Ashera's interaction with Edmund kept Marina distracted from her meeting with the boss. "Are you listening?"
"Yes?"
"There will be a New Year's celebration. I was hoping you could handle the article."
"Yeah, yeah, sure. No problem", she said.
She wondered if she, Marina, had a crush on him. But she didn't know enough about him. She watched from the eyes of Ashera. He had a nice voice. He liked painting. Whenever he talked about something he loved, his brown eyes suddenly glimmered with joy. He was very strong for someone who looked rather lean.
Marina didn't know when, but at some point, she realized that she fell in love with a man she didn't know existed.
She was mindlessly scrolling through her photos while thinking about him. That led her to one big question. What was she seeing? Were these all just a made-up fantasy or was she miraculously living a double life in some parallel world. She stopped on a picture. It was of the busy crosswalk. Everyone was busy in their own world. But one person was looking at her camera. Marina zoomed in.
She remembered taking the picture out of habit. That day, she didn't need any inspiration. While sitting in an open cafe on the second floor, she took out her phone and snapped this picture. The man in the middle, who was looking directly at her, wore a bright red scarf. Compared to that, every individual in the image looked dull and out of focus. The picture felt oddly personal, and the man seemed very familiar. Unfortunately, the chances of meeting that man again were very slim. It was a busy city, not to mention a big one.
Not only Marina, but Asherah also fell for Edmund. They became inseparable, then one day, he confessed. Marina didn't know if it was her joy or Ashera's. Ashera started to have thoughts on building a family with him, out in a peaceful village where nobody would bother them. They met up under the old willow tree by the lake every night. They met an old lady who was said to be a fortune teller, though she only smiled at them and said nothing. Ashera was a bit disappointed. The visited fairs. Edmund taught her how to read and write. Ashera taught him how to play lute and flute.
But her happiness was short-lived. A few days later, Marina's suspicion on day one was confirmed. He was no ordinary man. He was the crown prince of the kingdom. All this time, he had a heavy disguise.
Ashera was heartbroken. No matter how many times Edmund tried to assure her, she knew they both were not meant to be. And to add fuel to the fire, the news of their affair spread. It was worse than the wildfire. A prince with a street performer? What was worse than having a queen whose life was to entertain the street people? How ironic for them to say that, Edmund said. But the clouds of doubts were swarming her head.
It was almost time for them to move again. They were gypsies. They rarely stayed this long in one place. Edmund gave her a choice, to come with him. He will make her his queen. They will be together for the rest of their lives. Edmund loved her, from the deepest part his heart.
And she did so too.