บท 3: Going Out Among The Royals
Stepping out of the tower, the first thing that greeted me was the sight of my garden full of lush greenery and numerous beautiful flowers—the only place in the entire kingdom where flowers bloomed because this witch's daughter looked after them.
The entire tower where I lived and the garden in front of it was meant for me, as per King Armen's royal decree. Tall walls made of grey stone surrounded the garden so no one could peek in and disturb my privacy.
"Please, allow us. We are only obeying the orders of the Second Princess."
"You can't go in."
I heard a few loud voices from outside. Martha prevented me from going further and went towards the garden gate, the only way to enter this well-protected place.
By the King's order, assigned guards were always present outside to protect this place against troublesome and curious people. Anyways, no one dared to enter this place after the horrifying incident that happened in the past.
Ten years ago, a servant had sneaked inside, but the very next day, he was found dead. His limbs and head were chopped off from his body, and the severely mutilated body was hung on the garden wall for everyone to see. It was the most gruesome sight.
No one knew what happened, but they believed it was the witch's doing—and that witch was me.
I heard Martha talking to someone, "What's going on here?"
"These are the Second Princess's maids, and they want to get flowers from the garden," I heard one of the guards say.
"I need to ask the Princess," Martha told him and returned inside.
As I already heard it, I nodded lightly to Martha, which meant I allowed them to enter the premises.
Getting permission, two young maids entered the gate, but there was no mistaking the fear and panic in their eyes. It was apparent they were scared of me but had to come here against their wills. If they were to disobey orders, the Second Princess would have killed them for insubordination.
"Third Princess."
Upon seeing me standing in front of them, the young maids hurriedly bowed to me, their eyes rooted to the ground and their bodies shivering as if I'll kill them right away.
"Make it faster," Martha instructed them coldly.
The maids hurried towards the numerous flowers in full bloom. Their eyes shone brightly upon seeing them as it was not an everyday thing to see the flowers blooming in this cursed land. In the entire Kingdom of Abetha, mine was the only flower garden with blossoms.
They picked up several roses, daisies, and lilies. I knew that if they could, they would have taken away everything that was there.
"We should leave, my lady," Martha prodded, and I nodded in response. There was no need for me to wait for these maids to finish their errand.
While going towards the gate, Martha spoke in a low voice, "They won't be able to keep them."
I sighed. "Only if they could keep their foul mouths shut."
We finally stepped out of the gate and the boundary of that tower and the territory under my name. Outside, the two assigned guards bowed but didn't dare to look at me until I crossed a certain distance.
Crossing a winding stone pavement lined with meticulously kept shrubs, Martha and I finally entered the long corridor that wound its way towards the main central building of the palace meant only for the royal family.
'Royals? Of course, I'm not considered as one,' I thought.
Months had passed since I last walked along this corridor, and it had remained the same. A couple of guards in blue-black uniforms with swords hanging down their waists stood at either end of the passage.
The large porcelain vases imported from the eastern kingdoms were placed on either side of the walls, and delicate red banners hung at the ceiling, between the huge pillars, to give the luxurious place a more festive feeling.
Soon, I reached my destination and stood in front of a huge pair of doors. Beyond them was the grand hall where the House of Ilven, the Royal Family of Abetha, would hold the ritual before the engagement ceremony of its Second Princess.
The door opened as someone announced, "Her Highness, Seren Ilven, the Third Princess of Abetha, has arrived."
The change in the atmosphere was palpable. As if the most terrible news had been announced, the entire hall filled with countless people of peerage and nobility turned silent, their scared and hateful gazes scanning me the moment I stepped in.
"My Lady..."
"It's fine, Martha," I said.
I know Martha would say something to console me, but I was so used to this reaction that it didn't matter to me anymore.
Ignoring them, I walked ahead on the carpeted path which divided that massive hall into the two parts, from the door to where the monarchs of the Kingdom of Abetha, King Armen and Queen Niobe, sat regally on their thrones.
The moment I entered the main hall, I heard those expected annoying whispers from the gossiping crowd, which made me wonder how convenient it would have been if I could turn myself deaf at this moment.
"The witch is here."
"How can they allow her attendance?"
"What if something bad happens?"
"Look at those scary marks. So ugly."
"And those purple eyes. Only witches can have such a color of irises."
"I heard her mother was even uglier and scarier."
"Be quiet! What if she hears us and sets us on fire? Don't you know what she did with the First Princess back then?"
