two left fingers, while two right fingers touched the boar's forehead. Ferula's brow furrowed, her jaw set. Her fingers trembled, and she groaned. The boar made a choking sound. Its body rolled over and died. Ferula let go of her fingers, catching her breath.

"It didn't work?" Jacina asked.

Ferula shook her head. "No, Your Majesty. The curse is too strong."

Raffin glanced over at Jacina. She looked relieved. Ferula's explanation was convincing enough. The curse was still there. She didn't have to kiss him to prove it.

The search continued, until there were no more books and records to examine. Not knowing what to do next, they agreed to spend the rest of the day resting and calming their minds.

Raffin took a tour of the palace. It had been almost a week since he had been in Slorista's palace, but he hadn't walked around. He had hoped that Jacina would be his guide. But with her attitude, it was better that Raffin didn't bother her.

Slorista's palace was much smaller than the one Raffin lived in. However, court officials, servants, guards, knights, and all those who had business there always crowded around the palace of Ostelux. So, even though it was smaller, Jacina's palace felt bigger because it was quieter. Raffin walked down corridor after corridor, peering into unlocked rooms, up and down stairs. He stopped in the kitchen to greet Osric and Thomasina, who were busy cooking dinner. In a corridor, he crossed paths with Jehann. Raffin's wanderings ended in the palace library. He missed sitting by the window reading a book.

The library door was open. He entered. The room was circular, with two stories. Bookshelves covered the walls, except in one place where a pair of windows ran from floor to ceiling, making the room bright with the afternoon sun. Sitting by the window was Queen Jacina herself, with an open book on her lap. She raised her gaze when she saw him enter. For a moment, Raffin saw joy in her eyes. But it was gone in an instant, as she returned to keeping her face straight.

"Prince Raffin," she greeted him.

"Your Majesty. Am I disturbing you?"

"No. Please choose any book you like."

The last time they were alone like this was last week at Ostelux Palace. In the library. Raffin smiled at the realization. He approached Jacina. "Whose romance are you reading this time?"