"What the hell? You agreed?" Her voice was thick with disbelief, her eyes wide with surprise.
I stared at her, completely blank. "What's that supposed to mean? Is that your way of disagreeing or agreeing?"
She sat down next to me, wrapping her arms around me in a tight hug, her relief spilling out in a soft yell.
"Well, you thought I'd be upset? Of course, I'm happy!" she exclaimed, her voice lighter now, but there was an edge of surprise in it. She sighed deeply, as if a weight had been lifted. "But I honestly didn't expect you to join."
I dropped my gaze to the ground, letting my fingers trace the blades of grass beneath me. While Jane's joy seemed to shine through, I felt the opposite, a heaviness in my chest.
It wasn't that I didn't want to join the competition, but the reason behind my participation left me cold.
Because I am a burden.
Even if I died, they wouldn't care. Not the slightest bit.
"Hey, Dahlia? Are you okay? You're zoning out again!"
Her voice broke through my thoughts. I blinked, focusing on her with wide eyes.
"Aba, I'm not zoning out, you fool. I'm just thinking."
"What's going on in that head of yours?" she asked, her forehead furrowed with concern.
I sighed and kept my gaze fixed on the ground, avoiding her eyes for a moment before speaking. "I didn't volunteer to be one of the contestants," I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. "My parents forced me. They can't do it themselves, and they wouldn't let Elvince—my older brother—take the risk, even though he desperately wanted to. They want to win, so I was their only option."
A long, uneasy silence stretched between us. I could feel Jane's eyes on me, but I didn't have the courage to meet her gaze. There was a knot in my throat, the fear of seeing pity in her eyes stopping me from looking her way.
"That's messed up!" she finally said, her voice filled with indignation. I only shrugged, resigned.
"Well, I could always tell my father to remove you from the list. That way, you won't have to join," she added, her tone a mix of anger and concern.
I shook my head. "Hey, it's fine, Jane. Besides, I want to prove my loyalty to the Dark Kingdom. People keep calling me a spy from the outside." The words slipped out bitterly, as if poison were coating my tongue.
Their words had nothing but venom, words meant to hurt and kill. If it weren't for Jane convincing the King that I wasn't a traitor, I might have already been sentenced for something I hadn't done.
"Those assholes… I swear, I'd love nothing more than to shut their mouths for good."
I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me, but then I spit at her leg, taken aback by her sudden outburst.
"Hey! No cussing!" I warned, my tone serious. "What if someone hears you? What would the King think? What would people say if they find out you're swearing?"
She sighed deeply, resting her head on my shoulder. "Ugh, I know. I can't curse just because I'm a princess. Sometimes, I wish I weren't one at all. Life would be so much easier."
I chuckled, glancing at her with a look of disbelief. "You think being a princess is so bad? People would kill to have your life. Thousands would trade places with you."
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she stared up at the branches above us, her thoughts seemingly miles away. The silence between us grew heavy, but it was the truth. People always seemed to want what they didn't have.
"You know," she said after a long pause, "people are never satisfied with what they already have. They're always looking for something they can't have."
I didn't answer right away, merely shrugging in response. It was true, after all.
"Well, like they say…" I trailed off, a thoughtful look crossing my face. "Envy is the art of counting someone else's blessings instead of your own."
"And they either want to kill you, kiss you, or be you," Jane finished, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
I couldn't help but laugh at that, and when I turned to her, I found her staring at me, as though I were the most impressive thing she'd ever seen.
"Where did you even get that?" she asked, her voice laced with wonder.
"From me, of course," I replied with a grin, rolling my eyes. It was impossible that I'd gotten it from anyone else in the town.
"You really know what to say in moments like this, huh?" she teased, her laugh light and carefree.
I just shrugged, offering a small chuckle in return. Honestly, I had no idea where half of what I said came from.
Our conversation came to a halt when Jane suddenly stood, extending her hand toward me.
"Come on, I want to show you something," she said, her voice filled with excitement. "I almost forgot about it."
I raised an eyebrow, confused. "Where?"
She pouted playfully and, before I could respond, grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. "Just don't ask so many questions. Come on!"
I had no choice but to follow her as she dragged me toward the forest, the trees growing denser as we ventured deeper into the woods. I couldn't help but wonder where we were going, the further we strayed from the kingdom.
"Jane, where are we—"
"Shh!" she cut me off, her finger pressed to her lips. We stopped in our tracks, and I could see the magic barrier surrounding the Dark Kingdom just ahead. There was no one around, only trees as far as the eye could see. But I knew the guards would be patrolling soon.
"Come on," Jane whispered. "The guards are on break. They'll be back in a few minutes."
I frowned, feeling uneasy as she tried to pull me closer to the barrier.
"Just where exactly are we going, Jane?" I asked, my gaze shifting nervously between her and the barrier.
She sighed, a small laugh escaping her lips as she pointed toward the barrier. My eyes widened in disbelief.
"Are you out of your mind?" I asked, incredulous. "Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?"
She scratched her head and chuckled, clearly amused by my reaction. "Relax, Dahlia. We're just stepping out for a bit. No one's around to see us. Don't worry, it'll be fine!"
I shook my head, utterly baffled. "But Jane—"
She sighed again, then, to my surprise, placed a finger on my lips to quiet me.
"What? Are you coming or not?" she asked, her voice playful but insistent.
I glared at her, trying to resist. "I don't want to."
"Well, as the Princess of the Dark Kingdom, I command you to follow me," she said with a mock-serious tone, raising her chin proudly.
Gosh, I hated when she did that—taking advantage of her royal status like that.
"Fine," I relented with a sigh. "But only for five minutes, okay? Then we go back."
She nodded enthusiastically, and we began walking toward the magic barrier. The moment we stepped outside, I could immediately feel the change in the atmosphere.
The air was lighter, fresher, and I felt a slight chill run down my spine. It felt so different from the heavy, suffocating atmosphere inside our territory.
"It's your first time outside the barrier, huh?" she asked, her voice soft.
I nodded. "Yeah, it is."
The silence around us was almost eerie. Not a single soul was in sight, and yet the air felt so much lighter than the dark energy I was used to. It was as if the weight on my chest had momentarily lifted.
"It's suffocating, right?" Jane remarked, glancing at me with a soft smile.
I turned to her, frowning. "What do you mean?"
"The atmosphere," she said, clutching her chest. "It feels so dense, so heavy, right? But trust me, what I'm about to show you will make you forget about that feeling." She winked.
I didn't get a chance to respond before she tugged me further from the barrier, her steps quick and determined.
"Wait, Jane… Do you know the way back?" I asked, my voice tinged with worry.
She laughed lightly, her grip firm on my hand. "Don't worry, Dahlia. We're almost there."
As we continued walking, I could hear the faint sound of rushing water nearby. With every step, it grew louder, and before long, we found ourselves standing before a stunning waterfall. The water shimmered under the light, its clarity almost blinding.
"This… I can't believe you showed me this," I whispered in awe, my voice barely audible.
It was the first time I'd seen anything like it. Inside our kingdom, the only bodies of water were dull, stagnant lakes and rivers. But this… this was beautiful.
"See? I told you you'd like it," Jane said from behind me. "Next time, I'll show you the ocean, if I can find one."
I chuckled softly, still mesmerized by the waterfall. The ocean… something we had only read about in books. The Elders spoke of it, but no one in the Elemental Realm had ever seen it.
"How did you find this place?" I asked, ste
pping closer to the water, feeling its cool touch.
She opened her mouth to answer, but suddenly we heard footsteps and voices from afar.