ON THE OTHER SIDE OF HERA’S WORLD, 

Somewhere around London, her very existence stole someone’s peace of mind. 

The floor-length creamy white curtains which separated the room from the balcony flew around, surrendering its will before the strong wind. Johnathan watched inattentively from the balcony of his hotel room, leaning against the cold, steel railing. His one hand gripped the railing for support while his other hand lifted the cup of tea to his mouth.

Sipping the English tea, he glanced down, following the ruffling sound of the silk robe he wore. The weather was windy, and the soft, thin material of his attire hardly blocked the cold, chilling him to the bone. He welcomed the harsh air biting into his skin as his punishment, anything to relieve him from unwanted thoughts. 

He thought if his body grew exhausted, he could get some rest, but he knew it wouldn’t happen. The harsh chilly weather was hardly cruel to be regarded as exhausting. 

Movement at the door caught his attention as one of his bodyguards opened the door and in entered his right-hand man and trusted friend Rouvin.. 

He tilted his hat in greeting to the guards, and they lowered their heads with respect. Walking on the cream carpets, Johnathan made his way to his cosy sleigh bed as Rouvin walked inside the bedroom.

“Your Highness,” Rouvin said, bowing his head in respect. Johnathan smiled and gestured him to take his seat. Rouvin undid the buttons of his overcoat and settled on the brown leather sofa, his hat resting on his thigh.

“Drop the title, Rouvin. How many times have I told you to use my first name when we’re alone? You are my friend, and besides, I would like to keep my identity hidden as long as we’re staying in London,” said Johnathan. Rouvin nodded with a smile. They went to school and college together, and have known each other since forever. Despite being the royalty, Johnathan never treated him like a servant. In fact, he always treated his people with humbleness and respect, be it a servant or a commoner. 

Even though the hotel suite Johnathan stayed in was stylish and sophisticated, Rouvin wanted to book “The Goring” an exquisite hotel just across the road from Buckingham Palace, since the hotel was fit for royalty. But Johnathan refused and chose the one they were staying now.

“Help yourself with the tea, Rouvin. It’ll help with the cold, and I can see, you clearly haven’t adjusted to the London weather yet,” Johnathan said. He ordered his guards to give them privacy, and with a bow, they went out pulling the door shut behind them. As soon as they had the privacy they needed, Rouvin pulled out an envelope from the inside pocket of his overcoat and handed it to Johnathan. He sipped his tea while Johnathan opened the envelope. 

A smile greeted his tired facial features just by looking at the contents. They were photographs of Hera. “You know when Hera enquired me about my identity to know who I am, I lied to her that I was there to visit my niece,” Johnathan said.

“You weren’t lying,” Rouvin stated, voice laced with sympathy. Johnathan laughed humourlessly. “Oh, the irony! You know, Rouvin, no child should have an uncle like me. If it wasn’t for me, then Hera could’ve lived under the protection of Alexander, and in the loving arms of Felicity. I robbed her chance at having the loving family that she deserved,” he smiled sadly, and a tear escaped from the corner of his left eye. 

“What a beautiful young woman, she’s grown up into!” Johnathan said in an affectionate tone, caressing her face with his fingers while his eyes filled with guilt. Rouvin agreed with a smile. “Do you remember, John, what you said fifteen years ago?” Rouvin asked, and Johnathan looked at him cluelessly. “You said, she doesn’t need any paper to prove her identity. Her face is enough proof.” 

Johnathan smiled, looking at Hera’s face in the photo. His eyes had that faraway look as if still trapped in those old days of his ugly past. Rouvin cleared his throat to pull back Johnathan out of his thoughts.

“You were right, John. Her face holds an absolute identification. She’s an exact replica of her father,” Rouvin finished talking as he sipped his tea leisurely. 

Johnathan directed his attention back to the photographs, observing other people. Apart from Hera, he could recognise only Danny, her brother. Two pictures demanded his curiosity, one where everyone was laughing except Hera. Lost in her thoughts, Hera had her eyes glued the one boy, the most handsome of all. In the other picture, the same boy was kissing Hera’s temple. 

“Who’s this boy?” Johnathan asked, tone demanding answers as he showed the picture to Rouvin. 

