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"Mistress, news about the Duchess has arrived."

Smiling from ear to ear, the lady in her usual color of black clothing, gaze at the servant's direction who is rushing to her side with a letter in hand.

The servant carefully gave the letter and the lady open it with amusement in her eyes.

After finishing reading it's contents, the lady widen her smile, and chuckle in pleasure.

"The wench is dead.",she spoke with joyous tone.

The Duchess, now deceased; can only mean one thing. Her plan had work. The lethal poison that the Duchess usually drink along with her tea, unknown to her, finally worked and killed her, in disguise of a disease.

Of course, it was the young lady's careful planning that made everything go according to her plan.

The servant who served their tea whenever she came to visit was paid by her to poison the Duchess, and needless to say, the Doctor who would check up on her was one of her favored and loyal servant whom she had bribed.

Tearing the letter to shreds and throwing it into the raging fire, she immediately proceeds to her next plan, and that is to offer the Duke, something he can never refuse.

But first things first.

"The rat? Where is she? Is she well-behaved now?",and a wicked smile escaped from her lips making the servant in front of her, shiver in terror.

"Milady, well... a-about her... she..."

"Speak up so I can hear you clearly."

"She...tried to escape again."

"Escape, you say? Well, I guess it's time we let her out. Her role is over and done with, so I have no more need of her. Tell the guards to throw her away... in the dark forest."

Horror was painted all over the servant's face, he almost seemed pale as if his blood was sucked out of him after hearing what the lady said.

"Y—yes, milady."

The lady grinned, and touched the smooth wooden table of her study room. The smell of paper and ink filled the air but she doesn't seem to mind. Especially, today is the time of her life she will never forget. The day she can finally claim the throne, all to herself, and all that is left is to slowly but surely dispose of the Duke's royal family. One by one.

Meanwhile, down the underground dungeon of the Mansion of the lady in black who so wish to rule Emerald City, there is a particular woman who had spent most of her life in shackles and chains that bind her neck down to her two feet. Her body was filled with bruises, and being fed only once in a day made her body look closer to that of a corpse than a living being.

She was the 'rat' who made the poison that killed the beloved Duchess. Being tortured day and night if she refuses to make the drugs, the despicable Mistress of the Mansion did not only took her away forcefully from her home but she also used her talent in terms of medicine and herbs to create something atrocious that killed someone very dear to another.

Life inside the dungeon was miserable but to help a wicked human being to murder someone was something she could never ever let herself be forgiven for.

The dungeon was dark and the light from a torch, slowly creeping up at her cell caught her attention.

She look up in fear and saw the face of the servant of the Witch she so loathe. She tremble as she hide in the darkest part of her cell but it was too late, the servant saw her, and the slow creak of the iron gate of the cell was heard as it was opened.

Still in her shackles, she was forcefully dragged out of her cell, and being nimble and weak she fell to the ground, effortlessly.

"You damn rat! And, finally, today I am rid of you! Thank heavens!",she heard the servant angrily spout as he look at her with so much disgust.

She didn't dare move, and just lay there on the floor as her eyes keep up with the hazy movements of the torch and the man in front of her.

"You! Take this wench to the dark forest and leave her there to die! You understand?! Make sure she is dead! If not, I will have your head!"

Hearing this, the woman desperately try to stand up but only fail as her knees grew weak due to fatigue and the torture she had to endure for so many years being imprisoned. Over and over again, she still remember how she was tortured, and forced to look death straight in the eyes but no matter how much she prayed for her miserable life to end, she remained alive.

She heard heavy footsteps towards her direction, and when she looked up at the person in front of her, it was a young man with his hair pulled into a long ponytail. The young man's eyes was emotionless, and when their gazes met, something, something was reflected on his deep blue eyes.

Was it pity? Fear? Or something else?

Nevertheless, the loathed servant who is only good at insulting her was nowhere to be found and if her hearing was right, she would be disposed of in the dark forest where creatures and the cold temperature is something a feeble woman like her in a state of almost death would not survive.

She can only cry, is this how her life will truly end? Is it? All her hard work to create medicines, studying herbs, and to cure the sick who cannot afford to pay a doctor , is it all worth this? A lonely death in the middle of a dark forest?

'If god exists, how can a fate as cruel as this be fair?'

Her thoughts was reflected on her face.

Tears stream down her face,and in defeat she surrender, and would not fight back even if the young man picked her up, and carry her like a sack on his shoulder.

The young man made sure to be careful while he carry her frail body.

It was obvious in his touch.

With tear-stained eyes she looked at the man in surprise, she was nothing but a prisoner but the young man was unusually gentle to her. She thought she would be beaten up, and left to die in the dark forest but what happened after she was out of the dungeon was not what she expected.

Out of the dungeon the young man made her wear a dark cloak, covering her bruised body and face. He sneaked out of the Mansion's secret passage with her, and mounted on a horse at the end of the passage then ride towards a different direction. She was supposed to be left for dead at the dark forest but the direction they are taking is very different from a supposed to be dark forest which made her feel confused.

Who was this young man? And, why is he helping her escape?

After long hours of journey on a horse, and her questions was soon finally answered when a familiar place came into view as the horse run faster and faster towards it.

"Home...",she spoke with her broken voice, as they made their way into the  quiet village, not many people are outside, and only men who are drunk or beggars on the street are not asleep at this particular time of the night in the village where the sea and the fields are in complete harmony with each other, or as the saying goes in this peaceful village.

She look up at the young man and saw how his eyes soften at the sight of her. He was smiling at her with his blue eyes that is so enchanting and beautiful in the moonlit night.

She could even say his eyes, along with his face is breathtaking.

The horse stopped on its tracks in front of a small house on top of a small hill just a little farther away from the rest of the town.

Tying the horse to the stables, and entering the small house afterwards, all was crystal clear for the young woman as to who is this handsome young man who have helped her.

She knows who he is, from a very long time ago.

The young man was a certain villager who would look at the window of a certain female doctor with admiration and love. And, when he found out all about what happened to her many years ago, he entered the Mistress's Mansion in guise of a servant, waiting for the perfect chance to save the young female doctor who have stolen his heart a long time ago from the clutches of the people who used her for her talent in terms of medicine.

She was also in awe to see peculiar collections of the young man. It was seeds of different plants, flowers actually. She admire the room she was in, but what caught her attention most was the scene outside the window of the house.

It has been so long that she almost forgot how beautiful the starry night actually looked like. The clear night sky, the moon with it's bright light and the stars that twinkle as if they were diamonds in the sky.

And, when she looked back at the man who is now smiling at her from ear to ear. She can only feel grateful towards him. She thought her life was already set in stone just a few moments ago but now,she is convinced that life can be so unpredictable, especially for her who have suffered, almost half her life.

"Thank you, thank you so much."

"You are most welcome, milady.",and the two embrace as if to celebrate this fateful day of when they finally come back home. To where they first met as neighbors, and as two people who admired each other from afar.

And, this is also the moment, history will start to be written and how the undelivered truth came to be.

For the union between these two people will bear fruit to a girl who will be known to be beautiful as a flower.