Luca straightened and looked at Eva.

  Luca said quietly, “It’s going to take a while… she’ll wake up in the morning. I should leave now.”

  He stepped out of the room.

  Turning to the knights guarding the door, Luca ordered, “The Queen is sleeping. You two guard the door carefully. Do not let anyone inside without my permission.”

  The guards bowed. “Yes, Master Luca.”

  --------------------------------------------------------

  (Luca’s Chamber)

  Luca entered his chamber and sat in the chair beside the fire, his gaze drifting toward the window.

  Outside, Zeradros’s massive form loomed over the palace grounds, dark and overwhelming.

  Luca reached into his pocket, took out a letter, and slowly unfolded it.

  “I did everything you told me to do, Eyan,” Luca murmured. “Now there’s only one thing left… and I’ll do it tomorrow.”

  His voice faltered. “But there’s one request I can’t fulfill.”

  His fingers moved to a specific line in the letter.

  Eyan’s words stared back at him:

  Luca clenched the paper, anger flaring.

  “Bastard,” he hissed. “How could you make such a request? If you were so worried about your wife, you shouldn’t have left her alone in the first place.”

  He looked at the letter again, his anger slowly giving way to pain.

  “I will never forgive you for deceiving me… for not telling me about the punishment.”

  A tear slipped down his cheek. “I miss you, Eyan,” Luca whispered. “Why did you leave like that?”

  --------------------------------------------------------

  Eva opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by mist. It curled around her like a living thing, cold and endless.

  Then she saw him.

  Leo sat on the ground a short distance away, his small shoulders trembling as he cried.

  Her heart shattered.

  “Leo…” Eva whispered, and ran to him. She dropped to her knees and pulled him into her arms, holding him tightly as if afraid he might disappear.

  Leo stiffened in surprise. “Eva… how did you come here?”

  Tears streamed down her face as she clutched him closer. “I’m sorry,” she sobbed. “Please forgive me for the cruel things I said to you.”

  Leo smiled softly. His tiny hand wrapped around her arm, warm and reassuring. “It’s okay. I know you said them in anger. I’m not hurt, Eva.”

  Her breath caught. “Mother.”

  Leo went still.

  Slowly, Eva pulled back and cupped his small face with trembling hands. Tears spilled freely from her eyes. “Call me Mother.”

  Leo’s eyes filled with tears. “Mother.”

  Eva pressed her forehead to his, their tears mingling. “Why didn’t you tell me?” she whispered. “Why did you hide it from me… my child?”

  Leo lowered his gaze. “I had my reasons, Mother. I couldn’t tell you.”

  Eva studied his face, her brows knitting together.

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” Leo asked softly.

  She hesitated. “It’s just… you don’t look like me or Eyan. Who do you take after?”

  A small laugh escaped Leo’s lips. “That’s because this isn’t how I truly look,” he said calmly. “This isn’t my real face.”

  Eva’s breath hitched. “It’s not your real face? Then why did you hide it from me?”

  Leo met her eyes. “If I had come to you in my real form, you would have recognized me at first glance.”

  Her voice trembled. “Then… let me see your real face.”

  Leo snapped his fingers.

  Magic surged around him like silver fire. His black hair shifted, turning pale—almost glowing—until it became silver. His blue eyes darkened, burning red.

  Eva stumbled back, her legs giving way as she fell to the ground.

  “Mother!” Leo rushed to her side. “Are you that surprised to see my face?”

  With shaking hands, Eva cupped his cheeks, her fingers threading through his silver hair.

  “You take after your father…” she cried. “You look just like Eyan.”

  Leo blinked in surprise. “Do I? That’s what my mother always told me—that I look like my father. But… I never saw him. I don’t know what he was like.”

  Eva swallowed hard, her chest aching. “Leo… can you tell me about yourself? Where did you come from? Why did you send me back in time?”

  Her voice broke. “I want to know everything.”

  Leo nodded slowly. “Alright, Mother,” he said gently. “I’ll tell you.”

  Leo lowered his gaze, his voice soft but steady. “I came from a different world… a world where you married Father.”

  Eva’s breath caught. “I was married to Eyan?”

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Leo nodded. “Yes. It was an arranged marriage. Your father and Father’s father bound you together. At first, you didn’t like each other at all. You argued, avoided one another… but with time, that hatred turned into something else.”

  A faint smile touched his lips. “You both fell in love with eachother.”

  Eva’s heart tightened.

