บท 18: Chapter 4 - The Orange-Haired Princess
Part 2
Samantha
Estate of the Auryls.
It was one week before his arrival.
A fine woman in her early thirties was busily packing her undergarments. Her blackish and stylish suitcase almost complained as she forced the clothes to fit in her small sized baggage.
Despite the fact that there was a young lady standing behind her, it was as if the fine woman felt no shame exposing her back for she was only wearing a brown mini skirt and seductive black bra. Black high-heeled boots and a black-belted choker on her slender neck. Yes, her confidence might have come from the reason that this spacious feminine bedroom is hers, but young lady watching her exposed slender back is the daughter of this placid mansion.
However, I did not mind the seductive outfit of this woman.
I had already grown myself on Johan's revealing attire and her casual self served her better than when she's formal. Moreover, I had something in my chest as if I was worried about something or I had something to say on Johan like 'you don't have to leave'.
Even just for a week. For one long week, I will not see Johan. Jeez, this Johan, she's going to pay this. I mean...
"You must buy me a present" I made a pause, thinking to add something that I needed. "And a dress, too"
"As you wish, young miss. I must." She smiled at me, fixing her eyeglasses.
"I pray for your safe journey then." I looked at her. She had a smile on her face. Though, something still bothered me.
It could be I hate being left behind.
I really hate it when Johan's going away from the mansion without me. I should be with her since she's my partner in crime. This shouldn't be happening if that stupid emperor of Pantala hadn't done something ridiculous again.
"However, it still wonders me why such Pantala Empire throws a Moro in the Kingdom. I really don't get that ugly emperor. Well, not a surprise... his sons are dumb as their father... "
The black suit was relieved when Johan finished putting in the last garment and closed the suit with a clank. I felt sympathy for her suit. Then, she looked at me with eyes saying 'really?'
"It's inappropriate for a princess to say those dirtied words, no? What if someone will hear those complementing words of yours? As a reminder always, Young Miss must be ladylike all the time. She's the future queen after all."
There's she goes again, her and her sermons.
Being at the doorway and leaning my shoulder on the side was tiring. I released my arms crossing my own body, straightened up, and walked closer to Johan.
"As if someone will hear us aside from Gil. I mean, the barrier you guys erected around the mansion is practically impregnable. Even the most acclaimed mages of the Pantala Empire could not penetrate their 'omnipotent' clairvoyance. That's an Alconza for you."
Johan stood up and fixed her eyeglasses while she chuckled lightly as if embarrassed. Pretending to be honored.
I knew Johan for so long. She had been in this mansion before I was even born. She was one of my father's closest friends or rather his most loyal servant, and now she's a Retainer here in the mansion as well as my mentor.
Johan has a co-assistant, who named himself Gil. He's from my mother's. He was my mother's most trusted retainer.
It's not that I don't like Gil. Yes, I also love the guy but I am a lady after all and I prefer being with Johan.
"Surely, you jest. I am not worthy of such praising words from Young Miss, no?"
"Nah... I am so jealous of your mystic attribute. Walking in the town unnoticed. Gathering information from here and there. Controlling anyone by staring only on her mystic eyes."
I said, sitting on Johan's fluffy bed. Hearing those contemplated words, Johan disapprovingly shook her head.
"I came from the Mystic Woods, the land of the blood witches... Ugh. My corrupted blood is nothing to compare to royal blood in your veins, Young Miss. Sam... you should not see yourself in someone else. I've been hearing you like this lately. You should believe in yourself more. Besides, I am not worthy of the praise."
She tapped my shoulder twice, looking face to face with me. Her alluring brownish eyes were telling me I must ponder her counsel. Johan is always like that. She is always demeaning her blood by saying 'it's not worth idolizing for it's like the waters of the stagnant river, crude and cruel'. She's telling me to believe into myself but even she's degrading her own self.
