Thethia: Aster Palace, Rose Garden

• Elizabeth •

A few months passed since the King and the Prince of Iftia visited Thethia. Since then, the season has changed, autumn has arrived in Thethia.

Elizabeth gently rocked back and forth on the garden swing while she enjoyed her book. The weather was perfectly pleasant and it would be a waste to spend the day indoors. The tip of her finger held onto the corner of the page, slowly flipping the pages as she went. Fallen auburn leaves piled on the ground, donning it with a carpet of vibrant hues. Soft autumn breeze brushed against her skin with each pendulum swing, tousling her brown hair into buoyant curls in the air. The calm air carried a hint of earthly aroma, putting her at ease in comfortable delight. 

"Your Highness, would you like to have tea?" One of the maidservants asked.

"Yes, please," she answered.

Without much delay, the maidservant returned with a tray of tea and snacks. She placed them carefully on the garden table beside the swing. Chanting a soft command in Thethiac, Elizabeth stilled her swing as she took over the teacup from her maidservant and held it near her lips to sip on it. Then, a wave of dizziness rushed into her. Had I been swinging for too long? She wondered. 

Grabbing the handle of the swing for support, she pushed herself off. However, the moment her feet touched the ground, she stumbled and fell forward. Her vision split into two as the world in front of her swirled into an incomprehensible mess. 

"Your Highness?" The maidservant called out nervously as she reached forward to help her up.

"Renae, I don't feel well," Elizabeth said weakly, holding onto Renae and leaning against her for support. 

On top of the dizziness, she felt nauseated. When she could not hold it in any longer, she hurled the contents out. When she glanced down at her own hand, she saw blood. Her whole hand was dyed in a shade of red, brighter and much more ominous than the leaves on the ground. The last thing she heard before her entire world went into pitched black was Renae's scream when she held onto her, "Princess Elizabeth! Someone call the Royal Doctors!"

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Thethia: Aster Palace, Elizabeth's Bedchamber

• King of Thethia •

"W-We don't know what's w-wrong with the Princess." The Royal Doctor broke out in cold sweat as he shuddered in fear in front of him. "T-There was n-no indication of poison in h-her system." 

"What do you mean by you do not know? The princess just vomited blood!" Wynston bellowed. He closed his eyes in frustration while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Get out of the room right now, and get the Priest here. Now!" 

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty," the royal doctor scurried out. 

In no time, the Priest arrived and he only took a glance at Elizabeth to understand everything that had happened to his daughter. His bony, thin fingers clasped together as he lowered his head and mentioned, "I thought Her Highness had recovered fully since she turned two."

"What do you mean?" Wynston rushed for an answer. 

"Her illness from birth, Your Majesty." 

Wynston turned to look at the pale complexion of his daughter. Before Elizabeth turned two, she was so frail that she would spend most of her time in bed and unconscious. Unlike other children, she was never brought out of her nursery. Wynston frowned, unable to comprehend why this child was unfortunate enough to have such poor health. He held onto her hand between his palms and sighed. 

"Your Majesty, please do not worry," The Priest's scratchy voice sounded. "It's simply a minor relapse and it's fortunate that tonight is an observed new moon." 

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Thethia: Heather Palace, Hallway

• Elianna •

A loud ruckus from the hallway alerted them as Elianna followed Lylia out to check on the commotion. When the main entrance door was barged opened, it alarmed them and Lylia quickly hid her behind her back. Several men in long white robes marched through the doors and an unknown wave of panic rose in her when she realised how much Lylia was trembling at the sight of them. Whenever Lylia took a step back, Elianna accommodated by moving together with her. 

Elianna studied their attire and remembered all that Jason taught her. She assumed that they had to be the Temple Keepers — the highest magicians in the Kingdom. Knowing that Lylia wasn't gifted and that her magic couldn't compare to the few people that forcefully entered the palace, Elianna attempted to push her aside. Yet, the Temple Keepers were faster than her as one of them swiftly moved his hand and sent Lylia flying towards the nearest hallway pillar. Her back rammed into the towering pillar a second before she violently hit the ground with a sickening thud.

"Lylia!" Elianna screamed, her eyes wide with horror. She was about to run towards Lylia, but she had used whatever strength left in her to shake her head while mouthing towards her. Run. That was all Lylia said before she stopped moving. 

