"Neftaly, what are you doing?"

"Father" Neftaly smiled brightly at King Elios who was walking toward her who was standing on the balcony staring outside the Phoenix Palace.

"I'm just enjoying the fresh air, father."

"You didn't eat dinner with us?"

"I'm more comfortable eating in the room." Neftaly smiled faintly at King Elios.

"Forgive father." King Elios stared at the youngest princess.

"Why does father keep apologizing, I'm fine. What is father doing here? " Neftaly tried to change the subject.

King Elios sighed before answering:

"Tomorrow Father and Queen Antonite will leave the palace. Father had a visit to the kingdom of Rodhes for several days. Take care of yourself in the palace while Father left "

"Of course, you also have to be careful. Give my regards to Queen Antonite. "

"Of course, sweetie ..." King Elios approached intending to embrace Neftaly, but Neftaly backed her steps away from King Elios.

"Sorry ... I can't hug father, my clothes aren't covered enough." Neftaly said regretfully.

King Elios smiled wryly then he nodded in understanding.

"I forgot, I just wanted to give you a goodbye hug. I will miss you. "

"I will also miss you, father."

"Take a rest, the night air is not good for you if it's too long. Then Father goes. Good night sweetie. "

"Good night too, father."

King Elios left Neftaly's room.

Neftaly did not immediately obey King Elios's request to rest by laying her body on the bed.

Her eyes looked far away, seeing the sight before her eyes, the castle fort surrounded by torches looked beautiful when viewed from her room which was placed in the highest palace. Or beautiful stars scattered in the dark sky.

Her mind wandered with a fate that must be lived with grace and curse simultaneously.

Neftaly was blessed with beauty that was so extraordinary that she was more beautiful than the nymphs in the White Country including her own kingdom, the Kingdom of Phoenix.

In addition to beauty, Neftaly was also blessed with a fragrant body that exceeds the fragrance that has ever existed in the universe.

But all the gifts that Neftaly had felt were in vain, where she also had a curse that couldn't be accepted by reason. Neftaly is a princess who cannot be touched and touched by creatures in the universe. If their skin touches directly the creature that touches it will die slowly. They will experience shortness of breath until the breath is completely gone. And the first victim was her own biological mother, Queen Casandre. The first wife of King Elios.

As a result of the curse, no village prince or man dared to propose Neftaly, even though Neftaly's age was enough to get married.

But that was not a problem for Neftaly, which was more painful than the curse she had received than eliminating her own mother's life, was the competition she had received from the residents of her own palace, including her family. To the extent that she was placed in the highest tower in the palace of Phoenix on orders from Queen Antonite, the stepmother.

Only her father, King Elios, truly loved her. It is said that it was because King Elios loved her mother, Queen Casandre. Also the guilt that gnawed at the king where the curse was received by Neftaly because of his actions, but Neftaly never blamed him, because Neftaly loved her father very much. In addition to King Elios, who was willing to give him a little love was Fidonia, a well-behaved middle-aged ex-consort of Queen Casandre. And Eshia, a 7-year-old little girl, granddaughter of Fidonia.

In her own palace, Neftaly was sometimes like an invisible creature that was not considered by everyone or as a disgusting creature that would be considered strange by the inhabitants of her own palace including the servants and palace warriors, although not showing it openly.

Since childhood, Neftaly used a veil to cover her beauty according to King Elios' orders. The king was worried there would be a victim like before when little Neftaly was playing, where a royal guest deliberately touched the princess because she was stunned by her beauty, and the guest also experienced severe shortness of breath that had to be rushed to the royal hospital.

So the palace dwellers hardly knew about her beauty other than King Elios, Queen Antonite, 2 stepsons of the Argus prince, Princess Harmonia, her two companions Fidonia and Eshia, uncle Adolf who was the prime minister of the king and his son the commander of the kingdom, Commander Aresh. Only the fragrant scent on the princess's body could they smell, which some thought was the effect of the curse that Neftaly's received.

And Neftaly was already sincere with the terrible fate she had to live.

Neftaly turned her body toward the bed to lay herself down. She really hopes to have a good dream because the real life she lives is like a nightmare for her.

* * *

Tok. Tok. Tok.

Neftaly hurried to open the door to her room by wearing the veil first. And when the door opened, there was standing a tall man with a sturdy stature, from behind she could guess that this man was very handsome. His body glowed radiating his charisma.

"Aresh ..." called Neftaly softly.

The man turned his body with a warm smile so good-looking from his lips.

"How are you?"

"There is no change." Neftaly answered as it is, with a sweet smile behind the veil.

Aresh chuckled at the ambiguous answer from Neftaly.

"When did you come back?" asked Neftaly.

"Early in the morning. We have breakfast together? "

"No, Fidonia has brought breakfast for me."

