The full moon cast a bright glow on the eastern horizon as Arachlea observed Eufibutla's palace workers preparing her ship. However, her mind was far from focused. She had no idea how she would live her life after this in the new place.
"Trust me, you'll be fine. Don't think about your parents, Arachlea," Prince Hillarius whispered beside her. In contrast to Arachlea, Prince Hillarius looked calm where he stood.
"Your Highness my Prince, please. Only Your Highness can defend my parents in front of the court," said Arachlea in a pleading tone. She hoped there was still a chance to live a normal and comfortable life with her mother and father.
"The truth will always prevail, Arachlea, as you said. I will try to defend the prime minister and my father's right-hand man. I will present the truth before the court," Prince Hillarius replied confidently.
Arachlea smiled with relief, grasping Prince Hillarius' hand even tighter. The handsome face beamed back at her, radiating a thousand hopes.
"This separation is only temporary, Arachlea. Hurry up!" said Prince Hillarius. He carried Arachlea's luggage to the ship followed by the guards.
After giving her a peck on the cheek, Prince Hillarius ordered his servants to carry Arachlea on a stretcher up the stairs to the deck of the ship. But Arachlea recklessly jumped off the stretcher and threw herself back at Prince Hillarius, making everyone there cry out in surprise.
"Prince Hillarius, I'm going to miss you so much, this is my last kiss," Arachlea hissed and licked the man's lips.
The Crown Prince did not have time to answer her but he immediately returned the peck more deeply. Arachlea did not care that their intimacy with the Crown Prince of Eufibutla Kingdom became a spectacle throughout the harbor.
Once she was satisfied, Arachlea let herself go with her breath caught in her throat. She hurried from where she stood to the ship and did not look back, she was afraid that her conviction to save herself would be shaken by the man's charm. She ignored the call of the guards, she could board the ship without their help.
"This is your room, Miss Arachlea." A bodyguard ordered by Prince Hillarius to accompany her showed her the way to the lower deck.
"Thank you, please leave me alone," Arachlea responded quietly.
Tears streamed down her face as she closed the door to her room, sighing deeply with a heavy heart. She could now admit that her life had been very comfortable in Eufibutla. All her happiness was there.
The peaceful and famous kingdom was now being abandoned because of an internal family scandal. Unfortunately, the originator of the scandal was the king himself and Lady Nadine, the woman who gave birth to Arachlea.
A faint knock on her room's door accompanied the distant call of a maid from outside. Arachlea opened the door after wiping her tears with her long, flowing sleeves.
"Miss Arachlea, are you alright?" the maid asked, carrying a tray of various foods.
"Yes, of course. Um, have you ever been to Seodurnag?" asked Arachlea while hiding her worry.
"Not yet, Miss. But from what I hear, the Kingdom of Seodurnag is currently at war with the Gordeganemian Kingdom," replied the maid, explaining as far as she knew.
"Yes, I know. How terrible do you think the war is?" asked Arachlea.
That information was now very important to her, she needed to predict the surrounding conditions so that she could adapt quickly. Living in a peaceful region was certainly different from a war zone. In Seodurnag there may be no safe place, even in the palace, but she must do her best to stay alive.
"I'm sure Her Majesty Queen Shakira will receive you well, Lady. Prince Hillarius has already sent a palace diplomat to deliver a message."
The maid understood what Arachlea was feeling. The woman reassured Arachlea as hard as she could, showing a look in her eyes without the slightest worry.
"Hmm, never mind. Thank you for dinner," Arachlea responded reluctantly. There seemed to be little point in the maid's reassurance; circumstances wouldn't alter, and the reality of war remained perilous.
Arachlea stepped to the window after the servant had left. Out there, the sea stretched out in a vast expanse. The moonlight dimly illuminated its surface. Not too many twinkling stars accompanied the perfectly round moon. It should be beautiful, but not right now.
Without touching her dinner at all, Arachlea climbed into a bed that was much simpler than her home. She restrained herself and avoided the sight of the full moon outside. The full moon reminded her of Prince Hillarius as they usually enjoyed warm evenings together.
Arachlea closed her eyelids on the ship that was traveling very quietly, the next few days would be spent on this ship. It felt very different as if she was in a room that was swaying.
"Oh my!" she squealed hoarsely, Arachlea's vision still blurry.
