Chapter 24

Elise gazed upward, her heart heavy with despair, as the surface of the water retreated farther and farther away. The wreckage of the carriage that she was trapped in was rapidly sinking to the bottom of the lake. It was only due to the weakened barrier that Andrei had conjured that Elise had been spared the full impact of the crash. Without it, she would have perished.

But luck, it seemed, was a fickle friend. The light that had shone above the water’s surface had now vanished, enveloping Elise in darkness. The oxygen that had been sealed within the protective barrier was dwindling fast, and she felt her breath becoming shallower with every passing moment. It was as though she had fallen into a dream, a nightmare from which she could not wake. Was this her fate, the end that had been foretold for her by some divine power? I came all the way to Van Yela and tried my best to survive, only to end up like this… 

She had abandoned any sense of dignity as a princess or even as a human being, clinging to the hope of a single, worthless life. A single tear trailed down her cheek as she resigned herself to what seemed like an inevitable fate. If this was her end, she would have died long before.

As her consciousness began to fade, Elise was transported back to the day she had left Argan. In her mind’s eye, she could hear the voices of Andrei and herself as though it were happening once again.

“I can’t go alone,” she had protested to Andrei, her voice laced with fear. “They’ll catch me in no time. It’s pointless.”

But Andrei had refused to let her give up. “No, you can do many things, Elise,” he had countered. “We don’t have time to argue. Run straight away. Never give up. If you’re alive, even if Argan falls, it’s not a complete loss.”

Elise had protested again, unwilling to abandon her brother. But Andrei had taken her face in his bloodied hands and whispered, “I have to die for you to live.”

The memory played out before Elise’s eyes as if it were happening all over again. She could feel the warmth of her brother’s touch against her skin. “What do you mean?” she had asked, confusion and despair mingling in her voice.

Andrei had simply smiled, blood trickling down his face as he gently stroked her cheek. “You will get better,” he had promised. “So never give up on yourself, Elizabeth. Promise me you won’t give up on life like you used to.”

As the memory faded, Elise felt a deep sense of sorrow. Her heart ached for her brother, for the pain he had suffered on her behalf.

Andrei had risked his life to save Elizabeth, and despite the fact that her life was now hanging by a thread, she found herself without any desire to resist. It was as though she had been slowly withering away ever since she had arrived at the Argan Palace, and no one had been the wiser. To everyone else, she was still the precious princess, but Elizabeth knew the truth. She was struggling on the brink of life and death, silently cursing herself for her own weakness.

As the defensive barrier began to falter, Elizabeth felt a sudden surge of cold water rush in through a crack in the barrier, soaking her entire body in an instant. The icy lake water rose up to her neck, covering her completely. She watched helplessly as the barrier shattered under the water’s pressure, leaving her defenseless. In a matter of seconds, water was flooding her nose and mouth, causing her to gasp for breath in agony. It was as though the horror of her situation had finally caught up with her.

No…!

She began to struggle against the water, fighting for every last breath. She had not come this far, survived so much, just to drown here, alone and forgotten.

“Promise me you won’t give up, Elizabeth. Please!” Andrei’s voice echoed in her mind, giving her the strength to keep fighting.

In that moment, Elizabeth felt a strong current push her away, surprising her with a sudden burst of energy. She had thought that the barrier was destroyed beyond repair, but to her amazement, it was being restored before her very eyes. And then, something strong and forceful pushed against her back, urging her forward.

As her consciousness began to fade away, the darkness closed in around her. But then, she sensed someone swimming towards her, blocking out the light. Without warning, her hands and wrists were seized, and she was pulled into a familiar embrace. The comforting hold of her savior brought on a deep sense of drowsiness, and sleep came more quickly than before.

The water pressure that had been dragging her down to the bottom of the lake suddenly vanished, and she was able to lift her head above the water’s surface. But her body was still in shock from the trauma, and she struggled to breathe in the precious air that she so desperately needed.

“Your Highness!” A voice called out urgently, breaking through the haze of her confusion. Elizabeth could smell the water that surrounded her, mixed with a faint scent of blood. She tried to answer, but her coughing was so severe that she could barely get a word out. Her head spun dizzily, and her vision began to blur.

“Your Highness, are you okay? If you lose consciousness…”

The voice sounded distant, like an echo from a distant place.

Before her eyes, a pair of crystal-clear blue eyes came into focus, despite the blurriness that enveloped her vision. In those eyes, she could see the storm she had witnessed many times before. Whenever her life hung by a thread, the man holding her now would be shaken to his core. This time, as she slowly realized that she was still alive, Elise understood it more acutely.

I’m alive…

She was alive.