Johan must have remembered something that should not be left behind. She went to her cabinet again, opened the lower drawer, and grabbed it. A sort of insignia in the size of a coin designed with an upside-down sword with swirling two helices of molten red iron around the blade. The symbol of this kingdom, it is.
Looking around, Johan's bedroom is commodious and warm. Thanks for the reddish-brown tapestries hanging on the walls and the thick mat on the floor. Large windows opposite the entrance door telling the sun was setting and the half-faced moon was about to dominate the night sky. I always like staying in her room. It always makes me feel at ease.
I saw the humble chandelier on the center of the ceiling as I laid my head on Johan's bed. As my body bounced twice on her soft beddings, a sweet aroma educed from the airy bed, the same fragrance of Johan's hair. As if smelling it, it made me think of something somehow.
"Ferrara, huh?"
"Yes, Ferrara... The hot iron blood running in your veins. The descendant of the First King Miral. The Fiery God." Johan heard and made a comment.
"But, he's disappointed on his own daughter. I could see it... each and every day." Not wanting Johan to see my face, I covered my eyes by putting my hand above them. "I could see them even when my eyes closed."
That's right. I could see my father making a disappointed face even my eyes closed. I know for even his wide back is telling me he is.
"Young Miss must not think those negative thoughts. Even His Highness is not showing it, he is proud to have you as her daughter. Sam has the first king's legacy." Now, Johan sat beside me, perhaps, to encourage the low-spirited princess that she had taken care since she was just a babe. "The queen is at peace knowing her precious daughter will grow strong."
I became meek. Johan's words had triggered something on my chest, especially the word 'queen'. For all of my life, the queen, my mother never called my name. I never heard her say my name. I only see my biological Mother's beautiful image with her silky yellow hair on the frames, sitting on the desk of my father's bedroom. The Late Queen Dianna Vinnesse Auryl of the Noble House Auryl, the Yellow Rose.
And I could tell we are not alike. I am not a Yellow Rose. Not a trace has resembled me with my mother's gentle beauty and kind eyes. She was pristine and perfect. I – I am more like her shadow.
For me, the only source of Motherly love and warmth is from Johan, who become my maidservant, my teacher, my sister, and sometimes my partner in my little mischievous crimes.
But now, even for a week, Johan's going away. For that long period, the first time in my whole life, I do not know what to do. Well, to be honest, it was not the first time that she would leave me behind. But most probably, I would feel lonely and listless, wondering what I should do during those perilous times. Well, I am pretty sure my time had been scheduled even in Johan's absence, actually.
"Say... the one who's coming, he's a boy, I heard," I said.
"A young man, the same age of young miss to be precise." Johan examined me first "A son of a Rajah."
"A rajah... Some kind of nobility title?" I never heard that kind of title. It must come from the new lands discovered from the orient seas.
"Yes, one can say. But in many ways humble compared to here." Johan added. "But isn't perfect? Young Miss always spends all of her time in the mansion so she has no friends with the same age as her, no?"
Johan smiled at me like she's expecting me to befriend a total stranger like him.
"I am happy for Young Miss, no?"
What's this Johan is saying? For now, I pretended I heard nothing her especially the phrase 'she has no friends with the same age as her, no?'.
"Hmmm... A Moro?" I asked her. I had read some articles about the new discoveries and they call people living in that eastern part of the word, Moro.
"Yes, a Moro "Johan seconded. " But not all the people from the eastern part of the world are Moro or Moron, no?"
I lifted myself up and faced Johan.
I said that the Pantala Emperor is not in the right mind and tend to be doing such idiotic things, but he is also notoriously clever and cunning. It's safer to have no connection with the emperor or stay away from his sights.
However, how? How did the Moro end up here in our kingdom?
My curious eyes hungry for explanations were still laying on Johan's smiling face. Her eyeglasses made a click as she fixed it and finally -
Johan breathed in and made a sigh. She was going to lay an explanation to me. Hmmm, good. Then, she fixed her eyeglasses again before speaking out.
