Luna wore a cream-white gown brought by the maids to her. It's been a long time since she last wore proper clothing. The upper part of the gown fitted her chest and waist which compliments her curve. The lower part is a flowing skirt with floral designs. Her wavy ginger hair flows down to her waist.
She walked around the garden of the mansion, admiring the beautiful flowers. The floral fragrance also gave her a relaxing feeling.
After a few hours of sleep, she woke up and ate her lunch while the rest of the knights were doing their morning training with the Prince. She hasn't seen them yet.
She decided to stroll around the Mansion but the maids and the guards keep following her. This annoys her a lot.
The maids and guards were reluctant to leave her alone walking around but finally agreed after her insistence. But they warned her to never leave the gates of the mansion. Recently, the town is having problems with female abductions. Luna is not worried about these things. She survived in the forest for years and she fought monsters. She's not a girl that can easily be abducted.
She just wanted to be alone for an hour. She's thinking of a lot of things lately. Now that she's out of the forest, she doesn't know what to do next. Grey told her to come with him to the capital but Sebastian seems against the idea.
Luna picked a tulip flower and smelled it. It's been a while since she last saw a flower. There were no flowers in the forest. Even with beautiful flowers in front of her, she's still not happy.
She's been a little down recently because she had to be cautious of her action around Grey while Sebastian is watching.
She feels frustrated.
Every time she sees Grey, she feels happy. Every time he smiles at her, her heart flutters. But what Sebastian said was true, he will get married to a noblewoman someday. Someone that could support him. While her feelings for him are not yet deep, it's better to stop. Besides, she believes that what she feels is only a simple admiration or a crush. Nothing serious yet.
"Lady..."
She heard a voice from the gate. A young man is standing on the other side. He's around 15 to 16 years old with a pleasing appearance. He's sweating and his face is pale white.
"Yes?" She answered.
She noticed his bleeding hands.
"Are you okay? You're bleeding." She asked again.
"Please help me..." He said in a weak voice.
******
Sebastian sneaked into Luna's room after he saw her walking out with the maids. He will take a few strands of her hair on her brush or bed for tests in the temple. Priests and healers can determine blood relations using their abilities.
It seems impossible for Georgina to be alive after falling from that cliff but what if she didn't fall? What if the traces were a setup to make them think she's dead? Or there could be a possibility that someone rescued her.
"What if my sister is still alive? That she was just missing and was thrown in the Murduklan? What if she's Luna?" Sebastian asked himself.
He's been restless and unable to fall asleep as soon as he heard the maids talking about Luna's ginger hair. He waits in the corner outside her room to see her. As soon as he saw her, his heart raced at the sight of the young woman with beautiful ginger hair. This time she definitely looked exactly like Georgina. The only difference is she grows in height and she looked like a woman now more than a teenage girl years before. His heart wanted to believe that she was his sister. That she's alive all this time. That all the signs are not just coincidences.
Sebastian searched for the traces of hair in Luna's bed when he noticed Luna's bag made of animal skin. He decided to search for her belongings. He saw a small pouch. Inside is a golden betrothal ring with small sapphire stones. The rings look familiar... The design and unique marks are similar to a royal ring. The engraving of royal rings identifies the owner using ancient letters that only highly educated nobles could read. He peeked at the engraving inside the ring and read the familiar name...
It's Georgina's royal engagement ring!
Sebastian falls to his knees. His hands were trembling. His eyes started to water as he gazed at the piece of jewelry that prove his sister's living existence.
She's alive! She's still alive!
He remembers the day that he stopped the Prince from returning to Luna. He almost abandons her sister in the forest. He condemned her to die in that horrifying place. He abandoned her the second time!
Sebastian could no longer control his emotion. Tears fell from his eyes as he struggled to breathe. His heart aches for his sister who suffered living alone in the forest, wearing animal skin and eating wild plants and animals. He even told her hurtful words to prevent her from getting close to the Prince.
"How could I not realize it sooner?" Sebastian cried out loud.
My sister is alive!
*******
Grey was informed by the maids that Luna walked to the garden and couldn't join them for the meal. Recently, Luna has been distant since they went out from the forest. She still talked to him but only when the beasts are around. She answered with minimal words and seem spiritless most of the time. He thought she was just tired of the nightly journey and worried about her sick bird Porcha. He noticed she's not getting along with Sebastian recently. He wanted to talk with her about this.
Grey was about to enter the garden when he heard a commotion. He walked in and saw a few distressed guards looking at the broken fence in front of them. He also saw Luna's two maids with horrified expressions.
"What's happening here?"
The servants were all surprised to see him. They all bowed down.
"Your majesty, your lady companion was abducted." The servant said in a trembling voice.
Grey's expression turned to rage and grab the servant's neck. His killing intent aura made the servants fall on their knees and cry for forgiveness.
"What did you say?" His voice is rough and he looked very aggressive.
"Your majesty, please forgive us. The lady asked us to let her walk alone in the garden. We did not expect the abductors to destroy the fence" The maid pleaded.
"Gideon!" Grey called in a commanding voice as he let go of the servant who gasp for air.
Gideon appeared in front of him and transformed into its mystical form.
The servants all stepped back as they saw the massive animal in front of them.
"Call the knights and informed them what happened!" Grey said as he hopped on the beast and commanded it to run towards the woods behind the broken fence.
The servants quickly run towards the mansion and looked for the knights.
All the knights were called and informed of the event.
Sebastian stared at the broken fence. His heart is racing with fear as he listens to the servant's narrative.
He failed again.