Court Of Shadows and Lies

53. A Name of Love

"These are the grimoires..." Aunt coughed, still recovering from the ritual she had just performed. "These should help you."

Serene nodded quietly as he took the large, heavy grimoires into his hands, his gaze fixed on them.

"But I can’t say for certain that they will help you," she continued, her voice weaker now. "The Zerane bloodline was cursed centuries ago, and nothing about their magic was ever written down because of it."

"So, how’s he supposed to learn how to use his powers?" I asked, my brow furrowing.

"He will learn. Even without a spellbook, he was able to tap into his power. The spirit inside him may have triggered it, but now he’ll learn to harness it properly. His abilities were never dormant, so it shouldn’t take him long to master them," she explained.

I nodded, glancing at Serene. His body had healed, but the wound in his heart would take longer. The spirit was weak, so it couldn’t heal that part of him.

"Take care of yourself... and the child," Aunt said softly, her eyes gentle.

I stiffened, feeling my face flush. "What? You think I care about the child? Once it’s born, I don’t care what happens to it."

Her expression shifted to one of disappointment and concern. "Cessalie, don’t say that. It’s an innocent child..." Her gaze dropped to my belly, "Even if its origins are... questionable."

I looked down, placing a hand on my stomach. "I know, but I’m not ready to be a mother. I don’t love it. Love... has always felt so distant to me."

She chuckled, her voice warm despite her tiredness. "You’ll come to love it. Don’t worry. I thought the same about Meredia, that I could never love a child born from everything I hated, but over time, I did. It wasn’t her fault she was born from such... circumstances."

I listened intently, nodding. Meredia wasn’t her biological daughter—she was the result of a fetal transfer from Aunt’s sister after her death.

I couldn’t imagine Aunt hating anyone. She was the gentlest and kindest person I knew.

Aunt coughed, pressing her hand against her chest. "Don’t worry about it too much. Think about it after the child is born."

I nodded, forcing a smile. As I did, the shawl I was wearing slipped off my shoulder, and in an instant, Serene was there, gently placing it back around me.

I glanced up at him, and his eyes met mine, soft and vulnerable—filled with nothing but affection.

A sudden flutter in my chest made my heart race. Why is my heart pounding like this?

I quickly looked down, Is my face red?

Aunt coughed again, but this time, it was different—almost knowing. I lifted my gaze, and she gave me a sly smile. "You two are so beautiful together."

My eyes widened in shock, and I stammered, "Aunt, no—"

But she left, humming happily as she walked away, leaving me in a flustered state. I facepalmed.

What am I doing? She didn’t even say anything...

"Shall we go?" Serene asked, his voice soft.

I peeked at him from between my fingers, still half-covered by my hand. "We should wait for the High Lunarch to send us back through teleportation. We can't go back by carriage."

"Tele... Port... Tation..." he murmured, his gaze dropping to one of the open grimoires in his hands.

Wait, when did he even open that?