"Stay away from windows. What if she screams and hurts us by breaking those glasses with her witch voice?"
I sighed, complaining silently to myself, 'These idiots, should I just burn something here to scare them? Or should I scream a little to break the windows? Ahh... I can't even bring fake tears to drown this place in rainwater.'
As soon as it was hatched, I dropped the plan. I felt nothing towards these idiots, at least not to the extent that they could stir my emotions enough to harm them. Ohh, they were not even worthy of me lifting a finger to use the power of my curses on them.
With Martha behind me, I bowed to the King. I didn't want to, but as Martha said, I had to do it.
I looked at the middle-aged man with shoulder-length brown hair sitting on the throne, looking regal in his royal blue cloak.
My father, King Armen Ilven of Abetha, the ruler of one of the wealthiest and most powerful kingdoms in the continent.
"Greetings, Your Majesty. May our Abetha forever prosper under your reign," I greeted with the etiquette expected of the occasion.
King Armen had nothing on his expression that could make me think he was happy to see me. He looked as cold and calm as always.
"Good to see you here, Seren," the golden-haired woman beside the King spoke, forcing me to look at her.
'This annoying old woman,' I frowned inside and said with no trace of politeness, "But I can't say the same, my Queen.'
The smile on Queen Niobe's face disappeared. Before she could say a thing, King Armen spoke, "It's time. They will be here."
Martha guided the way for me towards my place, which was arranged along with the other royal family members of the House of Ilven. My half-sister, the First Princess Giselle Ilven, and our royal cousins, as usual, looked down on me and gave each other meaningful gazes with sly smiles on their faces.
Well, it didn't matter to me as I had long stopped considering them my family. It only made me wonder, don't they feel tired or bored doing and talking about the same old things? Because I sure was bored of seeing the same expressions every time I came across them.
Martha stood behind me, lined up along with the rest of the maids from all the other royals in attendance. The seats were arranged in rows facing each other on either side of the walkway, and from his seat in his throne, the King had a vantage point on everyone.
The seats opposite myself and the other royals were empty, and I realized it was allocated for the people from the groom's side.
The doors of the hall opened again, and a few women entered the hall. Those in front leading the newcomers must be royals, based on how they were dressed, while their maids followed them carrying large-sized trays individually covered by several pieces of silk cloth.
The new arrivals were women from the groom's side, representing the second son of the King of Griven Kingdom. From what Martha told me earlier, this was a political wedding between Prince Lenard Cromwell, the Second Prince of Griven, and Princess Meira Ilven, the Second Princess of Abetha.
The ladies from the Royal House of Cromwell greeted the King and Queen, and they were guided to sit in the row in front of us while the maids carrying the trays stood behind them.
Although these guests were here for my half-sister, the Second Princess Meira, their gazes landed on me and stuck on me as if I was a curiosity from some other world.
'Looks like I, the witch's daughter, am famous everywhere,' I concluded, not minding those gazes on me.
After a few more moments, Meira Ilven, the Second Princess of Abetha, arrived at the hall with her maids following her. Though I didn't particularly like her, I couldn't deny that she looked more than decent. With hair as golden as her mother's, she wore a light pink regal-looking gown and heavy jewelry to go along with her gown. Meira walked with grace as her meticulously painted face shone brightly, a pleasant smile on her thin pink lips.
On her hands, she carried a bouquet made from the flowers plucked from my garden.
It made me wonder, "When they can use the flowers that were ordered from the neighboring kingdom, why do they have to use these?"
Everyone stared at her as if they hadn't seen a woman more beautiful than her. The Queen looked visibly happy, not even bothering to hide her pride in having such a pretty daughter.
The Second Princess sat on the chair especially placed in the middle of the hall as the ladies from the groom's side gifted her everything they brought with them. Those trays were filled with expensive clothes and jewelry.
"Pardon his delay, but His Highness, the Second Prince, will be here shortly. His Highness is only waiting for his elder brother, the First Prince," one of the women informed Queen Niobe.
However, their idle chat was cut short.
"Fire! Fire!" someone screamed from the crowd, grabbing everyone's attention in the hall.
Even without standing up, I could see that the giant curtain covering the window at the main hall's other end had caught fire. The crowd was scared and terrified even as the palace maids and guards moved to put the fire out.
"It's the witch! She did this!" someone shouted loud enough to suppress the panicking crowd.
Suddenly, all eyes were on me, and the fear and accusation in those eyes were impossible not to see.
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