Chapter 1 - Stranger from Nayak
“And if there's even a chance that she can change your fate, isn't it worth the risk?" Eria's words kept on ringing in my ears as she led the way to my supposed freedom.The familiar surroundings of Ruqgu's central market looked eerily unfamiliar tonight. It was nighttime, and it had been over a month since I left the Gattar Manor. The vibrant colors and the bustling night market contrasted sharply with my somber mood. Nothing amused a woman of twenty-six without a child, nothing fascinated a lady doomed to endure her husband's abuse.I trailed behind Eria as we ventured into a darker, more sinister part of the market, where the night's offerings were far from innocent. I adjusted my hood, ensuring my disguise concealed my identity. The lady of the House of Gattar could not be seen in such a place. I wondered about Eria's intentions and hoped that this secretive meeting would prove worthwhile, despite the risk of sneaking out.My head throbbed, and a chill ran down my spine involuntarily as I contemplated the potential consequences of my husband discovering my absence. I prayed that tonight wouldn't be one of those nights when his temper flared uncontrollably.Eria led us to a dimly lit inn tucked away from the main thoroughfare. She exchanged hushed words with the man guarding the entrance, who eyed me for a moment before allowing our passage. Eria shot him a stern glare, promptly wiping the smile from his face. I didn't understand the full extent of what was transpiring, but my head throbbed, and I longed for the comfort of my own bed.Then I remembered Eria's words: a woman capable of fulfilling my dream of bearing a child was leaving Ruqgu tonight. I couldn't afford to miss this opportunity, risky as it was.Inside the inn, Eria moved with familiarity, as though she knew every nook and cranny. I furrowed my brow in confusion. When did she find time, amidst her duties as my maid and managing my business, to become so acquainted with this place?"You seem to know your way around this inn. Are you a regular?" I inquired, clearing my throat to get her attention. She halted abruptly, her head bowing slightly in a gesture of respect—something she reserved for public settings. Tonight's secrecy didn't warrant such formality."My lady, the inn is yours. It was established after the cosmetics shop became popular. Have you forgotten? You were the one who opened it and named it your 'little child,'" Eria reminded me gently. I surveyed the inn for the first time, realizing that it bore the mark of my own design.How had I forgotten such a significant part of my life? My troubles had consumed me entirely."I apologize. You know how forgetful I've become," I replied with a nod, urging her to continue. She bowed once more and resumed leading the way."It's rare for you to apologize to your servants," Eria muttered under her breath, but her words reached my ears clearly. She still viewed me as her "young miss," a role she felt duty-bound to fulfill. But to me, she was more than a servant; she was my dearest friend. Someday, I vowed to find her a loving husband.Eria led us to a simple room, the smallest I had seen so far. It lacked the extravagance of the Gattar Manor but exuded a regal elegance. Pink chiffon curtains adorned the windows, and two red knots dangled gracefully from their ends. The bed was adorned with silk sheets and intricate embroidery. Eria's meticulous care and attention to detail did not go unnoticed.On the right side of the room, two chairs faced a table stacked with books.The presence of those books intrigued me; it hinted that our guest had a penchant for reading, much like myself. While women in Nayak were denied basic education, Ruqgu encouraged its women to read and write from an early age. Women here enjoyed greater freedom—they could own businesses, reject suitors, and pursue careers in various fields, excluding the military. Despite the shared language and many cultural similarities, Nayak and Ruqgu diverged significantly in terms of women's rights and societal norms.I marveled at the books, pondering whether our visitor was indeed from Nayak or if there had been some misunderstanding. I then noticed that the room was empty, and I removed my hood, casting a puzzled glance at Eria, who responded with a reassuring smile. She gestured for me to take a seat, but my