Chapter 9: The Curse
"I haven't seen the Prince for days," Irie sighs while writing a letter for Luisa and the others. She almost forgot about them since she arrived in the North. She was preoccupied with events.
She was asleep for two straight days after her headache. Bea didn't tell her that it was the Prince who mostly look after her. He can't leave her side even just for an hour.
Even though the Prince acts arrogant in front of the Princess, he really cares for her.
"He might be busy, Your Highness," Bea said as she serves tea for the Princess. After taking his time looking after the Princess, he surely has overloaded work to face.
"You're writing a lot, Princess. For who are those?" Bea asks.
"It's for my friends and for my brother," Princess Irie smiled while thinking of Prince Zean.
"I see. Princess, can you tell me, what was your life before you knew you were a Princess?" Bea sits down on the Princess' bed.
Princess Irie stops writing and looks at Bea with a smile. She rests her chin on her hands, "I... was a simple girl. I mean, I write stories. It's what I usually love doing."
"But they said you work as a cook?"
Irie suddenly froze then laughs, 'I didn't know about that,' she thought while sitting properly.
"Yes... I was, I cook delicious foods, everyone loved it," she said while fake smiling.
"I see," Bea suddenly stands up then her eyes sparkled, "Then can you cook for the Prince?" she asks.
Irie was about to say yes but she remembered she is a Princess, "Bea, I know I am not strict with you. But I do hope you know who you are talking to," she said while looking straight at Bea without any expression.
She expects Bea to be scared but she just smiled at Princess Irie, "Yes, I am talking to you, Princess. The first time I saw you, I know you are kind. You didn't look down on us, you were glad and surprised to see us greeting you. You were also carrying your luggage and held it until the knights took it. If it was a different person, they might've thrown their things to us already," Bea looks outside the window.
"But you were different. You're kind and sweet and real, even though you keep your guards up, you still end up acting as the real you. And I don't care if it's because you didn't grow up as a Princess, I believe you are already a Princess the moment you were born," Bea smiled at her.
Princess Irie was left with an overwhelmed face, 'You're such a dramatic character, Bea,' she thought. She's right, even if the Princess acts like Princess Irie, she still lets out the real her. She is not strict. She doesn't care about etiquettes about statuses. She doesn't care if the people find her weird.
"Then, it's fine if you call me..." She wants to say her real name, Irie, but Bea is still from the north. She can't fully trust her.
"Rainne, or Rai, that's fine. My name's quite long and Princess is very tiring to hear, but as you know, if there's only two of us around."
Bea's face bursts with joy, "Yes! I will, thank you, Rai!"
Bea grew up in a poor family and has to work at an early age. She was taken in by a Head Maid in a noble's mansion to work as a lady-in-waiting of the daughter's family. She was trained how to properly approach a noble and their orders. But as a typical noble, she was abused and bullied. The Head Maid pitied her and she was sent to the castle and there she met the Princess who is the only one who showed kindness towards her.
Princess Irie smiled at her, 'You must've gone a lot to be attached that fast,' she thought as she puts the letters in the envelopes.
She went outside of her room and approached the Knight guarding her room.
"Send this to the West Kingdom," she said to the Knight.
"Yes, Your Highness," he bowed down and left.
'I wonder what Luisa and others are doing,' Princess Irie thought while sipping her tea.
"Luisa!" Someone called.
I stopped wiping the windows and went down the ladder.
Since the Princess left, we were treated good and was given privileges, but I can't stand it when I am not doing any chores so I decided to help the maids clean the castle.
"Yes? What is it, Vi, and Keith," I bowed.
They are both knights of the West Kingdom's King now.
Keith was my lover but I decided to focus on the Princess to assist her wholly.
"We have found something," Keith said while looking serious.
Since we got here, they started gathering information about the East Kingdom's relation to the massacre of the De Fenuelle.
As a great old friend of the King De Fenuelle, King Superio Luoie, began investigating the roots of the war. He knew the King La Estella loved the other Kingdoms. He will never hurt his friend's family and people and take over their lands.
Then it leads them to the East Kingdom, the only kingdom which doesn't show itself to other Kingdoms. The only communicate through the people they send.
They were called monsters due to their red eye color but mostly because they can curse anyone they want. It's the insignia of their family, curse, and black magic.
"What is it?" Luisa asks while clenching the cloth she used to wipe the window.
"Princess Adelaide, after researching on the cause of death of the Prince De Fenuelle, she went secretly to confront the East about their connection to his disease, but when she came back she changed. It's been years but we only noticed this," Keith said while looking at Vi with fear in his eyes.
"She can change her eye color to red," Vi whispers.
They all grew scared while thinking about the possibility, "She's cursed?" Luisa can't believe with the words she said but it's the only reason.
"Yes, she may be. And we know what cursed people do," Keith frowns.
"They follow the East's orders," they all said in unison.
"But that can't be, she seems normal when we saw her," Luisa tries to push the terrifying truth away.
She didn't think that the South Kingdom's fall has a deeper reason and if she knew that the East is included, she might've raised the Princess like a normal child.
She will not let the Princess be known by any of the Kingdoms.
She will hide her.
"And, the King Nelphie, he is still alive and he might be the reason why the East suddenly destroyed the smooth relationships of the Kingdoms. You know he didn't die, nobody knows what happened to him," Keith said while leaning in the window, Luisa slaps his arm because she just cleaned the window.
"Yes, he betrayed his own brother to take his land but his own land got cursed. He might be back to get the lands all for himself, but it's impossible because it's been thousands of years. Even though our world holds the highest form of science and technology with magic and curses, no one can live for that long," Vi commented while watching the two low-key flirting with each other. He sweatdrops with their seducing-each-other-smiles.
"Yes, and this is our theory, he might be manipulating the King of East and later cursed the King La Estella to kill his friend's kingdom, which is your land, the South, and even cursed Princess Adelaide to spy in the west. Also, about the curse of your young Prince, he might not be able to hold the curse which killed him," Keith said.
They went quiet for a while, thinking about how possible the theory is when they heard footsteps.
They are in the library and if someone enters the bell of the door will sound but they didn't hear anything.
They are sure that no one was around when they were talking.
"I see you have connected the small dots," Princess Adelaide suddenly appeared with a devilish smile and red eyes.
Vi and Keith stand in front of Luisa, protecting her.
"Your Highness, we do not know what you are talking about," Keith said while holding his sword, ready to attack.
"My, you are a very charming Knight, Keith, but you are weak," Princess Adelaide opens her fan and suddenly Keith slowly puts his hands down.
"Keith?" Luisa and Vi called.
He lowered his head and then he began walking towards the Princess.
"This is what I like, such red dreadful eyes," the Princess raised Keith's head and showed his face to Luisa and Vi.
Luisa covers her mouth in shock and Vi stared at the Princess in disbelief.
Keith's eyes have turned red in just an instance.
When you are cursed, you are supposed to have a severe headache for a long time followed by a high temperature until you show the signs of a curse, which is red eyes.
"Now, what will I do to the little south people?" Princess Adelaide smiled.
"The Princess will forever think that West and North are the enemies, she will help the East eliminate these useless kingdoms. And then," she laughs maniacally and spins, her skirt flowing smoothly like how her plans are going.
Vi is about to attack her but he can't move.
Luisa too, they are stuck in their position.
"Aw, since you still have a job to do to help us get the Princess, I will let you three stay here and help me finish this job," Princess Adelaide said before fanning herself.
And as her fan moves, Luisa and Vi's eyes turn red.
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