DUSK'S POV
"She's missing?" I asked.
"We overheard those two ladies asking their father about their mother's whereabouts," he said, and I looked at the terrified faces of my sisters.
"Search for her. She mustn't go missing," I said, and he bowed to me.
Then, my father and my sisters were brought personally to me and Lucius. I took off the veil I had used to cover up my face, and they were stunned to see me.
My sisters wanted to call my name but stuttered uncontrollably.
"Dusk?" My father asked in surprise.
"Yes, Father. Are you that surprised to see me? Oh, I get it. You sold me off as a slave, thinking I'd be nowhere to be found or probably killed. You didn't expect me to be sold to such a powerful pack, did you?" I asked, and he looked from me to Lucius.
"He... He bought you? He bought you at the auction that day?" He asked, bewildered.
"Why? You didn't think someone as powerful as him would buy someone as weak as me? Where's mother?" I asked, and he looked at my sisters.
"I have no clue about her whereabouts. As of yesterday, she was still with us," he said, and my sisters knelt to the ground.
"Please spare us, Dusk. We are so sorry. Time has made us reflect on our actions," Gina said, and I scoffed.
"Time? I doubt time has that power to make you regret what you did to me," I said, and Annie shook her head.
"How can we not regret it? It wasn't as though what we did was nice. We felt bad too when you were taken away," she said, and I scoffed. Of course, I knew they'd try to lie to keep their heads, but it wasn't really my major concern.
~
"What are you going to do with them?" Lucius asked me later on as we took a walk in the woods.
"Actually, I don't know yet. I'm just glad that I finally got back at them for the unfairness they showed me. Maybe as time goes on, I'll know what to do with them," I said, and he nodded.
"So how did it feel today? When we captured them?" He asked, and I smiled.
"It felt like a huge burden off my neck, like... It was something I'd always dreamt of doing all my life. So, doing it meant a lot to me. I felt relieved and free. But I still wish to see my mother. I was her daughter, but she didn't treat me the way she treated my sisters. It made me question sometimes if I really belonged to that family," I said.
"She'll be found. You don't need to worry. You'll ask all your questions. So, are you ready for the coronation tomorrow?" He asked, and I smiled.
"I'm actually nervous. I don't know how it'll be. It's my first time. I wonder what it will feel like," I said, and he laughed.
"It's just a coronation. You'll be announced as Luna to the people. There's nothing much. The celebration starts afterwards," he said, and I smiled.
"It feels so soon, but it's fine," I said, making him laugh again. "Oh, by the way. How did you know Ariadne was going to pull that off?" I asked, and he shrugged.
"Ethan informed me," he said, and I was shocked.
"Ethan?" I asked, and he nodded.
"How? He's in the dungeon," I added.
"He sent one of the prison guards," he said, and I had a lot of questions, but I noticed he was uncomfortable with it, so I kept them.
However, that night, when Lucius had left, I went to see Ethan. He was unshaved and leaner than I remembered.
"Ethan," I called, and he looked up at me.
"Dusk," he said lifelessly.
"I heard you informed Lucius of Ariadne's plan to murder me. Thank you," I said, but he didn't say a word.
"How did you know?" I asked, and he took a long time to reply but eventually replied.
"She visited. We talked, I found out," he said, and I felt pained because he had become a shadow of himself.
He wasn't the Ethan I used to know. He had become depressed, unkempt, and kept withdrawing into himself.
He was going to spend the rest of his life in the dark dungeon, devoid of light and life.
The dungeon had a weird smell, and I couldn't imagine inhaling that till my last day.
He had ruined his life, but there was nothing I could do about it. He had committed treason by trying to overtake the throne.
"Thank you, Ethan, for everything you've done. I'm grateful," I said, and although he didn't reply, I knew he had heard, and I left him there.
~
The next day, I was dressed up heavily. Half of my body was adorned with jewels, and my dress had so many layers. My maids were so happy about the coronation, and I got affected by it too.
My heart thrummed in fear as I saw the decorated hall.
"Luna, you're not to be seen yet," one of the maids said, pulling me back, and I giggled.
"I'm not yet Luna," I said.
"It makes no difference. In a few hours, you'll be Luna," they said.
But the best part of it all was watching the expression on my sisters' faces as I walked down the aisle to meet Lucius who, at that time, looked like the most perfect man in the whole wide world.
I blushed red as he took my hands and kissed them, and he laughed at my awkwardness.
The coronation went by smoothly. I was pronounced Luna by the Elders who had finally accepted me from the moment I saved Lucius' life.
The whole town cheered and clapped, and there was joy everywhere.
Then it was time for the celebrations and merriments. We danced, ate, and drank with joy in our hearts, and I was so busy dancing with Seline when Marcus came up to me in a suit.
"She's been found. Your mother," he said, and I excused myself and followed him.
She was in Lucius' study, but Lucius wasn't there. She didn't recognize me as I walked to sit on the large chair. It was only when I spoke that her eyes filled with tears.
"Dusk?" She asked with a wobbling voice.
"I have a lot of questions and little time. Did you ever try to find me... Did you..."
"Dusk... Your seal. How did you remove it?" She asked, and I stopped in shock.
"My seal. How did you know about the seal that made me weak, and..."
"I... I was the one who put the seal on you."