1 The art of seduction l

Which one was supposed to come before the other? Essence or existence? It was during times like this that she thought about ridiculous things like essence and existence. One had to grow up before realizing his or her purpose. She didn't believe in predestination. That theory lacked sordid logicality.

With her mother's back facing her, she had the chance to look around the garden. The previous time she was here, there had been white rose flowers. What happened to them?

"You're late." Her mother said finally, turning around to face her. Esmeralda looked away, avoiding her mother's scrutinizing gaze. Her mother walked around the garden slowly, stopping to yank out a black rose. Black rose. When did she start growing black flowers? Her mother held out the rose.

"You have been singled out, Esmeralda. You have to drop this childishness and resume your responsibilities. I need you to carry this lineage on for me when I'm gone." Esmeralda sighed. She had lost count of the number of times they had had this conversation. Her mother gripped the flower tightly, and Esmeralda cringed when the thorns of the rose dug into her mother's palm, drawing deep red blood.

"Perhaps I'm not interested in carrying on your lineage. I'm your daughter, but you can't force me to do something outside my will. I have been singled out to live a normal life. There are so many wolves out there, and I'm not about to go and fall into their trap. I will not finish your work for you. I have my own life to live." This was the first time Esmeralda was countering her mother. Other times, she kept mute.

Her mother frowned. Her red lips turned downwards in odium as she spoke.

"Don't be childish. I chose you. I could have chosen any of your sisters, but I chose you. Don't bring shame to my lineage!"

The weather changed, the clouds gathering quickly to cast a gloomy shadow over Aleshore. Her mother's doing.

Esmeralda took a few steps back.

"I can't abandon my own life to live yours. I want to live a normal life. If I have to be the next enchantress, I don't want to be like the one you are." Her mother's tight grip caused the black rose to heat up, going aflame and falling as ashes to the ground.

"Your sisters would be disappointed in me for choosing you. I groomed you. Trained you. Taught you everything you needed to know about black and white magic. And this is what you do in return?"

"You taught me how to hurt people, mother. And it is against the creeds of our magic. You taught me all about infliction, and nothing about solutions. I refuse to be an instrument of your evil sorcery and selfish ambition."

Esmeralda's strength was wavering. Her voice was growing shaky and weak. She was scared of her mother and what she was capable of.

"Selfish ambition? You call revenge selfish ambition? They destroyed our kind! We were harmless, and they still killed all of us." Her mother yelled. Thunder rumbled from above, and her mother inhaled and exhaled loudly, forcing her emotions back inside to avoid summoning a windy storm.

"If you want me to complete your unfinished work, tell me everything that happened. The truth, mother. I can't fight a battle unarmed. I need to know if you truly-"

"There is nothing to know. Sentiment is the wrong weapon to fight with. I'm your mother, you have to stand by my side."

Esmeralda shook her head. She was not being sentimental, she was only asking for the truth.

"They're not exactly a complete pack. He is only a reincarnate. He cannot even shapeshift. My curse was supposed to trap him inside his human body. If we let him grow out of it, he'll ruin everything I managed to build."

"I don't want to have anything to do with the prince of Havana. You cursed him already, what more do you want?" Esmeralda asked tiredly.

"I want you to finish him off. The art of seduction might come in handy." Her mother was smiling as she replied.

"Seduction? This thing…This conversation, I don't want to have it. I don't want to be a part of this. I'll be in Aleshore if you need me. I have work to do."

She didn't dare look back as she walked to where she parked her car. She needed to go home, sit down, and rethink this over again.

"There are so many things I could tell you, Esmeralda. What would happen if they discover you're alive after all? They only know about me. You can come back to me and fortify yourself, or, you could go back to Aleshore. Unarmed, defenseless and off guard."

Esmeralda's hands froze on her car door before sliding down. She turned to stare at her mother whose face was sporting a wicked smile. Hardening her own face, she opened her car door and got in. She wound up her windows till the tinted glass shielded her completely from her mother's taunting look.

The enchantress was ready to risk her daughter's life just to achieve her ridiculous objectives. The prince of Havana was a dangerous subject to talk about. She was going to lie low until whenever the worst happened. Her sisters wouldn't be pleased with her decision, but she was saving them from the doom that was lurking in the shadows.

Her mother's words replayed in her head as she lay in bed. Her mother had said something about the art of seduction. How did it correlate with the present situation?

Her mother had tried everything she could to persuade her, convince her, sweet talk her even into following her footsteps. Esmeralda didn't know anything about magic, because she wasn't born with it. However, her seductive charms were something a man would fall for without waking up.

She was going to stand her ground. She didn't care about the prince who was trapped in his human body. She didn't care one bit if he couldn't find a Luna because he was trapped in his human body. She only cared about what his father might have done to his mother to attract her curse.

She yawned tiredly, finally succumbing to sleep when her questions remained unanswered. She was the black rose her mother had yanked from the garden. Her mother would burn her until she turned to ashes. Useless and unwanted ashes.