“So, you knew from the very beginning? Yet, you pushed through with the deal. And you’re still here,” Alexandros uttered after a while.
“I knew that I fell in love with the right man from the very beginning,” I replied. “Your parents were the ones who committed a sin and not you. Alexandros, you are not your parents’ mistake. You are you, flawed, yes, but never a monster. You are never what you think you are.”
Until now, I still couldn’t believe that I fell in love with a king. Alexandros’ presence always commanded attention and respect that’s why I’ve always thought that he was a topnotch supernatural being from where he came from because he seemed so used with the attention he was getting but I never thought he’d be a king.
It was strange. Alexandros came from a glamorous family. He was a man of an extremely high status. But he liked the simple things. He was not picky and he certainly was not hard to please. Geez, I could even give him a cup of instant coffee and he would already smile at me so appreciatively and drink it like I had given him the best-tasting coffee in the whole world.
We even tried dirty ice cream on the sidewalk, fish ball, cotton candy, and the likes.
Alexandros also liked strolling around early morning, gazing at the stars every night, watering the flowers that he planted himself in his greenhouse, visiting his vegetable farm, cooking anything he felt like, watching the kids in the park play, or just simply lay on the grass in a lazy afternoon to read or to think about what else he wanted to do in his life saying that he never got to do those simple things in his kingdom.
He would often say that he was always in a rush in their kingdom and that he only got to take a break now that he handed his businesses over to his subordinates.
Alexandros remained the chairman, though. He only attended meetings when necessary. Right now, he was focusing on being a disk jockey that’s why it always seemed like time was one of Alexandros’ best friends.
“Alison…” His voice broke. “What have I done to deserve you?”
A soft smile curled my lips. They say that God’s beauty shines from brokenness. And it was true. Alexandros may be broken, but each broken piece of him was still able to instill hope to other people through constantly lending them a hand. In his brokenness, he shone magnificently.
“You’re wrong. I should be the one asking you that. Xandros, what have I done to deserve you?”
“You have so much faith in me. And it worries me knowing that I may not be able to keep up with that. A few days ago, I… I almost killed someone, Alison.” Guilt crossed his eyes. “Someone from my kingdom came and killed Theron. And I almost killed that man. I wanted to avenge Theron so badly. But at the last minute, the memory of you held me back.”
I stood up and embraced Alexandros. Like a child, he buried his face in my chest as he cried for all the wrongs, he thought he had committed. It was his first time to show his weakness. But he was more amazing for me now.
Because in the middle of the things he deemed as his weaknesses, I saw his strength. And I saw the real him… I saw why he became the king. It was not because he was capable and strong. For me, it was because his heart was courageous.’
“I almost surrendered to temptation. I’m sorry.”
“You shouldn’t be. You said it yourself. You could have killed him, but you didn’t. And I believe it wasn’t because of me. It was because of you. It was because of the goodness inside you, Xandros.”
My eyes watered. I feel proud of my man for being brave enough to admit the truth even if it probably kills him inside. “I don’t know why it’s always hard for you to believe that you’re a good man. But that’s the truth. You’re a good man, Xandros, you have always been.”
Alexandros didn’t respond. He just stared at me for a long time. But something had changed in his eyes. His eyes no longer reflected pain. I could see a glimpse of happiness and gratitude there.
“I love you, Alison. I love you so much,” he whispered in the gentlest way I had ever heard.
Before I could say something, he already grabbed my name and pulled me close to him for a kiss. I closed my eyes and kissed him as passionately as I could. Alexandros could make me believe in magic over and over again every time their lips touched. Because I knew that out of billions of people in the world, only his lips could make me taste happiness, real happiness.

(Alexandros)
“I SET out on a narrow way many years ago, hoping I would find true love along the broken road. I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you…”
I didn’t look away while playing the piano. Alison’s friends, family, and relatives were inside the function room including Nathan, the elders in the home for the aged we went before, the doctors, and some of our employees.
There were several people around us but just like what usually happens, each time I’d see Alison, I tend to stop noticing other people.
Before Alison left for Japan, she had already introduced me to her family and to Jeremiah. The mortals surrounding Alison were all as adorable as her, no wonder her soul was shining so brightly. But before that, I’d already known her parents from way back since I’d been sponsoring her mother’s fund-raising events. I was also their hotel’s biggest investor.
But years ago, I asked Samuel, Alison’s stepfather, to keep that information hidden for a while because at that time, I was not ready to meet Alison in every important meeting. I never thought that there would come a time that I would be ready, though.