Transmigrated as the Villainess Princess - Chapter 161

Chapter 161: Destined Marriage
The dim glow of the floating blue orbs cast long shadows across the chamber as Aryndale, Azedreo, and Zefaniarina continued their search.

The air was thick with dust and the weight of forgotten history, but none of them cared.

Every document, every holographic projection, every ancient scroll held the possibility of answering the burning question that had haunted them since their arrival, where was Ahcehera?

Aryndale furrowed his brows as he skimmed through a faded manuscript detailing the genealogy of noble bloodlines.

The text was fragile, its ink barely legible after centuries of neglect, but one name stood out like a beacon in the darkness.

“Queen Tereza Celestara Bloodstone.”

His breath caught in his throat. His mother’s full name.

He had always known her as Queen Tereza of the Bloodstone Kingdom, but the Celestara in her name sent a cold shiver down his spine.

Azedreo noticed Aryndale’s sudden stillness and stepped closer. “What did you find?”

Without a word, Aryndale turned the manuscript toward his brother. Azedreo’s sharp eyes scanned the page before narrowing.

“Celestara? Are they saying our mother was from Zefaniarina’s clan?”

Zefaniarina, who had been combing through a separate collection of holographic files, turned at the mention of her clan’s name. “What did you say?”

Aryndale clenched his fists. “Our mother… she wasn’t just from the Bloodstone Kingdom. She was Celestara.”

A flicker of recognition passed over Zefaniarina’s face, but she remained silent as she stepped forward to look at the document herself.

Azedreo’s jaw tensed. “If this is true, then it means we were never just royalty of the Bloodstone Kingdom. We’re descendants of Celestara magic users.”

Aryndale shook his head. “That doesn’t make sense. Mother never used magic. She always told us she had no such abilities.”

Zefaniarina finally spoke, her voice carrying an ancient weight. “Because she was forbidden to.”

Aryndale turned to her sharply. “What do you mean?”

She walked over to the central console, tapping the crystalline surface. The glowing projections shifted, revealing an archived Celestara record.

It was old, far older than most of the other documents, and the text shimmered with the same cosmic energy that laced Zefaniarina’s aura.

She read aloud, her voice steady.

“Tereza of Celestara, first daughter of Elder Auralis, chosen seer of the stars, bearer of the forbidden celestial flame. Betrothed to Alexander Vancial, rightful heir of Karimiku Planet.”

Aryndale and Azedreo froze.

“Betrothed?” Azedreo echoed. “To someone else?”

Aryndale shook his head in disbelief.

“That’s impossible. She always told us that she was married to our father because of a sacred alliance, a bond between two kingdoms to ensure peace.”

Zefaniarina glanced at him, her gaze unreadable. “Did she ever tell you about her life before she became Queen of Bloodstone?”

A heavy silence fell between them. Aryndale swallowed hard.

Their mother had always been a mysterious figure, a woman of poise and grace who ruled with wisdom but kept her past shrouded in silence.

Whenever they had asked about her younger years, she had simply smiled and said, “That is a tale for another time.”

But that time had never come.

Azedreo exhaled sharply. “Alexander Vancial. If she was engaged to him, why did she marry our father?”

Zefaniarina hesitated before continuing. “Because Alexander Vancial died.”

Aryndale felt his stomach tighten. “How?”

Zefaniarina turned to the projection, and a new document surfaced, a record sealed away for centuries. The text flickered for a moment before stabilizing.

“The tragedy of Alexander Vancial. The heir of Karimiku Planet, wielder of primordial energy, fell before the celestial union could be fulfilled. His death remains a mystery, but suspicions arise over an external force interfering with the fate of Celestara’s elder daughter. With his passing, the celestial flame was lost, and the elder daughter was sent to Bloodstone Kingdom, bound by a marriage forged in necessity, not love.”

Aryndale staggered back, feeling as if the ground beneath him had shattered.

His entire life, he had known only one truth, his mother and father were bound by duty, yes, but they had chosen each other.

Yet now, standing in the cold underground chamber of a ruined academy, he was learning that his mother’s hand had been forced by a fate beyond her control.

“She was never meant to marry our father,” Azedreo whispered. His expression was unreadable, but there was a storm behind his eyes.

Aryndale clenched his fists. “Did you know my mother was from your clan?” His voice was edged with an emotion he couldn’t quite name as he turned to Zefaniarina.

Zefaniarina met his gaze, calm, but heavy with knowledge.

“She was a revered elder,” she said. “Far more powerful than you know her.”

Aryndale’s chest tightened. His mother had power?

Zefaniarina continued, “The celestial flame was something only a chosen seer could wield. Your mother was the last seer of the Celestara clan, the most powerful among us.”

“But when she was sent to Bloodstone Kingdom, her power was sealed away, forbidden from being used.”

Azedreo’s fingers curled into his palms. “Who sealed her power?”

Zefaniarina’s golden eyes darkened. “The Bloodstone royal family.”

The weight of her words crushed down on Aryndale like a tidal wave. His own ancestors had stripped his mother of her identity, her magic, her past.

They had forced her into a life that was never meant to be hers. And all this time, she had never told them.

Aryndale felt anger bubble inside him, not at his mother, but at the world that had caged her.

“She never had a choice,” he muttered. “She spent her whole life hiding who she truly was.”

Azedreo exhaled sharply. “And if we didn’t come here, we never would have known.”

Zefaniarina watched them both, her face unreadable. “The Celestara clan never forgot her. Many of us questioned why she was sent away.”

“But my father, the King of Celestara, told us that her fate was already decided. Even now, I do not know if she left willingly… or if she was forced.”

Aryndale’s mind raced. If his mother was the last seer, if she had been meant for something greater, then what did that mean for them? And what did it mean for Ahcehera?

Azedreo suddenly turned back to the records. “If she was the last seer, then does that mean Ahcehera inherited something from her?”

Zefaniarina’s gaze flickered with something unreadable. “Perhaps. But if Ahcehera did inherit the celestial flame… then she is in more danger than we thought.”

Aryndale’s stomach dropped.

“She knew,” he murmured. “She knew something was coming.”

Azedreo met his gaze, and for the first time in years, they both understood the same unspoken truth.

Their sister hadn’t been taken. She had run. And if she had run… it meant something far worse was on its way.