In the darkness of the hallway, a beautiful, unconscious girl occupied a room within the Royal Castle. Laying on the king-sized bed, she hasn't lifted a finger for days, yet her dishevelled appearance couldn't hide her captivating looks. Her smooth skin was pale, her rosy lips were dry, and it seemed as if she was starved for years for the days she was paralysed.
That lady's identity was Elaine Louise Gustova, the only and youngest daughter of Duke Gustova, Leonard Depracio Gustova. Mother of three, Duke Gustova's wife is the younger sister of the current Duke of Lanford, Stephanie Vulient Lanford-Gustova.
Rumours have it that Elaine Louise Gustova was spoiled by her parents ever since she was a child, resulting in her rude behaviour towards people. The commoners and nobles widely knew her 'reputation'. Many do not dare to anger the young Lady of the Gustova Dukedom as she was said to have a short temper. However, since High Society highly respected the Gustova Duchy, people tried to approach Elaine and her two older brothers, men or women.
On a designated date, news of the engagement between the Royal Family and the Gustova Dukedom spread across the Kingdom. It would only take a few weeks for the whole continent to hear of this news. The friendship between Duke Gustova and the King of Athelis made the engagement between Elaine Louise Gustova and Prince Lucas Rovét Ascania possible.
'Obtaining whatever she wants every single time, Lady Elaine became too greedy and wanted to capture the heart of one of the Princes of Athelis, Prince Lucas Rovét Ascania.' People whispered with ill intent after this piece of information was released.
In reality, however, it was just an innocent girl's first love. But, unfortunately, the Prince caught wind of the rumours spreading about Lady Elaine, leaving his first impression of her unfavourable.
Rumours say that Prince Lucas never held any feelings of affection for his fiancé. On the contrary, he cares so much for another lady friend who was even called his childhood sweetheart. That lady was Sophia Tiara Rosdell, the daughter of Count Rosdell.
'Lady Elaine was blinded by jealousy and ended up in a life-threatening accident. She was having a horse-riding competition with Lady Sophia to see who was better between the two. Truly, a petty action with no meaning.' Students of the academy talked behind the victim's back.
Lady Elaine did fall off her horse accidentally. She hit her head on a massive rock by the side of the path she was taking, leaving her unconscious for days and now, she is in a deep sleep in a bed-chamber of the Royal Palace. Luckily, her neck didn't break.
An investigation was never held as they shrugged it off as an unfortunate accident. However, they did kill the innocent horse that caused it.
The door to where Lady Elaine slept creaked open, and two maids with a candle entered silently and approached her bed, checking her condition as well.
"She's been like this for two weeks." One of the maids whispered.
"She hasn't eaten anything for fourteen days. It wouldn't be shocking if she took her last breath now." The other maid said.
They placed the candle on Lady Elaine's nightstand and did their tasks. Every night, the higher-ups told them to wipe her body and change her clothes. After cleaning her up swiftly, they took the candle and went out of the room.
Minutes after the two maids left, Lady Elaine's bright blue eyes fluttered open. At that moment, all she could see was darkness. She felt numb from head to toe, but her left index finger twitched a few moments later. After that, the young lady's eyes adjusted to the dark, and finally, she could freely move her body. The first thing the patient did was sit up straight, her blonde hair—tangled and messy.
'Where am I?' She thought. 'What happened?'
Elaine brought her legs to the side of the bed and let her feet touch the cold floor slowly. She tried to stand up, but her legs gave out due to her lying on the bed for too long. Lady Elaine tilted her head in confusion and tried standing up again, her legs shaking at the same time. Finally, her strength returned, and she took tiny steps towards whatever attracted her eyes.
The window.
Lady Elaine uncovered the white curtains and gasped at the beautiful sight beyond the glass. The gardeners decorated the green trees, bushes and colourful flowers with fairy lights activated by magic. In the centre of it all was a fountain that sprouted clear blue water. Although it was a typical fountain, it was what attracted the lady's interest even more.
The young lady opened the window as silently as she could, and whenever the window creaked, she would flinch and hold her breath. Finally, after the gap was big enough for her to exit, she lifted her right leg first and let it cross over to the other side. Then, she lowered her head and let the rest of her body cross over. When her bare feet touched the fresh grass, she flinched at the unfamiliar, prickly sensation. However, soon, she felt comfortable and accessible. Without closing the window, the noble lady walked towards the fountain and sat by it.
"...." She stared blankly at her reflection on the water, then placed her hand in and let it get soaked, causing a ripple to occur. Lady Elaine sighed and smiled at her thoughts sadly. Then, without a word, she stood and left the fountain silently, walking to wherever her feet would take her.
----
"The Second Prince would like to have a private audience with Your Majesty." The King's aide entered the King of Athelis' office.
