HENRIETTA: PRAELUDIUM [TO BE EDITED]

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 19

The air feels cold and heavy. A soft groan escaped my lips as I opened my eyes. I was surprised to find myself sitting inside an empty room. It wasn't dark, but the light was too dim to light the whole room. I tried moving from my spot, wanting to check where I currently am, but I was too stuck on the floor to move.

I frowned as I noticed how my surroundings changed. Now I'm sitting on a chair while my hands and feet were tied up. I felt a certain fear rush down my spine as the rope around my wrists were slowly tightening. I clenched both my hands as I try to pull my hands up, but it was useless. The rope was too thick for my thin wrists.

"Your Highness."

"Henrietta."

"Princess."

I quickly looked in front of me as I heard those familiar voices calling onto me. The anxiousness that was threatening to crawl out of me slowly filled my mind. My heart was beating faster, as if it was about to jump off my chest. I wanted to scream and fight back as I watch the precious people in my life die right in front of me.

"No... How can this be...?" I whispered frantically.

I was too sure that it wasn't real, but the mere thought of losing them was starting to drive me nuts. I have to escape from here...

"Just give it back, Amethyst. Give everything back." That familiar voice...

I looked around in panic. I was on the verge of crying because of the sudden loneliness that's forcing its way to my heart. Then that familiar figure wearing a familiar cloak appeared.

"Give it back!" It screamed.

My eyes abruptly flew open and I found myself lying on my bed, my entire body covered in sweat.

"Another nightmare..." I whispered to myself.

I carefully got out of my bed and decided to change my clothes to a very comfortable one. I forgot to eat my dinner, maybe I'll eat lots tomorrow.

I took my pink chemise and changed into that.

I was in the middle of arguing with myself, in whether I should go eat or not, when I heard a commotion outside of my room.

I could hear a couple of footsteps running on the hallway and faint voices of knights. What's happening?

"Your Highnes!" My door flew open and I almost jump out of shock. Keita stood in front of my door, panting heavily, in his hand was his sword.

I was too focused on wondering about the latter's worried face that I didn't notice someone attacking me from behind.

I felt a heavy force hitting the back of my neck, and the last thing I heard was Keita's voice calling onto me.


─── 𖥸 ───


[ THIRD P.O.V. ]

The Grand Duke heard about what happened at the training grounds that he held a meeting with the crown princess' tutors. The Viscountess and the Chancellor that was suddenly summoned at the Grand Duke's office were confused at the situation. But as soon as the Grand Duke explained what happened, they all kneel and begged for forgiveness, except Henrietta's personal mage.

"You all know that she's the crown princess of this empire, yet the three of you still dared to mock her in that way." Astraeus glared at them as he crossed his arms.

The Grand Duke felt the same. He felt too upset that he wanted to punish the three of them and lock them up for a week. No, maybe a month. They did dare to insult her highness.

"I chose the three of you knowing your skills. And this is what you did to repay my kindness? How insolent." The three of them flinched at their current spot when they felt the menacing aura that emanated from the Grand Duke.

"Your excellency... We only did that because we wanted to know how much the princess knows about the empire's education..." The Chancellor's words were a bit slurry as he tried to defend their actions, but he knew deeply that he was at fault for hurting a diligent student's feelings.

"You dare use that as an excuse, Chancellor? You of all people, hah." Now they're pretty sure where they're heading soon.

The Grand Duke called his aid and personal guard Reynolds and ordered for the three of them to be locked and starved for a week. They couldn't protest anymore because it was their fault for angering his excellency even more.

He was just about to rest on his chair when someone knocked on his office's door. "Father, this is Arthur," the person from the other side said.

The Grand Duke sighed then ordered for his son to come in, which he did. Arthur looked serious. He was carrying a couple of documents that he placed on his father's desk.

"My unit searched thoroughly in Talares Nation, but we only found a few things. So we tried to check on Annaritas Nation and found these," Arthur said and pointed at the pile of documents that he placed on the desk.

Astraeus glanced at the Grand Duke as he stood closer to them. He was somehow curious at the contents of the papers that he wants to take a small peak from them.

"Apparently, we showed Aurelius' poster to ask about him and a few people claimed that they saw Aurelius around the capital. He was meeting with some cloaked people in the Butchel's Inn. Upon further investigation, we found out that the inn was like a home for black and dark magic users." Arthur showed the document where the inn was sketched.