impatience surged. Time was of the essence, and I couldn't afford a leisurely introduction. My husband must not discover my absence, and I feared his wrath more than anything else.I watched as the candle on the table burned slowly, each moment ticking away, adding to my frustration.Eventually, I surrendered to the inevitable and settled into one of the chairs, exhaling deeply. I hoped that this secretive rendezvous would prove worthwhile, for I had risked everything for this opportunity.Finally, the door creaked open, revealing a woman garbed in the attire of Nayak. While Ruqgu women took pride in modesty and covered as much skin as possible, their Nayak counterparts flaunted their bodies, revealing more than we did.Although this woman appeared too mature to expose her belly button, her blouse accentuated her cleavage, and her skirt boasted a daring slit that reached just above her knees. She discarded her hood and gazed at me for a moment before tears welled up in her eyes."I'm so sorry, Miss Marilyn. I should have come sooner," she said, her voice trembling with emotion. She reached out as if to touch my face, but I shifted slightly, maintaining a cautious distance. I couldn't fathom why this stranger, upon laying eyes on me, would break into tears and beg for forgiveness.Drawing nearer, she enveloped me in a tight hug, her tears staining my clothes. I had little patience for emotional displays at this moment. My husband's wrath, if he discovered my absence, was a far greater concern than this stranger's tears."You resemble your mother greatly, Your Majesty," she declared after releasing me from her embrace. My heart skipped a beat. My mother? But how did she know my mother? My mother had passed away when I was just four years old. Why did this stranger refer to me as "Your Majesty"? Was there a queen behind me?Chapter 2 - Tangled Threads of DestinyThe woman settled into the chair opposite mine, while Eria discreetly positioned herself in a corner, out of our line of sight."My mother? And 'Your Majesty'? There are no queens here," I replied with an unintentional iciness that highlighted just how much I had changed from my former self. My tone was devoid of emotion, reflecting the inner turmoil I had endured."Yes, Lady Ruby Kali Rusé. She was best friends with my former mistress," the woman responded calmly, brushing aside my cold demeanor and disregarding my previous comments. There was a melancholic undertone to the way she mentioned my mother's name, hinting at a deeper connection between them. If she knew my mother's noble lineage despite her Nayak origins, she undoubtedly had more to reveal."I understand that you don't know me, and that's partly my fault. By the end of our conversation, you might despise me more than anything in this world. Nevertheless, I must share what I know. If
Chapter 3 - The dawn of TroubleThe night deepened, and the weight of Annalise's revelation bore down on us. She clung to my legs, her pleas relentless, her tears flowing like rivulets of desperation, and her grip a stark reminder of the gravity of her words."I'm very sorry, my lady. I should have come sooner. I should have come before your marriage," her voice trembled with regret, as if the weight of her actions pressed heavily upon her conscience.Eria, my steadfast confidant, stood nearby, her expression a conflicted blend of skepticism and concern. "Perhaps, my lady, we should consider what Annalise is saying," she suggested cautiously.But I remained resolute in my doubts, unwilling to fully embrace this fantastical tale. "You can't simply emerge from the shadows, asking me to divorce my husband over a story I can hardly believe," I retorted, my voice tinged with exasperation.Annalise, however, refused to relent. She spoke with fervor, her eyes locked onto mine, her determinati
Chapter 4 Desperate escapeImmediately I entered my Chambers, I could smell the strong stink of trouble in the air. My head pounds as I tried to calm my panicked breaths. The orb burns in my hands as if it senses my emotions. I quickly concluded in my mind that today will be the day I will leave the surface of Earth.My feet refused to move forward as I stared at his face angry face staring back at me. No, I am dead already. Without warning, tears started streaming down my eyes uncontrollably. I slipped the orb into my inner pocket as my palm became sweaty. He looked at me like he was about to kill me and I took a step backward as he stood up from the chair he was sitting on.“ Do not take another step” He said with a cold tone that sends shivers down my spine. My heart beats wildly in my chest as I stay rooted in my position. Eria gave me a sympathetic look as she knew what my next fate will be. I could also read from her eyes that she thought all of this was her fault.“ I'm sorry m