She was jolted awake by falling objects and the sensation that her bed was about to topple. A second later, Arachlea remembered that she was on a ship. She rushed onto the deck, suddenly alarmed that something might occur in her room.
"What's going on?" asked Arachlea as she passed the bodyguard who was just about to catch up with her.
"Sorry, Lady. Our ship was hit by a storm," the bodyguard said hurriedly. The man grabbed Arachlea's arm and pulled her along to make her move faster.
"Hit by a storm you say?" Arachlea widened her eyes in disbelief, the world felt like it was coming to an end. What other challenges awaited her in this moment of crisis?
"Don your life vests! Everyone, make sure you put them on... I said, put them on!" shouted one of the crew members who was controlling the ropes.
The bodyguard in charge of guarding Arachlea swiftly helped her put on the available life bags. Arachlea gazed at the sails flapping hither and thither in an indeterminate direction.
"For God's sake, what should we do now?" she pleaded.
"Of course, we must try to survive, Miss," said the crew members who heard her.
"Burn something to perforate the sails," exclaimed the crew leader. Instantly several crew members rushed to carry out the instruction.
Arachlea had never been in a situation like this before, it felt like she was between life and death. The sunrise in the east was no longer beautiful, and all the crew members were trying to keep the ship moving safely.
Brakkk
There was a cracking sound down there, it sounded like wood that had been hit by the waves. After that, the ship's pace became even more chaotic. Arachlea took a deep breath to clear her mind, she had to be able to think clearly in a situation like this.
"Captain, look over there!" someone pointed in a direction while holding binoculars.
The roar of the engines grew louder before Arachlea could see a giant ship traveling in the opposite direction of her ship. An unfamiliar flag waved at the stern of the colossal vessel.
Darrr
Arachlea was knocked off her feet. An object landed and exploded on the ship's deck followed by more explosions. Groans of pain began to pierce the ears, splashes of blood coloring the surface of the deck where everyone was gathered.
***
"Tell Commander Ron, to mobilize the reserve troops to guard the fort," Prince Arshakein whispered to the bodyguards who were surrounding him.Upon hearing this, the bodyguards nodded and hastened to locate Ron, who remained on the same floor. Despite his trust in the guards protecting him, Prince Arshakein gripped the hilt of his sword tightly around his waist and was ready to draw it.It wasn't long before fighting could be heard from downstairs, indicating that the soldiers were battling the enemy who had managed to enter the fortress area."Clean up, make sure there's nothing left!" Ron's voice was heard faintly. Prince Arshakein hoped that the man wasn't hurt, he was the most reliable commander and there was no replacement."You can go, thank you," Prince Arshakein said to his guards who had not taken a single step from their position."Let us fix the stairs, Your Highness," said one of the guards."No need, I'm not a child and I can still jump. Just attach a strong rope to make
"Pirate ship! Save yourselves," the captain shouted. The panic-stricken faces could no longer be covered up.Wrapped in overwhelming fear, Arachlea followed the other women down the stairs leaving the open space. Upon reaching the lower deck, a thumping sound from above confirmed that pirates had indeed boarded their ship."Are you sure this life bag can save us?" whispered a very young-looking maid to another in desperation."I'm pregnant," the other woman exclaimed, despite Arachlea having previously caught her smoking when Prince Hill complained about the overcooked food in the kitchen.Arachlea shook her head, feeling like she too was going crazy from the sudden mental stress. Where she came from, her father would probably be put to death, or perhaps the punishment would be transferred to her mother if Prince Hillarius successfully presented his testimony. While here he would either be killed by pirates or drowned in the middle of the ocean.Arachlea felt as if death was the only
In a matter of days, the army led by Prince Arshakein finally arrived at the royal capital. The soldiers dispersed after being welcomed by Prince Arshakein. But tomorrow morning they all had to attend a palace banquet to celebrate their victory."Lord Ron." A soldier gestured, inviting the elderly man to join him at their favorite spot.Ron whistled and directed his horse to follow the young men to a brothel. It had been a long time since he had visited. It was his favorite place, and he would be very disappointed if the kingdom had shut down the brothels. Even in his old age, Ron remained steadfast in his belief that he was a formidable man."Come, Uncle Ron. I have plenty of money, don't worry about your choice.""You seem excited, Quanes." Ron shook his head in amusement, the man was exactly like him, very excited.Quanes just laughed. They entered the building with the inside full of glittering oil lamps, the small flames emitting various colors illuminating the walls and ceiling
