"What?" Elyse's eyes widen in shock, frozen to her spot as Maria looked into her eyes filled with worry.
"Elyse, The current master personally invited you to enroll in the academy." The gentleman on the left side spoke.
"A sudden invitation? All of a sudden?" Elyse asked Maria.
"Yes." Maria sigh.
"What's the reason? This is not what we've planned, Your Grace." Elyse said with her frustrated voice.
On the 1st day she entered the Mansion, Maria speak to her many times and tells her the plans she made. The first one is that Maria will adopt her as her own child to enter the Academy smoothly. Second, when she enters the academy, Elyse must use her intelligence and power to climb on top and join hands with The Student Council.
Third, entering the Student Council is just the first step to finding The previous master, while in the student council she must find clues and traces of her disappearance.
"Elyse, calm down. Listen to me." Maria said trying to calm Elyse down. "The first step in our plan may fail but there are still more steps. Let's just think that The current master is giving us an opportunity." She said.
"I haven't agreed yet, Your Grace. Are you really sure that if I do this — you will help me?" Elyse said with her doubtful tone. "You're smart and you know you are," Maria said.
Elyse clenches her hands tightly until they bled, the man on his left side notices how the blood dropping from the floor.
"But!" Elyse cut Maria off. Elyse still doesn't understand why these people are pushing her over to the edge just to help her. "I may have admired your previous master but that doesn't mean I—" Elyse stopped talking when she realizes what she was about to say.
She remembered how she admires the previous master. In the stories that she read, the previous master is a leader who leads the world with peace and glory. She's the kind of leader who gave chances to the ones who weren't given. Even though in other stories and books she's known to be a villain.
The room fell into silence. The man who noticed her earlier took a deep breath and looks at her.
"Elyse." He reached out his hand towards her cheeks wiping out the tears that fell from her eyes.
"I am Wayne. The 3rd district leader and also, the closest companion to the previous master." He introduced himself.
"I understand your feelings, Elyse. But, please also understand us. We are doing this to help the world and also you. We are not pushing you." He said.
"Wayne!" Maria called his name but Wayne didn't take off his stare to Elyse.
"Stop doing this, Maria. Let's not force the child." The man on the right side — Lucas the 2nd District Leader said.
"I agree with these two gentlemen, Maria." Yohan, the 1st district leader said while looking calm and crossing both of his hands on his chest. With his dreamy black eyes and disheveled hair, Yohan glares at her.
Elyse flinched. Intimidated by his stare. It took an hour for the five of them to end the conversation that afternoon. When the moon rises from the east, Elyse went into her room and stares at the wall with a blank face.
Feeling hopeless again, Elyse hugged herself tightly. She wanted to save her family, but there's been a doubt in her heart whenever the previous master's name is mentioned.
Elyse fell into a deep sleep when she felt someone caressing her head with gentle and kind hands.
She found herself standing in the middle of the field full of beautiful flowers. The endless blue sky. The birds soar up in the sky as Elyse watched them fly away from where she is standing. The petals danced in the wind when she heard a woman's voice from afar.
"Don't cry." The woman said. She follows the two voices of a young girl and a woman. When she reached them, she saw the young girl's head laying on the woman's lap as she gently caress the young girl's head.
"Don't cry, my child." She said with her gentle voice. "But mama, they're bullying me! They said... They said that we're cursed!" The little girl said between her sobbing.
"Hush now my child. We are indeed cursed." The mother said to her child. The little girl was shocked to hear those sentences from her mother.
"But... but why are we cursed?" The mother just smiled.
"It's because this is the price we have to pay... Elyse." The flowers blew when the mother called her name. The scenery changed into an endless sky with clouds and stars. There was no moon to accompany them.
"Help her, Elyse." Her mother stood far away from her. She found her when she turned around. Tears started to fall down her cheeks and started chasing her.
"This is the price we have to pay." Her mother spoke again. She jumped off to reach her mother but she suddenly disappeared with parting words, "find out and help her, for our family."
Elyse woke up from her dream only to find herself that she fell asleep on the floor. Elyse starts to understand little by little. She also remembers the times when she was bullied in the past because her family is cursed.
She opens the lamp and starts writing down the pieces of information she gathered these days. Little by little, she connected the dots. The previous master didn't just disappear. Elyse felt something that there was more to her disappearance. Elyse stood up, opens her door room and run into the big hallway to Maria's office.
On the other side, Maria and the other leaders were still inside Maria's private office. The room is filled with silence and only the noise in the furnace can be heard. When the clock ticked at its 300th time, Wayne spoke at last.
"We shouldn't push the child more." He said.
"But if we don't, this opportunity will leave us!" Maria exclaimed.
"Maria, I understand your feelings. It's been 5 years since her disappearance." Yohan spoke with sadness in his voice.
"I understand how you wanted to save her so much, Maria. After all, that bitch is still ruling us over." Lucas said while looking at the city.
"We all wanted to save her." And yes, that is true. Wayne wanted to save their previous master a long time ago. When Wayne saw her crying while dancing the moonlight sword danced under the bright moonlight. He was determined to save her pitiful soul. But she refused. The words that she said to Wayne that day still linger in his mind.
"I don't need a savior if it'll just use me again." Is what she said.
At that time, Wayne couldn't understand her feelings of getting used. Because Wayne didn't know her past well. But after she disappeared, Wayne found out about her entire past and is eager to search for her. Unfortunately, there are no traces of her.
Everyone was a victim. But for her — she can't forgive them easily.
"Hey—" Wayne was about to say something when the door suddenly burst open and Elyse appears catching her breath.
"I'm going!" She said with her head held high. Everyone was stunned by her sudden answer.
"I'm going!"