Rouvin bit back a secret smile as though he’s waiting for this moment and placed the empty cup on the glass top coffee table. “The information I have collected about the boy will blow your mind,” said, Rouvin. Jonathan furrowed his brows before asking, “Are they seeing each other?” 

Rouvin shrugged, unsure of the answer. “The gesture is hinting the same, John. Don’t you think?” He asked. Johnathan remained quiet, motioning him to continue. “I couldn’t gather much information about him. The school refused to reveal any personal detail. It’s as if the authorities got paid to protect his identity. No matter how much I tried, it’s a squandered attempt,” Rouven revealed. 

Johnathan looked thoughtful for a second or two before he said, “Rouvin, my friend, if even you couldn’t collect details about him, then it could mean only one thing. His background is influential.” Rouvin shook his head, “The correct word would be powerful. Okay, coming back to the boy, his name is Ace Hunter.” Johnathan straightened his back after hearing the boy’s last name. 

Rouvin waited until he’d Johnathan’s full attention, and when they made eye contact, he revealed, “He’s Alexander’s son.”

Johnathan’s jaw dropped in disbelief, and the photographs fell on the floor as they slipped off his hands. He looked so shocked that Rouvin laughed at him. “Told you, it’ll blow your mind,” he said once his laughter died down.

Johnathan recovered from the shock and watched Rouvin collecting the photographs from the floor. “Ace Hunter is not what Alexander named his son, Rouvin. Just because his last name is Hunter doesn’t mean he’s Alexander’s son,” Johnathan said in an unimpressed tone. He looked pissed, and Rouvin sighed. “Why he’s called Ace, I have yet to discover that mystery. But trust me, John, I have solid proof to prove that he’s Alexander’s son,” Rouvin said, as he moved closer to Johnathan showing the pictures to him once again. 

“They all are best friends. Look at this boy,” he said, pointing at Micheal in the picture. “He’s Romano’s son. Remember the one who died trying to protect Hera at the time of her kidnapping?” Johnathan nodded, and Rouvin continued. He showed another boy in the picture and said, “This boy’s name is Eric Gabrial Costa. Does his face or his name ring a bell?”

Johnathan’s brows went up in surprise. “My my, he’s Costa’s son, isn’t he?” Rouvin agreed, “Thomas Costa, one of Alexander’s best friends.”

“Still, Rouvin, it doesn’t prove anything,” Johnathan said, shrugging his shoulders in dissatisfaction. His friend grinned confidently before pulling out another picture from his pocket. “Then, I believe this will convince you. Ace Hunter has a bodyguard who follows him everywhere like a shadow,” he showed the new picture to Johnathan. “This is the bodyguard,” he said. 

“Mathew!” The name escaped Johnathan’s lips as soon as he recognised the person in the picture. Rouvin chuckled, “And besides, I don’t know, how did you miss his eyes?” He asked, sounding surprised. Johnathan looked at Ace Hunter’s face and noticed his dark purple eyes. He went speechless for a while. 

“How can I not recognise these eyes? He’s Felicity’s life and Alexander’s world, after all,” Johnathan stated. He laughed humourlessly out of the blue and caught Rouvin by surprise. “Is this what they call, ‘Man proposes, and God disposes’?” He asked his friend. 

“Look at Hera’s destiny, Rouvin. For all these years, though so many evil and selfish people were scheming to ruin her life, fate still had other plans for her. She somehow found her ticket back home,” Johnathan said. He threw his head back and closed his eyes, letting the tears flow. Rouvin gave a pat on Johnathan’s shoulder as he heard him sigh in relief.

“Alexander would eventually meet her, but I won’t be there to apologise for my sins,” Johnathan said with a sad smile. Rouvin disagreed. “You kept Hera alive, John. She didn’t die because you saved her. Won’t that be enough for Alexander to forgive you?” He asked, trying to console him. Johnathan laughed without humour at his friend’s logic. 

“No, Rouvin, it won’t be enough to erase my sins. Alexander will never spare my life. He’ll never forgive me. After all, I’m the one who dared to kill his beloved wife,” Johnathan confessed in a defeated tone.