"A great war is coming and it is already brewing at the darkest corners of the world. It is unavoidable. It's waiting for a tiny spark, a trigger for the war to break out and surely Young Miss is aware of that. Young Miss must have heard the return of Victoria with its new held captain, no?"
I nodded to her before answering.
"Yes, it is one of the five Pantala Ships which left the port to search the fabled Fountain of life. As I recall, she is practically wreckage. A ghost ship is better than to her ragged conditions. Her grandiose sails are tattered. But their voyage is considered a success since they acquired a lot of valuable novel materials which compensates the loss of their captain and the cost of the long trick, am I correct?"
"Absolutely, Young Miss. But not only that, but they have also gathered new information where the fountain of youth is located, no?"
The chandelier hanging on the dirty white ceiling automatically lighted the bedroom when it was considerably dark inside the room.
"Does such thing really exist? I thought it's only a heroes' trophy of exaggerated stories of troubadours."
"I, too, don't know for sure. Indeed, maybe it is only a figure of speech." Johan fixed her eyeglasses. "I could only be a pile of gold, diamonds, or pearls, but not a fountain that will give someone eternal youth they hoped when they drink its water first."
"Then, why not go to the Dark Continent, which closer is closer from here? Your lessons taught me about the rain of gold dust on the Dark Continent." I said it with a suggestive tone to emphasize it to her.
Hearing me, she made light chuckled covering her mouth.
"Young Miss is learning from me. I could not be happier. However, speaking of Dark Continent, going there is having your one foot already buried into the grave."
Yes, she was stating a fact. Dark Continent might be closer here than the eastern seas where the fabled fountain youth is said to be located, however, the Dark Continent is the home of the most furious monsters and beasts that even veteran adventurers would have a hard time dealing with them and would prefer to avoid them at all cost. Setting sights to the Dark Continent is fruitless especially those empires that already made their castles in the northern shores of the said continent interfere.
Yes, even Dark Continent is a dangerous and unforgiving place, humans found a way to live in there.
Making her compliment and her judgment on me was not I wanted to hear. Moreover, it made me raised an eyebrow to her instead, implying her to continue.
Johan made a cough and fixed her eyeglasses.
"For now, forget about the fountain of youth. It's about Victoria's long trick, no?"
Victoria is the name of the tattered ship, one of the Five Pantala Ships that sailed to search the fountain. The only ship that successfully came home at the Pantala Grand Port after a long voyage around the world.
"As we had already discussed in our lessons, the Saddles of Tear's treaty, invoked by Great Priest of Theopolis, splits the world into two, west for Pantala, East for Physalia."
Johan made a break. She stared with her connotative smile. In times like this, it means something. She is giving me some time to think and make my own conclusion based on what she had said earlier. I rubbed the back of her neck while arranging my words. Honestly, it's a bother. However, she's also my mentor and I am obliged to answer her. Therefore I have to comply with what she had required me to do.
Let's see. The Victoria, the treaty that divides the world, the fountain of youth, the world, and the Moro from the east... hmmm... I think I get the gist of it. However, it should not be possible since the Pantala had the west side of the divide and Physalia owned the east. The ship Victoria had only the option of sailing toward west because of the treaty.
I heard some speculations of some 'said' experts that there's a way to reach east by traveling the Far West, that the great Ocean lies beyond the horizons of twin continent Braskas is not the edge of the world but links the west and the east.
The speculation is probably saying not the whole truths but pieces of facts since Johan had received the latest version of Atlas last month with the newly added continent named Oceania. That geographical information was also thanks to Victoria's successful voyage too.
"Hmmm... So, the Victoria sailed towards the far west, crossing the wilderness of the great Ocean, to reach the Far East. The Moro came from the east is supposed to be a dominion of the Physalia since 'It' comes from the west of the divide, right? Moreover, this long voyage circumnavigates the world proving the world is truly round, isn't it?"
