Servant's POV
The head maid and butler frantically rushed to the grand entrance to welcome the priestess. Priestess Selene from the central temple had arrived. Her carriage, a little worn down, did not match her esteemed status. She was here in the dead of night, her secretive visit signaling just how critical the situation had become.
Though the palace lights were dim, with only the major hallways illuminated, no one was asleep. Everyone was on edge, including the royal physician, who had decided to stay through the night, awaiting the priestess's arrival.
"She's here just in time," the head maid murmured, her hands trembling as she twisted her apron.
"Do you think the priestess can help?" the butler asked, his voice low. "The physicians have tried everything."
The head maid nodded grimly. "If anyone can reach the goddess, it's Priestess Selene. Let's hope it's not too late."
Priestess Selene was quickly led to the nursery.
Princess Dorothy had just had another crying fit, her sobs echoing in the room. The maids cooed and tried to calm her, but their efforts were fruitless.
Across the room, Princess Cordelia lay shivering and whimpering in her bed. It was heart-wrenching to witness. Princess Iris's once bright eyes were hollow, unblinking, fixed on the pale moon outside. The poor girl had lost so much weight over the past week, and no one knew how to help.
"I've never seen her like this," whispered one maid. "She's barely eating, barely sleeping… it's as if she's fading away."
"The physicians are at their wits' end," another added, her voice barely audible over Dorothy's sobs. "They've tried everything, but nothing works."
Princess Alice and Princess Elanor had huddled close to Cordelia, their sleep restless and disturbed. The air was thick with worry and tension.
Priestess Selene's arrival seemed to stir Elanor. She woke first, watching the priestess warily, her eyes scanning the room for threats. Iris, who had been staring unblinking at the moon for hours, blinked at the priestess, a faint glimmer of hope flickering in her gaze.
"There's hope," someone whispered under their breath, breaking the silence.
The heavy atmosphere lifted, if only slightly.
Priestess Selene knelt down beside the girls, her voice soft as she began to pray. The motifs of Cassiopeia woven into the tapestry above started to glow, twinkling like stars answering a call from the heavens.
A miracle. Mother Cassiopeia was answering.
The entire room knelt, their voices joining the priestess's in fervent prayer.
"Please, let the goddess hear us," the head maid muttered, clutching her rosary beads.
"I've never seen the royal family like this," the royal physician murmured, his hands shaking. "The kingdom cannot afford to lose them."
"Cassiopeia help us all," another maid whispered tearfully, her hands clasped together as she stared at the glowing symbols on the walls.
And then, with a flash of light, the tension broke.
The princesses lay peacefully now, a hint of a smile on each of their faces. It was over. Relief washed over everyone in the room as they quietly filed out of the nursery.
"Thank you so much, Priestess Selene. You've saved our princesses," the head maid whispered gratefully.
The priestess shook her head. "It was not me but the Goddess Cassiopeia. This was a simple healing prayer, yet she answered. She is as vain as ever. The last time she intervened was when the kingdom faced a drought over 300 years ago."
The maids and servants bowed low. "Thank you, Goddess. Thank you."
Cordelia's POV
The accident kept flashing before my eyes.
I shouldn't have left home that day.
Why didn't I stop her when she ran away? Why wasn't I fast enough?
Damn it.
"Maya…" I sobbed softly. "Maya…"
I didn't know how long it had been. My mind had been on autopilot since the realization of the gaping hole in my chest. I needed Maya.
Suddenly, a flash of light broke through the haze. It felt like I was in the presence of something otherworldly.
"Fret not, my child. You will meet her soon."
The voice—gentle, reassuring. I didn't know how, but I believed it. Despite all the pain, I felt convinced that I would meet Maya soon.
It was strange, baffling even. But it was as though a heavy burden had been lifted from me. My chest no longer felt so tight. I let my exhaustion overtake me, allowing myself to drift into a peaceful sleep.
Third Party POV
In a place unknown to mortals, Queen Cassiopeia sat, her lips curled into a smile that did not reach her eyes—a smile filled with anger.
The Queen was upset.
She combed through her daughter Andromeda's hair with deliberate, soothing strokes. Beside her, King Cepheus watched them with quiet admiration, his love for his family evident.
"It's all Castor and Pollux's fault. Those sleazy twins," Cassiopeia seethed, her beautiful voice stained with venom. "I never intended to bring another life from a foreign dimension here."
"Don't worry, Mother," Andromeda reassured her softly, "We will help you share the burden."
King Cepheus nodded, his face calm but understanding. He knew the depth of his wife's frustrations.
Cassiopeia, now somewhat pacified, turned her gaze toward the mortal world. Her smile widened into a familiar, vain laugh.
"Those children better be grateful to me."
Andromeda, however, looked at the distant children with a forlorn expression. "May you break away from the games of these beings," she whispered under her breath, her heart heavy for the mortals caught in the gods' schemes.