Chapter 1: A Necklace
Note: This is a romantasy.
Be aware of described violence and death.
-Liana-
“Princess, we should go back. It’s getting late!”
One of my maids called out to me, but I simply smiled and continued to wander through the bustling market stalls, unsure of what to buy. There were so many beautiful things to choose from. As I hesitated, my gaze was drawn to a stunning necklace that sparkled in the sunlight.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” a voice said.
I hadn’t noticed the woman until she appeared on the other side of the stall. I nodded in agreement, acknowledging her presence.
“Do you want it?” she asked.
I reached out to touch the necklace. It featured a deep red stone that resembled blood. When my fingers brushed against it, I felt a jolt, as though the stone was pulsating with an electric charge. Startled, I pulled my hand back.
“It is said to hold magic,” the woman remarked.
Magic… I had more than enough of that within myself. I was about to respond to the seller about the necklace when another woman suddenly appeared beside me, diverting the seller’s attention. Left alone, I continued to gaze at the red necklace, contemplating whether it might be of help to me. Lately, I had been plagued by nightmares.
“That won’t do anything for you,” a voice suddenly said.
I turned to see a very young woman had appeared. She looked to be around my age, with wild black raven hair that seemed almost alive and peculiar eyes—one pupil distorted and slanted. Her appearance was striking, not ugly but distinctly different, with prominent freckles across her nose and milk-white skin. She was slightly shorter and plumper than I was, her corset emphasizing her curves.
“Do what?” I asked.
“You spend a lot of time here in the market,” she observed.
I nodded, and she stepped closer to the stall, positioning herself directly in front of me.
“Can’t sleep?” she inquired.
“I—”
“I think I have something that might help you.”
I leaned in closer, despite feeling a peculiar sense of unease around her. It wasn’t a bad feeling, just… unusual. Who was she? Was she the daughter of the woman selling the red necklace?
The young woman smiled and pulled a different necklace from her pocket. It featured a black stone with small white dots on it. As she held it out to me, I noticed the swirling tattoos on her wrists—pagan symbols.
“This one will help you,” she said.
“How?” I inquired.
“Just wear it while you sleep, and you’ll wake up feeling like a completely different person.”
I stared at the stone for a long time, feeling a subtle draw to it—different from the way I had felt about the red one. Should I really do this?
“I… I’ll take it,” I finally said.
She smiled, and I paid for the necklace before slipping it into my pocket. As the older woman returned, I waved goodbye and walked back to the castle with my maids. Once I was alone in my room, I asked them to leave me undisturbed. When I was sure I was completely alone, I retrieved the necklace from my pocket.
“Beautiful,” I whispered, admiring the stone as it slowly spun in my hand.
It was hard to describe the sensation it evoked, but it filled me with a sense of power. The young woman must have been right. This necklace would help me.
“Liana!” I heard my brother’s voice from outside the door, followed by Cole’s entrance. He was grinning at me.
“Ready?”
“Do you ever knock?” I asked, walking toward him to keep the stone hidden from view.
I knew Cole was more accepting of pagan practices, but he didn’t approve of me dabbling with magic.
“Do you?” he asked with a teasing smile.
I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes.
“What is it?” I inquired.
“Dinner? Or did you forget? Were you out in the market again?”
“Are you my father? I don’t think so!” I retorted.
He shook his head, laughing, and then wrapped an arm around my neck, ruffling my hair.
“Cole! You big i***t!” I exclaimed, pushing him away.
He just laughed as I quickly smoothed my hair, trying to get it back in order. Sometimes he was such a child!
“Are you five?” I asked.
“No, but I am your older brother, and it’s my duty to annoy you. It’s actually one of the perks of being a big brother,” he said, standing up straighter as if proud of his antics.
I stuck out my tongue at him, and he just smiled before waving me along.
“Come on, the food’s getting cold.”
“Fine, I suppose I should be honored that the king himself has come to personally fetch me,” I said, walking over to him.
“That you should be, little sister,” he replied, once again wrapping his arm around my neck and pulling me with him.
Because of my lack of sleep, I wasn’t in the mood for socializing and grew quieter as the dinner progressed. It was even hard to stay awake, and when I almost toppled headfirst into the dessert cake, I decided to call it a night.
I was eager to try on the necklace, but I noticed the concerned looks from my family. Even Raven seemed unsettled by my early departure. I knew what they were thinking—Sebastian. They worried that I might be haunted, but while I was deeply affected by everything that had happened, it wasn’t Sebastian who haunted my dreams. No, it was a terrifying darkness and a sense of confusion about my surroundings.
I walked back to my room, enjoying the quiet of the castle late in the evening. I opened the door and froze. A hooded figure stood in front of me, hastily stuffing my jewelry into a bag. It wasn’t until I let out a small gasp of surprise that he noticed me. He turned around, but his hood obscured the upper half of his face.
“G-Guards!” I shouted.
The sound of my voice startled him, and he dashed toward me. I was blocking the only escape route, unless he intended to leap from the third floor down to the hard ground.
Not wanting to risk a confrontation if he was armed, I quickly moved aside as he approached. He yanked the door open and bolted down the hallway with the bag slung over his shoulder. His flight was short-lived, though, as I soon heard my guards shouting about capturing him.
I rushed to the doorway and saw my loyal knight and friend, Sir Gawain, restraining the thief. Gawain had forced the thief to his knees and was in the process of retrieving the bag while two other guards held him down.
“You dare steal from the princess?” Gawain snarled, his voice filled with anger. He then ordered the guards to take the thief to the dungeons.
The thief struggled to break free, but it was no use. He was taken away, and Gawain approached me, looking concerned. He placed a hand on my shoulder and carefully handed me the bag. I took it with trembling hands.
“Are you alright, Your Highness?” he asked.
I was too shocked by the intrusion to find my voice, but I eventually nodded.
“I… I am okay,” I told him.
“Are you sure?”
I nodded again, and Gawain gestured for me to go inside my room. He assured me he would be right outside for the rest of the night and that the thief would face punishment the following day.
As Gawain closed the door behind him, I stood there, my heart still pounding in my chest. The nightmares had left me on edge, and I felt as though they were suddenly coming true, even though I couldn’t remember their content.
I turned my attention to the bag and walked over to my bed, emptying its contents to check if anything was missing. I sifted through the bracelets, diamond earrings, small golden crowns, and hairpins. But then I realized something was missing…
Where was the necklace with the black stone?
