How much more must this young girl endure? Her life has been so isolated and filled with loneliness. Now she has lost one of her parents and is about to lose the other. Is she doomed to a life of complete solitude?
The rumors spreading throughout the capital say the duke killed his wife, but that can't be true. From what Elise knows of the duke, this is far from the reality. The Duke loved his wife with all his heart, and anyone who knew them could attest to this.
Elise believes the church is behind all of this. They took her life, trapping her in unending loneliness, and now they are doing the same to her lady. She still remembers the suffocating isolation that haunted her every day—the crashing waves of misery that followed her wherever she went, the massive dome of solitude that made her life a living nightmare. She wouldn't wish that on her lady, so for now, Elise will stay by her side, working toward completing what is likely the last mission the duke will ever give her.
"My lady, please open the door. We must leave now."
"A moment, please…" The door creaks open.
"My lady, as I was saying, we must leave immediately."
"But it's the dead of night."
"I know, which is why it's the best time for us to depart."
"Depart? But what about my mother…?"
"You are in danger. We cannot afford to take any chances."
"But still, how can I leave? My father has been taken away, and I don't know where he is. My mother has left me all alone. This is the only home I've ever known. Where do you expect me to go?"
"I know you are hurting, but I'm sorry, you cannot grieve properly right now. We will first head to the neighboring kingdom and seek refuge from the monarch. If she accepts, we will regain our strength and focus on helping you reclaim your throne."
"Wait… Did you say the neighboring kingdom? The Bermone Kingdom?"
"Yes. That is our destination. With enough luck, we can gain support from the monarch to help you take back your throne."
"Okay… Let's go."
"You can't pack anything. There's no time. We leave as we are."
"Alright."
As they made their way toward the stairway leading to the main entrance, Elise heard the distinct clunking of metal, likely from armor. It was coming from the direction of the staircase. She immediately knew an enemy soldier was approaching. Without hesitation, she turned and moved in the opposite direction, the princess in her arms. This situation was quickly becoming a predicament; there was no other exit. Elise panicked. If she used her energy to fight the soldier, she could win, but it would waste time and give other soldiers a chance to arrive as reinforcements.
Then the princess asked to be set down. Wait—would she do the same thing she did to the deer? Elise wasn't sure if she was capable of doing that to a human. Hesitantly, she set the princess down. To her surprise, the princess signaled for her to follow and led them into a dark room at the far end of her chamber. Elise had never seen this room before. It was so well hidden that it appeared to be just part of the wall.
As they waited, Elise could hear the soldier trying to enter the princess's room, his frustration clear when he found it empty. She couldn't help but softly laugh. She quickly regained her composure and started searching for an escape route. The princess then revealed it—a wall? No, it was another door cleverly disguised as part of the wall. Elise pushed it open to reveal a hidden stairway. They hurried down, and at the end of it, they emerged from the castle and into the town. How had the princess known of this secret path? Elise had worked in the castle for years and never discovered such hidden corridors.
Once outside, the town was eerily quiet, likely due to the late hour. The chaos at the castle was slowly escalating, but they had to keep moving. Elise procured a horse for them to escape the capital.
The journey was long and difficult. It took several months before they neared the Stokes-Bermone border due to numerous detours—they were fugitives now, and the direct route was too dangerous. The months spent on the run were hard on the fragile princess, who had never known such a harsh life. The first few weeks, she fell ill constantly, but as time passed, she gradually adapted to the rough conditions.
Escaping through the border wasn't easy, so they used the forest of monsters as their entry point into the Bermone Kingdom. Luckily, they weren't attacked by any monsters during the journey, and they finally arrived in the Bermone Kingdom through Carmine village.
After some searching, they found Maggie, who took them to Mr. Harold. Elise explained their situation, and he offered them a place to stay before they could continue their journey to the capital. They were fortunate to catch him before he left for the capital on official business.
The next day, they set out with him. The journey took almost a month, but when they finally arrived, they were given rooms and shown where to freshen up. Soon after, they were granted an audience with the Queen.
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Now, she has lost the half that made her whole. The other is far from sight. For months, Cilia has treaded a life completely alien to her. She fell and fell multiple times, but each time, she rose, knowing that the chance to reach a life of splendor was within her grasp. Her wings, her sword, her shield—these were always with her. And her love, the urgency to see her beloved queen, is the strength that keeps her going. Now, she stands before a foreign power, but her wings have carried her high enough to return to the life she once knew.
"Raise your heads. May I inquire as to why you have requested an audience with me?"
"Your Grace, I come before you today to present the princess and heir to the Stokes Kingdom, Princess Cilia Menial. We have a request from our monarch, the Duke of the Stokes Kingdom. That is why we seek an audience with Your Majesty."
"And what is this request?"
"It is for Your Grace to take in the princess and raise her until she is able to reclaim her throne from the Duke's brother."
"And why should I help the daughter of the monarch of our enemy kingdom?"
"For peace, Your Grace."
"Peace? I am currently at war with the demon kingdom. I cannot afford to waste time with the affairs of another nation."
"But Your Grace…"
"If I may be so bold, Your Grace, I only request citizenship in your lands. I understand that your hands are full with the war you mentioned, so I ask for nothing more than the freedom to roam your kingdom."
"So you speak. Very well. If citizenship is what you seek, I can grant that. But to earn it, you must first attend our royal academy. I would like for you to learn about our culture. Only once you have completed your studies will you be allowed to roam freely."
"But that is…"
"I understand. I will do as you ask. Thank you for your time." Cilia turned and walked away.
"My princess, you know they want to keep an eye on you in that academy." Elise asked following her.
"Yes, I understand. But what are we supposed to do? We are foreigners in this kingdom, and the queen has graciously offered us a place here. I'm grateful for that. Besides, I want to see what their culture is like."
"As you wish, my princess."