Chapter 519
The Past 13:
Ophelia looked intently at her daughter, Anaya, and then around the humble, temporary room they had been banished to. She recalled Anaya’s tempting words about how their lives could change if she succeeded in marrying Gabriel. At the same time, a deep-seated frustration welled up inside her over her inability to provide Anaya with the luxurious life she craved and felt entitled to.
Returning to her room, Ophelia pulled a heavy, old trunk from beneath the bed and meticulously opened its locks. She carefully took out her magical items: a smooth, dark scrying ball and a thick, ancient book on spells. She then swiftly shoved the trunk back into its original, hidden position.
Placing the massive book on a nearby table, she positioned a candlestick close to the pages to be able to read the archaic texts.
“If my daughter has to capture the heart of a prince, then the spell must be truly powerful,” Ophelia murmured, her gaze scanning the pages.
“My spell on Anaya’s father was broken after certain years, but that must never happen with Anaya’s. Her life must change completely. If she becomes the Queen, the entire future of Aurevalis will change along with ours,” she finalized, flipping through the pages dedicated to the strongest and most enduring love spells discovered by the most powerful witches of their lineage.
It took Ophelia long hours of intense study and scanning through the ancient book before she finally discovered the precise combination of ingredients and incantations required to prepare a truly powerful love potion for Prince Gabriel. She meticulously jotted down the contents needed for the potion.
“Once a wolf marks his mate, everything changes,” she muttered to herself, plotting the steps. “So, Gabriel must completely reject Amelie after drinking the potion I would prepare. And he must immediately mark Anaya as his own. There is one crucial thing I need to make this potion unbreakable and it’s his blood.” She closed the heavy book with a determined sigh.
She then looked at the dark, smooth surface of the magical ball and gently stroked her hand over it. “Show me the future of my daughter,” Ophelia whispered to the artifact. Her eyes turned a startling silvery hue as the fog began to churn and swirl inside the magical ball.
Ophelia kept her focus intently on the magical ball, but despite her efforts, all she could see was nothing. The swirling fog offered no glimpse of the future. She furrowed her brows together, wondering if her powers had somehow been locked or diminished since she hadn’t utilized them in such a long time. She tried again, concentrating all her will, but the magical ball remained empty, stubbornly refusing to reveal anything.
Ophelia decided not to dwell into it. She put the book and the magical ball back into the trunk, returned the trunk to its hiding spot, blew out the candle, and finally settled down to sleep.
The next morning when Amelie woke up, she found Gabriel was gone. A soft smile formed on her lips as she felt surprisingly energized and refreshed, the tiredness from the previous day having vanished for some reason.
The first thing she did was freshen up and change into a beautiful wine-colored dress she had purchased not long ago. After drying her damp hair, she headed straight to the garden and began meticulously watering the plants blooming there.
“Dear, you woke up early!” Irene’s voice fell softly upon her ears.
Amelie turned around to greet her mother. “Yes. Good morning, Mother.” She resumed watering the plants as Irene stood by her side.
“How do you feel today, sweetheart? I’m so sorry for not being able to see sooner what those witches were trying to do to you,” Irene said in a genuinely concerned voice.
“Mother, now that they are gone from here, we don’t have to think about them anymore,” Amelie stated with a reassuring smile.
“You’re right. Now, only a month left until the wedding, so we will be getting very busy,” Irene stated, her thoughts already on the myriad of preparations. “A lot of things have to be done p>
Amelie turned to look at her mother fully. “Everything will be done on time, Mother, so don’t be worried,” Amelie stated with confidence. “I’m thinking of planting an apple tree in our garden today. After breakfast, I’ll go to the market to buy its seeds,” she said cheerfully.
“Alright. Go with your father. He can drop you off at the seed shop on his way to work,” Irene suggested practically before heading back inside the house.
Amelie gazed at the retreating figure of her mother and thought, ’She is going to miss me badly once I marry Gabriel. Even I’ll miss her once I leave this house p>
After breakfast, Amelie set off for the market with her father, who dropped her off in the middle of the busy area. Amelie adjusted her floral hat on her head before beginning her walk down the left pavement. As she entered the seed shop, she saw many farmers and gardeners lined up to buy seeds.
After waiting for over thirty minutes, her turn finally came. She purchased the apple tree seeds she desired and stepped back out onto the street. Immediately, her path crossed with Anaya’s, and instantly, Amelie’s pleasant mood soured. She decided to simply ignore her and walked past her quickly when Anaya’s cold voice stopped her.
“You did wrong to me, Amelie. You are going to pay for what you did,” Anaya said.
Amelie turned to look back at her and found Anaya grinning evilly. That expression alone caused a fear to arise in Amelie.
Anaya stepped closer to Amelie and spoke in a low, poisonous voice intended only for her ear. “I’m going to snatch Gabriel from you. The Prince will be mine. He will make me his Queen while you’ll burn in agony all your life. You should have just given him to me when I asked you nicely p>
“That will never happen, Anaya,” Amelie stated, forcing confidence into her voice despite the fear she felt.