Chapter 513: Saying Goodbye
As the days, months, and years pa.s.sed, Kana spent most of her time holding up inside the library. She was learning as much as she could about the world she was in. No matter how much she read, she continued to have a feeling deep within her that things were not right. That she did not belong to this world.
When she wasn"t in the library, she would spend her time wandering around town. In the first year of being in Fandel, she was spending a lot of her time with Bell. But that all changed once Bell began going to the royal inst.i.tute.
Bell seemed to have met a young man by the name of Dan, who was a pureblood vampire. The young man seemed to be well mannered and treated Bell very well. Kana did not even need to ask Mike to do a full background check on the young man. Otherwise, he would never have been able to get close to Bell.
Throughout the years, Mike proved to Kana just how good to Bell he could be. From the very first week, he announced to the whole kingdom that Bell was his long lost sister and the crown princess of the kingdom. Only second to him, the king. From that day, Bell was showered with gifts and spoiled beyond belief. But Bell always tossed those things aside when Kana came into her view. Even Dan, the boy she had been dating, was no match for Kana.
As the five year mark grew near, Bell turned twenty one. No matter how many times Dan had asked her in the past two years to marry him, she refused. Bell was no longer the little girl she once was. She was now taking on royal duties in the castle and helping Mike run the kingdom. She was also well loved by the people. Seeing how well she was doing put Kana at ease.
It was late at night on the eve after Bell"s birthday that Mike and Kana were having a private meeting in his office. "You"re leaving?"
"Yes… In these past five years, I have watched you closely and watched Bell grow into something I could never have been able to accomplish alone. She makes a fine crown princess and is in love with this kingdom. I will leave Bell in your hands. Just promise me, no matter what happens, you will keep her safe." Kana bowed her head as she said the last line. She did not want any harm to come to Bell after she left.
"I promise nothing will happen to her. If something did happen to her, it would mean I was dead." Mike spoke sincerely and from the bottom of his heart. Bell was his only family. He would never let any harm come her way.
"I will hold you to that. I will be leaving tonight after I visit Bell one last time. Thank you for everything you have done. I leave my daughter in your hands." Kana stood up and bowed deeply before leaving the room.
Mike let out a sigh as he watched Kana leave. He had mixed feelings about all of this. "If only you were not Bell"s mother… Maybe… No, you would have still left even if I did show interest… Now then, to send a stern message to Dan who keeps trying to marry my baby sister..."
Mike nor Bell told Kana that Dan had become overly aggressive as of late. After all this time, he was finally showing his true colors. Mike was lucky that it was Bell who came to him to talk about it. She still liked the young man, but she did not feel she was in love with him. So she asked Mike to take care of the issue for her. Since no matter what she said, Dan would not listen. Mike had asked why she did not want Kana to know about this. Her answer was simple… "Mama will bite his head off and she did not want her Mama to taste nasty things."
In the end, Bell was still a Mama"s girl.
In a special section of the palace heavily guarded by female guards, Kana gave a nod to them as she walked down the hall. This was Bell"s personal wing of the castle where no man was allowed down unless guided by Bell herself or the man was Mike. Kana stopped in front of a set of double doors that were made of wood and slowly pushed them open. The inside was dark, and only the light of the moon gave any visible light to see.
"Mama?" A small half asleep voice called out as Kana tipped toed in. Bell was sitting in front of the window looking up at the sky with a blanket covering her. She was only half asleep when Kana walked in.
"You"re awake?" Kana pursed her lips. She wanted to say goodbye in secret. She did not wish to see Bell cry as she left. After so many years, she was still very attached to mama.
"Mmm… I was watching the starry sky, wondering what was beyond it. " Bell replied as she opened her blanket and waved Kana over. Kana smiled and snuggled up next to her daughter. After all these years, the two of them had not aged a bit and still looked the same as they did when they left the woods they had once called home.
After a few minutes of silence, Bell rested her head against Kana"s shoulder and asked: "You"re leaving?"
"Mmm… I must search for a way to unlock my memories. I have always felt like I was forgetting something very important…." Kana really hated this. She hugged Bell tightly and kissed her cheek as she continued: "No matter where I go. No matter what I am doing, you will always be my daughter. Once I have figured everything out, I will come and tell you about my true self. Who I really am. How long it will take, I do not know. But as long as you are here in this kingdom, I will return."
"Mm… Mama… Thank you for raising me. If not for that day where you took me away and raised me as your own, I would have either died then, or I may have been tossed aside to survive on my own. But you cared for me and took me away even when my real mother did not. She chose to abandon me and follow those men. I would have rather have had her fight by your side and try to live together even if we were always on the run. But instead, she chose the easy route, and that was to leave me with you. Whether she loved me or not, I don"t really know, nor do I care. All I know in this life is that you are my Mama, and I will wait here for you to return like a good daughter. Until the day you return, I will never marry. I will work hard to support brother Mike in running the kingdom." Bell had tears in her eyes but a smile on her face. She was old enough now to understand Kana"s dilemma and knew how much Kana loved her. The two hugged and looked up at the starry sky together.
When morning light filled the window, Bell found herself alone in her room. She smiled softly and took a deep breath to calm her emotions as she got up to get ready for the day. She had promised herself she would not cry anymore. She would stay strong and wait for the day her mama returned.
Far off from the capital of Fandel, Kana was making steady progress further north. There was an ancient city said to be hidden within a place called the forest of death. It was said to be veiled in a grey fog that if entered, you would never return. The part that seemed familiar to Kana was the death part of the forest"s name. She did not know why she felt a connection to the word death, but she decided she would find out for herself.
One could not understand their relations to something if they do not go in person, and after so many years of reading up about this world in the library, Kana only found this place seemed to give her a strong feeling. And so, her journey began. A journey to find herself and find out who she truly was.
Kana did not know what she would discover or what her previous life was like, but no matter what, she had to know. She had to know why she felt nothing for any man who she came across, why the cat girl in the library always made tears come to her eyes. And many other little things she had been noticing about herself. Like why she always had the sudden urge to fluff the fox demi human tails as they walked by. "I don"t know what I will find, but here"s hoping I will be able to remember something."