It's true that Victoria was ever the first ship who circumnavigated the whole world. It sailed towards west, got its anchor the east of the world and traveled westward again to reach home. A full circumnavigation around the world.
"'It'? We are talking about a human being here, no? But way to go, Young Miss! And then?"
"Oh, Pantala Empire had clearly violated the treaty, a presumptuous declaration for war. Knowing this violation, on the other side, to gather and to strengthen their allies, Physalia will surely grant a title of the portion of the land they said to be theirs to some nations in exchange of their support in case of war's breaking out. While the Pantala Empire will do the same thing on their allies, but what about the land they discovered on the east?"
But perhaps, that the Pantala Empire wanted all of this time. To violate the said treaty and declare war against Physalia and its allies.
"Now, I wonder what about it too, no? I think Young Miss is capable of answering her own query."
"Muu... I guess, they will not let it go, knowing the novel raw materials and as you had said, the information they got, right?"
"You're correct, Young Miss. A Land is Land, an important source of power. The Pantala is on a conquest ensuring the land they discovered will be in their hands. As they say, finder's keeper. This will be the end of the treaty, and the nations, aside from Pantala and Physalia, are in a hurry constructing their Ports to navigate those lands yet to be chaptered. This Mountain kingdom is unlucky since we are in the middle of these lands. Well, we will have an indirect profit in all of this too since we have iron, no?"
"A race of naval power..."
"Yes. I heard the Natives of the newly discovered lands resisted, killing the original captain of Victoria, no? They were unwilling when foreigners were trying to take their own lands after all. Who wouldn't be? But Pantala Empire has experience in invading other lands like they had invaded the twin Continents. Pantala Empire turned the tables by using the captain's death. They spread the news of the incident and threatened the natives about the bloodbath. Therefore, they allowed foreigners to invade them before they would witness their own end, no?. As they say, you have the spears, bows, and arrows but we have the cannons"
"Is that... so?" I was out of words.
The news about how the Pantala slaughtered the Natives of the twin Continents is not unheard of. It is well-known throughout the continent. More than three-quarters of the native's population of the Twin Continent, the Braskas, went puff. The natives of the Braska Continent were far less inferior in the aspect of Magic tools and engineering, therefore, they were mowed down without giving the Pantala Empire a sweat.
"A certain Rajah sought the slaughter of his people if they would not submit. He offered his own son to compensate for the loss of Captain Ferdinand's life, the captain of the Voyage, and as a sign of surrendering to the empire."
"About the broken treaty, Physalia will not attack yet the Pantala's Ships since they are also in the state of preparing for the war. So, the Pantala Empire is taking the chance to immense its influence on those lands."
"It is said that all of this explorations are meant to feed the people of the Pantala and Physalia, or maybe even their neighboring kingdoms. It is said that all of these explorations are all for the sake of knowledge. However, the truth is, all for preparation of the world war, the conqueror not only the divided kingdoms but the whole world, no? All for the sake of supremacy" Johan sighed. "And then, there you go, the Empire reconfirmed our alliance to them by giving the son of that brave Rajah to this kingdom. If we were to reject this, they would see it as an act of cutting our alliance and siding to Physalia. That would be no joke, no?"
"I understand. Then why the heck would we bother about the Moro? We could just pretend we picked him up and dump the douche bag on the seaport or throw him at the bottom of River Miral later."
Who cares about the Moro's life? I did not like the idea of having someone who came from some far strange land to live in the same mansion with me. I know, I am pitiless, unkind to strangers.
Loud and clear, Johan heard those improper words for a princess to speak.
"Ah... First king Miral, I deeply apologize for those unfitting, graceless words the kind princess had spoken. It was an honest mistake on her part. She did not intend to utter those words. Please, forgive her..."
As Johan expressing the regret on my behalf to whomever ghost it is, she clasped her palms together, bowing repeatedly.
"Come on. Show some repentance." She whispered as if she would not let some old ghost heard her.
