Deep night. Absolute silence surrounds the palace, broken only by the distant song of crickets. In one corner of the palace, beneath the open sky, lies a vast royal water reservoir. Moonlight shimmers across its still surface.
Tonight, Nikita has come alone to bathe. She wears only a thin white cloth that gently covers her body. The fabric clings to her wet skin, revealing the graceful lines of her figure and the glow of her complexion under the moonlight.
Nikita slowly sinks beneath the water. Her long sky-blue hair spreads across the surface like floating lotus petals. The coolness of the water washes away the exhaustion of time travel.
When she rises again, droplets sparkle in her sky-blue eyes. Streams of water slide over her body, making the white cloth even more translucent. She looks like a goddess who reveals her true form only in the solitude of night.
At one corner of the water, her blue serpent shifts from invisibility into form. It stands guard over its mistress in this lonely hour.
Floating in the water, Nikita gazes at the sky and wonders whether she can ever truly become an ordinary girl, or whether this magic and power are her eternal fate.
Suddenly, she senses a presence in the shadows. Her sharp instincts warn her that someone is watching. She quickly sinks deeper into the water. Is it King Kairen? Have his cat-like eyes pierced the darkness to see her celestial form?
As she tries to submerge further, she feels a faint vibration on the water's surface. King Kairen steps out of the shadows and descends the stone steps into the water.
In the moonlight, his scarred face and glowing eyes look dangerously mysterious. He moves underwater and suddenly grabs Nikita.
He pulls her close, one hand firm at her waist. The thin white cloth between them becomes a fragile barrier. Nikita's wet sky-blue hair spills across his shoulder.
Close to her ear, the king whispers,
"You wanted to be ordinary. But tonight, beneath this water, no man could remain sane after seeing you. You have no idea how the fear of losing you haunts me."
Nikita freezes in his grip. Her eyes half close in shock and emotion. She presses her hand against his chest, trying to push him away, but his intense gaze holds her captive.
The warmth of his body beneath the water and the cold night air create a strange tension. Her invisible blue serpent glides silently over the water, witnessing the moment.
The king lifts her chin gently, his eyes searching her soul.
"I cannot leave you to anyone else, Nikita, not even to fate itself."
His powerful hold and mesmerizing gaze pull Nikita into a trance. As she draws closer, an unfamiliar tremor runs through her body.
She feels her magical strength fading. The power that once controlled wind and destroyed enemies weakens in the presence of his breath.
She tries to raise her hand to summon magic, but her fingers grow numb. His warmth seals her power away. She is no longer a destructive sorceress, only a woman overwhelmed by emotion.
Yet even without magic, her marks remain unchanged. Her hair glows beneath the water, and her eyes radiate a blue light in the darkness.
Her loyal serpent does not abandon her. It rises from the water, watching the king's every move.
Sensing her weakness, the king brings his scarred face close to her cheek and murmurs,
"Your magic cannot protect you from me tonight. I am your past, stronger than any spell."
Breathless, Nikita whispers against his chest,
"I do not understand what is happening to me. My power is gone. Yet my blue eyes and hair remind me that I do not belong to this world."
He holds her tighter. Their union beneath the water feels like a new equation of time. Magicless, she becomes even more mysterious to him.
The intensity becomes too much. In his arms, Nikita suddenly collapses. Her glowing eyes slowly close as she loses consciousness against his chest.
Panic grips the king. His stone-like heart trembles. He lifts her from the water, carrying her in his arms.
Her white cloth clings to her body, water streaming from her hair. In the moonlight, she looks like a fallen celestial being.
Her blue serpent rises, hissing in warning, as if declaring that no one will be spared if harm comes to her.
The king rushes her out of the reservoir and wraps her in his royal cloak. Sweat and water soak his scarred face as he thinks,
"Have I lost you again while trying to keep you?"
From above, the queen watches with a cold smile. She sees this as her chance to remove Nikita forever.
Later, in the palace's secret chamber, candlelight flickers. Nikita awakens with a deep breath, feeling an unfamiliar emptiness.
Her sky-blue hair spreads across the pillow as her eyes slowly focus. She sees King Kairen seated beside her, exhausted yet awake. His scar looks deeper in the candlelight.
As she tries to sit up, he leans closer, relief and worry in his eyes.
"How long was I like this?" she asks softly.
"All night," he whispers, touching her forehead. "I thought you might return to the future. I was afraid to call your name."
She feels the gentle pressure of her invisible serpent around her wrist. Her magic may be weaker, but she is not alone.
"Did you stay here all night?" she asks. "Why, King? I refused your offer to be queen."
He smiles faintly.
"Whether you wish to be queen or not, your sky-blue existence is the only light in my dark palace. I cannot let you go."
Dawn light enters the room. Nikita knows the distance between them has shortened, but greater danger lies ahead.
As she regains strength, she signals her serpent to disappear into the shadows. Only she and the king remain.
Moonlight catches her wet hair and glowing eyes, giving her an ethereal beauty. The king steps closer, lowering his scarred face. Their breaths merge.
He kisses her deeply. Though her magic is gone, his touch carries her into another world. After long restraint, their love becomes a quiet, intimate union, as time itself seems to pause.
But beyond the door, a shadow stands still. The queen has seen everything.
Hatred fills her eyes as she thinks,
"She has claimed my brother's heart. She cannot be allowed to live."
Unaware, the king and Nikita remain lost in their moment, not knowing that this secret union has begun a far more dangerous war.
Morning sunlight falls across Nikita's face. The palace is calm, but the night's memories still ripple through her mind.
