Chapter 10: Menstural blood powers

Dusen was acutely aware of his father's underlying agenda when he was personally sent to Mithiyana to invite the King to his elder sister's grand wedding. She didnot catch his eye's interest in any way. His focus was solely on securing the King's attendance before swiftly departing.

Yet, in a mere moment of seeing her, everything changed. Her beauty and feisty attitude both captivated him completely. How could any man with a beating heart overlook such a mesmerizing beauty? Dusen, being no exception to her charm that seized him, made a resolute declaration within his soul—he would not return to his kingdom unaccompanied. Only with her.

Reezhel fixed a piercing gaze upon his sister. "We shall discuss the prank you cunningly played upon me at a later time. Escort the Princess to the palace." He ordered one of the soldiers who had accompanied him in search of the Prince, and then his attention swiftly turned to the coward hiding behind his sister. "And you, what were you doing in the forest, skipping your training?"

Silas's face scrunched up in anger, contorting like a grumpy cat. "Hah! Unlike you, trapped in those dull military grounds, I need the freedom of these wild forests to unleash my true potential. If you had arrived just a tick later, I would have sliced his head into pieces for disrespecting our dear Naimishi." He proudly boasted about himself, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly.

Naimishi purred. She had never seen him holding his sword once, much less killing. She wondered if she would ever witness that sword being unsheathed or if it would simply gather dust and rust away in its scabbard.

"Prince Dusen, I implore you to overlook my cousin's remarks. They hold no weight, for he is merely a toothless tiger." Reezhel swiftly intervened and whispered to him, ensuring Dusen wasn't offended.

Throughout the horse ride to the palace, Dusen's eyes never left Naimishi as if he had stumbled upon a wondrous sight he had never beheld before. For the first time, the Princess wished to be carried in a palanquin instead to avoid his piercing stares.

At the palace, aware that her daughter had already encountered Prince Dusen, Verna swiftly ushered her into the chambers, settling her before the ornate mirror. "Look at you! Did you meet the Prince dressed in such a state, covered in blood? Who told you to go to the forest? You are a lady in the title, but you are always playing with that blades," Verna unpinned the hair ornament securing Naimishi's bun, allowing her lustrous black hair to cascade freely. She began combing her hair.

Naimishi gazed at her mother's reflection in the mirror, pouting at her. "Dear mother, your daughter here slayed a mighty boar! Can't you just praise my sword skills?"

Although Verna's heart swelled with pride in her warrior skills, she didn't want to praise and encourage the spirits that would only put her in danger. As she plaited her hair, she changed the subject cautiously. "How do you find Prince Dusen?" Both she and Riona had stolen glimpses of him from the balcony. He certainly possessed a striking allure.

Annoying, That was the only word that came to mind when she thought of him. She wanted to voice her frustration to her mother, but she knew it would only invite more questions.

Verna started. "Your father plans to send you to Aashanti kingdom for Princess Thera's wedding. If he asks your opinion, say_"

"Am I going to a wedding?" Naimishi's eyes lit up, and she whirled around the table. "I have never witnessed a wedding in another kingdom, Mother. Please tell Alora to prepare my yellow gown. I will wear it for the wedding."

Verna felt her nerves ticked. Here she was, hoping to convince her daughter against going, but she seemed to be lost in her own world, eagerly planning her outfit for the occasion. "You are not going to the wedding, Naimishi. If your father asks your opinion, tell him you are not interested."

"Why_"

"No more questions." She interrupted.

At that moment, a maid entered the room with news of the King's invitation to meet Prince Dusen. Verna swiftly arranged Naimishi's hair, selected an exquisite gown, and together they made their way to the grand reception hall. The royal family stood in attendance, welcoming Prince Dusen, and the King engaged him in friendly conversation. Throughout the conversation, the Prince's gaze remained fixated on Naimishi, a detail that didn't escape Rysthan's keen observation.

After the formalities of greetings concluded, Naimishi made her way towards her chambers, her frustration towards the annoying Prince boiling in her stomach. In the midst of her thoughts, she caught a faint shadow in the corridor, causing a shiver to race down her spine. Before she spun around, a hand seized her, forcefully pressing her against the towering pillar, concealing them from prying eyes.

"Do you have any idea how stunning you looked in this gown? I wanted to gouge out that Prince's eyes for daring to lay his eyes on you," A voice whispered huskily into her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Get your filthy hands off me, Cassian!" Naimishi fought against his tight hold, desperate to break free.

"Your father dares to arrange a wretched betrothal with another man for you, and you, in your delusion, find joy in the thought of marrying that Prince. And what of me?" He gripped her hand with a force that made her flinch. "Let me make myself clear. You shall be wed to none other than me." Drawing nearer to her neck, he inhaled her scent, his voice a sinister whisper. "Should you dare defy me, you know well the grave consequences that await." Sensing approaching footsteps in the corridor, Cassian abruptly released his hold and strode away.

Naimishi fought back the tears welling in her eyes as she gazed at the tall retreating man slipping out of her sight. She went to her chambers and took a small wooden box from the drawer. Opening it, she found a ring in a silk cloth, the gemstone in the shape of a radiant sun. She grasped it tightly in her hands.

"Princess Naimishi, I heard in the market that the prince from the Aashanti kingdom is so handsome." Alora, a girl the same age as Naimishi and her handmaiden, breezed into her room. Catching sight of Naimishi's attention on the ring, she playfully teased, "If you have opened the wooden box, something must be bothering you. Has the Prince managed to capture your heart, my lady?"

Naimishi gazed at the ring in her hands. Her mother told when they discovered her in the forest, they found a ring in her tiny hands. When they tried to take the ring away, she unleashed a torrent of anguished cries. Ever since that momentous day, the ring remained with her. Alora was right. Whenever she felt troubled, the ring brought her comfort. She wondered if her birth parents had left it with her when they abandoned her.

"So, it's true then. The Prince has been preoccupying your thoughts?" Alora giggled and glanced at the wooden book, noticing the red marks on her hand. "My lady..you are hurt." Alora reached out and took her hand, recognizing the fingerprints. "Was it him again?"

"No_"

"Don't lie to me, Princess Naimishi. I know it's him. There is no one in this kingdom who would harm you except for him. That bastard always puts on a facade of innocence before the King, but behind closed doors, he reveals his true monstrous nature. His twisted obsession with you has exceeded all bounds of sanity. You must tell your father about him, my lady," Alora said, her voice filled with concern. She had seen him sneaking into the Princess's chambers late at night, intoxicated, and misbehaving with the Princess.

"Speak to my father about him, and what then? Stand by helplessly as he kills my family? Don't you know what happened in the past when I tried to confront my father? He tried to kill my mother."

Cassian is the King's sister's son. His mother's name is Rosary.

In the royal family of Mithiyana, the women carried a special power in their blood that was passed down through generations. This power awakened when they experienced their first menstruation.

Silas mother awakened the ability to communicate with animals. Reezhel's mother, Riona, her blood could heal wounds and mend broken bodies. Every woman in their lineage awakened their own unique powers, but Rosary awakened a power tainted by blood corruption which can kill people with a drop of her menstrual blood.