Seiran is walking beside Danial. She gets her long-forgotten wish to walk alone with him without any interruption of her nosy brothers, but, she is too nervous to comfortably talk with him. After the incident that happened in the past, she tried to find Danial and she even requests her father to visit Danial in the palace. But, her request is denied.
She vividly remembers the conversation she had that day with her family, about the shocking secret of Duke Knight Mansion and her identity.
"You cannot meet him, not until you are strong enough to protect him, Ran." Her mother, Lady Liliane, a woman with black, and long wavy hair, with a pair of beautiful ocean-like orbs, is gently caressing her tears-stricken cheeks. "You are his protector, his support, and his soulmate. If you showed your true self in front of other people, your enemy might know the first prince's real identity. We need to protect him in silence, not endanger him."
"But, everyone is treating him so badly, mother!" Seiran cried in the grievance. "I saw his battered and tattered body, full of bruises and injuries. He also thin."
"His stomach is still bloating though." Sean grudgingly interjected.
Seiran glared at her second brother.
"That's not his fault! That is his curse!" She yelled at him with such fiery looks in her eyes. "When the curse is lifted, I showed you guys, how handsome and mighty he can be! Don't insult my husband!"
Sean flinched when her supposed gentle younger sister is a glaring dagger at him. He timidly hid behind his other sibling.
Duke Arklight who is sipping his tea silently on the table, choked on the drink he just drank. He coughed and coughed while staring at his beloved daughter with such a disbelief expression.
"Who said that brat can marry my beautiful daughter, Seiran?! Don't call him your husband! You are not legally married yet, Ran! You're only twelve!"
"I can call him whatever I want, daddy. He is my soulmate. I will not let anyone have him. He is mine!" Seiran argued back. At a time like this, Seiran's stubbornness is visibly showing and this is one of the bad traits she inherited from her gentle-looking mother.
Lady Liliane is a noble lady from Prime Minister Household, and she is the youngest daughter of that witty and sly old fox [Duke Arklight always called his father-in-law like this]. She is usually showed a graceful and elegant bearing, however, despite her gentle personality, her stubbornness is on a different level. Not even her parent could change her mind once she made her decision.
"You're too young!" Duke Arklight slammed his ceramic cup on the table.
"Yeah, Ran!" Julian and Arthur are totally in tune with their father. "Besides, he rejected you. You shouldn't forgive him that easily!"
Once Seiran heard the word rejection, she burst into tears again.
"I hate you, brothers! I also hate you, daddy! You guys are mean! Stupid old man! Stinky! Disgusting!" Seiran said furiously. In a fit of anger, she kicked Julian's shin as hard as she can before stormed out of the living room into her own room in the upper part of the mansion.
Julian let out a miserable scream while rolling on the expensive carpet, rubbing his bruised shin.
"Oww, Ran! That's hurt!"
"Serve you right!" Seiran yelled back from upstairs. She sticks her tongue at her helpless and agonized brother on the floor.
The living room's temperature is suddenly dropped. Duke Arklight and his three sons were startled at the sudden change in their household's ambiance and unconsciously rubbed their arms to produce some heat.
"Darling?" Duke Arklight who is feeling goosebumps all over his body, timidly called his beloved wife.
Lady Liliane is sitting gracefully on the comfy chair, still with a smile plastered on her beautiful face. Although, the smile is not actually delivered a warm and gentle feeling, but, rather, an ominous one.
"Dear, didn't I had clearly reminding you to shut your mouth during my heartfelt conversation with our daughter?"
Duke Arklight gulped down his saliva. Ah, his wife did mention such a thing before this. He forgot her warning as he is feeling frustrated toward the stupid brat who dares to toy with his beloved daughter's heart. And, Seiran is also unfair as she treated her bias better than her own family.
"You...you did?"
"Tonight, you will sleep on the floor, right?" Lady Liliane said, in a more chilling voice. "Or, do you prefer to sleep in the horse barn?"
"The floor is enough, my dear." Duke Arklight immediately replied.
"Good boy." She praised him. The beautiful woman is slowly standing up and went into the kitchen. "And, my sons will help me prepared for our dinner, right?"
The three siblings answered in unison voices as the chorus of "Yes, madam!" is resounding in the living room. They exchanged miserable glances with one another before trudging slowly into the kitchen.
Mother and wife is surely a formidable and scary creature ever existed out there.
---------
"Seiran? Why are staring at my face like that?" Jae Woon waved his chubby hand in front of her.
Seiran snapped back from her reverie.
"I...I did? I'm sorry! I'm thinking about something else." She ashamedly averted her eyes as Jae Woon curiously glances at her.
"Hey, Seiran. Can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"Aren't you find me disgusting? Even I fainted when I accidentally looked at my own reflection this morning."