  “My mother always told me how deeply Father loved her,” Leo continued. “To the point that he was willing to sacrifice his own life for her.”

  Her hands trembled. “How… how did Eyan die in your world?”

  Leo’s expression darkened. “The same way he died in this world.”

  Eva felt her chest constrict.

  “When I was still in my mother’s womb, Prince Velco captured her. Then he demanded that Father release the Dragon King.”

  Leo swallowed. “Father had no choice. To save her, he released Zeradros… and because of that, he had to face the punishment.”

  Eva whispered, “What was the punishment?”

  Leo’s voice dropped, heavy and cruel like a verdict carved in stone. “He was ordered to kill his entire bloodline.”

  “And in the end… he had to take his own life.”

  Eva’s knees gave way as sobs escaped her lips. “That’s… that’s too cruel.”

  Leo nodded slowly. “It is.”

  Eva wiped her tears, forcing herself to ask the question that had been haunting her. “Leo… you once told me your mother left you too. What did you mean by that?”

  Leo’s eyes dimmed. “My mother died when I was five.”

  Eva sucked in a sharp breath.

  “After Father was gone, she was shattered. She smiled for me, laughed with me… but inside, she was already broken. After giving birth to me, she fell ill. Five years later, she died.”

  Eva shook her head desperately. “But Luca was there. Brother Luca could have healed her with magic.”

  Leo looked at her. “Uncle Luca wasn’t there.”

  Eva stiffened. “What do you mean?”

  “He died.”

  Her world tilted. “Died? How?”

  Leo’s gaze softened, almost sorrowful. “Mother… do you still remember your conversation with Uncle Luca about the Dragon King Zeradros?....You told him that if Zeradros couldn’t be killed because he wanted to live, then he should be reborn as a human.”

  Eva frowned, memories surfacing. "Yes i remember i said that to brother."

  Leo nodded. “That’s exactly what Uncle Luca did.”

  Eva’s breath hitched.

  “After Father died, Uncle Luca made a wish. To end Zeradros once and for all… he sacrificed his own life.”

  Eva whispered, “What did he wish for?”

  Leo met her eyes. “He wished for Zeradros to be born as your child.”

  Eva’s mind went blank. “That means—”

  “Yes,” Leo said quietly. “I am .”

  Eva covered her mouth, her entire body trembling.

  “That’s why I possess this power,” Leo continued. “Because I am the Dragon King. And because of that power… I was able to send you back in time.”

  Her voice broke. “But why? Why you send me back in time?..”

  Leo’s eyes filled with tears. “Because I wanted you to be happy.”

  His voice cracked. “After my mother died, I found her diary. She wrote it after Father’s death… page after page filled with his name. Every line spoke of how much she missed him.”

  Tears slipped down Leo’s cheeks. “I realized then that the mother who always smiled in front of me was suffering every single day.”

  He clenched his fists. “All I ever wished for was my mother to be happy.”

  Leo lifted his gaze to Eva. “After reading her diary, I thought… maybe if she had never met Father, she wouldn’t have suffered so much. Maybe if they were never married… she wouldn’t have lost everything.”

  His voice shook. “So I did something unforgivable.”

  Eva’s heart raced.

  “I went back in time,” Leo said softly, “and made Father kill you.”

  Eva gasped. “You did that…? But why?”

  “I wanted you to fear him,” Leo cried. “And you did. You ran away. You lived alone. I thought I succeeded.”

  His tears fell freely now. “I thought I had separated you two forever.”

  Leo laughed bitterly. “But I was wrong.”

  He looked at her with aching eyes. “You met him again… as Kyel. You fell in love all over again. And everything repeated itself.”

  His voice shattered. “Father died again.”

  Leo collapsed into her arms, sobbing. “No matter how much I try, I can’t change it. His fate is fixed—to die protecting you and me.”

  He cried like a child, powerless before destiny. “I couldn’t change his fate.”

  Leo’s voice trembled, but his eyes were steady. “I couldn’t do it, Mother. But can.”

  Eva looked at him, her heart pounding. “I can? How? Tell me—I’ll do anything.”

  A familiar voice echoed through the mist. “You must make a wish to Zeradros.”

  Eva turned. Luca stood there, his expression grave. “You have to go back in time.”

  Eva’s breath shook. “But to make a wish… I need a sacrifice.”

  Leo nodded slowly. “Yes. And that sacrifice… will be life.”