Chapter 5 - Impossible Stranger"You don't deserve to be trapped in this hell when you can be a queen in Nayak," she said, dragging me through the secret passages again. All the guards my husband stationed in front of my door were sleeping, and I knew Eria must have had something to do with it."Annalise left the inn a while ago, but you will surely catch up to her before you reach the Fluer River. I sent a message to her already," she said while opening the backdoor again. She placed my hood on my head properly, draping it over my torn clothing to keep me modest."But I'm still married to my husband," I said, but she shushed me by placing a finger on my lips."All you should focus on right now is getting out of Ruqgu before the day breaks. I already prepared a double for you, and as of tomorrow, you will be dead. You committed suicide because you couldn't take the abuse from your husband anymore," she said, and I stared at her with my mouth open in shock. What the hell?"I will do an
Chapter 6 - Queen of Nayak"What?" I almost laughed at his expression. In fact, I did laugh. He looked like nobody had ever talked back to him before in his entire life and existence. His brows scrunched up in confusion and his mouth wide open in shock made my stomach rumble in laughter. His appearance suggested he was from Nayak; only their men kept their hair as long as women."You must think everyone is lazy brats like you? Unfortunately for you, some of us are tired after a long day's journey and need to rest. I'm sorry I fell on you, and if you can't accept my apology, you can shove it down your throat the opposite way." I knew I was saying nonsense by calling him a brat. I should have just said asshole instead. Damn! It's been a while since I sassed someone out.The man stared at me as I continued to drag my heavy bag through the passageway."You? ... You," he pointed his fingers at me, as if unsure of what to say. I just ignored him and dragged my duffel bag with all my strengt
Chapter 7 - FlamingoThere was only one thought that came to my mind as I stared at his unmoving body on the floor: "I am in big trouble." My heart beat wildly in my chest, and I found my thoughts flying in different directions."Hey," I tapped him with my shaky hands, but he remained still.I knelt beside him and felt his pulse. It was weak and faint. I sighed in relief, but that didn't mean it couldn't get worse. At least he was breathing, and he didn't show other life-threatening symptoms. At this point, every part of the inn was dead silent, like a graveyard. Everyone must have been sleeping, so I couldn't ask for help.I wondered what could have happened to him, but I couldn't just sit and do nothing.I paced around the room, my brows furrowed with worry as I watched his skin grow paler with each passing second. Then, I suddenly remembered the little orb that Annalise had given me before she left Ruqgu. I didn't even know how to use it on someone. The darn thing didn't come with a
Lady Marilyn Rusè Gattar/ Queen Lyn: A barren woman who journeyed to Nayak because of an oath her mother made to the goddess. Blessed by Natalí to be the true but has so many challenges preventing her from becoming the queen.King Treven Niamh: The king of Nayak, blessed by the deity Nati with strength and the power to communicate with hornets and control them. He has been searching for his true queen secretly.Lady Meisi: The first consort of the king, She believed only she deserved to be the true queen.Lady Laila and Lady Tia: Other consorts of King Treven.Princess Cixi: King Treven's Aunt, widowed but stays in the palace with her son. She is a cunny and a meticulous woman. Annalise: The late Queen's maid and the only witness to the oath.Eria: Marilyn's best friend and handmaid.Lord Patrick Gattar: One of the seven rulers of Ruqgu. Marilyn's ex-husband who maltreated her. Valtar and Tameka: the king's trusted men. etc...
