chapter 6

" It's the temple! "

Claire look at the center of the temple in amazed. Her foot unconsciously step before the big god statue with her eyes stay at it without a blink.

" God Casel.. "

" My lady? " ask Daisy in wonder with Claire action toward the statue.

Claire glance at her. " This statue, it looks so much more bigger than the last time I saw it, Daisy. "

" That's weird.. as I had remembered, you never have been at this temple before, my lady. "

" What..? ah! you're right! that was just my imagination. Don't mind it Daisy. "

In flustered, Claire walk and leave Daisy alone behind who was in a wonder with her statement.

" Princess. "

Claire turns to look at a person from behind her.

' Oh? it's the Duke. ' while smirked at the guy in his middle-aged, Claire bow politely.

" Greeting, Duke Almera. "

Duke Almera smile at me with a mocking face. " I'm greeting the princess of Castella Empire, Duke Almera on your service, princess Claire. "

Claire gets annoyed with his word. ' since when did he start to call me a princess? everyone that knows me would never be dared to call me by that title as they know I didn't like the title as the only princess in this empire. '

The only princess of the empire, that was a given title for me as the only daughter of the archduke. My father was actually a little brother of the current emperor and with the current ruler who doesn't have any daughter to be a princess of the empire, they choose me as the only princess of Castella. That's why I'm being a fourth precious lady of Castella and become the best candidate to be with the crown prince as his relative.

" Where are you heading to? I will escort you to go there, princess. "

Claire makes an annoyed face toward him and sneakily looks around behind that old man's back. ' That woman was not with him today huh? no wonder he shamelessly came to me like this. '

" It looks like lady Maria doesn't accompany you to come here today, Duke Almera. "

" Oh? my daughter Maria? She currently getting some rest due to her health, princess. "

My red lips create a smirk toward him. ' Rest my ass! I doubt your bitch daughter currently got a rest with that bastard prince right now. '

" That a pity then, well, I must take my leave now. I had to meet the high priest. "

My leg starts to walk and leave duke Almera behind who was stunned, well I ignored his question to escort me to the high priest though. That old man should take care of his daughter instead of coming to me to become friendly with me. Well, I would become the one to teach his daughter some lesson though this time.

Krack...

Claire gets into a big room. A dark and empty space without anyone to be seen. Daisy has already waited for me outside the door because this room was a private place for only the nobles that were closest to the high priest.

" Who are you? "

Claire looks behind her. seem the voice came from her back.

" Your presence was so unique "

When there's nobody here with her make Claire feel goosebumps. It's a voice without a body.

" May I ask who are you first?. " ask Claire in a shudder.

" I'm the one to asked you first but you dared to ask me back? you're not afraid of me? "

" Well, I really love your presence though, Claire Stella Romanoff. that's why I called for you first "

Claire frown at the voice word, he felt like it was not the first time she heard this voice. Claire takes a step before the lion stone that was the only thing in that room with her right now.

" Because I knew you perhaps? "

" Hmm? you know me, young girl? "

Claire nods and bows before the lion stone.

" I'm Claire Stella Romanoff. you're the lion spirit, Fhilips, am I right? "

Suddenly a bright blue light came out from the lion stone eyes. Claire stares at the lion's stone face boldly.

" You seem like you've known me since a long time ago, Claire. No wonder your soul was so unique. "

As the light suddenly stops shinning now a small blue spirit lion runs around Claire and stops before her eyes, Claire stunned.

" Your bright yet dark green eyes. It seems like you have endured so much pain before you came to my place today. May I know the reason? "

Claire gulped and slowly nodded before the spirit.

" I wanted to change my future, I had gained a chance from god Casel now I'm here, before you. "

The lion spirit smirked at Claire and lay on his stone in a boring position.

" For that Casel to helped you gained your new life, you must have been endured something impossible for you. You make me get interested in you, Claire. "

As the spirit smile at her, she gets goosebumps again.

" So, what do you wanted to know? you didn't come all the way here just to meet the high priest, right? "

Claire avoided his gaze toward herself. Try to hide her true attention to come here today.

" I wanted to know about the grand duke son that's why I came here today, to the temple. " Her mouth suddenly spoke the truth without her own will to speak. It seems that the spirit used his power toward Claire.

The lion spirit named Fhilips suddenly smiles at her in such a suspicious way after knowing her intuition.

" So you're expecting a rumor from this temple priest, huh? "

Claire flinch and invert his gaze again in guilty.

" Yes, I am. "

' again?? Ahhh this mouth doesn't want to shut up! ' Claire bend her head after the lion laughed at her in a mocking tone.

" You're still the same, Claire. You have always get teased by my power toward you. "

" Pardon? when did I.. "

" Lady Romanoff? "

Claire looks at the door. The high priest was looking at her in wonder. She looks at the lion stone again and found out that the spirit has gone.