"Pardon my intrusion. Am I late?" Hendrix, who just arrived, asked, with him was a couple of documents as well.

"What did you find?" The Grand Duke asked as he motioned for his first son to join them.

"There are some nobles who are against the title of the crown princess. They wanted to open a survey about it and gather votes to dethrone the crown princess. They were convincing the other councils by saying that the crown princess was a fraud,"" Hendrix said.

The Grand Duke grinned at the news that he wanted to personally hold a meeting only to punish them.

"The Viscount of House Luecé, The Baron of House Essó, and one of the Chiefs of the Land of Dew. They were the ones who looked too suspicious. I investigated the three of them and found that they were the ones instigating the surveys. The Baron was responsible for the fraud rumors while the Chief encouraged the others to join them. As per the Viscount, he's nowhere to be found at the moment. It seemed that he requested to travel back to Annaritas to take care of some family matters." Hendrix placed the new pile of documents beside the current ones as he explained his findings.

"What about the first princess?"

"Sir Shotora was the one leading the search," Hendrix answered.

"I've locked him up for punishment."

"The first princess' previous location was the Crimson Forest and the forest is located at the border between Annaritas and Talares Nation. Maybe if we search that place, we can find any clue," Astraeus suggested. "Also, your excellency, the crown princess' awakening will happen soon. You need to prepare a secluded room for her to let her body recuperate on its own. The crown princess' power, the one hiding deep in her, is something enormous that it might manipulate even her mind. It's divine and dark to some extent. So be prepared,"" Astraeus sounded like he was suggesting for them to hurt her in case something bad happens, and that's what the three of them was actually thinking.

With the heavy atmosphere, they continued checking each of the report that Hendrix and Arthur brought. Astraeus helped them since he has nothing to do. The princess was still asleep in her room, and he can't barge in there unless she calls for him. He sighed at the thought. Does he miss her?

Dusk was falling rapidly, and they didn't even notice it. They were too engrossed checking and listing the important things. Hendrix called for a servant and ordered her to set up a table for dinner in the Grand Duke's office. He was too sure that the crown princess wouldn't come out of her room until tomorrow that he decided to take dinner to their work. The others didn't mind and just went on with the flow.

Astraeus frowned at the paper he was holding as he felt his body suddenly tensed up. For some reasons, the atmosphere surrounding the castle changed and a unique scent of bloodthirst field the air. He looked outside the window, silently assessing the sudden change that he felt. A weird feeling of his heart being twisted covered his chest. His head felt heavy as well that he was starting to lose his focus.

"What the..." He whispered to himself. He groaned in pain as he felt a weapon-like force piercing his chest. The Grand Duke and the two princes called the mage's name in astonishment as Astraeus passed out.

Arthur was quick to call the guards and ordered him to round up a few knights and check the entire palace then he ordered the other one to call a healer for the fallen Astraeus. Meanwhile, the Grand Duke and Hendrix helped Astraeus and placed him on the couch. The mage kept on fidgeting, as if he was struggling from something.

And as they waited for the knight's report and the healer, a commotion from outside caught their attention. The footsteps were too loud and fast, as if they were catching a couple of rats that infiltrated the humble palace. Hendrix went out this time to check the current situation.

"A dozen of knights wearing black cloaks infiltrated the palace! And they spotted two dark sorcerers near the crown princess' room!" The knight informed him.

Hendrix quickly relayed the situation to his father and brother. The Grand Duke ordered Arthur to stay beside the mage until he was healed then he instructed Hendrix to protect the crown princess. They dispersed and the Grand Duke called a few knights to come with him. He took his sword that Reynolds brought then they marched to where the rats were.

On the other hand, the two dark sorcerers already succeeded in infiltrating the crown princess' floor. They were both wearing a sorcerer's cloak and pair of masks; one wore a rabbit mask, while the other wore a half mask of a demon.

It wasn't that easy to plan an infiltration to the safest palace of the Clareian Kingdom, but thanks to what happened back at the Nation of Talares that they were able to cast a blinding spell on her. It was activated when the crown princess saw the mysterious cloaked lady in the crowd.

The effects include hallucinations, nightmares, and an indifferent attitude. They did that to ruin the crown princess' focus, making her act like an immature child to her peers.

"Don't kill, Thomas. Just take the crown princess," the sorcerer wearing a half demon mask reminded his partner.

