– Robin, we still have a few minutes before I leave here.

– Where to, my baby? – the king chuckled.

She ignored the question.

– I wanted to tell you a little bit about myself.

– All-attention…

– Once upon a time, I loved a young man. I love him now, too.

This was the last thing the young man expected to hear from her.

– Is that so? – he got angry. – And who is he?

– He's dead, – Anna said, sounding as if she were a thousand miles away. – He's gone, and the fire in me is still burning. Why won't he burn me? Why?

Raven stared at her in silence, and she returned his gaze even more intently.

– Your real feelings, Robin, are just a destructive short-term passion.

– And yours? – The young man asked hoarsely.

– I can show them to you, but know that they are meant for him, not for you.

Robin looked down for a moment, and when he looked up, he saw Anna beside him and felt her touch on his arm, which might have been simple and meaningless, but suddenly a shiver went through his skin. He looked into her eyes and lost touch with reality.

– My love, I've been waiting for you for so long. Unbearably long, – her voice broke on the last sentence.

She took his hand in hers, pressed her cheek against it, and he stopped feeling his body.

– Please give me a son. I've been dreaming about this. To see his eyes, just like yours. I want to look at him and think of you. I want you to always be there for me, always. Anna slowly stroked his hair, causing him to close his eyes. Something unknown gripped him. But the Countess moved away from him and took the feelings she had given him with her.

The silence was broken by the striking of the clock, and the young man awoke.

– I have to go, Robin, – the girl said.

– It is clear that I do not deserve such words, because I can not have children.

– The curse of the royal dynasty, – Raven said bitterly, pushing her onto the bed and kneeling beside her, holding her down with his hands.

– Do you believe in curses? – Anna asked wearily. – Comprehend your life and the life of your ancestors and understand who is to blame for what happened and how to fix it. Look around, more and more people can't have children. Do you think that someone cursed them all?

She tried to get up, but the young man wouldn't let her.

– I didn't let you go, – he said irritably.

Anna glanced at the sword beside the bed, and Raven saw it.

– The royal sword of Adenia. He chooses his own master, he can only be held by the strongest, and the rest of this weapon causes pain.

The monarch's voice had regained its former firmness and authority. He looked at Anna quizzically. And before he knew it, she had turned on her axis and, in the blink of an eye, had placed the cold steel against his throat like a flash of lightning. The leader of the strongest Raven magic clan froze in place. He didn't move, feeling a warm trickle of blood trickle down his neck.

– Yes, – Anna said. – I've handled this sword before. – Should I claim the throne? After all, I personally also have a connection to the dynasty of the kings of Adenia. And I have more right to be at the head of the state than you, my nephew Ratmir, whom you are so afraid of, and even more than the late Leo the Seventh. Once upon a time, my grandfather ceded power to him and paid for it. And you're so calm about leaving this toy anywhere. And for some reason, you call me a fool.

– So you put a blade to my throat for that? – The king asked, squinting at the blade.

– No. For your joke with the fountain, I decided to take revenge, – she smiled.

Raven took a moment to cast a paralyzing spell on her, and immediately felt his entire body go numb as he realized that Anna had repelled his attack. With the swift movement of a skilled warrior, she slashed the blade through the air, sheathed it, and slung it over her back. Then she picked Robin up and laid him on the bed, making him comfortable with the pillows. With a satisfied glance at the motionless youth and a wink, she quickly put on her cloak and left.

Fifteen minutes of motionless solitude seemed like an eternity to Robin. During this time, he tried hundreds of ways to rid himself of the effects of his own charms. Suddenly, the door flew off its hinges from a strong blow, and Arthur stumbled into the room. To say that he looked surprised was to say nothing. For half a minute, Lord Kern was just a statue. Edward followed him through the doorway. Raising his eyebrows, he silently stood next to his friend and stared at Robin. A few more seconds passed before the young men began to shake with laughter. Reclining on the pillows, the king seemed to show no concern about this, except that his black eyes glittered fiercely in his dark face.