For the wedding night, Natalia had to go to the duke's room. As she walked through the dark corridors, the fear of past and present merged, making her steps falter. She held fast to the object inside her sleeve, trying to calm herself. It was bad enough she was dizzy and still had to use magic in that state.
She reached the door and it was opened for her by the duke's guards. They stared at her with dark eyes, like they could devour her at any moment. She knew they weren't human. They were beastkin, the reason why dragons hoovered on the roofs of the castle.
Her heart beat faster as she entered the familiar room. It was just like her room, huge and depressing. He wasn't there so she had time to set up. She took the object out of her sleeve and set it on the bedside table. She waved her glowing fingers over it and it lit with a blue flame. She mumbled a spell over it and it developed a faint amber glow, making it look like a normal candle.
She uttered another spell, disguising it until it fully burnt. An illusion candle that made whoever inhaled it, including the caster, fall into a deep sleep, imagining whatever they wanted to. It was a spell of her creation, one of the spells that made her the prestigious young lady she was.
[Please, I beg you this one time, work on this beast]
Her eyelids grew heavy. In the past, she burnt so many illusion candles to make herself grow well. It affected her mana and magic cycles, making her grow weaker by the day. By the time she needed her mana, she was too weak to defend herself. She had to remember that there were other beasts crueler than the one that treated her as sub-human.
She was unable to fight sleep and soon slumbered beside the bed, sleeping in a sitting position. It didn't take long for the owner of the room to return and to say he was surprised that she was sleeping on the floor would be wrong. His gaze was harsh, his actions even harsher. He ignored her, entering the bathroom, not noticing the candle that was almost out.
He took a long bath and when he returned, she was still on the floor. Even in such a position, she looked graceful. Compared to her, Alana was clumsy despite being a princess. However, if it was Alana, he would've carried her to the bed and slept respectfully beside her. Why did he need to respect someone forced on him? He ignored her and climbed into the bed, feeling strangely drowsy. He always found it hard to sleep. He closed his eyes, falling into a deep slumber. Thus, the crisis was averted for Natalia that night.
"My lady, it is time for breakfast"
When she woke up in the morning, she felt a sharp pain in her neck. She knew he was cruel but to leave her sleeping like that the whole night, he was not human. Since it was better than being raped, she picked herself off the floor and hobbled back to her room.
It was too close to morning so she couldn't sleep any longer and ignored the request for breakfast. Since getting back to her room, she had gotten ready, taking a bath to relax the knots in her muscles. The way she hobbled back to her room was enough to deceive everyone into thinking she did sleep with the duke and she was chased out. She avoided the crisis.
She came out of the room in another black dress. The servants Wilbur brought were there with another one of the duke's mother's dresses. Seeing she was already dressed, they took it back and escorted her to the dining room. The Illusion candle worked too well apparently because the duke wasn't present for breakfast.
Even if it tasted bad, she was still able to endure it and finish it. It was more edible than what she ate the day before so it wasn't a problem. Once she was done with breakfast, she returned to her room to rest. In the past, she used to run all over to prove her usefulness but as a duchess, it was very shameful. There was no need to work. Alana was coming to do her work for her.
"I call on the mother of fairies, the bearer of light, Madaline"
She appeared again, this time fully awake with a frown on her face.
{Are you foolish, child? You do not have the mana to continuously call me like this. Do you want to shatter your soul and suffer everlasting pain?}
"If I weren't desperate or if there was a brighter future, I wouldn't be this reckless. I used to wish for many things but now, all I can think of is my death"
{Why have you called me here, child?}
"I want to make a contract with you"
{Do you understand the implication of your words, child? You belong to that god. Making a contract with me will mean your disinheritance. I am fae and when you make a deal with a fae...}
"You lose your free will, your mind, and eventually, your soul. I know"
{I am not as frightening as the other fae. I do not delight in sinister offerings. For this contract, I want your negativity. If it's strong enough to influence time, then it is perfect for me. Who do you want in exchange?}
"I want power. For as long as I live, I want the power to overcome my fate"
{If that is all, then I will make the contract. In the name of all that is fair, all that is true, and all that is just, under the evidence of the order of the world, I Madaline, bind myself to Natalia to receive her karma in exchange for my power. This contract binds us till the end of her life}
The sky rolled, thunder rumbled. A bolt of lightning struck beside her window, alarming everyone in the castle. While all this was happening, the power of the fae flowed into Natalia's body. She cried out, falling to the floor like she was boneless. Her body contorted dangerously, her veins protruding, turning a blue color. Madaline watched all this with a neutral expression.
The duke was woken up by the sounds of thunder. The skies that were normally dark seemed darker than normal. An ominous feeling overcame him and he immediately darted out of his room. The guards were running amok to see if there was something wrong, like the attack of a monster. Not even the dragons had spotted anything.
Not once did his or anyone's thoughts stray to the new duchess. Naturally, they all forgot she existed and only went to check on her far after the incident was over. If someone had gone to check on her, they would've either discovered she was the cause because of how she looked or that she was in immense pain and needed a doctor. Either way, her existence wasn't acknowledged.
The pain going through her body was worse than dying. Her head completely shattered on impact so her body wasn't able to recognize the pain before she passed. Nothing compared to the soul-shattering pain the contract gave her.
{It is done. From now on, you can use the power of a fairy}
Fairies were natural mages. They could use magic as easily as breathing, controlling the very essence of the world known as the world order. Mana and order existed in tandem, checking each other. If a person had the power of a fairy, they could become gods themselves since fairies were recognized as deities.
"Thank you for recognizing my selfish request, fairy mother"
{From now on, you can call me Madaline. I will heed your call whenever, Natalia}