Deep below the sea, in a place where millions of mermen and mermaids live, lies the Kingdom of Lucceia.
At the heart of the kingdom, surrounded by the other cities, was Lucceia's royal capital.
It was a city filled with life and vitality, just like the rumored kingdoms above the sea.
And yet, behind the seemingly peaceful and prosperous capital, a storm was brewing.
In the palace that was standing tall for the past 300 years, the situation today was going to drastically change.
...
As the sun slowly rose above the sea, the warm rays of sunlight found their way to the bottom of the ocean, as they lit up the already bustling city.
Inside a relatively plain room of the royal palace that held no special decorations, paintings or anything that was of value, a young woman's body could be seen lying beneath the bed sheets in the room.
The room itself was more than 90 square meters big, and yet, it was relatively empty.
Aside from a small round table with 3 chairs around it and a thick black book placed on one of the chairs, as well as a closet that seemed to have been used to store clothes, there was nothing else inside the room except for the big brown bed in the middle, that clearly brought a sense of loneliness and desolation.
It was a large, king-sized bed that seemed to have been made from wood, but it was actually creaking even from the slightest of movements, showing that it had already been worn out due to the passage of time.
The sunlight slowly peeked through the window to warm the empty room, when suddenly, loud and repeated knocks could be heard coming from the wooden door of the room, as a voice that was filled with anxiousness sounded from the outside
''My Lady, please open the door!''
A pair of thin, pale hands got rid of the bed sheets that were covering her body, revealing the figure covered beneath them.
It was a young woman that didn't seem to be more than 17 years old, with long brown hair, and a pair of green eyes that had a tinge of gray inside them.
''Elsa?''
The name of her personal maid, as well as her childhood friend, appeared in the young girl's mind before she hurriedly moved to open the door of the room, ignoring the fact that she was still wearing her nightgown.
...
The moment that I placed my hand on the door handle and turned it slightly, the door of the room anxiously opened as Elsa walked inside.
I wanted to smile at her, but the fact that there wasn't a cheerful expression on her face made my heart constrict. A bad premonition appeared in my heart when I saw Elsa's expression, and almost out of instinct, I couldn't help asking her
''Are you alright?''
Shaking her head, Elsa responded in a trembling voice that was obviously filled with fear
''H-His majesty ordered me to come here, and... tell my Lady to come to the main hall immediately!''
Even though she tried to hide it, I could practically see the fear inside Elsa's eyes as she spoke, before she finally lowered her head.
She said the words 'His Majesty', which could only refer to my father, the King of Lucceia.
My heart shook.
My father had never called for me to enter the main hall even once in the last 6 years.
In the past, it was a place to entertain other royals who would come to Lucceia, but ever since the war with the Kingdom of Elsh started, 6 years ago, it had only become a place for my royal brothers and my father to discuss war matters.
It wasn't just me, but even my father's wives, including even the Queen herself were not allowed to enter the main hall.
The bad premonition in my heart was only getting worse, and yet, I knew that I couldn't choose to refuse to go.
After taking a deep breath, I walked to my closet and chose a yellow floral dress with red lines around the waist.
It was only until I looked in the mirror that I realized that my hair was still messy.
Elsa seemed to have noticed this as well, as she took my brush and started to straighten out my long hair that reached all the way to my waist.
A few minutes later, with Elsa in tow, I walked out from my room before I swam towards the main hall.
...
On the way, the guards who were patrolling the palace bowed once they saw the princess, but none of them dared to make direct contact with her eyes.
Instead, they would immediately scurry away, as they continued to patrol the palace.
There have been a few rumors circulating since this morning, but none of the guards or the servants dared to even speak about them in front of the princess.
Despite the guards' abnormal reactions, the young princess could only suppress the bad feeling in her heart, and a few minutes later, she and Elsa had already arrived in front of the main hall.
The large gates of the hall were guarded by the king's most loyal men.
The 2 guards responsible to open the gates didn't bow, and instead, they shot pitiful glances on their young princess, before they pushed the doors of the main hall open, revealing the scene inside.