Seal was amazed by how Pierce tricked the guards. By telling them that Prince Landon is looking for the knights, the guards eventually followed the head of the knights. Pierce is holding Seal's hand as they run through corridors to the place that Pierce is talking about.
They stopped by the corner to catch their breath. Seal laughed at the thought that they escaped from the guards. She's been always an obedient girl and escaping from the guards make her feel like she's free. She likes the feeling of being bad for a moment.
Seal stopped laughing when she realized that Pierce is looking at her. She smiled at the prince and focused her eyes at the surroundings. Little did she know, that simple smile caused the prince's cheeks to blush.
'She's different from her. How could he?' Pierce thought.
"So... Where is this place again?" Seal asked and looked at Pierce who came back to his senses.
"Just around here," Pierce said and started walking towards the other hall.
Seal followed the prince. They keep on walking until the hall is filled with vines and strange wall-crawling flowers. Some of the leaves hang on the ceiling. The hallway looks so dark yet beautiful. Then an old oak double door placed at the end of the hall.
Pierce got a golden key in his pocket and used it to unlock the door. And the next thing that Seal knew, she almost got blind by the beauty of the place.
It's more beautiful than Kane's garden. Seal can't believe that there is such a place inside the palace. There are plants and animals wondering at the fresh green grass. There are wild flowers planted in the ground. Few trees are standing strong but one caught her attention.
At the middle of the place, there is a tree planted in the center of a small pond. The roots of the tree are covered with different varieties of flowers. And that's the only part of the place that is exposed to the sunlight making it's leaves sparkle like beautiful emeralds.
Seal focused her eyes on the tree and she realized that it's not just the leaves that sparkle against the sun. There are real emeralds in the tree.
"Woah..." That's the first word that came out from her lips.
'Why are there strange plants in this place? If I could go back to the human world, I will get some seeds of this moneya-bearing plant.' Seal planned in her mind.
"It's beautiful," Seal finally find some words to describe the place.
"Indeed," Pierce replied but his eyes are not on the scenery but on the girl bedside him.
Seal took a step towards the Emerald Tree but before she can be exposed to the sunlight, she backed away.
"Why?" Pierce asked.
"Am I going to burn because of sunlight?" Seal asked without looking at his eyes. She may be asking him a dumb question. She still believed that when vampires are exposed in the sun, they die. Pierce chuckled making Seal looked at him.
"Nope. Vampires don't get burnt by the sun. But our skin shines when struck by the sunlight. And we can't look directly at the sunlight because this can blind our eyes," Pierce said.
Seal's face lit up. All this time, she thought that she will be burnt if ever she went outside. She took a step out of the shade and the sunlight made her skin shine like a diamond. She took a step again exposing her whole body on the light.
She closed her eyes and feel the warmth of the sun in her cold body. Then a shadow blocked her way which made her look at the body of Pierce shining against the sun.
'Pierce is beautiful.' His black hair contrast his white skin. Among the Song princes, he got the features of the queen, he is also princely with his brown eyes. But he got his mysterious attitude from his father.
"Am I really that handsome?" Pierce suddenly asked making Seal go back to her senses. Pierce laughed at the cute expression of Seal.
"Now tell me. Who's more charming between me and fourth brother?" Pierce asked.
Seal's cheeks reddened at the thought of Ocean being charming. Ocean has soft features but mainly because of his eyes, he looks seductive. He has plump lips and cute cheeks.
"I-I don't know," Seal answered. Pierce just chuckled and walk to the tree. Seal followed him.
She found a small bridge crossing the small pond to the tree. Pierce waited for her and help her to cross the bridge. When they finally reach the tree, she saw the fruits growing at it's stem. What a weird tree.
"How did you found this place?" Seal asked the prince.
Peirce sat on one of its roots and laid his back on its stem. Seal sat beside him, still wondering about the place.
"This is a gift from my father. Every youngest child of the Song will inherit a land inside the palace with an Emerald tree," Pierce explained.
"Wait. I thought you and Landon are twins. Doesn't it mean that he's also the youngest?" Seal asked.
"No. Landon was born first before me so vampirically (technically), I am the youngest."
"Did they know about this place?"
"Who?" Pierce asked.
"Your brothers."
"I don't know. They never asked. Actually, this was not this beautiful before. My father planted this tree but I was the one who took care of this place since then," Pierce said.
'The place was majestic. But I think the place feels lonely. It is hidden and the hallway before the place looks creepy. Maybe it is one of the reason why he's always alone when he's here.If he's always here, then maybe he always feel alone.' Seal thought.
Seal looked at the prince who's reading a book that he got under the stem of the tree. Something about the prince bothered her. He's hiding something.
"If you want to ask something, go on," Pierce said. He must've feel her staring at him.
"I was wondering. The weather outside the castle is winter. But how can there be a sun here?" Sealina asked.
"This place is protected by magic. The same with Kane's garden, the weather is suited to grow plants in this area. That's why even if it's snowing outside, plants will still be alive," the youngest explained.
Seal nodded as if she understood the prince's answer. If the youngest son has an Emerald tree, do the other brothers have also given a gift?
"Do each of the Songs received gifts when they were born?" Seal asked.
"Yes. Kane got his flower garden. Nyle got the private library. Landon got one of the dungeons. Quintus got the sacred river and Morie got the land where the unicorns lived," Pierce said. 'Unicorns? Are there real unicorns?'
"So what does Ocean got?" Seal asked again.
Pierce stared at the nothingness before answering.
"He got nothing."