Seiran's mood turned gloomy. She dislikes this type of question, but, the person who asked this question is Danial himself, and she cannot lash out at him. She didn't want Danial to hate her.
"Appearance is a subjective matter, Danny." She replied in a sullen voice. "Even if you turn into a frog or a real pig, I wouldn't mind, as long as it is you."
"What? Are you serious? But, why?" Jae Woon heard an impossible thing comes out from Seiran's lips. Huh? Did the Female Lead seriously fell head over the heels with the Male Lead, despite his ugly and hideous appearance? Did the world had turned crazy?
Seiran stopped walking and turned her body to face Jae Woon. She crossed her arms while eyeing him in distaste.
"Why? I'm not looking at your appearance, silly. But, your soul. You should probably ignore those insolent people who judge others based on their outer appearance only. "
"I'm a prince without talent. I don't have any magical aptitude and I was born with this hideous face. My father hates me to the point he despises my very existence. And yet, you said you didn't care?"
"I can help you. Just let me help you! Your condition is not normal. Your body is cursed with ancient dark magic. A mishap happened during your childbirth. If not because of the late Queen Carina, you will also die that night!"
[Ting! Hidden Mission: Find out what happened during the night of Queen Carina's death. The host will be rewarded 1000 points.] Mochi's voice is ringing in his mind as the system announced the mission's notification.
"You know something, right?" Jae Woon asked.
"I will tell you everything, as long as you let me help you. Please let me help you, Danny." Seiran pleaded as she grabbed both of Jae Woon's hands and put them under her smooth forehead. Her touch is so gentle and a warm feeling is surging into Jae Woon's heart.
All of sudden, Seiran's lips landed on the knuckles of his hands, kissing them tenderly. Jae Woon felt those moist lips on his callous hands. Without him realized, his heartbeat is spiked up and his face is blushing, as red as a tomato. But, he cannot retract his hands back, as he is afraid he might accidentally hurting Seiran if he is too harsh with his action.
Then, a faint golden light glowing around them as Seiran warned him with a low voice.
"Don't move."
Jae Woon stayed rooted on the ground, as confusion and embarrassment mixing up together and almost busting out his pounding heart.
(Host, swallow this pill also.) Mochi put something inside his mouth. (This will help you. On speeding up the healing process.)
{What is this pill?} Jae Woon asked with suspicion is evident in his eyes.
(Beauty pill.) Mochi simply replied.
{What?!}
-Like the story? Don't forget to review and comment. Let me know any mistakes out there for me to improve myself. Thank you.
"Oh, My Mighty Goddess, please hear my humble prayer and help this poor soul. Lift the curse that had been bounded him and save him from this damnation cycle. May you bless his life with your grace." Seiran muttered a prayer whilst closing her eyes in concentration. A bead of sweat is rolling down from her forehead as she is using a large amount of her inner energy to conjure a high-level healing spell, to counter the ancient curse in Jae Woon's body. At the same time, Jae Woon reluctantly swallowed the pill inside his mouth. As soon as the pill is dissolved, a chain of reactions is taking place. Hazy, black smoke is seeping out from his body along with a thick, foul odor. A rotten stench is wafting in the air, that it's almost making Jae Woon vomit on the spot. He managed to hold his
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. The antique hanging watch on the wall is reverberating when the time hits ten o'clock in the morning. The ticking sound of the clock is not deafening enough, however, it's disrupted the tranquility state of the living room. Lady Liliane fiddled with her fingers. She had no qualms in continuing her silly lie to the prince. They have been sitting in the living room in silence for almost fifteen minutes. She is subconsciously holding her breath and greedily exhaled a relief sigh once she heard the sound interruption from the clock. Nevertheless, the longer the time is dragging by, the more nervous and fidgety she felt about the situation on her hands. She apprehensively glances at the handsome male in front of her. "What will you do aft
Seiran opened her heavy eyelids. She is stretching out on her big bed like a lazy domesticated Persian cat. Her watery eyes swept around her surroundings in wonder. Seiran no longer felt lethargic and her inner energy and magic power already rekindled to their maximum state. Although right now, she is yearning for the comfortable and cozy feeling of Danial's embrace. The familiar setting of her own room and the homely vibe she is experiencing proved that she is back in her own haven. Ah, this is my room. Seiran dazedly contemplated this in the back of her mind. Did Danial bring her home? Seiran covered her blushing face with her palms as she remembers Danial's handsome and stunning appearance. His dazzling, and enthralling
Liliane finally calmed down. She released a relieved breath. Her shoulders shagged down a lot and she suddenly felt exhausted with all this secret she is keeping. Her daughter, Seiran keeps asking about her condition, which she assured her multiple times already, that she is okay and nothing is wrong with her. Liliane curled her lips into a smile. As soon as Seiran confirmed her mother's well-being, she turned her body around and face Danial. Danial flinched as he saw the fury in her almond-like eyes. Her eyes are burning with fire. Both of her hands are on her waist, while she is throwing an accusatory look toward the prince. The prince, however, just lifted his hands in mock surrender and give her his best puppy eyes and innocent look. Seiran's tense shoulders visibly relaxed. Her eyes soften at the pitiful expr
"Queen Carina's death is not accidental nor a coincident. Her death is a joyous event for Maverick. He, for so long had set to take Carina's life. No. not her life, but, Goddess Athena's descendant's life." Liliane lifted her head, and her hooded eyes come in contact with Jae Woon's surprised look and Seiran's disbelief expression."Goddess Athena's descendant? You mean Danial is...?" Seiran almost choked on her biscuit when she heard the shocking news from her mother. "I thought, the story about Goddess Athena is only a myth. a legend of our empire, being passed down from one descendant to another for learning purposes?"" You should probably aware, legend also had a solid background story behind them, Ran," Liliane responded. "The story is passed down from one generation to another generation because they ho
