Later that day, the castle was decorated beautifully for the royal wedding. Tadio Cliff paced around the room, dressed in groom attire, confused and anxious. He had no way to escape; the room was heavily guarded, and there were no windows. All Tadio wanted was a simple life, but now he found himself trapped between two royalties. He didn't want to be king. The responsibility was overwhelming, and he wasn't ready for it. Besides, he didn't love Irene. If he had a choice, he would have preferred Ivin, but even that option seemed out of reach.
Just then, the door opened, and Ivin rushed in, embracing Tadio tightly. Hugging her back, he asked, "How did you get here? What about the guards?"
"That's not important. We need to go," Ivin replied urgently.
"Go where?" Tadio asked, confused.
"We have to run away," Ivin insisted.
"If we do that, we'll get killed," Tadio said, his voice filled with worry.
"Don't worry. I will protect you," Ivin reassured him.
"I can't. I don't want you to get hurt because of me," Tadio replied, his affection for her evident.
"We don't have much time. We have to go," Ivin said, pulling Tadio towards the door.
"No, Ivin. I'm scared for you," Tadio said, his voice trembling.
"I promise nothing is going to happen. Just trust me," Ivin said, her eyes filled with determination.
With a resigned sigh, Tadio followed Ivin. Outside the room, he saw the guards lying on the floor, unconscious.
"What did you do to them?" Tadio asked, astonished.
"Sleeping potion. I added it to the water I gave them," Ivin explained.
"This way," she said, leading Tadio down a hidden tunnel.
"What is this place?" Tadio asked, his anxiety growing.
"Irene and I used to play here when we were kids. Father sealed it off later because he was worried we might get lost or hurt ourselves. It leads to a neighboring market," Ivin explained.
"So how do we move on? We can't go on foot. We'll be caught," Tadio said, his worry deepening.
"Don't worry, I made preparations for that," Ivin replied confidently.
Meanwhile, Ivin's sister, the queen, stood in front of a large mirror, admiring her reflection in a bright and elaborate gown. Her serene moment was interrupted when a maid burst into the room, her voice trembling with fear.
"My queen," the maid stammered, bowing deeply. "Tadio Cliff is missing."
The queen's expression turned cold as she faced the maid. "What do you mean?" she demanded sharply.
Shaking in fear, the maid explained, "When I arrived, he was gone, and the guards were lying on the floor."
Without wasting a second, the queen dashed out of the room and hurried to Ivin's room, only to find it empty. Realization dawned on her. She called for the guards, and a few knights quickly appeared before her, bowing.
"Gather the others and find Tadio Cliff and Princess Ivin. They must be brought to me alive," she commanded with authority.
"Yes, my queen," the knights replied and swiftly ran out.
Meanwhile, Tadio and Irene reached the end of the tunnel. Ivin looked around and spotted a fire in the distance.
"That's our signal. Let's go," Ivin said to Tadio. They both moved toward the fire, where they met a young woman dressed as a maid, holding a rope tied to a horse.
Upon seeing them, the maid greeted with a bow, "Your Highness, I'm glad you made it."
"Thank you, Sasha," Ivin replied, embracing her. "You have helped me so much."
"I'm just happy to be of use to you, Your Highness," Sasha replied.
"Please take care of my sister," Ivin said, still hugging her.
"Yes, Your Highness," Sasha replied. Turning to Tadio, she added, "My lord, please take care of Your Highness."
"I will. Thank you, Sasha," Tadio replied with a small smile.
Ivin pulled away from the hug. Tadio took the rope from Sasha, mounted the horse, and helped Ivin up. He then shouted, "yaaa!" and the horse began to gallop away with them on its back.
Later on, the Irene realized she had lost to her sister again, but she did not give up. She vowed to continue searching for Tadio Cliff and her sister, determined to bring them back.
******A Year And Three Months Later******
In a small forest, a modest hut is situated at the out skirt of Elgard. In front of the hut was a little shed where livestock were kept. A small farm thrived nearby, and a horse was tied to a tree. Tadio was feeding the livestock when a scream echoed from inside the hut. Immediately, Tadio abandoned his task and ran inside.
"What is it?" Tadio asked, looking down at Ivin, who was in labor.
Realizing the situation, he began to pace around the room, confused. "Tadio," Ivin called weakly.
"Yes, my love," Tadio replied, concern evident in his voice.
"The baby is coming," Ivin said, groaning.
"I know, but I don't know what to do," Tadio replied, panic in his eyes.
Screaming, Ivin began pushing the baby out.
Meanwhile, back at the palace, Queen Irene sat on her throne, lost in thought. A knight entered and bowed before her.
"My Queen, Princess Ivin's whereabouts has been confirmed," the knight announced.
Irene looked at him instantly. "Is this true?" she asked.
"Yes, my Queen," the knight replied.
Irene stood up and asked, "What's the location?"
"The Ravens wood" My Queenthe knight answered.
"Okay," she replied, walking away with determination.
"My Queen," the knight called after her, "should I gather the other knights?"
"No need, I'll go alone," Irene replied.
