Chapter 126: War of Hearts 3
At night, the village became like a ghost town.
With completely destroyed houses and roads everywhere.
And complete silence all over the place.
Except for one house that was at the edge of the village.
Inside the house, four women sat on chairs
Of which three were princesses, showing nobility even while sitting.
And one girl, Maya, whose eyes were burning with determination to protect her Ank from these three.
The air was heavy with unspoken tension.
A battlefield without swords.
Maya moved, her hands clasped tightly around a damp cloth .
She had just used to wipe Ank's forehead.
Every motion she made was gentle.
Protective, as if silently declaring.
I am the one who cares for him.
Princess Celestia, watched with a faint smile that wasn't quite friendly.
She stood from her chair and said.
"You really treat him as if he belongs only to you,".
She remarked, her tone casual.
But it struck Maya like a blade.
She also wanted to do what Maya was doing,
But she knew Maya would not let her.
And she was very frustrated watching Maya do it.
Maya didn't look up.
"Someone has to take care of him.
I won't entrust that to people who see him as nothing more than a hero to admire from afar."
The words hit hard.
Princess Seraphina narrowed her eyes.
Her voice was calm, but her authority filled the space like an unseen weight.
"Be careful with your words,
Maya.
You underestimate us."
"I don't underestimate you," .
Maya shot back.
"I simply don't trust you."
Silence followed.
Thick and suffocating.
Princess Freya knew that Maya didn't want to trust them.
If she were in her position, she would do the same.
Her gaze lingered on Ank's sleeping face.
Her hands moved.
And she reached forward to adjust the blanket over him.
Maya said in a loud tone, stopping her,
"Don't."
Freya's eyes widened in surprise.
"I'll do it,"
Maya said firmly, pulling the blanket up herself.
She smoothed it over Ank's chest,
Her movements tender.
Almost possessive.
Freya bit her lip, withdrawing her hand.
Everyone could see her face.
And tell that she was very upset by Maya's reaction.
But she said nothing.
Celestia also noticed Freya's face
and said in a mocking tone.
"So fierce.
So possessive.
Tell me, Maya,
What are you so afraid of?".
Maya turned to her, fire burning in her eyes.
"I'm not afraid."
"Oh, but you are,".
Celestia rose from her seat.
and moved toward Maya, saying.
"You're terrified that when he wakes up.
He won't look at you the way you want him to.
That maybe, just maybe, he'll choose someone else."
The words pierced straight into Maya's chest.
She wanted to deny it, to scream.
but her voice stuck in her throat.
Instead, she clenched her fists until her nails dug into her palms.
Seraphina finally spoke, her tone softer than before.
"You think we are here because of duty alone.
But you're wrong. He is more than a savior to us.
He is…
She paused, searching for the right words.
"…someone irreplaceable."
Maya's eyes widened.
For a moment, she was surprised.
Both Celestia and Freya were also surprised.
Seraphina was admitting her feelings.
She did not want more competition.
And also felt some sympathy.
Inside, she knew
This was not their fault.
They were the same as her.
But jealousy was a cruel thing.
Her voice trembled as she whispered,
"Irreplaceable?
Don't you dare steal that word from me.
He's mine.
He promised me…"
She stopped herself abruptly, realizing too late she had said too much.
She still remembers what Ank said.
Then he came to rescue her.
In the mountain, the stone plant prince destroyed the mountain.
The princesses exchanged quick glances, curiosity sparking in their eyes.
"A promise?".
Freya asked softly, ignoring everyone else.
"What promise?"
Maya's heart raced.
She cursed herself inwardly.
But pride refused to let her back down.
"It's none of your concern.
Just know this, whatever you think you feel for him.
Whatever gratitude you carry.
it doesn't change the truth.
Ank is mine."
The tension rose again, sharp and suffocating.
Celestia smirked, leaning back with an amused expression.
"Let the future decide.
Words mean little until he wakes."
Seraphina sighed.
"All of you… enough.
He needs peace, not our quarrels."
But even as she said it, her own eyes lingered on Ank with an emotion she couldn't disguise.
Hours passed in silence after that.
Yet it was not a peaceful silence.
Each woman found herself lost in thought.
Their gazes returned again and again to the man lying on bed.
Maya sat closest to Ank.
Her hand rested gently on his arm.
She thought of the day they spent together at the fair, watching fireworks.
The way he had shielded her without hesitation.
The warmth of his smile.
Her heart whispered.
He is mine.
He will choose me, not them.
Seraphina sat across from her.
Eyes shimmering with unshed tears.
She remembered the moment Ank had saved her.
How his back had stood between her and death.
How she had pulled him back from his own death.
Her heart murmured.
I have to protect him.
I cannot leave him.
Celestia leaned against the wall.
Her lips curved in a faint smile that masked her storming heart.
She recalled a memory that kept coming in her dream.
A small girl adventuring with Ank.
She knew that small girl was her,
But she could not remember anything clearly.
Ank was the only one who knew what that dream meant.
Ank saved her from death.
his strength,
his unyielding will.
He was a man unlike any she had known.
and her heart burned with the thought.
I will claim him.
Freya,
who was seated on the other side of Ank,
felt her heart screaming.
She knew.
she could not lose him.
He was more than a savior.
He was the future itself.
She wanted him.
The night deepened.
One by one, the princesses drifted into uneasy slumber.
Though none truly rested.
Only Maya remained awake.
her eyes fixed on Ank.
Her heart whispering one thought.
Ank will choose me, not them.
And then.
Ank's fingers moved.
Maya was startled,
Her eyes widening.
But when she leaned closer.
his hand stilled again.
He did not wake
.
He was still unconscious.
Yet that small movement was enough.
Hope surged through her veins.
fierce and unstoppable.
She looked at the princesses.
All of them were awake.
They had all noticed Ank's small movement.
Their eyes now fixed on him with equal hope.
The war was far from over.
It had only begun.