Ch.1: Princess Luna

A pair of dainty feet stood on the cold tile floor. Fingers nervously fiddled with the edge of the sweater. Luna flinched when the man's booming voice, who sat up high with the rest of the council members, loudly called out her name. Slowly raising her head, Luna met their stares and felt like she was being stabbed a million times over from the piercing, disapproving glares they threw at her.

The knots in her stomach caused her to feel nothing but pain that she wished would stop. Eyes void of emotion, Luna looked towards the painted-glass ceiling above. Ignoring her mother arguing with one of the council members, Luna asked herself,

'How did it come to this?'

'To answer this question, let me first rewind to about a week ago'.

'When my life was perfect...'

'Just before the nightmare descended...'

'...and changed everything'.

In one of the many rooms located inside the grand palace of Lunaris, an older woman in a flashy pink suit, holding a ruler, was discussing the history of the planet. "Lunaris is one of the many realms that exist within the Starry Galaxy that holds significant influence. A realm that, despite its dark skies, is illuminated with hundreds of stars. A magical and enchanting realm where the citizens have lived in peace for the last decade. A peace which is thanks to Lunaris' extensive line of successful and mighty rulers," her stern voice explained, shoulders straight, arms folded behind her back which was facing her student.

"Lunaris' current ruler is an awe-inspiring man who, during his youth as a prized warrior, once went by the name, George the Titan Slayer. He earned this title when a group of aggressive and violent creatures called Titans once tried to invade Lunaris but were thwarted and slain in battle by a group of elite warriors led by Lunaris' current ruler. This great victory spread his name throughout the galaxy as his triumph of fame only increased once he inherited the throne. People call him a righteous and selfless leader, as he implemented new laws and trades solely for the welfare and peace of his people," the woman continued to explain, slowly turning around to rest her eyes on her student.

"Traits which the citizens of Lunaris hope are passed down to the next successor." However, the sight she saw caused her left eyebrow to twitch with great annoyance. 

This last line was hinted towards the young girl, who was at the prime of entering adult age, despite her looks that suggested otherwise. Laid with her head pressed against the desk, the princess was asleep with drool running down the edge of her mouth. Music blared from the pink earbuds placed in her ears.

Such a sight angered the woman. Clenching the ruler in her hand, she walked over to the girl and slammed the ruler on the desk. The sound was so loud that it bounced and echoed across the room, instantly waking the girl from her dream. Her large eyes, a mixture of purple and gold, widened like saucers. Pink round glasses hung crookedly off her face as she whipped her head from side to side.

"Who? What? Where?!" she exclaimed, only to shrink away like a frightened bunny from the seething fury of flames rolling off the woman, who just so happened to be her royal tutor.

"Princess Luna, how many times are you going to fall asleep?! You're a young adult now, the successor to your father's throne, and it's time for you to start preparing and taking your royal duties seriously!" angrily yelled the Royal Tutor. With her hair pulled back into a tight bun, Luna could visibly see the angry veins sticking out on her forehead. The woman's voice was so loud that Luna almost fell out of her seat as her eardrums were about to burst.

Luckily, Luna was used to the Royal Tutor always ranting at her for falling asleep in her class. Luna knew she was at fault but couldn't help but find all her lessons concerning governing and going into battle boring. Besides, it wasn't like her dad was pushing for her to learn these lessons. If anyone was pushing her, it was her older cousin, Lunaris' Royal Advisor, Mika. "I'm here to retrieve the princess from her royal lessons." 

Speaking of the devil, Luna saw a woman with creamy brown skin enter the study room. Her silk white ruffle blouse and short black pencil skirt outlined her hourglass figure. She was the very same woman who many, other than in appearance, compared Luna too.

They said things like how she should be as smart and outstanding as Mika, a respected and intelligent woman, who graduated from Starlight University at the top of her class despite her young age. Even before she was appointed as the youngest Royal Advisor, the number of deeds she had piled up behind her name caught many people's attention. 

They did nothing but sing praises about Mika, but the looks they gave Luna were nothing but disappointment. They saw her as nothing but a failure who could not uphold the honor of Lunaris.

Mika tucked a long strand of glossy lavender hair that fell down her shoulder-blades behind her ear. It was no wonder that whenever Mika entered the room, every eligible bachelor there would stop to stare at her. Whereas people tended to mistake Luna for a child, which she blamed on her babyish round face and short height that marked her just over five feet.

'Tch, I didn't ask to be short,' mentally grumbled Luna, watching as her Royal Tutor, Ms. Catherine, rushed to Mika's side.

"Mika, my dear, I honestly don't know what to do concerning the princess! She is always ignoring my lessons and refuses to pay attention to them! That's it! If she doesn't take her lessons seriously, then I quit!" Both Luna and Mika watched as the Royal Tutor angrily packed her bags after making her demands and marched out the door.

Luna was not brave enough to meet her older cousin's disappointed gaze with the Royal Tutor now gone. Mika had known her younger cousin long enough to know that any words she could say would not help the situation. Besides, this was not their first time going through this as the woman who just left was Luna's third Royal Tutor. The other two had given up on the princess and turned in their resignation letters.

"Head to your chambers. The Royal Designer should be meeting with you shortly," Mika coolly told her younger cousin, who only felt more guilty with Mika not calling her out on her faults. The shame of not living up to her older cousin's expectations ate away at her stomach. Luna didn't mean to fall asleep and knew there were duties she must learn as a royal, but she never wanted to learn those things.

Luna was fine with just shutting herself in her room, reading romance books, listening to music, watching dramas, just as she had been doing for the last six years since she left her mother's realm and came to live with her father.

Eyes downcast, Luna timidly asked, "Why is the Royal Designer meeting with me?"

"Haven't you realized the Festival of Serenity, for Lunaris' first ruler and Great Star Divinus of the Moon, is celebrated once a year on the same date as tomorrow? Don't tell me you've been held up in your room all this time and didn't realize how busy the palace has been these last couple of days?"

Such accusations stabbed Luna's conscience because, sadly, it was the truth. For these last couple of days, a new romance book dealing with a reincarnated princess betrayed by her fiancée absorbed her attention. The plot was so captivating that ever since Luna picked it up, she hadn't been able to put it down, not even to sleep.

Finally having reached the climax earlier today, Luna was just about to turn the next page when Sophie, one of the maids assigned to her room, came and dragged her out. Only to drop her off in the study room where the Royal Tutor was impatiently tapping her foot while waiting for her. The woman did not seem happy that Luna was a half-hour late to her lessons and sent a few scolding words her way.

Reading the look on her younger cousin's face, Mika sighed and shook her head. "Look, I know you detest your royal duties, but pay attention to what is happening around you. Remember, ignorance can easily become a double-edged sword," Mika advised Luna before leaving the room.

On the way back to her chamber, Luna pondered on the last sentence Mika said to her. She was aware that her cousin meant well, but why use the phrase, 'ignorance can quickly become a double-edged sword'? It wasn't like anything vital was going to happen soon. For all Luna knew, nothing was going to interrupt her peaceful life.