The path they took was a long and arduous one. They passed some uphills and downhills until they reached the center of the forest about fifteen minutes later. Lianne was stupefied by the sight of nature along the way.
The landscapes of the mountains that were towering up to the heavens, the enormous trees that covered the forest floor, and the peacefulness of the forest itself were all wonders for her to behold.
They stopped near a riverbank, descend on the ground, and secured the horses by tying the reins up around a sturdy tree. Present now was only her, Lord Cain, and two other generals.
It seemed that the other groups weren’t able to catch up with their fast pace.
It was good progress, however. In a hunting competition, the man that kills the most number of animals shall be named the winner. What better way to win than to separate with the group and scatter throughout the forest floor.
Evening came and everyone was busy preparing for the formal dinner party of the day.The princess was wearing a cream-colored chiffon floor-length gown with flower and fern bead works on the bodice. Its neckline was a wide V-shape that accentuated her shoulders and neck.When last night’s dinner her ensemble was devoid of a necklace, now she was wearing a matching diamond chain necklace and earrings that shaped like teardrops and laurel leaves.She received the gift rather reluctantly that late afternoon from the general. Though she was hesitant on wearing such a fine piece, all she could do was to abide in respect to the hospitality that he had extended.The majordomo handed it to her noting that Cain wasn’t able to personally give it as he had an important appointment to attend to.What obligations she was expected after accepting the gift, she didn’t know and
Lianne walked as fast as she could along the hallway with Erza.Her eyes were cast downward, her thoughts filled to the brim as she recollected her memories about the two men in her life.The first one was her childhood with Cain; from the first time they met to the present situation they were into.She cared for him and she felt at fault by the choices that he had to make in order to keep their relationship intact, but in the end, the shock of finding out the truth made it difficult for her to forgive him.The second memory however dove too deep in her mind, and the reality of it made her head spin.‘Ruen...is not Garlow’s real son?!’ her mind shouted.This time, she felt even more a fool. If it was the truth, then there was a possibility that everyone in the Regaleria mansion kept it from her. Lady Faye too, whom she considered to be her c
Standing beside the milling area, Erza watched as the wagon drove away out of the mansion’s grounds. The princess was riding in it with Lenora as her companion and the young woman’s grandfather, Sir Alchon, as the driver.Erza’s knees started to tremble upon reflecting between the many emotions that created havoc inside her.Loyal to the promise that she made with the princess, she couldn’t in her conscience betray her. However, she believed strongly that Princess Lianne would only be safe inside the Regaleria Mansion. She believed that she would only be happy in the King’s arms.With this in mind, she rushed towards the kitchen door and strode directly inside the mansion’s foyer with her intent to find Lord Jared as soon as possible.In the ballroom, Ruen was sitting on a cushioned seat in a table that wasn’t visible to any guests.He ha
‘Ah, what perfect trap it is.’The princess expressed in her head. She pressed herself as much as she could against the edge of the seat, as much as she could away from the King.She stayed silent but tensed, her arm crossed, her chin still raised. She made quite an effort to divert her attention to the darkened scenery outside, still stubbornly acting as if she didn’t have a companion inside the carriage, but the King’s steady gaze made her feel more conscious and uneasy.Ruen was already fuming inside, but he wanted to control his temper. Anyhow, deep inside, he was pleased that she was finally with him, safe, protected, and within his reach.They had covered over twenty minutes of travel, but not even one word was released by her. Lianne indeed was trying to evade any conversation with him and she was not even giving him at least a single glance, but Ruen cared less of it.
“Why? Why didn’t you tell me the truth?” was the first thing that popped out of Lianne’s head.It had always been the question she wanted answered the moment she found out his secret.Her tears continued to stream down her face. Both of her hands balled up tightly as she banged the portal, trying to vent her frustration on the inanimate object instead of the man who was standing behind the door.Though her voice was muffled, Ruen could clearly hear the words she spat on the other side due to the intricately carved holes of the mahogany door.“Please calm down, Lianne,” he requested, genuine concern roped his voice.The latter unfortunately couldn’t calm down. Flashes of the past and the present clashed; each one like a piece of a difficult puzzle ready to be completed. Her sufferings, the smiles and tears, the hatred, the longing, and her
“You look pissed.”The hooded man expressed as he stood in the partially opened door of the stable. Half of his body was hidden under the shadows, half was seen under the moonlight. Cain was hastily walking towards the door of the stable that he didn’t notice the man already waiting for him.“You. Why are you here?” Cain asked dryly. His brows arched and his face cringed at the sight of the unwanted visitor.“I thought as much that you would come here sooner or later considering Princess Lianne’s recent leave,” was the man’s cold reply, as cold as the night air around them. A sardonic smile surfaced from his visage knowing full well Cain was in a hurry.The general lightly budged the portal to open and stepped foot inside. “I don’t have the time to talk to you right now priest, so if you could do so, please be fast.” 
“This hat would make a good choice if you want to protect yourself from the heat of the sun, my dear.”Lady Faye stated matter-of-a-factly as she raised the wide-brimmed yellow hat up with her right hand.It was early eight in the morning and both Erza and Lady Faye were helping Lianne prepare for her much anticipated first-time excursion.Lianne was sitting at a stool cushion in front of her vanity mirror while Erza was finishing a clean sideways hairdo. She was wearing a flesh-colored cocktail dress, the cloth of chiffon type. The length was just below the knee and it had an elegant beaded artwork around the waistline. She paired it with a beige sandal, a simple gemstone bracelet, and stud earrings. Overall, this was an ensemble just right for the occasion.“Ah, thank you, Lady Faye,” Lianne answered and accepted the hat from the governess.“Oh! Ho
It was late afternoon when Lianne and Ruen went out of his private cabin. When they ascended to the main deck, they saw Captain Marxe already holding two green 12-inch long candles with intricately-carved flower petals on it.“Your Majesty, you wouldn’t want to miss the festivities,” the captain proclaimed, his eyes beaming with excitement.Ruen, who was now wearing a black overcoat, accepted the candles and then slid them under his coat into a wide pocket. “Thank you, Captain,” he said.Lianne gave both of them a puzzling look. “What are the candles for?” She directed her question to the King, but he only gave her a smile.“Let’s go, Lianne. It’s almost time,” Ruen stated as he offered his hand to her, acting secretive.“Start what?” Lianne asked, but was then left in awe when she saw, from the deck, t