Chapter 8 - Where Is He?My head hurts as I process what he said to me. I've hidden all my scars well; no one could see them, except the ones on my face. But they could have come from elsewhere, and no one has ever suspected they're from the long-lost abuse I endured in my marriage.Maybe it was the oath he made to me that caused this, or perhaps his hallucinations are more severe than I thought. He did vow to protect me until his last breath, so maybe that's why he's acting this way. Or am I just losing my mind and overthinking this, as I often do with my stupid trait? I huffed in annoyance as I opened the door and placed the foul chamber pot in a corner near the entrance of the room. I was afraid to venture into the passageway, just in case whoever or whatever was after him caught up to him. I certainly didn't want to become the sacrificial goat.Back in the room, he had already shifted away from the mattress, with half of his body on the ground, and only his leg lazily resting on th
Epilogue..He hated everything about this little island. The people were nice and their lifestyle was peaceful and colourful. He hated the harsh sun that was always harsher to him because he was always wearing black. He wished to go back to Nayak as soon as possible and have his mother pampered with sweets from Ruqgu. In his entire seventeen years of life, he has never for once stepped out of Nayak but his father had sent him to Holcomb after his elder sister who was getting married to a nobleman from the island.He doesn't get along with Princess Aria, she was always self-centered and a little bit bitchy even though his mother warned him not to address his elder sister like that. He prefers the company of Princess Estella since they were raised together with his immediately younger sister Nabi. The three of them were like triplets. Estella is the brainy one out of them but often ignored by their father the King which makes her lack a little bit of self-esteem, she is also clumsy and
Chapter 53 Baby Nasir.A few months later.Childbirth hurts like a bitch! How I wished someone warned me. Well, they did but I couldn't imagine that it would be this worse.“Push!” The midwife encouraged me but I almost slapped her face in rage. I was doing my best, why wouldn't she see that? Will I have another child after this? Yes! But I don't want to go through this kind of pain in my life ever again. I felt like my insides were being ripped apart.“ Please a bit more Your Majesty, I can see the head of the baby,” The woman said softly, beads of sweat forming on her forehead mirroring the one on mine. I took another breath and I pushed harder with all my strength.After minutes of pushing and praying to Natalí for the thousandth time to ease me of this pain, and hours of Treven running around like a headless chicken while threatening to kill the midwives if anything happens to me. That man and his dramatics, Baby Nasir finally came to this world. Treven almost collapsed from joy
Chapter 52 Scares.“ Your majesty, I'm thinking we should make a camp here. We have been Riding non-stop and we can just continue our journey by dawn” Valtar said with a tired voice after the passed the Lu fortress and the king didn't even stop the horses.“ You all can rest here or go back to Lu Fortress, I need to get back to the capital as soon as possible. My Queen is waiting” His Majesty said grabbing the little tear orb dangling on his neck. While riding the horse forward, he already imagined how he was going to scoop his Queen in his arms and kiss the lips he missed so much.“ You need the rest also, you won't even allow us to pull out the arrows,” Valtar said but Treven continued riding without minding his only friend. He increased the pace and rode away from the whining bodyguard. He doesn't mind the pain anyway, his Queen would heal him with her gentle hands. The pain in his body was nothing compared to the pain of longing that he was feeling. He had fallen for her without
Chapter 51 His primary assignment.He took a deep breath as he stared ahead, his entire armor was covered with the blood of his enemies. Bodies were splattered around him in the most goriest way ever. Both the human bodies and the wolves, he kept Killing to return the favor of them slaughtering his soldiers. He wasn't tired even after fighting for many hours straight. The back of his armor was stabbed with many arrows, some of which penetrated his body but he barely felt any pain as he continued cutting any threatening flesh as if he was slicing butter.The warriors of Nati fought under his command, they were like demons from hell. They cannot be killed and each time the enemies used the magic of Hwaja, the warriors were not affected, they only kept on fighting under his command. Their wolves already got trapped in the ditch he had his men dug the other day, he only ever wanted to end everything and go back to his Queen. He hasn't heard anything from the hornets and it bothers him a