  Eva froze. Her hands flew to her stomach as terror seized her. “No… I can’t sacrifice myself. If I do, my child will die too.”

  Leo’s voice broke. “Then let him die.”

  Eva stared at him, disbelief flooding her eyes. “Leo, how can you say that? I could never sacrifice your life. Eyan asked me to protect you. He would never forgive me if I did something like that.”

  Tears streamed down Leo’s face. “Mother… just this once,” he pleaded. “Just this one time, don’t choose me. Please—choose Father.”

  He clenched his fists. “This is the only way to change everything.”

  Eva shook her head desperately. “Can’t you send me back in time like before? I’ll fix it—I swear.”

  Leo lowered his gaze. “No. You can’t fix it that way. No matter how many times you go back, Zeradros will always be there. He will be released, and everything will repeat again.”

  Her voice cracked. “Then how will this change anything? Zeradros will still exist.”

  Leo looked up. “He won’t.”

  Eva stilled.

  “When you sacrifice your life,” Leo continued softly, “you’ll be granted two wishes. One for your life… and one for your child’s life.”

  Eva’s breathing turned shallow.

  “Your first wish will be to go back in time,” he said. “And your second… will be for Zeradros to be born as your child when you return.”

  Eva swallowed hard. “Do you think Zeradros will agree to that second wish?”

  Leo smiled faintly, tears still clinging to his lashes.

  “He will,” he said gently. “I’m standing right in front of you. If you offer him a life, he will never refuse it.”

  Silence fell between them.

  Eva stood still for a long moment… then slowly wrapped her arms around her belly. Tears fell freely.

  “If I do this,” she whispered, “if I make those two wishes… will you come back to me?”

  Leo’s smile softened, warm and certain. “I will come back to you, Mother.”

  Her lips trembled. “You promise?”

  “I promise,” he said without hesitation. “I will come to you.”

  Eva pulled him into her arms, holding him as if she could carve his existence into her soul.

  “Then I’ll do it,” she cried. “I’ll make the wish.”

  Leo smiled through his tears. “Thank you, Mother.”

  Then his expression turned serious. “But you must do it before Uncle Luca.”

  Eva pulled back sharply. “Before Brother Luca?”

  Leo nodded. “Yes. Uncle will make the same wish again and sacrifice his life. You have to stop him.”

  He looked at her intently. “You can do it… right?”

  Eva wiped her tears and nodded. “Yes. I can.”

  Leo smiled. “Then… good luck. It’s time for you to go back.”

  Eva reached for him desperately. “Wait—let me hug you one more time.”

  She pulled him into a tight embrace, kissed his forehead, then his cheeks.

  “Take care,” she whispered.

  Leo smiled and nodded.

  The mist thickened, swallowing him whole.

  And then—

  The dream shattered.

  Eva jolted awake.

  Her heart pounded as Leo’s words echoed in her mind. Without wasting a second, she ran down the corridor and stopped in front of Luca’s chamber.

  The door opened.

  Luca looked at her with concern. “Sister-in-law… you woke up from the dream. Did you talk to Leo?”

  Eva nodded, her eyes already brimming with tears. “Yes… I did. Brother, I need to tell you something.”

  She told him everything—about Leo’s true identity, about Zeradros, about the sacrifice, the wishes… and the choice she had decided to make.

  When she finished, silence fell between them.

  Luca’s face hardened. “No,” he said firmly. “I won’t allow it. You will not sacrifice your life.”

  Eva broke down, clutching his sleeves. “Brother, please… this is the only way to save Eyan. Let me do this.”

  Her voice cracked. “I can’t live without him. I want to save him—please… I beg you.”

  Luca stared at her for a long moment, his jaw clenched, his eyes filled with pain.

  Finally, he let out a defeated breath.

  “Fine,” he said quietly. “Do it.”

  Eva looked up in shock.

  “But you won’t go back in time alone,” Luca continued. “I’m going with you.”

  Eva’s eyes widened. “You… you will?”

  Luca nodded.

  “Yes. If you go, there’s nothing left for me here. Father is gone. Eyan is gone.” His voice softened. “I can’t live here alone.”

  Eva wiped her tears and nodded. “Alright… then let’s do it together.”

  Side by side, Eva and Luca walked out of the palace.

  The air was heavy as they stopped before the massive form of Zeradros, his presence shaking the very ground beneath their feet.

  Together, they spoke—

  “Dragon King Zeradros… we have a wish to make.”