Deep in the dark, thick forest, there stood a shaded and mossy building, fenced with heavy black gates. The exterior looked abandoned and lonely. Inside the enormous place, it's held only a few essential pieces of furniture such as a deep red comfy couch, a round table made up of fragile glass, and two wooden chairs at either side of the table. The dimmed place is being lit up by several torches on the walls. The mansion is desolate from any human being. There is one lonely figure sitting on the couch. The man is staring outside of the balcony, with his sword-like brows furrowed in rage. The man has tousled, long black hair surpassing his broad shoulder and a pair of piercing scarlet eyes. His moist lips tugged into a sinister smile as he is remembering something funny from the past. He had a fit and muscular stature, despite wearing a large cloak around his body. His long and slender legs are crossed lazily on the couch, with his arms is resting on the couch handle. He
The big torrent of fire soared high to the starless night sky, brutally swallowing everything on its path. Thick dust and hazy smoke ran rampant upon the street. Civilians are running away in fear, begging and pleading for anyone to help them. The cries of grievance echoing from all directions. The sight is too gruesome. Burned and charred remains, limbless bodies, and decapitated corpses are scattered on the ground. Hell has broken loose. The once beautiful Grandia has no longer existed. This is a pure catastrophe. Liliane cast a spell on the ghouls that chasing after a group of children. Her ice attack swiftly pierced those monsters in one deadly attack. Deafening screams from those ghouls reverberating in the air, before silence finally ensued. "Are you guys okay?" She worriedly ask
Recap of the previous chapter. Hell had broken loose in the Grandia Kingdom. Those malevolent creatures from the underworld under the command of Maverick had attacked and slaughtered the civilian in just one deadly night. Rather than slaughter or mass murder, it was more fitted to call these tragedies a total human annihilation. ----------- Maverick threw a disgusted look on the other twin, who is staring at him from the big bed, warped in a blanket. The older twin never once cried. Instead, his brown doe eyes curiously scanning the man in front of him. As if he is etching Maverick's profile deep into his brain. The older twin had the same hair color as his mother, the color of untainted snow. The one who inherited Athena's blood can be identified through their hair. Which explained Maverick's intense hatred towards him. As expected, this boy is his enemy that needs to be pulverized before he reaches adulthood. He needs to k
The silence was unsettling. From a distance, someone can even hear the sound of dropping a pin onto the floor.The Bronze Pavilion became eerily quiet despite the palace crowding with people. The sudden drop in temperature, the unexpected coldness that froze out everything in its path, and the heavy pressure of tremendous Mana shrouded the place, all of this happened due to one person.The culprit who caused such disturbance casually leaned his body on the wall with his arms propped on the handrails. He looked at the kneeling humans, and some even groveling on the floor. Those people got denied the right to raise their heads by the oppressive force radiating from Danial's body. The piles of humans scattering before him kept groaning and whimpering in pain. They begged with their heads on the floor for the prince to let them off the hook.Danial said nothing. He neither felt pleasure nor guilty witnessing this scene.Instead, the brown pupils kept glowing, and the pair of irises turned
It took a whole hour for the chaotic situation from before to calm down completely. The injured were sent to the hospital while Princess Natasha refused her maid's help and threw an unwarranted tantrum.She kept yelling and unreasonably lashed her anger toward the innocent maid and blamed everything on her.With her mess-up appearance, she looked like a deranged person. Her beet-red face turned several times darker when her eyes which drifted towards Danial, had unfortunately aligned with his line of sight.She felt embarrassed, and she had never thought of such a humiliating situation occurring to her upon encountering this handsome stranger.Danial tilted his head and chuckled humorously. He seemed to laugh at her miserable condition.Natasha felt a pang of sadness inside her heart, albeit the giddy feeling overwhelmed her more. That by any means, the handsome stranger had noticed her presence. He would recall her face every tim
Present time.Sofia changed her outfit into a presentable one.She is completely engrossed in her gardening duty and often neglects her appearance. At the very least, when seeing Danial, she must look outwardly alright, or he might think of her as a gardener pretending to be a palace concubine.After a while, she rushed towards the Prince Pavilion, leaving behind her palace maids.She needed to deliver the thing that Carina entrusted to her. There was no way she would keep quiet any longer. Keeping a secret is a hassle and cumbersome thing. For eighteen years, she had a restless sleep and often had insomnia.That woman had not only burdened her with an unbelievable request. She also insisted on her telling him the truth. And, despite the unwillingness to do what she instructed, Sofia decided to confide everything to Danial, letting him determine his own fate.She had a feeling that Danial knew what Carina was hiding from the rest of th
"I said that my time has come." Carina calmly repeated the words. She lifted her hands, making the quote and unquoted gestures. "The ending of my life is just around the corner." A bolt of thunder seemed to strike Sofia as she stared unbelievably at Carina. She was speechless at her revelation. Did she mishear it? Seeing Sofia's dumbfounded face, Carina patted her cheek to make her soul come back to reality. "What? Could you repeat it?" Sofia blinked her eyes, her head tilted awkwardly as her round eyes stared at Carina in disbelief. She could barely hold back the snort that bubbled at the back of her throat. "I seemed to mishear your words?"