"At this hour?" The King raised his wrinkled eyebrow. "Let him in."
"Greetings, Father." Prince Lucas lowered his head as he entered his father's office.
"Good evening to you too, Lucas." His Majesty relaxed against his seat as his son walked towards him.
"What is the matter?"
"..." The Prince stayed silent and sat across from his father. "Regarding my and Lady Elaine's issue, is this not the perfect timing to sever my ties with her?"
The King's golden eyes stared into his son's. "Are you not able to bring yourself to, at the very least, befriend the daughter of the Gustova Duchy since your engagement two years ago?"
"...Lady Elaine is an arrogant, rude and immature person." The Prince stated, hesitating before he answered his father. "I can never see a person like that as a potential partner. Forgive me, Father, but I believe she is not fit to be a candidate for the Queen position."
"And who would be the perfect Queen candidate?" The King scoffed at his son's opinion, brushing his greying hair through his fingers.
"..." The Prince stayed silent at his remark.
However, the door to the King's office swung open with a loud bang, disturbing their serious conversation. The King's aide breathed heavily as he entered the office unannounced.
"Forgive me for my rudeness, Your Majesty," The King's aide apologised for the disturbance, "but Lady Elaine has gone missing."
The King and the Prince widened their eyes and immediately ordered for a search party in panic. If anything were to happen to the young lady, it would be the Royal Family's responsibility as they insisted on taking her under their wing. While the Royal Palace and the Gustova Household flustered over her disappearance, Lady Elaine was peacefully walking in the Royal Palace's garden maze.
After making turns and reaching dead ends multiple times, the sickly lady felt excited when she saw a wooden door in the maze. Due to her curiosity, Lady Elaine opened the door, entering a space covered by a wall of bushes.
'A pure and innocent human....'
'Only pure and innocent...'
'Human girl....'
Elaine could hear whispers after taking a step in the private space. Upon entering, the wooden door slammed by itself, shutting her in. The young girl looked at the door blankly. Then, suddenly, a tree revealed itself out of thin air, its leaves glittering gold. Her eyes sparkled at the dazzling sight. It was like nothing anyone had ever seen before, and, like a magnet attracting iron, she approached it at her own will.
The lady touched the trunk of the tree and felt shivers running through her spine. Then, without her noticing, a single drop of tear unconsciously spilled from her left eye. Shocked and confused, Lady Elaine wiped the tear and stared at her hand. "...Why?" She looked up at the glowing leaves, a hint of confusion still in her eyes. The golden tree hummed.
Although she dropped a tear, the young lady felt comfortable when she was in contact with it and decided to spend some more time with the tree, even in silence. She sat by the tree and relaxed against it, her hands touching the ground. The tree hummed again from her tiny movements, and its glowing light became dimmer as if saying it was also comfortable to be with the human girl.
'She's the one.'
'She's the one.'
'The one.'
'...Place your hand on the roots.' Lady Elaine heard a soothing voice in her head. She didn't question the voice's instructions and followed its command, placing her left hand on the tree's roots. Then, strings of gold seeping out from it started getting absorbed by her fingers. She lifted her left hand curiously, the golden lines still connected and intact.
"Beautiful..." The human girl murmured. After two minutes or so, the golden strings were entirely absorbed by her fingers, causing her eyes to glint golden for a second. At that moment, the leaves on the trees began to fall off their branches and disappeared without a trace when they touched the ground. The tree vanished from sight, ceasing to exist any longer.
"..." The lady's upper body dropped as soon as the tree was gone, and she was now laying on the ground, her face looking so innocent. The warm and tingly sensation coursing throughout her entire body brought a tiny smile to her pale face.
"Search the maze!" A voice filled with authority boomed from afar. Surprised at the sudden rustling noise nearing, she sat up and looked around, alarmed.
Bang. The wooden door slammed open, revealing a man who was breathing heavily.
Lady Elaine's eyes looked puzzled as she stared at the stranger. A man whose eyes were shining gold pierced fiercely through her bright blue ones. His tall and well-built figure shadowed over her tiny body, and his dark-coloured hair became a mess after running his hand through it multiple times.
"You never seem to stop causing trouble for everyone." The man spits out, making her flinch. Just the sight of his cold eyes made the girl uncomfortable.
"Running away with only a sleeping gown." The man continued in a harsh tone, attempting to grab her wrist. "When will you stop being shameless?"
When the man's skin touched hers, it felt as if lightning struck, causing Lady Elaine to drop unconscious. However, before his fiancée would fall to the ground, he caught her in his arms immediately.
"What--?" His eyes were filled with confusion as he scanned her.
At that exact moment, someone in another part of the world sensed the presence of the familiar mana. "—Finally, you have revived."
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