"Yes, my Queen," the knight answered, bowing.
Back at the hut, Ivin continued to scream and push until the cry of a baby filled the room.
"It's a girl," Tadio said proudly, kissing Ivin on her forehead.
"Let me have her," Ivin said weakly. She took the baby, gazing affectionately into the baby's deep blue eyes and wet silver hair.
Tadio watched them in amazement. "We need to wash the baby, and you need to clean up too," he said, taking the baby to wash her.
After Ivin and the baby had been washed up, she carried the baby in her arms, marveling at how such an adorable little human had come from her. The baby cooed up at her, gripping her pinky tightly. As Irene stepped into the room, Ivin instinctively shielded her baby with her arms, her voice trembling as she asked, "What are you doing here? How did you find us?"
Irene stood there, sensing the powerful aura radiating from the baby. "Hand over the baby, sister," she demanded.
"No," Ivin screamed, her voice sharp and desperate. The baby's cries grew louder in response. She held the baby closer, trying to soothe it. At that moment, Tadio burst into the room. Upon seeing Irene, he trembled with fear. Ivin quickly handed the baby over to him.
"I don't want to hurt anyone. Just hand over the baby to me," Irene pleaded.
"I can't give you my baby," Ivin replied firmly.
A look of determination crossed Irene's face. "Well then," she said, a dark magic ball forming in her hand. She aimed it at the baby and fired. Ivin intervened just in time, and the magic struck her instead, causing her to collapse. Tadio watched in horror, with her last bit of strength, Ivin signaled him to run away.
Reluctantly, Tadio ran outside with the baby, He untied the horse, mounted it, and rode away, glancing back only once to see the chaos he was leaving behind.
Mean while Irene wailed loudly in regret, cradling the lifeless body of Ivin in her arms. She had never intended to kill her sister; her only desire was to harness the baby's power for herself, driven by a greedy ambition to become the strongest queen who ever lived. Overcome with grief, Irene unknowingly cast a force field over the entire kingdom of Elgard, trapping everyone inside and preventing anyone from entering or leaving,luckily Tadio and the baby had already escaped Elgard before the force field was created.
In her sorrow, she gave Ivin a fitting burial. As the days turned into weeks, Irene realized the full extent of her actions and made several attempts to dismantle the force field. However, each effort ended in failure. Accepting her fate, she devoted herself to protecting her people from all natural and supernatural threats.
*****EIGHTEEN YEARS LATER*****
In a remote village, an almost-ruined house stood on the outskirts. Inside the kitchen, a man in his early forties, dressed as a commoner, was making breakfast. He called out, "Marcella!!, breakfast is ready!"he said "won't you come and eat?"he asked annoyed. "Heavens sake that girl is impossible." He muttered to himself
Reluctantly, an eighteen-year-old girl emerged, half-asleep. "You don't need to shout father," she said.
"Then why won't you answer when I call for you?" Tadio asked, exasperated.
"I'm just too tired to get up," Marcella replied lazily.
"Dear heavens, young lady, I don't understand why you are so lazy. You never do anything around the house," Tadio retorted.
"Dear father, of course, I do things. I just don't feel like it today," Marcella replied reluctantly.
Tadio sighed. "I guess I raised you the wrong way. It's all my fault."
"From what I know, you raised me well, father," Marcella reassured him.
"That aside, I baked you a cake," Tadio said excitedly.
"Oh, wow. What's the occasion?" Marcella asked, confused.
"Your birthday is today," Tadio replied excitedly.
"Oh," Marcella responded sadly.
"Why the long face, cupcake?" Tadio asked.
"It's also the day mother died," Marcella replied.
"Dear heaven Marcella, I shouldn't have told you that," Tadio blamed himself. Trying to lighten up the mood, he said softly, "Dear, you are a fine young lady now. For heaven's sake, you are 18," he said proudly. "Just enjoy your birthday like a normal kid," he added.
"I will try to," Marcella replied. "But why won't you tell me about mother's side of the family? How did you come to meet? What was mother like? I want to know every single details about her," she added curiously.
Ignoring her questions, Tadio replied excitedly, "Let's get on to the birthday celebration."
"Father, for the past 18 years, you have refused to tell me about my background. I don't know who I am or where I belong. I can feel it in my soul that I don't belong here. I am destined for something great, but how can I start when you won't tell me what I need to know?" Marcella replied with a hint of frustration in her voice.
Tadio spoke calmly, "I'm just trying to protect you."
"From what?" Marcella replied, her frustration evident.
"Sweetheart, you are meant to be hidden from the world, Going into the world won't do you any good," Tadio said softly. "I don't want you to get hurt."
"Get hurt from what exactly? How would I know when you won't tell me?" Marcella retorted, before turning and walking into her room, clearly annoyed.
A few moments later, she reappeared, now dressed in breeches, a tunic, and a pair of leather boots.
"Where are you going dressed like that?"Tadio asked, alarmed.
"To find out for myself, since you won't tell me," Marcella replied, tying up her long silver hair. Without another word, she stormed out of the house, leaving Tadio standing, bewildered and uncertain.