The envoy to the palace was somber. Dark clouds dimmed the night sky, obstructing the stars from being viewed, the full moon peeking through the heavy clouds. The carriage did not feel like it was carrying only one Princess. It was as heavy as carrying a catastrophe to come. My hands were fisted inside. My jaw would clench and unclench. My eyes never ran out of fresh tears.I have been betrayed. By the only man I ever loved.I have been wronged. By the cruel fate that tied Deyanira and I’s life together.I have been misled. I regret not spending more time with my sister all these years.There couldn’t be a being more foolish than I at this very moment.The night deepened, but I could not find it in me to rest. My shoulders were up and guarded, my breathing tense. I sensed something will happen. And a few moments later, deep into the forest, I caught a whiff of multiple strong, bloodstained scents. Scents that smelled like danger.There was rattling and suddenly, a ruckus. Blades were
Furious is an understatement to describe Lord Ren de Bach’s mood today.After his dozen squad of elite trolls vanished with one survivor, he realized he lost significant military power. Losing them was never part of the plan, after all. The message that the surviving troll relayed is hair-raising. A Princess as an annihilator? One does not hear that every day.The other Lords were sent a missive to come quickly, for a sudden threat had appeared that may significantly affect their course of action. And when Lord de Bach explained it to the other men, they agreed. Things will inevitably change. Because…“There is a new variable in the game.” Lord Stuart from the House of Sorcery spoke calmly, his demeanor unfazed but his eyes shimmer with amusement. “A new chess piece. A new player in the mix.”This is becoming interesting. Princess Akira disappears as a human but a fortnight later—she reappears as a powerful being of questionable origins. How bizarre. His wife, Clara, has introduced Ak
“What are you thinking about?”His voice pulled me back to reality as I drowned in my thoughts. We were seated in the gazebo, a day after we arrived in the palace. I am still yet to know why he came with me. It seemed he secretly follow our envoy and only appeared when we were ambushed. I stared at him, attempting to decipher his thoughts, but he was almost impossible to read. He looks easy at first, but he actually has a thick and tall wall built around him. And being easygoing and simpleminded was his façade.He smirks, noticing my stare. “A meek, pathetic girl stares at me and I can see that vicious little mind working through your eyes.”“Do you know what I came here for? Why did you follow me?”“Why, did you want me to stay there? I am an exile. Even stepping foot sentences me to death in there.”“I know you have plenty of other places you can go to.”His smirk widened. “Why would I, when all the fun will be here?”He’s talking about the uprising. It is a brewing war between the
“Akira?” The King tilts his head.He’d never pondered about the possibility of Akira being his successor. For one, she was incompetent. She never preferred the spotlight, so she was always in the background, thus earning her the moniker ‘Wallflower Princess’. And he never saw her pick up a sword, only books. Yes, she was smart. But that was all, as far as he knew.But he does not particularly favor her nowadays, with all the trouble her marriage brought. Why her, so suddenly? “Yes, Father,” Aesira affirms. These two had a determined expression as if they had put all trust in their sister.“Akira has changed. We met her again when she returned yesterday, and we felt it. She is now a different person.” “Hmmm…”King Macmillan brushed his beard, pondering deeply. “But her husband killed the Crown Princess. That is treason, no matter how we put it, and we shall punish them accordingly. Akira is not excused from the punishment.” The two Princesses heave a deep breath. “We know it’ll be
“I must go.” Flavian met Phaedra’s solemn gaze as she broke the news. “Pantheia is…” she trails off with a sigh and shakes her head.“I must return to the coven.”“I understand,” he replied, although reluctantly. “This is not a safe place for you, now more than ever. We will be participating in the war. It is much safer for you to stay in the coven. . .far from all the discord.”And far from him too. He looked away from her and controlled himself by not uttering another word until she left his office. Her shoulders drooped as she went. He followed her back and stared…watched as she walked away. His pillar, the only one keeping him on his feet. His oxygen, the only air he’d breathe to live. Walking out of his life again, with no certainty of return. This was goodbye. Again. That night, Flavian could not bear to see her off. He remained in his office, not moving an inch. His back leaned on the settee’s legs as he sat on the carpet, his hand resting over his raised right leg. His eyes
The palace walls were cold. Not merely because they were anticipating an attack, but because they were also in the middle of a war—a civil war. Among the Princesses. The entire palace is aware of the competition between Princesses Akira and Clara over the throne. For the past few weeks, they have been constantly one-upping each other in hopes of becoming the next crown princess. They are currently at a stalemate, and the entire palace waits anxiously for what will happen next.They started their own war within the palace walls.Clara and Akira are fairly even in all aspects. Elegance, class, intelligence, brilliance—everywhere. Even the King is visibly having a hard time choosing from both of them. Hence, four weeks after Deyanira’s death, the crown heiress chair remains vacant. The older sister, Clara, looked out her chamber’s window as she puffed a lungful from the tobacco pipe, clad in her thin robe while drowning in her thoughts. She’s determined to outperform Akira, regardless of
Fenrir may not seem like it, but he is a man with many connections. When I asked him how he knew about this immortal, Xiao, he said he met travelers of the northern mountains who met the man and shared his story. It seems he was not as famous as she thought for someone as old as Fossil because he chose to live in the mountains, peacefully isolated from the rest of the world. I knew he must have one fascinating story, but I kept my questions to myself until I personally met the man.It’s really not every day one would come to find a few centuries-old immortals in the mountains.This journey alone excites me which leads me to forget the reason why I was going on this adventure in the first place.While I packed with excited hands, one of my lady’s maids came inside with quick and urgent footsteps. She leans in to whisper, “It seems Princess Clara is also leaving today, Princess.”I shoot her a curious glance. “Truly? Do you know where she’s headed?”The woman nods. “I heard from one of
We trekked the mountain the whole day. Though we had to take a few stops to eat and for me to rest my legs, we eventually reached what Fenrir called Xiao’s territory in the mountain range. It was by a valley, with a frozen lake and a small cabin with a busy chimney. It was on the complete opposite path from our cabin.Nevertheless, the scenery almost looks the same. All the same white snow on top of the pine trees, the long frozen lake that runs along the mountain range’s valleys, and the never-ending fog due to the cold.“He must be awake, guessing his chimney is busy with all the smoke.”My companion shrugs and huffs out a large puff of air. His nose and cheeks are tinged with pink, the color all the more vivid with his pale face. I wanted to laugh at his appearance, but I knew I did not look any better. My fingers are numb and my nose is no longer functioning properly. I had been breathing through my mouth for quite a while.“Let’s see,” he says and trudges closer to the cabin. “I