" Are you alright, lady Romanoff? what are you doing here all alone? this is just an empty room, we didn't use it anymore. "

Claire frown. but if I remember correctly, this is where I met the high priest for the first time when I was at this age.

"...it's weird.."

" Oh, I hope you didn't get tired while looking for me, please do follow me upstairs. I will serve you now, lady Romanoff. "

Claire nod and obediently follow the priest in wonder. She takes a glance at the lion stone again while getting out from that place. This does not make any sense, it's different from my past life.

" Please take a seat. "

Claire look around the high priest office when she walks to get in, it still had the same pattern but the location was different now. Was I was the one to not remember it correctly?

Knock Knock.

Claire looks at the door while the high priest walks towards it and open the door. His assistant was the one to show up before him.

Claire just stared at them silently as they were discussing something with some tense atmosphere between them.

The high priest suddenly walks towards her and places a cup of tea on the table before Claire after his assistant leaves them there.

" Please pardon me, lady Claire. I had some business right now, I can't serve you today. I hope you can visit this temple again shortly. " smile the high priest toward me.

Claire nods with a pretending disappointment. ' Well, that's good. After all, I didn't come here today to meet you. '

" It's that so? it a pity that you didn't have some time to serve me today. It's okay after I finished this tea I will get back immediately. "

The high priest's face looks much better this time. " Please pardon my rudeness, lady Romanoff. "

Claire looks at him when he leaves her alone in this office. Well, this is the right place to be if I wanted to know some kind of rumors.

While sipping her tea calmly, she heard some footsteps outside the high priest's office. Claire smile.

' This is the right place because all the priest would gather together in front of his office as this is the safest place to be after every time the high priest leave the temple. '

" You heard those new rumors? "

Claire smiles while getting close to the door, eavesdropping was the best way to heard their talk right now.

" What kind of rumor? "

Claire nod. yes, yes. what kind of rumor.

" I heard that the crown prince wanted to annul his engagement with the princess this year. "

" What?? How can he dare to leave lady Romanoff? doesn't his highness love the princess dearly? "

Claire gets annoyed with their talk, please any rumor can do but not this one, guys. I wanted to know about those grand duke son. let's skip their talk about my relationship with that bastard.

" Hey, hey. Do you hear about this rumor too? "

Claire gets excited again as they move to another topic of rumor.

" About what? "

" About the son of the grand duke. "

Claire smiles and closes her ear more toward the door. finally! that's what I wanted to hear!

" I heard he would attend this month banquet as the special guest of the royalty."

" Oh? a banquet to celebrate the end of Lamina month? "

Claire nods understand. ' So, he will attend those banquet this time? I need to prepare myself then. '

The Lamina month. A month to celebrate the day of the late empress Lamina, mother of the current emperor and a grandmother of me, death. it was celebrated on the last day of this month every year as a memorial to the last empress as she contributes so many things to the Castella while the emperor's absence. it was the biggest banquet of the year and unfortunately, it was on the day before my contract with the crown prince ended.

' I need to find a guy now. I hope that the grand duke's son was a good person to just follow my flows without any question. I didn't have any time right now. '

Meanwhile, Claire was thinking like that and lost in her own thoughts, all the priest still gossiped without a break in front of the door.

" I scared of him though. "

" Who? the grand duke son? "

One of the priest nod and continue to talk.

" Remember when he came to visit this temple? his aura was so much in darkness. His eyes would glare at you like he wanted to eat you all alive! "

" Oh? Yeah, yeah! I once look at his eyes. Indeed his face was so enchanting but his eyes were the problem! "

" It's dark and deep red eyes that menacing your gaze toward him! he truly likes a beast! "

" I heard all the members of the grand duke household had those red menacing eyes as their symbol of the grand duke, but his eyes were the darkest from all in their generation! it's really scary to see! if you met his eyes, you need to run away as fast as you could! "

" You know what they said more? "

" What? "

" If you look straight into his eyes, he will place his sword on your neck without any hesitation and your head will leave your body in no time. "

" What?? That terrifying! why did he do that?! "

" He was like a beast that if you look at his eyes, he would feel like you were challenged him to fight you. "

" Was he always that kind of person? so, what the people would call him if they wanted to talk to him? Such as the emperor as an example? "

" The emperor would call him by his title but the other continent of Castella would call him.. "

Everyone silent to focus on the priest's word.

" The villain of Castella.., a beast of the emperor. The grand duke only son that no one would dare to get close at. "

Meanwhile, Claire. she still lost in her thoughts without hearing any word of their talk anymore. she in her dream to break free from the crown prince on the last day of this month.

She would meet the grand duke son on the night of the banquet and ask for his cooperation as she made her mind to it.

After that day I made up my mind, I didn't know I will regret my decision afterward.

I forgot that if I leave the cage of the crown prince, I will get caught by another beast like him.

A bird would never set free no matter how hard they tried to leave and eventually died at the end. that was my destiny.