Eighteen years ago. Two months before the tragedy happened. In the Imperial Garden, during the night. The Imperial Garden brimmed with the vitality of nature, as lush of greenness spread as far as eyes could see. Colorful flowers and plants bloomed and flourished, creating a breathtaking scene under the serenity of the night. On this night, all the living beings in the garden were very energetic with the additional help of Carina's light magic. The plants energized and exuded more fragrances, filling the air with crisp and mellow scents. Carina was not alone. The small animals willingly participate, hurdled together in an inconspicuous corner, some well-hidden and some were not, accompanying her. Their appearances add layers of
Shadow Guard number six, whose name is akin to the master of infiltration, Wind Master. His nickname is Sixth. He served the Emperor as his personal bodyguard, alongside their leader, Master Art. Sixth's duty alleviated to be the Imperial Prince's bodyguard as soon as the young prince learned to walk by himself. His coworkers teased him that the Emperor was angry with him and demoted his rank to supervise the hated and ill-bringer prince, The First Prince, Prince Danial. Initially, he also thought so. The Emperor loathed his son and unceremoniously abandoned him to the farthest place within the palace. The palace was the Cold Palace. The young prince at that time was only five years old. He knew nothing and was still green about everything, especially
Danial entered his pavilion. He casually surveyed his surrounding with an expressionless face. He strode along the magnificent hallways with the shadow guard trailed behind him. The whole place seemed to paint in white. Only the curtains, the ornaments, and decorations were in different colors. The floor beneath is made of glossy wood. The surface seemed translucent and glistened when the light reflected on them. When you stepped on them, the footstep reverberated across the peaceful residential palace. In the center, there is a pond with a beautiful fountain. The Kois swam with great vitality, splashing the water around and sometimes creating waves after waves. The pond separated the palace into two parts and sturdy black fences barricaded around it. To the left side, you will reach the Prince's residence. And, to the right side, you will be entering the princesses'. At this time
Danial arrived at the outskirt of the Main City when the sun had spread its comfortable and soothing light on the boundless horizon. He left The Knight Residence when the dawn itself was welcomed by the world. The bright sunshine shone above him with its warm light. The sky is clear, and the weather for today is as spectacular as yesterday. The beautiful ambiance is befitting for anyone to take a stroll with family or friends, leisurely spending time together. Danial strode over the bridge, walking in a steady gait while evading the rush of upcoming carriage from his front. The luxurious carriage bypassed him in a flash, and he managed to catch a glimpse of a slender hand that lifted the white curtain. The long, golden hair shimmered under the sun as a head peeked outside the carriage's window. Danial scrunched his nose, left in a daze and astounded. The remaining nostalgia feeling of the good old days hit him on t
The rest of the family forced themselves to enter their rooms under the warning glare of Seiran. Although unwilling, the sibling reluctantly dragged their feet upstairs and obediently locked their doors, including Duke Arklight. The man was forcibly half-dragged and half-walked by his wife. Lady Liliane finally lost her temper and pulled her husband's right ear. She glowered, expressing her fatigues and sleepiness, and Duke Arklight relented. He kept sending a fierce glare towards Danial, who politely nodded his head in response. Duke Arklight felt that his vein was throbbing as he was infuriated by Danial's reaction. Before he could say anything, Liliane drilled both of her knuckles on her husband's temples. "Mercy! Darling, it hurts!" He wailed.