She sits alone now, her hair loose, her white silk robe glowing in the light. Her blue eyes stare toward the forest beyond the window.
She wonders if her magic will return, or if she will remain an ordinary woman of this time.
She still feels the king's touch. Though he is elsewhere, his gaze lingers on her soul.
Suddenly, the air grows heavy. She turns and sees the queen standing in the doorway, her eyes burning with hatred.
"Enjoy your night, Nikita," the queen says coldly. "But remember, I will never allow you to become the queen of this palace."
Nikita rises calmly. A crooked smile forms on her lips, her faint vampire fangs glinting once more. She understands now.
The queen has seen everything.The Queen walked slowly until she stood right in front of Nikita. The fragrance of Nikita's ethereal sky blue hair only intensified the hatred boiling inside her. Leaning down over Nikita's shoulder, she whispered into her ear in a venomous voice,
"What you saw and what you did last night will remain nothing more than the final moments of happiness for you and Kairen. You do not know, Nikita, why the scar on Kairen's face exists. That mark is my curse. Any woman who loves him with her life will be destroyed."
The Queen stepped back slightly, looked straight into Nikita's eyes, and smiled cruelly before adding in a low voice,
"You are a time traveler, aren't you? I know everything. If Kairen finds out that you are tied to his own blood or are the product of some sin from his past, he will kill you with his own hands. By this afternoon, I will expose your true identity in front of the royal court. Let us see how your magical serpent saves you then."
Hearing this, Nikita's body went cold. Her sky colored eyes widened in shock. She wondered whether this Queen knew secrets of time herself, or whether she was simply trying to terrify her.
As the Queen left the room, she said one last thing,
"Be prepared, ordinary girl. Before the sun sets today, your sky blue reign will come to an end."
That night, in the darkness of the palace garden, Nikita paced back and forth. Her sky blue hair flowed freely in the wind. Beside her was her blue serpent. It was no longer small. Enormous dragon like wings had grown from its back. The serpent flapped its wings and flew above Nikita's head, as if preparing for a great battle.
Nikita walked with a grave expression, looking every bit like a powerful sorceress.
Just then, a white cat slowly emerged from behind the bushes. Its body was small, but its tail was unusually large and fluffy.
The moment the cat reached Nikita's feet and gently brushed her leg with its massive tail, all her magical composure shattered. Nikita jumped and screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Aaaaaahhhhhh!"
She completely forgot that she had a terrifying dragon winged serpent with her. She ran in sheer panic, but her long royal dress tangled around her legs and she fell flat on the ground with a loud thud.
The dragon serpent folded its wings in midair and stared down in disbelief, thinking,
"Is my mistress truly a witch, or is she a circus clown?"
Lying on the ground, Nikita saw the white cat calmly walk over and sit beside her. The cat flicked its huge tail again, tickling Nikita's nose. Terrified, she shut her eyes and flailed her arms and legs.
From the palace balcony, King Kairen watched the entire scene with his cat like eyes and burst into uncontrollable laughter.
He thought,
"The girl who bewitched me with magic last night has gone completely mad over a cat's tail today."
Nikita finally got up, dusted herself off, and made a face at the cat. At that moment, her dragon serpent vanished out of sheer embarrassment, pretending it knew nothing of her.
Nikita's magical dominance and the dragon's ferocity vanished in an instant. After falling so hard, and terrified by the cat's tail, she began crying like a child. Tears streamed down from her sky blue eyes as she kicked her legs and sobbed loudly.
King Kairen could not hold himself back any longer. He rushed down from the balcony. Seeing Nikita so helpless and sweet, the love in his usually stern cat eyes deepened. Laughing softly, he stood in front of her.
Without saying a word, the King bent down and lifted Nikita into his arms like a small child. She was still sniffling, her sky blue hair spilling over his arms. He pulled her close to his chest and pressed a deep, tender kiss on her forehead.
In a gentle voice, he said,
"My fearsome witch seems to be nothing more than a little baby. Who cries like this over a cat's tail?"
Nikita wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face against his chest. From a tree branch, her invisible blue serpent peeked out and thought to itself,
"At last, my mistress has found a suitable guardian."
The white cat sat at a distance, lazily swaying its tail, clearly enjoying the scene. Carrying Nikita in his arms, the King walked back into the palace, while her crying slowly turned into a pouty, affectionate sulk.
As the King carried her, Nikita wiped her tears and began speaking in a half broken, childish voice. Her fierce vampire persona had completely vanished.
Clinging to his neck, puffing out her lips, she complained,
"You are a rotten King. Why are you laughing? That was not a cat. It was a huge monster. Why was its tail so big? It was trying to bite me."
King Kairen could not suppress his laughter. Looking at her with his cat eyes, he replied,
"That was just a tiny cat, Nikita. Aren't you the one who walks around with a dragon serpent?"
Sniffling even harder, she said,
"My snake is terrible. It did not save me. It just flies around in the sky. I will not talk to it anymore. My leg hurts a lot."
Rubbing her head against his chest, she added,
"Do not put me down. If I go down, that tail monster will come back."
The King hugged her tighter and tapped her nose gently.
"All right. No one will come. I will carry you like this all night. Happy now?"
Nikita played with the buttons on his coat and mumbled,
"Hmm, a little happy. But you have to give me a big chocolate, or I will not stop crying."
From a powerful, magical time traveler, Nikita had turned into the King's beloved, clueless child.
From the shadows, the Queen, the King's sister, watched the entire scene, biting her nails in rage. She could not understand how a terrifying witch could turn into such an outrageous pretender.