Chapter 19
Lilia
I strolled along the paths of the royal garden, lost in my thoughts, reflecting on the intimate moment with Perock in the forest yesterday.
From a distance, the sound of urgent arguing broke through my reverie.
“Please, Your Majesty, you must return to the palace!” a young woman pleaded, her voice trembling with urgency. “If the king finds out, there’ll be consequences!”
I looked toward the source of the noise and saw a young woman dressed in a maid’s uniform—it was Susie, the maid who had been kind to me when I was “Viossi.” She was trying to reason with a woman dressed in lavish attire, who clearly wasn’t having it and was brushing off her hand.
That face was all too familiar to me.
Viossi.
Five years had passed, and her features were still as delicate as ever, but her eyes now held a much darker, more sinister edge.
“Let go of me, you wretch!” Viossi screeched. “I want to see this so-called Princess of Fellinger for myself and find out what’s so special about her that Perock would do so much for her!”
I stood my ground, maintaining the graceful composure expected of a Fellinger princess. Viossi didn’t know my true identity, and that was a good thing.
Viossi spotted me almost instantly, her eyes blazing with unmistakable jealousy.
She broke free from Susie’s attempts to hold her back, striding toward me with purpose in every step.
“So, it’s you!” she exclaimed, her voice sharp and accusing.
“The Fellinger princess who’s driven Perock out of his mind!
” Her words carried a mix of resentment and disbelief, as if my very presence was an insult she couldn’t bear.
I could feel the weight of her gaze, piercing and hostile, as she closed the distance between us, clearly intent on confronting me head-on.
I raised an eyebrow, keeping my tone calm. “Your Majesty, you seem quite agitated. Is there something I can help you with?”
“Don’t play coy with me!” Viossi spat venomously. “For you, he ordered the construction of a fifty-acre ‘Fellinger Garden’! And as if that wasn’t enough, he’s building a palace embedded with fifty thousand gems! What kind of spell have you cast on him?”
So that’s what this was about. I wasn’t surprised—any woman would struggle to accept her husband going to such extravagant lengths for another woman.
Susie hurriedly bowed to me. “Your Highness of Fellinger, I’m so sorry for the disturbance. I’ll take the Queen back immediately.”
“No!” Viossi sharply yanked her hand away from Susie and slapped her hard across the face. “You wretch! How dare you order me around?!”
Susie stumbled back, her cheek instantly swelling red, but she kept her head lowered, not daring to resist. Watching this scene, a familiar anger surged in my chest.
How many times had I, like Susie, been humiliated by Viossi’s unreasonable tantrums?
But now, I wouldn’t let her have her way any longer.
“Enough.” I said coldly, stepping forward to shield Susie. “Your Majesty, please maintain your dignity.”
Viossi sneered. “Look at this, the noble princess standing up for a lowly maid. What a touching scene. Who do you think you are? Some foolish woman from a backwater country!”
Perhaps the changes in me over the past five years were too drastic, as Viossi failed to recognize that I was the slave girl who had once swapped identities with her.
I tilted my chin slightly, my gaze sharp as a blade. “Whose origins are truly lowly remains to be debated. At the very least, my country does not condone the casual mistreatment of servants.”
Viossi’s face turned ashen. “You! How dare you speak to me like this? I am the queen of this nation!”
“And I am the heir of Fellinger,” I replied calmly. “Our two nations are in the midst of negotiating a crucial alliance. Are you certain you wish to provoke a diplomatic incident at this time?”
My words hit her like a bucket of ice water. No matter how willful she was, she understood the importance of national interests. Yet her anger didn’t subside; instead, it intensified, and she redirected it toward Susie.
“This is all your fault! If you hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve driven this self-righteous princess away by now!” She grabbed Susie’s hair, ready to strike again.
I acted swiftly, seizing her wrist with just enough force to cause pain without leaving a mark. “Your Majesty,” my voice was as cold as frost, “Let go. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to report this incident to King Perock as an act of self-defense.”
Fury burned in Viossi’s eyes, but beneath it, I could see a deeper fear. Clearly, she was afraid of Perock. She released her grip, but could only glare at me venomously.
From a distance, the sound of hurried footsteps approached. It seemed the palace had noticed Viossi’s absence and initiated a search.
Viossi’s expression shifted, and she instinctively took a few steps back.
Soon, six guards arrived. Upon seeing Viossi, they immediately dropped to one knee. “Your Majesty, please return to your chambers. By order of His Majesty the King, you are not to wander freely.”
