CHAPTER ONE
1335 Words
The Kingdom of Sakhalin, One year before the selection…
Have you ever felt like there’s someone always watching you, like a secret bodyguard keeping track of your every mood, even though you never spot anyone when you look around?
Well, that’s how I’ve felt since I was five.
I run a hand through my short, dark chocolate brown hair and narrow my green eyes in concentration.
People say my best features are my eyes and skin, but I don’t see why, even though my mother always told me my green eyes remind her of emerald gemstones, and my pale skin is like well-moulded porcelain.
I bite down on my soft lips the colour of crimson blood and feel my sweat roll down my face. Pushing my hands into the soil, I close my eyes and concentrated on what it is I wanted to happen.
Soon the tingling I’ve always loved started from the tip of my toes until it flowed down to my fingers, and white light emitted from my skin as it flowed into the soil with a pulsing hum.
Answering my silent command, the seeds I planted slowly sprout out tiny buds that filled my little garden until they grew bigger and bloomed into wild roses, and the sweet scent of the flowers filled the forest.
Though I haven’t gained full control of my powers yet, it seems to be slowly growing each day.
Being a witch has always given me the power over magic, but I think my gifts excel best when I’m practising control over nature’s elements. Getting to my feet with a smile of triumph, I dust off the sand sticking to my palms and sigh in satisfaction.
“My lady, don’t you think you’ve practised enough?”
I turn to stare at my maid and find her leaning against a tree while gazing at the clear sky with a look of boredom. She hates it when she has to make these trips into the forest with me. I can’t say I blame her though, considering we’ve been here all afternoon.
But she makes the perfect alibi for when my parents ask me what I’ve been doing all day if they realize I’m not practising with my swords but instead using my powers in daylight where anyone can stumble upon me, they’ll have apoplexy.
They get anxious when I use my powers outside, but practising my abilities is what I love best. “My lady, are you even listening to me!”
“Ugh,” I grunt in annoyance. “Fine, let’s go.”
With a sigh of relief, she straightens from her position and immediately gathers our things. Rolling my eyes, I follow after her as she begins to head back to the mansion with a bright smile on her face, practically skipping as she walks ahead of me.
Five years ago, I found this quiet clearing in the forest at the back of my families stables and it’s been my solace ever since.
I practice here because people hardly use the trails in this part of the forests when it gets close to night time, there are reports of too many wild animals lurking around, which is weird because in all the years I’ve come here I’ve never met one.
“Hey, what time did mother say I should prepare for the mysterious guests coming to visit?”
She tilts her head, thinking for a minute before answering. “Six o’clock, why?”
I glance down at the time on my phone and wince. “Yikes, it's 5:30.”
“What!” She stops in her tracks, almost making me stumble into her back when she turns to me with wide eyes.
“I said it-”
“Oh, I know what you said!” She snaps in irritation. “How the hell are we supposed to prepare you for dinner in time when you’re looking like that.”
I’d be insulted if I didn’t agree that I do kind of look a little messy, my leather boots are wet and soiled with mud, my hair probably has leaves sticking out of it and my dress is stained thanks to the fact that I’ve been kneeling on the ground all day.
“You know, yelling at your boss could get you fired-”
“Oh, shut up!” Grabbing hold of my hand, she pulls me roughly after her as she hitched up her skirt to race in the direction of the mansion. “Let’s get going before the little time we have left runs out!”
“Hey, be careful!” I snap, trying to keep up as we zigzagged through the trails. “It’s a human you’re pulling on you know.”
“Less talking, more running.”
“Seriously!” I grunt in pain when my foot gets caught on a root sticking out of the ground, and rather than help her solution was to jerk my hand harder to get me loose.
The help these days.
Ten mins later we raced into the mansion and ignored the curious looks of the servants as we rushed up to my room. I started pulling off my clothes as soon as I stepped through the threshold and Felicia rushed into the bathroom to get my bath ready.
Another 20mins later, I was done after a thorough scrubbing. I stepped out of the bathroom feeling refreshed but don’t have time to appreciate the feeling because I’m forcefully settled in front of my dresser.
She quickly dries my hair, lifting it into a tight bun, before rushing into my walk-in closet to get a dinner attire. “You know, I’m already late, so why don’t you just calm down?”
“I can’t, if you’re late then we need to make it appear as if you're just fashionably late.”
When I finished dressing up, I hurried through the mansion as quickly as my legs could carry. Stopping before the doors leading into the dining hall, I pause to catch my breath as my weak legs sent me to my knees.
Gasping for breath I stay on my knees for a little while before straightening up and barging through the doors with a lift of my chin. “Sorry I’m late, I was caught up–”
I stopped talking as soon as I saw who our mysterious “guests” were. Stunned by the two people sitting opposite my parents at our dining table, I couldn’t help gaping.
“Alexia, would you come sit.” The soft call of my mother gradually pulled me from my thoughts and I cautiously drew forward to occupy the seat beside her.
First, my gaze went to the man with honey blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes seated across my father, the present Prime Minister of my beloved country, then they shifted to the teenage girl seated beside him.
The girl who everyone knows and loves… Sakhalin’s reigning Crown Princess, Alaia Rochelle Manton.
“What’s… going on?” I turn to my parents and my mother smiles nervously in response, her eyes watery, while my father has a resigned look on his face.
Okay, now I know something is wrong.
“The Pr-pri,” My father stutters for a second, startling me, before clearing his throat and trying again. “The Princess has something she’d like to say to you, Valerie.”
I turned to the person mentioned and wonder why she suddenly looks so nervous. I should be the one nervous.
“I have no idea how to say this so I’ll be blunt,” Princess Alaia starts, staring at her hands she lets out a deep sigh before gazing at me.
Why do I have a feeling whatever she says next, is not going to be something I want to hear?
“You see… you’re not your parent's real daughter… I am.”
Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting those words.
- Writer