"I won't. I'll behave, Corpsé," the sorcerer wearing the rabbit mask said.

Corpsé stood outside to watch while he let his partner do the job. A couple of knights soon arrived the premises and in order to avoid killing them, Corpsé casted a sleeping charm to them.

"You!"

His eyes widen, and he quickly jumped away from his spot when he felt the bloodthirst of a knight attacking him. It wasn't his first time fighting someone like this, but somehow, this knight seems different. He wasn't even affected with the charm he casted. And looking at him, Corpsé was reminded of a huge predator bear he fought when he was young.

Keita glared at the sorcerer in front of him as he held onto his sword. He quickly made a move and attacked him again. The bloodthirst covering his entirety soon whispered their desire to cut the man in front of them. Corpsé could feel that he might lose any moment because of the desperation that this knight has. So he ended up escaping from their fight.

"Why are you so slow!" He exclaimed as he appeared beside his partner. Thomas didn't answer and was just too focused looking at the princess. They were both using an invisible spell that the princess didn't notice them.

The door flew open and the knight he was fighting with earlier appeared. Corpsé cursed under his breath and instead of waiting for his partner's answer, he quickly finished their task. He hits the princess on her nape with his mana like what he did with the mage, rendering her to sleep.

"Your Highness!"

He grabbed the princess' arm and his partner's before casting a teleportation spell. Keita was left there, speechless at what he just witnessed. He fell on the floor, feeling devastated that he wasn't able to protect his master again.

What might happen now?


─── 𖥸 ───


[ HENRIETTA'S P.O.V. ]

"Jihoon, don't forget your mother loves you."

For some reasons, I can see and hear my mother and my young real self together. It looked like a memory and an illusion at the same time. I watched as my mother gave her necklace to me. It was the same necklace I was wearing before I came to this world.

I unconsciously placed a hand around my neck, the habit I have developed ever since I started wearing that necklace around my neck. It felt different, somehow, knowing that her precious necklace is nowhere to be found.

"Hey! Wake up!" I groaned as my eyes fluttered open from the sudden pain from my back.

'Oh. That was another dream, huh...' I thought as I recalled the last thing I saw before waking up.

I blinked a couple of times as I adjust my vision from the bright light around me. And a frown blessed my forehead as I finally gained a clearer vision. I looked around and saw a couple of bottle-like glasses and spheres, a bunch of paper scattered on a desk, a wooden bed and one door.

"Good, you're awake now." The same voice who wakes me up said. It was a woman around my age. She was wearing a maid tattered clothes as she fixes the table on the other part of the room.

I tried to move my body, but I could only move my upper torso, including my arms. The rest felt numb and weak, as if something has paralyzed half of my body's nerves.

"Stay here, and I'll call the master," she said, throwing a glare at me before leaving the room.

As I sat on the wooden chair where I was being kept still, I took my time looking around, searching anything that I could use to escape. Unfortunately, there were no windows in the room and only the door where the girl got out was the only means of escape.

Even the stuffs here are useless. Or maybe... if I can use my power.

I stared at the table beside me and tried controlling it with my mana. I could feel a stinging pain building on the center part of my head as I tried to force my mana out. I groaned from the pain as I felt how the mana was not moving out of my body, like it was stuck.

"There's no use doing that, your highness. You'll only strain yourself. While you were asleep, we forcefully made you drink a neutralising potion to chain your mana on your body. It's a safe potion with a numbing side affects." A man with golden hair who looked like he's in his mid-20s entered the room. He wore a familiar brown cloak.

I squinted my eyes as I stared at him. He looked like Aurelius, but older.

"You must have met my nephew, Aurelius," he said as if he just read my mind. He smiled widely at me then bowed his head. "I'm Viscount Kise Luecé and this is my master." His smile grew in a much wicked one as he carefully guided a mysterious person inside.

My frown deepens as my hands clenched. My nose wrinkled as I tried to hold my breath. A weird stench of blood and decaying flesh welcomed my nostrils.

"How rude." The mysterious person he brought inside wore the same cloak as his, but this time, her frame and voice we familiar. Like the one from that coronation day and my dream!

My eyes widen in shock as she pulled her hood down, revealing her face. "It's been awhile, sister." Her amethyst eyes and ash grey hair looked the same as mine, even her face and height.

Could this be... the first princess?!