Arseh sighed heavily.

"Today I just returned from duty, and the day after tomorrow I have to return to duty outside the palace. Come have breakfast together. "

"But..."

"Don't worry, there is me."

Neftaly smiled at Aresh's reassuring expression. One of the palace dwellers who considered her existence. Aresh is also one of her best friends.

"Wait a minute, then."

Aresh nodded his head eagerly with a big smile on his red lips.

Neftaly went back into her room to use other attributes, in addition to the veil she had to wear if she came out of the room, a leather glove along the elbow.

When finished, Neftaly followed Aresh from behind to the royal dining room. Although only a royal commander, Aresh is considered a member of the royal family, he is granted the same rights in the royal court as other members of the royal family.

"Good morning Prince Argus, Princess of Harmonia."

"Aresh!"

Harmonia got up from her chair and immediately approached Aresh, hugging the man to release her longing.

"How are you, Princess Harmonia?" Aresh asked after releasing the arms of Harmonia.

"Very good, especially after seeing you." Answered Harmonia happily.

"You ..." Aresh ruffled Harmonia's hair exasperatedly.

"Neftaly, you are going to have breakfast with us?" Argus asked suddenly and shifted the focus of everyone at the dinner table to the slender figure behind Aresh. Actually, without Argus greeting, everyone was aware of Neftaly's presence because of the smell they smelled from Neftaly's body.

"Oh yes ... I invited her. Come here. " Aresh reached out to Neftaly with a gentle smile and Neftaly welcomed Aresh's hand with a nervous smile behind her veil.

Aresh invited her to sit next to him, while opposite him were Argus and Harmonia.

Because of Neftaly's arrival, the royal members who had breakfast one by one left the dining table, there were those who ate food in a hurry or did not touch the food at all. This was indeed normal for Neftaly especially if there was no king beside him, they would openly avoid Neftaly like creatures that have infectious diseases.

"Good, your arrival made our breakfast all disturbed." Harmonia Sarcasm.

"They are too much, just ignore it." Aresh smiled wryly by winking one eye at Neftaly.

Neftaly only nodded slowly when a feeling of suffocation and an unpleasant mood descended upon her.

"Aresh when did you come back?" Argus asked, breaking the awkwardness.

"Early this morning, did you not participate in the visit of King Elios and Queen Antonite?"

"No, I have another assignment." Replied Argus, the prince of the Phoenix kingdom.

"You do not take the father and mother to leave, Neftaly?" Argus asked coldly to his step sister.

Although Argus did not particularly like Neftaly, who was considered a royal disgrace, he had to act wisely as a crown prince, however.

And Neftaly was always happy when being talked to by her stepbrother even with an unfriendly tone, at least Argus tried to accept her existence.

"Do you want to make all the soldiers run away because of her arrival?" mocked Harmonia while giggling.

"Princess Harmonia ..." warned Aresh in a soft tone.

"I'm talking as it is." Harmonia shrugged her shoulders unconcernedly while putting smoked meat into her mouth.

Neftaly only smiled from behind her veil, Harmonia sneer was also normal for her. Harmonia probably hated her existence the most, not only because of the curse Neftaly received but also her jealousy because of Neftaly's closeness to Aresh.

"Harmonia is right, I don't want to mess up the ceremony of the release of the father and queen of Antonite. Father also said goodbye last night to me, so I don't need to attend. " Said Neftaly.

"That's because Father really don't want you to be present, so he would rather say good-bye to you." Harmonia answered.

"Maybe you're right." Neftaly chuckled behind her veil.

"That is a form of protection for you from the King." Lead Argus was indifferent without taking his eyes off the food in front of him.

Neftaly widened her smile behind the veil she was wearing, due to the indirect defense of her step brother.

"The king loves you Neftaly, never once had a prejudice against him." Now Aresh is the one issuing his opinion.

"I never doubted it, Aresh."

Harmonia was lazy with an answer from Neftaly or a defense from Aresh and also Argus the older brother even though he was cold and far from friendly when he said it.

"Open your veil, you will have difficulty eating by wearing the veil."

"No! What are you doing, Aresh? Father forbade her to open the veil other than in her room. " Harmonia protest.

"There are only four of us here Harmonia, I think it's okay."

"Argus?" Harmonia asked more pleading for his opinion.

"Whatever" Argus answered coldly and uncaring. Harmonia looked at Argus in disbelief, she shook her head in dislike.

"Open it ..." pleaded Aresh gently.

Neftaly looked at Aresh objected. But again Aresh stared at Neftaly with full confidence if everything would be all right.

Neftaly sighed, then she slowly opened her veil, showing an incredibly charming appearance that she always hid behind her veil. And the beautiful face of Neftaly did not stop to amaze anyone who saw, including the commander Aresh and her step-brother, Prince Argus.