Chapter 14;

    

    

    "What is that thing you're hiding inside your cloak?" the guard asked again. Ashley bit her lips because of too much nervousness. She's thinking of an excuse but her mind is not working properly. It seems like fear has a great impact on her.

    

   

    "Uhmmm, it's just...." 

    

    

    "It's my pet cat Tiara, she panics every time she sees a lot of people. That's why I told my servant to hid her in her cloak." She was relieved when Princess Amira came to help her explain. If she did not arrive on time, probably the guards had forced her to show them the cage.

    

    

        "Princess Amira!" All the guards bowed down their heads to pay their respects to the Princess.

    

      "You were supposed to stay in the university your highness, how come you're here in the middle of the night with your servant?" the head of the guards asked. Princess Amira swallowed the lump in her throat and glared at Ashley who's currently feeling too much nervousness in her system.

    

    

        "My cat was stolen by a beggar. So I have to send my servant to look for her. I was so worried that they're not yet back so I asked permission from the headmaster to let me come out here to check on them," the princess explained.

    

    

          "But-"

    

    

    "No more buts Felix! How dare you to question a princess like me! What do you think I'm doing here then? Are you suspecting me?" she accused to make Felix stop asking questions.

    

      

     "I'm sorry your highness, we will escort you back to the university," Felix offered.

    

    

        "No Felix!  We have a carriage waiting for us a few miles away from here. We'll rode on it, so you don't have to worry," she lied. Actually there's no carriage waiting for them. She just have to do it to avoid some errors in their plan. Because if the guards would escort them back to the university, then there could be a chance that they would notice the snake. 

    

       

         "If that's what you wish your highness," Felix said in a disappointed tone.

    

   Amira glares at Ashley as if blaming her for being so careless.

    

"Let's go Ashley!" Ashley automatically followed her while she carefully holds the snake's cage.

    

"When are we going to put this in the crown princess's closet?" Ashley asked, as soon as they arrive in the university.

    

"Tonight, we don't have to wait until tomorrow. Somebody might see it if we try to keep it in our room," Amira explained. 

    

    

Together they carefully sneak inside the ladies dormitory. It's already midnight and everyone seems to be on a nap. The hall was so quite and the rooms were securely closed.

    

    

"Watch your steps, we must not create a single sound. Not even a single screech!" she reminded Ashley.

    

    

"Yes of course your highness!" Ashley answered while trying not to make any sound.

    

    

        They opened Princess Ana Mae's room using the spare key they got from the room keeper. Then, they carefully sneaked inside. They have no idea that Prince Zion and his servant Stefan were secretly watching them. They were under an invisibility spell that was casted by Stefan.

    

    

           "Your highness, what do you think are they going to do inside?" Stefan asked the prince. The prince was curious as well so he used his power. He closed his eyes and try to imagine Princess Ana Mae's room. She saw her sleeping peacefully in her bed while the two ladies who have just entered her room carefully opened her closet. And the next thing they did, surprised the prince. They put a small cage inside and opened it to let the snake out. After doing it they automatically closed the door of the princess's closet. He saw the snake and he knows that it's the most venomous snake, the black serpent which is located in the middle of the forest of Etheor. 

    

    

    "But how come they got that snake? The kingdom of Etheor vanished in the immortal world's map many years ago," he said aloud. Stefan heard it and he felt curious on what the prince is talking about.

    

    

    "What snake?" he asked curiously.

    

    

    

    "The venomous black serpent from Etheor! Those ladies put that snake inside Princess Ana Mae's closet!" he explained to Stefan.

    

    

    

    "That is a rare snake, and it has no other home than the vanished forest of Etheor. If the forest vanished years ago, then that snake could have vanished as well."

    

    

    

    "You're right. I don't know how did they get a snake like that.  And why did they have to use it against the princess." 

    

"Maybe they want to kill her as well," Stefan answered that made Zion worried.

    

"No!" He was about to go inside the princess's room to save her when Stefan held his wrist.

    

"No your highness! Remember that our mission is to kill her, and if those girls really wanted to kill her then we have to be happy that they are doing our job for us!" Stefan blurted out.

"But..." Stefan cut his words off.

"But you have developed some feelings for her? Your highness, that princess is the chosen one. She will destroy us, and your love won't be able to stop her destiny. Let her be killed by that snake so we could go back to our kingdom and live without being afraid that the chosen one might attack us," he reminded him.

    

    

    

    

Prince Zion knew that he already have feelings for Princess Ana Mae. But his mission is to save their kind and not to fell for the one who's destined to end them.

"You're right Stefan. Maybe I'll fell inlove with her on our next lifetime," he said in a sad tone. Then he started to walk away from there.

Stefan followed him with a sad expression.

"Poor Prince Zion, fate is playing a dangerous game for him," he whispered, not wanting to be heard by the prince.

"If only you were really born as the princess of Citrine and not the Goddess of love's daughter, then things will be different for the both of us. I could have loved you freely. I will protect you from any storm and risk even my own life for you. But I could not be selfish this time, we have a different destiny and we walk through different paths. If I save you now and let my heart win over my mind, that means I have personally sacrificed my kind. I'm sorry Ana Mae," Prince Zion said in the middle of his tears.