Two stallions galloped at a moderate pace across a path in the middle of a forest covered with dry leaves. The two Eufibutla officials were hunting together as usual to overcome boredom."Look, my father. Over there." Prince Hillarius pointed to the swaying bushes not far ahead of them."It's just a squirrel, son." King Aerius said as he kept his horse moving.But not three seconds later, a fat deer leaped from the bushes and galloped away from them. Prince Hillarius was too late in launching his arrow and it only wounded a tree trunk not far from the bushes."Your guess is off, my father." Prince Hillarius groaned in annoyance. He failed this time, making him grit his teeth."Your arrow missed as well," King Aerius replied, chuckling."This isn't amusing at all," Prince Hillarius muttered, his father's knack for irritation permeating even the most trivial moments."Well, even if my guess wasn't wrong. You still won't get that deer, son," King Aerius said calmly. Prince Hillarius just
"Diplomats of the Gordeganemian Kingdom are ready to talk with His Majesty King Meghalodein." The guard at the entrance called out.Suddenly the whole room was in an uproar, how dare they send an envoy after losing so badly against Seodurnag? Prince Arshakein's gaze fell on the entrance straight in front of him. A group of about twenty people entered the room, carrying a large box, making Prince Arshakein frown.After a respectful greeting, the leader of the group immediately conveyed his intentions."I bring a letter containing the offer of a peace treaty between the two parties ....""I reject the offer." King Meghalodein said, eliciting laughter from the room."What have you brought, gentlemen?" Prince Shankarein raised his voice as he pointed to the large box that seemed to be the offering tool."This is a gift for you if you accept our offer, Your Highness," replied their leader. Two men behind him came forward with the box
"The party is almost over, we better get out of here now." Prince Shankarein told his brother to remove Arachlea from the noisy room."Let's go," Prince Arshakein said as he pulled roughly on the reins around Arachlea's neck.Arachlea glared and tried to resist what the cold-faced prince was doing. But her hands and mouth could not be used to their full potential. The dirty cloth was still gagging her mouth, fortunately, her hands were tied in front of her so that her efforts to remove the gag could still be done. In front of him, Prince Arshakein did not realize what he was doing. A faint smile appeared on Arachlea's lips."Let go of me. I can walk on my own," she shouted. But bad luck soon caught up with her, Prince Arshakein turned around and slapped her hard on the cheek without saying anything.Dragging her feet because it was hard to keep up with Prince Arshakein's pace, Arachlea finally arrived at a small building whose walls were made of s
A galloping horse carrying a tightly closed sack stood and nodded its head as it arrived in front of the Gordeganemian palace gates. The guards frowned at the oddity."The horse belongs to His Highness Prince Andomure," pointed out a guard, signaling for the palace gates to be opened. To their surprise, they examined the contents of the bag."Someone, please report to His Majesty King Arsemure!" shouted the bodyguard guarding the palace gate.All the guards moved quickly until Prince Andomure was now in his room with the palace physicians. King Arsemure who heard the news of his brother's return immediately visited.Prince Andomure's left leg and right hand were no longer functional, and the physician closest to the King whispered that Prince Andomure had lost his sense of taste."This is unforgivable," growled King Arsemure as he clenched his fists.Prince Andomure was lying on the bed and had not opened his eyes, he had lost a
The hot struggle between Prince Hillarius and the prime minister's wife continued without anyone knowing except the two of them. Repeatedly, they found moments of respite, continuing their secret rendezvous until the sun began its descent in the western sky."Put your clothes on and tidy up. Don't open your mouth or you will know the consequences, Mrs. Pochlea," Prince Hillarius ordered as he quickly dressed himself.Prince Hillarius left the woman alone and headed for the palace. As calmly as if nothing had happened, he made his way to the room of Queen Claudius, his mother. His beloved mother stood on the balcony of her room, having just been examined by the palace physician. A faint smile played on her pale lips as she greeted Prince Hillarius."Hillarius, where have you been?" Queen Claudius called softly."Hunting, Mother," Prince Hillarius replied briefly as he hugged his mother tightly."Your marriage to Arachlea is fast