Elianna couldn't react in time and two hands already grabbed her arms firmly. She was lifted from the ground and any attempt to struggle was a futile effort. Her feet swung violently back and forth in the air before she was thrown on the ground. They slammed her down, caught all four of her limbs and pinned them on the floor with bruising force. In this position, her lungs couldn't hold enough air and she was already gasping through her mouth. She wanted to turn her head but the hand behind her neck had locked her down. Tears pooled in the corner of her eyes when a feeling of helplessness overwhelmed her. 

Both of her arms were raised slightly before two cold blades pushed into her wrists forcefully. Sharp searing pain flew up from her arms and she screamed. 

The child couldn't move and couldn't struggle to free herself. Moments passed but she didn't know how long it had been when her body was growing limp from being drained. Her consciousness was foggy and her vision was just a blur of colours ahead of her. The last thing she heard was one of them saying, "That's enough, let's go." 

Finally, the heavyweight on her limbs was lifted and she tipped her head up to look towards Lylia who lay unmoving on the ground. She dragged her hand in her direction, her fingers opened and her blood-drenched palms attempted to reach towards her family. Elianna cried hoarsely, "L-Lylia..." 

Then, her heavy eyelids blinded her vision and everything slipped into total darkness. 

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The next day.
Thethia: Royal Palace, Administrative Office

• Jason •

"Have you heard?" one of the administrators mentioned to his friend beside him while nudging on his arm with his elbow. 

Jason sighed, knowing that the palace officials often had many gossips to keep themselves entertained. He combed through several files but halted when he heard, "Princess Elizabeth fainted in her rose garden. Who could've attempted assassination on Her Highness?" 

"Rather, I heard from someone from the Royal Medical Department saying that it was because of her illness from birth," another female official from nearby added. "Even the Temple got involved. Could it be that the princess is a hexed child?" 

"Shush!" the administrator panicked. "Let's not talk about this. If we're found out, we would be hanged." 

When Jason caught the news, a sudden thought flashed through his mind. He threw all the documents in his hands on the nearest desk and left in a hurry. He turned his head every once in a while to make sure that no one was following him before he rode on the back of his horse and sped towards Heather Palace. 

At first sight, he saw the entrance main doors were left wide open and his heart sank, knowing that his assumption might've been right. Pushing himself off his horse, he drew his sword and moved carefully into Heather Palace. 

There was nothing in the hallway except for dead silence, the heavy stench of blood and two bodies lying lifelessly on the ground. He dropped the sword and ran through the large main doors, pulling the child from the ground into his hold. He shook the child lightly and called out to her anxiously, "Elianna?" 

The child felt cold in his arms and he began to feel more desperate each time when he pleaded, "Oh goddess, no— no, please, no. Elianna, please wake up, please." 

Jason quickly removed his cravat and tore through the material, closing over the cuts on the wrists. He placed his fingers against the tender part of her slender neck and he couldn't feel more relieved to feel the hint of pulse, irregardless of how weak it felt. Jason tugged Elianna closer to his chest and called her one more time, "Elianna." 

The little one in his embrace didn't respond to him and his heart squeezed painfully. Picking her up, he moved towards Lylia on the other end of the hallway and he also felt a pulse, affirming him that both of them were still alive but struggling. Using his other arm, he moved Lylia and rested her against the pillar behind her. 

"J-Jason," a small voice sounded, it was weak and hoarse. 

His shoulders dropped when all the tension disappeared and he nearly fell back with relief to hear a voice again. Cradling her head in his hand, he moved Elianna carefully to face him and at the sight of him, the child let out a breathless laugh. He frowned, "My dear princess, how could you still laugh in this circumstance?" 

"Frowny bear," Elianna joked and he choked on a laugh. This playful girl always liked to compare him to a bear for some reasons and he sighed, placing her back in his hold. Elianna stirred when she whimpered, "Lylia..." 

"Don't worry, she was only unconscious," he assured. "I'm sure she'll wake up soon." 

The child in his hold finally relaxed and Jason moved her slightly so that her head could rest on his shoulder. He gently patted on her back and all of a sudden, the child started to sob uncontrollably, seemingly finally allowed her fears to show and he apologised, "I'm sorry that you had to go through everything." 

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