<h4>Chapter 457: None ever truly understood</h4>


    Juniper looked around the small room in the one-bedroom house. It appeared dusty and neglected, as if it hadn’t been thoroughly cleaned in years. Turning back to Karmen, she asked, "Do I have to pay to stay here? Or is this some kind of house arrest?"


    "You don’t have to pay to live here," Karmen stated. "Do whatever you want, but keep in mind that eyes will be on you." He decided this moment, while she seemed a little calmer, was the perfect time. "Also, who were you talking with earlier?"


    "It was an olddy," Juniper replied. "Telling me she’s a guide sent by the Moon Goddess," she murmured,ughing humorlessly at herself.


    Karmen was confused by her sudden, dark amusement. "Why would such a guidee to you?" he asked, trying to figure out if she was lying or delusional.


    "Exactly," said Juniper, keeping her gaze low. "She was only pissing me off and adding more wounds to my already hurt body and mind."


    "Why did she introduce herself as a guide to you? What exactly did she say?" Karmen asked, knitting his brows together in suspicion.


    "That she would help me," Juniper answered. As she said it, a chilling thought crossed her mind: ’Was she Ophelia?’


    "You better not try deceiving the royal family," Karmen warned, moving closer to her, his shadow falling over her face. "You were already caught joining hands with Ophelia once. Juniper, don’t fall into her trap if you truly want everything to turn right for you. You also heard Carlos and his grandmother’s warning about the consequences."


    Juniper held his gaze and nodded her head.


    "If I catch you crossing the line," Karmen’s voice dropped, "your next destination will be the prison, Juniper."


    "Will you be around me all the time?" asked Juniper, her eyes searching his face.


    "Kind of," he replied vaguely. He wasn’t about to reveal that Gabriel had already nted a dedicated spy to monitor her every activity. "I will take my leave now. Clean the house and manage it in whatever manner you want to."


    As he turned to leave, Juniper called out, stopping him. "Please, can you tell me how Dominick is doing?"


    "I have no information on that," Karmen replied tly, side-stepping the question entirely, and left the house without a backward nce.


    ~~~~~


    As Karmen stepped out of the elevator of the building, his eyes fell upon Aisha, who was waiting for the car to descend, holding several shopping bags in her hands.


    "Hi!" Aisha said, offering him a soft smile.


    "Hey," Karmen greeted back. He stepped out of the elevator’s path, ready to leave, when Aisha’s voice stopped him.


    "No, it wasn’t," Aisha affirmed gently, adjusting the bags in her grip. "Many peoplee and go in my life, but none ever truly understood me the way you did. Karmen, you came into my life when I least expected that anything could ever turn better for me."


    She looked at him with earnest eyes. "I hope we can stay friends, at least," Aisha asserted, giving him a meaningful, grateful look.


    "I don’t think I should stay friends," Karmen rified, his voice deliberately measured and honest. "You know I had a crush on you. You never know when those feelings might resurface in me, and then what will you do?"


    Aisha bit her bottom lip, her eyes falling to the bags she was holding. She was visibly upset by his blunt refusal. But then, she understood him. She gave a way to Karmen, who walked out of her sight.


    ~~~~~


    Dominick dried his wet face using the towel, finally stepping out of the washroom. After Casaio’s harsh scolding, the confrontation had, ironically, been a needed jolt. He realized he was only increasing his anxiety by constantly thinking about Juniper.


    "Your Highness," a servant’s soft voice interrupted his momentary peace, a quiet knock apanying the address, "Her Majesty the Queen wishes to see you."


    Dominick lowered the towel to the chair and went to the door. He opened the door and nced at the pce servant.


    "You can ask the servants to clean the bedroom," Dominick instructed her and went outside. He saw his mother sitting on the sofa of the drawing room, patiently waiting for him only.


    "Nick, my boy!" Mabel rose to her feet as soon as she spotted him and opened her arms. Dominick rushed to his mother, embracing her.


    "I am sorry for putting you in worry. I am doing well now," Dominick said, pulling himself back from the hug first.


    "It was deeply unfortunate, Nick," Mabel said, her hands resting gently on his arms, her expression etched with concern. "But surely, a separation or a break would have sufficed? Was it truly necessary to outright reject her? Juniper is your other half, Dominick. A fated mate gifted by the Moon Goddess herself," she pressed.


    "Mom, she was my other half," Dominick asserted. "I have officially registered for a divorce as well. Clearly, the fate assigned by the Moon Goddess was not meant to sustain a future with me."


    He pulled back slightly. "I honestly gave Juniper every chance I could. And believe me, I own my own faults; I understand I made terrible mistakes and caused her pain, yes. But Mom, she crossed a line that is incorrigible. She thought of seeking Ophelia’s help. That is why she hid it from me. Think about that ring. What if she had actually used it? What irreversible damage or horror could have been unleashed upon the family or the Kingdom? I realized that the only choice left, the best choice for everyone’s safety, was simply to let go of her."


    Mabel simply stared into the eyes of her son. "Then, what do you n to do after this? Also, I heard about you and Casaio’s rtionship from Zilia. You have to revive the memories of your elder brother, which he haspletely forgotten. Just don’t mind his word, even if he says something harsh to you," she advised him.


    "I will work on it," Dominick assured her.