Chapter 50 The Other Side of Natalí.“ What do you mean you couldn't kill the Queen?!” Princess Cixi barked at the assassins in front of her. They were ten in total they bowed their head in shame. Their faces were swollen beyond recognition and part of their body was too.“ We already got rid of her bodyguards and before we knew it, some bug swarms came out of nowhere and attacked us. There were too many, we couldn't enter the chamber. By the time they were gone, the king was gone too” one of the assassins said while wincing in pain. One of them fell dead immediately followed by another until all of them died before her eyes. She couldn't believe the scene in front of her, whatever killed them was waiting for them to deliver the message to her.Her eyes became pitch black as she roared in anger. Her black veins became visible and covered one side of her face. The black mist surrounding her went crazy.“ Your Highness! The Queen is heading to the temple” Her second in command, the lady
Chapter 49 His Spirit warriors.“ Lyn was poisoned?” He banged his hands on the table at the news from the Hornet. His eyes flashed red but went back to normal immediately the Hornet flew in a circle with a loud buzz. They had made a camp at a place very close to the Silk Valley. The sun was setting already and he was getting ready to attack the Aransas fortress at dawn before the hornet flew in.“ She didn't eat the poison?” He asked and the Hornet stayed still for a while before buzzing around again. “ You stung her maid? That was reassuring at least.” He took a deep breath but his mind was already in shambles at the thought of someone attempting to kill his Queen in his absence. He knows the person, it was the same person that tried to poison him at the inn the first time he met his Queen. It was the same person that was giving the Barbarians a failed hope.The Hornet flew around for a while again with a loud buzz and Treven almost broke the table angrily. How dare that lowly piec
Chapter 48 The Lady in black.I was thoroughly angry as I made my way to the ice palace, Annalise, Eria, and other maids hot on my heels. I understand that Meisi missed her child but she was under punishment for her mistake and the ice palace is no place to raise a baby. I wore a fur jacket on my dress because the ice palace is extremely cold as I heard.The old building lived up to its name, it was really cold indeed and looked unhabitable. Only royal prisoners are kept there without warm clothes and enough meals to keep them alive. It was looking so miserable and lonely and I almost pitied Meisi.“ My beautiful baby” I heard a soft coo as we neared Meisi's room. Annalise opened the door and I stepped in immediately. Meisi was seated in an old wooden chair dressed in nothing but a cotton plain Nayak dress. The top was armless and the skirt barely reached her knees. I could only imagine how cold she must be. The baby was wrapped in a silk blanket thoroughly though so that gave me a l
Chapter 47 Missing Princess.“ Valtar” His deep voice resonates as he stares ahead of the plains surrounding Nayak's southern borders. His heavy armor glinted under the bright sunlight clearly inviting the blood of his enemies. He has grown a stubble due to days of riding forward nonstop without the normal palace grooming. Under his heavy armor was a green pendant held by a golden necklace. It represents his Queen's blessings, he misses her a lot but he is on a mission to fulfill Nati's assignment. At the thought of her, his right hand went to the necklace and he clutched the pendant for a while. It responded to him and lightened up, it didn't stir awake like it would have done under her touch but it still responded to him.“ Your majesty, The troops from Minister Li, Lord Ay, Lord Du, and General Koyam never arrived at the Lu fortress. It seems they have deserted us. We are short of close to three thousand men” Valtar reported immediately. He was also clad in heavy armor similar to
Chapter 46 Belladonna.-Cave of wondersA week later.The woman in black sat on her makeshift thrones as four masked men entered the candle-lit cave. They were part of the king's court and were supposed to meet him at the southern borders with their troops but they deserted their king under her orders.“ Greetings to my Lady. The King has almost crossed the Fleur River”. The old man among them said, raising their heads from their bow.“ He is so far away from his Queen” The woman chuckled, adjusting her hood. Her eyes and nose were covered but her mouth was exposed, and her exposed red-painted lips curled up into a smirk.“ We have withdrawn our soldiers so he is short of at least three thousand men. If the Barbarians were as strong as they claimed, they would crush the king with ease” The second minister reported, that he sounded much younger than the first man. The news pleased the lady as she kept on smiling. Her plans were going accordingly.“ But after all this, who are we goin