I couldn't help but chuckle seeing Johan frantically apologizing. When it came to entertaining the moody princess, who rarely shows her smiles and sweet laughs, Johan is the only person in the mansion who can do so. Not to mention that the only people living in this large mansion are only four if I were to count Gil and his other selves as one person.
I really don't know. Gil's circumstances are too difficult to assess.
"But honestly, do you think His Highness will permit the Moro to live here? My cold-hearted Father? I'll make a bet His Highness is going to kill the boy..."
Johan made an 'Shhhhh', putting her slender index finger on my own mouth.
"Gil or other selves of that poker-faced Gil can report you to His Highness, remember? ... Hmmm... but I think Young Miss do depreciate His Highness too much, no?"
Yes, I do for him having a cold heart but I do have respects on my Father in the aspect of being a good king.
It's well-known that King Nero of the Ferrum Kingdom, His Highness, has a cold-heart and an iron fist. Once, a group of bandit tried to make a ruckus into the nearby city, my father went there to solve personally the problem. In a matter of minutes, the members of the bandit group were either captured or had their head crushed. He also hung the leader of the bandit on the city's square.
Being with His Highness longer than I do, Johan always had a favorable comment to my cold-hearted father, however.
"Remember the Putrid Johan Alconza, the eccentric Gil Greyer, and his other Selves -" Johan said.
"- are exceptional" I inserted timely. Yes, they are the exception. These guys are with us by the time's beginning and I have treated them as a member of our family. However, this Moro is a total stranger and I could not trust him. Adding someone in the mansion who you do not know is scary.
"Who knows the Moro, too?" Johan replied.
"Who knows? Besides, I really don't care about him." She looked at me with eyes saying 'really?' "I mean, I do care for the fact that he's going to live here which I don't want to". She shook her head a little after hearing me. "But really Johan... I will -"
Miss you – were the next words I wanted to say but Johan chuckled lightly, hand covering her lips and cutting off my words.
"Muu... You're making fun of me, aren't you?"
"No, no... I am not, Young Miss. I'll be gone only for a week, no?" Johan tapped my head and brushed my orange hair trailing down. "Be a good kid by then."
"See 'kid'? You're making fun of me." I pouted and crossed arms intently so that Johan would know that I was being serious, getting annoyed. But instead, Johan had chuckled even more. "I am not a kid anymore."
"Yes, Young Miss. You're a beautiful young woman right now. It just... time passed us by without us knowing. More and more each day, you grow a little more of her image."
"You mean, Mother?"
Why would she say that? It is clear that I have no image from my mother, why would she say that?
I stood up to examine my own on the full body mirror slightly slanted on the corner just to reconfirm. If I were to study my own face carefully, I hate to admit but almost all characteristic I saw is from my father. Hmmm, I would hesitantly say that I had a little, next to none, resemblance to late queen.
Johan always says it is not a demerit on my part. She also added, 'surely, the queen is beautiful but acquiring most of His Highness's appearance suited you perfectly'. She said I have such ephemeral features that most young men would skip a beat after seeing me. I do not care about that, however.
My only feature that mother contributed in my appearance is my silky orange hair. It's even a combination of hers and his.
Deducing all thoughts about my image, I disapprovingly shook my head.
"Nah...I'm becoming more of him each day and it actually scares me."
"No." Johan's voice was in gentle tune. "I mean... that."
Johan standing up, our eyes met.
Did she mean my eyes? Unlikely. Even my ruby eyes are from him. A few seconds passed, I was silent, still searching the answer on Johan's eyes.
"You'll get what I mean, someday. For the time being, do not degrade His Highness too much. He is your father after all... Uhm... Let's see. I think you must learn a thing or two about His Highness and report it to me when I get back, okay?"
"What is this? An assignment?" I raised an eyebrow, inquiring.
"Sort of... Now, now, pick up yourself, no? I'll be off early tomorrow."
As if he anticipated the end of our conversation, a series of knocks was on the door. It came from Gil who was in black and white attire as always.
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