She made me sit on a half-dismantled tree trunk, the rough bark digging into my legs as I shifted uncomfortably. She sat opposite me, her posture graceful despite the informality of the setting.
"So, Kylex, I know you want to know more and more about this kingdom. Ask anything you want" she said, her voice soft but filled with an air of mystery.
I hesitated for a moment, feeling the weight of her words and the intensity of the moment. "Well... it would be better if you told me why a princess like you came here disguised as a commoner first" I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. My eyes studied her carefully, searching for any hidden truths.
She looked away, as if searching for the right words, before her gaze fell to the ground. "Actually, when I was a child, my mother and I used to come to this place often. We used to have a lot of fun here. But after her death, we're forbidden to leave the palace. The jungle... it only appears on no-moon nights, so I disguise myself as a commoner to come here, to relive the moments I shared with her" she answered. Her voice faltered, and she seemed lost in her own world, her eyes distant, a faraway look clouding her expression.
A silence hung in the air, heavy with the weight of her words. Her voice broke the stillness, a tremor in it as she continued. "I feel... I feel so depressed and lonely living in the palace. No fun, no freedom, no meeting with others..." Her eyes welled with tears, her emotions laid bare in front of me.
"And my father... he sent me to the neighboring kingdom!" She said abruptly, the bitterness in her voice cutting through the stillness.
"Why?" I asked, unable to hide my curiosity, but also sensing that there was more to this story than she was letting on. The way she spoke of her father made it clear that she held some kind of resentment.
"For a proposal" she muttered, her eyes clouded with a mix of sorrow and frustration.
"So, are you going to marry him?" I asked, my words slipping out before I could stop them.
"Yes... he's a nice guy, I don't have any objections" she replied, her tone faltering. "But if my mother were alive, she wouldn't have let my father send me to spend days and nights with Prince Zahurek. Not like this." She paused, shaking her head, as if she couldn't quite come to terms with the situation.
I wasn't sure what to say to console her. I'd never been great with comforting anyone, except maybe Jennifer back home, but this felt different. The weight of her sorrow was heavier, darker.
"So... how's your relationship with your brother Prince and your younger sister Calyra?" I asked, hoping to shift the subject, though I had a feeling I already knew the answer.
"You've already met her, haven't you? But you misunderstood me for her" she said with a light laugh, though the sound was tinged with sadness as tears fell silently down her cheeks.
"I... I have, but I've never actually seen her face. I thought you were..." My voice trailed off, embarrassed by my mistake.
"It's totally okay" she replied, wiping the tears from her cheeks, her smile small but genuine. "I haven't seen her face either."
"But aren't you her sister?" I asked, trying to piece everything together.
"I have seen her only as a child" she explained. "Her eyes and her face structure—so much like my mother's. Whenever my father looks at her, he sees the queen in her. And it pains him. So, he orders her to hide her face every time." She paused, her hands trembling slightly as she spoke, as if the truth was too much to bear.
"What a silly thing to do to your own child" I muttered under my breath. "That's the king... he's the one who needs treatment." I was appalled by how twisted the situation seemed, the weight of it pressing down on me.
"That's not the only reason he keeps her face hidden, though" she said quietly, her voice dropping to a whisper. She seemed like she was about to say something important but stopped herself.
"Oh no... she knows..." Her voice faltered, panic creeping in. "She knows what we've been talking about." Her eyes widened with fear, and for the first time, I saw her vulnerability—real and raw.
"Who?" I asked, my confusion mounting.
"I've woken her up... what if..." Her voice trailed off, but the fear was unmistakable in her eyes. "We have to go back to the palace, now! As fast as possible!"
Without another word, she jumped to her feet and ran toward the door of the old house, her fear palpable in the air.
We sprinted through the alleys, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. She was so terrified that she nearly collapsed, but somehow, I managed to get her to the palace. The night felt heavier, darker, as if the very shadows were closing in around us.
Once inside, she quickly disappeared into her room, leaving me to process the events. I could barely keep up with everything she had told me. The palace, the curse, the king... and now, whatever secret she had just uncovered.
I stood in the hallway for a moment, staring at the door she had just vanished behind, before retreating to my own quarters. The weight of the night pressed on my chest. It all felt like a twisted dream. Was I even awake?
The night seemed to stretch on forever. Everything in this palace felt off, eerie, like it was hiding something—or someone. I tried to ignore the unsettling feeling crawling up my spine, but sleep eventually found me, pulling me into a restless rest. Even then, I couldn't escape the sense of dread that lingered in the air.