Viossi shot me a venomous glare, but in front of the guards, she had to maintain a facade of dignity. “I was merely taking a stroll. Escort me back.”
Before leaving, she turned to me, and I could read the message in her eyes: This isn’t over.
But I simply curtsied, watching her depart.
The garden returned to its usual tranquility.
I turned to Susie and noticed the red, swollen mark on her cheek, frowning with concern.
“Are you okay?”
Susie quickly shook her head, her eyes flickering with panic.
“I’m fine, Your Highness. This is my fault for not attending to the Queen properly. Please don’t tell His Majesty. He’ll… he’ll be very angry.”
“I won’t say anything,” I said gently. “Would you like to come to my chambers to rest for a while?”
Susie hurriedly stepped back, shaking her head repeatedly.
“No, no, Your Highness, I can’t. I must return to serve the Queen, or she’ll make trouble for me, and…”
She paused, as if weighing what she should or shouldn’t say. “I have to go back.”
“Wait!” I called out to her. Under Susie’s shocked gaze, I raised my hand and touched her cheek.
A golden light, subtle under the sunlight, emanated from my fingertips. Within a few seconds, Susie’s wound had healed completely.
She touched her cheek in disbelief, then bowed deeply to me.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
As I watched her retreating figure, a wave of pity surged in my heart. Susie’s situation was too much like my own past—trapped under a cruel master, living in constant fear. I silently resolved that once things settled down, I would find a way to help her escape.
Back in my chambers, I pushed open the door and was surprised to see Anna already awake, sitting on the bed and playing with her little wolf doll.
“Did you sleep well, sweetheart?” I walked over and gently kissed her forehead.
“Yes!” Anna nodded excitedly, her amber eyes sparkling. “Mommy, I had the best dream just now. I dreamed that the three of us were riding horses together!”
“Three of us?”
“Yeah! You, me, and King Perock!” Anna said innocently. “He looked so cool riding a horse! And he had wolf ears, just like the prince in the fairy tales you told me about!”
My heart skipped a beat. From the day we arrived in this kingdom, Anna had shown an unusual interest in Perock. Even though I had never told her anything about him, she seemed instinctively drawn to him.
Was it the call of blood? I couldn’t deny that Anna’s eyes were identical to Perock’s—that unique amber hue that shimmered with golden light under the sun.
“Mommy, can we go see King Perock today?” Anna clasped her hands together, her face full of anticipation. “Please?”
I wanted to refuse, but looking into her shining eyes, I couldn’t bring myself to say “no.” Besides, keeping Anna away from Perock would only fuel her curiosity, and she might even sneak off to find him herself, which would be far more dangerous.
“Alright,” I relented. “But you have to promise me to stay by my side, not run off on your own, and not ask too many questions, okay?”
“Okay!” Anna cheered, throwing herself into my arms. “Mommy, you’re the best!”
I held her small body close, my heart a mix of emotions.
Letting Anna get close to Perock was a risky decision.
After all, the way to break his curse was through the sacrifice of a child, wasn’t it?
But I didn’t want to disappoint Anna.
Two hours later, I held Anna’s hand as we arrived at Perock’s reception room. It seems that he had been waiting for some time and stood up immediately upon seeing us.
“Princess Lilia,” he said, his voice smooth and formal, carrying the weight of his title, “and the little princess.”
“Your Majesty,” I replied, dipping into a precise curtsy, my grip on Anna’s hand tightening slightly, an anchor in the sea of my doubts. “My daughter has shown great interest in your kingdom’s history and culture. I hope our visit isn’t an inconvenience.”
“Not at all,” Perock said, his smile genuine, stirring a memory from five years ago—the same smile he’d given me when I presented him with that honey cake, a rare moment of unguarded warmth that had made my heart soar. “It’s an honor to have you both here, truly.”
He crouched to Anna’s level, his eyes meeting hers with a gentle curiosity, his demeanor devoid of the intimidation his title might inspire. “Hello, little princess,” he said, his voice warm, inviting. “I hear you’re fond of horses?”
Anna nodded vigorously, unfazed by his royal bearing, her enthusiasm bubbling over. “Yes! I have a pony back in Fellinger named Star! But I’m not super-fast at riding yet, cause she’s kind of wobbly sometimes.”
“What a coincidence,” Perock said, feigning surprise, his tone playful, a spark of mischief in his eyes. “I happen to have a very gentle pony, perfect for young riders like you. Would you like to meet her?”
Anna spun to me, her eyes wide with excitement, her hands clasped in a silent plea. “Mommy, can I? Please?”