All the tension in her body dissipated, and she went limp in the duke’s arms, who had cried out and embraced her by the waist. That was the last scene that Elise could remember.

***

The Argan Palace always carried the fragrance of herbs, enveloping Princess Elizabeth Aseica’s bedroom in a therapeutic aura. For a good two decades, Elizabeth’s universe was confined to the four walls of her chamber, buried deep within the palace. Her health had always been a concern, more so during her formative years when she was but fifteen. The medical experts assigned to her case all agreed on one thing- Elizabeth’s pulse was far from human; they doubted she harbored any vitality within. They predicted that even if she managed to muster some, it would be as fleeting as a ghostly apparition.

As a child, Elizabeth had often looked upon her hale and hearty twin brother with envy, questioning their difference. “Andrei, why are we so unlike each other? We’re twins, aren’t we?” she had asked. 

“Elizabeth, do you despise being unwell?” he had inquired. 

“I loathe it. I loathe it to no end,” she had lamented. Nonetheless, the most substantial impediment was the lack of a specific diagnosis.

The cause of Elizabeth’s condition was unknown, making it impossible to prevent or protect against it. Her vitality was akin to that of a soulless husk, easily shattered at the slightest jolt. In truth, Elizabeth’s hair wasn’t always silver. It had once been a delicate shade of brown, similar to that of her twin brother. However, an intense fever had robbed her of her pigmentation, rendering her hair the color of the moon.

“Don’t worry too much, sister. If you take your medicine regularly and don’t overexert yourself, you’ll gradually get better,” reassured Andrei with utmost sincerity.

Elizabeth grew out of her petulant ways as they aged, the sight of Andrei’s anguished face every time she threw a fit piercing her heart. She swallowed her envy and pretended to be fine. “Don’t concern yourself, Andrei. I’m not a child anymore. It’s not like I do this every day…I’m fine,” she repeated.

But her heart had begun to deteriorate.

Elise had no one to confide in, and her body writhed with agony, causing her mind to crumble under the weight of it all. She couldn’t bear to burden her younger brother with her troubles, but she often questioned the purpose of living in such a state.

She was confined to bed for most of her life, weakened to the point where a mere gust of wind could trigger tremors. A delicate flower, she was as frail as a dewdrop and even the slightest miscalculation in her herbal remedies could wreak havoc on her delicate body.

At fifteen, Elise discovered an herb that, for her constitution, could turn poisonous if taken in excess. She chewed and swallowed a handful, hoping for eternal slumber as she crawled under her blanket. But her attempt failed, and it was Andrei, who missed his morning meeting and rushed to her side upon sensing something was wrong, who saved her.

He had cried a lot that day. Even the soul who had to leave for the world of the dead wouldn’t have been able to resist the mournful sound of his weeping.

“It’s my fault. It’s because of me that you…Don’t leave, Elise. Don’t leave me. I haven’t done anything for you yet….”

Elise felt a heavy burden of guilt and remained bedridden for six months. When she finally regained her ability to walk, Andrei had visited her late at night and informed her of a magical solution to her pain.

“What kind of magic will it be?” Elise had asked.

“A magic that eliminates the source of your agony,” replied Andrei.

“But the doctors said there’s no explanation for my condition,” Elise had retorted.

“In this world, there’s always a cause and effect,” Andrei had said assuredly.

Andrei had inscribed the first magic circle onto the center of Elise’s spine, which stung but didn’t hurt too much. It took a long time to complete the process, and both of them were left utterly exhausted by the end. They had laid on the bed, sprawled out in any way they pleased.

“Although there’s nothing that binds us physically, we’re still halves of each other, aren’t we?” Andrei had said, embracing Elise tightly.

“Of course.” Elise had replied.

“That’s all that matters, then.”

After the magic circle was engraved on her body, Elise’s condition took a strange turn and began to improve dramatically. She even learned to ride horses and do basic embroidery, which was nothing short of a miraculous transformation. Despite repeatedly asking Andrei about the nature of the magic circle he had engraved, she was never given a clear answer. Seven years later, even in the face of the ruthless barbarian invasion that led to the fall of Argan, the mystery of the magic circle persisted.

***

Elise stirred from her slumber, feeling a gentle sway that made her aware she was being carried. Though her consciousness had returned, her eyelids felt heavy, and she furrowed her brows as she struggled to open them. Finally, her eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she noticed was a brooch pinned to the chest of the person holding her. It bore the emblem of the Van Yela nobility, a golden double-headed eagle, and beneath it was the motto of the Rotiara family, marked with the symbol of the Horn of Abundance.

“Are you awake?” came a voice she knew well.