The faint sound of horses trotting, started getting louder and clearer. The slow rocking of her body seemed comfortable, quite contrary to the feel the congested space gave off. She didn't understand why she was so cramped. She loosened up her body and tried stretching it out when she realised the reason why it was cramped in the first place.
She slipped off the carriage seat and was wide awake immediately, when midair, she was caught.
A sturdy arm held her petite body right across her waist.
The sudden action caused the pain around her bust , which lasted for a while.
"Thank you, Sir Arthur."
Eve spoke, caressing her abdomen.
"My pleasure, Young Miss."
In his early-twenties, one of the youngest aurors of the Riverton's Knights, Arthur Romans spoke. His dark complexion had many lighter hues of scars, each of which told a different story. His golden-brown eyes were paired with dark indigo hair, which fell up to his shoulders when left open, but now was tied into a neat bun. His metal Armour was worn on top of a blue cotton shirt while the Armour itself had golden linings, marking the separation of every part of the Knights body.
His doe eyes were misleading to his overall physique.
Eve pressed her forehead and squinched her eyes in pain. Concerned, the knight asked,
"Pardon me,Young Miss, but are you faring well?"
"Ah! It's a minor headache, nothing to worry about."
Eve smiled, "Thank you for your concern."
The Knight was surprised. An icy glare or an indifferent attitude would be what he expected of her.
A genuine smile.
He blinked twice before shrugging it off as a whimsical mistake.
…
No sooner Eve closed her eyes again, the Palace was a mess. Maids rushing to call over physicians, Butlers hurriedly searching for first aid while the Crown Prince ordered them all.
She was hardly breathing.
Afraid she would run into yet another cold sweat, the Prince couldn't stay still. He heads out to send a letter to the magic tower, requesting their immediate presence.
While the entire Ivory Palace was in chaos, the words of the events reached the King's ears.
He wasn't aware of the second wave of crisis.
The Imperial Palace turned upside down.
"Who dared attack the Imperial Crown Princess!"
The King stormed, his eyes wide open in rage.
No further words said, the 1st line of defence, the Imperial Red Knights, were sent on an emergency mission. If returned with no befitting results, they were threatened with demotion.
Soon, whispers followed through the palace walls.
The abandoned Princess was no longer abandoned.
…
The reason for her sudden return seemed unclear.
She couldn't care less.
Avalina was treated coldly all through her life.
A little ray of sunlight had her begging for more.
But that affection was an act of kindness.
Nothing more nothing less.
For a thirteen year old, it's too hard to contemplate.
She thus lacked something which kept every human alive, and that is,
Hope.
Currently, the new owner of the young body was in a dilemma.
"Is this still the world of a novel?
I don't recall any event such life threatening taking place in Avalina's back story.
Either that or something went off.
A butterfly effect has already started. Avalina was never supposed to leave the Ivory Palace in the original, for that was the only way she could stay alive and receive the affection she was never shown elsewhere.
A desperate Villainess, one would say.
I would say, a young kid's first love, which sadly wasn't mutual.
Nevertheless now, the return of a young Crown Princess to her home right before her official ascent as an Imperial, will cause yet another mess I do not wish.
I bet the king just let me off with a short vacation rather than a permanent stay. I am yet to know how things work here. Avalina was way too cramped into libraries and tea rooms. On top of that, she was yet to debut."
Her train of thoughts were concerning enough to ignore the presence of the handsome knight, whom she would have been gawking at if the situation told otherwise.
She had her fingers caressing her forehead, as her thumb cradled her head. Her eyes fixated at the scenery outside, lost in deep thought, was as well a sight to see.
A Noble doesn't cross her feet, nor does she cradle her cheeks in front of someone, cause that is disrespectful for the person in presence.
Though Eve knew that, her instincts of a Noble was now lax. She had bigger pressing issues.
She had read a few transmigration novels in her past life. Most of the time the Villainess survive and get what they want, but in that process , they learn how to love someone.
And that's something Evelina does not want.
Additionally she is married to the Crown Prince and at such times people fail to divorce their husband in these transmigrations or rebirth novels. Thus she was unsure how to properly overcome this marriage. She pondered on it for a while before exclaiming in realisation,
"I can make a deal!"
The Knight heard her loud-and-clear but refrained from showing any reaction. It was not his place to ask his master questions unless his master allows him to do so.
He instead paid attention to every minute detail of the young girl as her eyes glimmered with hope.
"The Young Miss has changed."
The Knight thought to himself, though his expressions didn't show any hint of emotion.
Eve paid no heed to her Knight.
She now had a proper plan laid out.
There was no turning back about it.
…
The Riverton Palace was unusually calm.
With the Imperial Carriage entering its gates, a few handmaids were hurriedly heading up to the Lord's room.
It was still too early for him to be up. The sun was yet to rise while the breeze had the same chill of a cold night after a pouring day.
A bustle soon turned into an uproar for an unprecedented visit of Her Imperial Highness, the Crown Princess.
As Eve patiently waited in the Lounge, she admired every inch of the palace. The mansion was made up of a white marble which suited the gold-blue decorations draped over it.
The Gold represented the Royalty, meaning the house served the Imperial Family fatefully. The colour code of the House was thus blue, but to be more precise, it was Cyan blue.
"It would have been rather dull without the draping." Evelina thought to herself.
The furniture was of a vibrant myrtle wood compared to the lighter toned pinewood furniture of the Ivory Palace.
Though the colour combination was considered pride of a Riverton, yet the hidden meaning here would be sadness.
The house of Rivertons was anything but happy.
Blue would ironically represent the sorrow this place hid in a false facade.
The Duke himself had a harsh childhood and was never on the receiving end of love or kindness. The only time he felt that was when he was with the late Duchess.
They said he changed drastically after meeting her. They had three kids together, the eldest son, Mauritius Riverton, the middle Marcus Riverton and the youngest Avalina Riverton.
When Ava turned 10, the Duchess met an unprecedented disaster. Her Carriage was attacked and nothing was left behind. Everything was burnt.
For the young Avalina, it was a trauma. When she learned of what happened, she started getting delusional and it felt as though it all happened to her.
She survived but her mother didn't.
The fact Eve could figure it was delusional was for the fact that, not once did the Late Duchess try to move.
Additionally,the memory itself was far too broken. It didn't match with the events prior to it.
Thus, this fake traumatic experience led her to dread carriages and fear the flame.
Yet she couldn't avoid either of them.
Thus, she tried her best to forget the fake memories overall, but to no avail.
A knock on the door brought her attention to a man in his forties, standing by the door. A navy-blue suit with a crest on his left shoulder and a few medals adorning the left of his chest, properly presented as the owner of the house. His blonde hair neatly gelled,thus giving prominence to his fair skin and turquoise eyes, which carried absolutely no emotions.
"Pardon me for my rudeness," The Duke of Riverton started respectfully, "Greetings to the new Moon of the Kingdom, your Highness, the Crown Princess."