Chapter 31 - Nymph (1)

Nymph is an ambitious creature and seeks their desire until the end, despite they're pure nature appearance and innocent bearings.

-Excerpt from 'The Essential Book of Human Survival'.

Jonathan Lorth.

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Deair thin eyebrow scrunched up with concentration but nothing came into her mind. She has been standing in front of a blank canvas for hours, wanting to distract her jumbled up and cloudy thoughts. Her lips reddened from her restless action of biting it, in the end she closed the box filled with her tools and utensils to draw.

Artha will come back in about a week, she had presumed. The Festival will finish by this week, sky would light up with lanterns evoked with wishful magnificent scenes. Initially she had wanted to visit this year, but the thought of leaving her brother and her little niece Elrin behind at the palace made her desire deflated.

A knocking sound was heard on her chamber door, she was about to ask who it was but a soft light voice she had become familiar with had beat her.

"Royal Princess Deair?"

Upon hearing the sound, a smile adorned Deair's face. Her usual empty golden eyes had lit up a bit, she stood up from her chair and approached the door.

Turning the door open, she welcomes the girl standing before her.

Strawberry blond with light amber eyes, cherry lips form a wide smile and soft rosy cheek suitable for a little pinch. Her heart tickles just from seeing her.

"Brealle, you don't have to call me Royal Princess. It's Aunt Deair, why can't you remember that?"

Deair lightly jokes, the girl before her blush but a smile still placed on her face. She nods shyly, peeking through her lashes to look at her.

Brealle Qyla Ertellib, the youngest of its kind. The daughter of Deair's best friend Frulla Ertelib, third wife of Synan Ertellib. The one she became aware of years after the White War.

The one that had taken a liking to Artha.

Her melodious voice sounds out, her eyes crinkles with a smile, "Aunt Deair."

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The radiant yellow hues of sunlight encircle the path along the way, as its warmth spreads onto skin and face, overseeing and expectant. Standing in front of a bakehouse was a girl wearing an ash silver mid length dress, adorned with a unique simple pattern sewn around the bodice, although it was stashed away inside an old closet, the quality and light sheen still preserved greatly.

Her slender finger reached the hem of her dress several times to straighten any wrinkles around it while her other hand kept a coat the guard had lent securely inside a bag.

Biting her lips, she turned around to a glazed double door with white polished frame and found her reflection blushing hard. She wasn't quite sure whether it was from heat or palpitations of her heart. She started to rub her cheeks in hope to reduce the redness on it.

Last night Raiene had asked Ruby if she could borrow a dress from her, though she was a little bit surprised by her sudden request, Ruby still let her search through a good amount of dress inside a wooden closet on the second floor.

Raiene mentioned her desire to explore the town by herself, she promised to stay clear of any creatures and not incite any trouble. Her lie comes out smoothly under Ruby's questioning gaze and despite her suspicion and doubt, Ruby still allows her to visit the town.

Raiene never intended to deceive her. She knows that Ruby will be filled with worries over her encounter with Qye's guard, especially the part where she enters Qye's restricted territory and how she got caught by the guard. Raiene was sure Ruby would choose that moment to return to Arrenquile. 

Raiene doesn't want to make the situation bigger than it seems. She just happens to befriend a Qye's guard and within two days she will forget this chance encounter ever happened in the first place. No big deal.

She wanted to experience this a little more and cherish the short time that remains. It would be a waste of Ruby's effort in accompanying her to Qye, fixing her ring and consuming Lurra potion if she ended up having to return right at that moment.

That is why Raiene believes it is a wise decision to fabricate a tiny little lie in front of Ruby.

"When does the Nymph sing?"

She had asked Ruby last night and while her eyes were occupied with skimming over a few pages of scribbled parchment, she still answered her question, "Around midday."

Apparently, Nymph inside Qye's sing around midday to strengthen the layer of protection that was created to prevent winter from hitting the Kingdom. Although Witches are the ones who cast the spell, once a week Nymph is tasked to strengthen the spell by singing a few particular phrases and it just happens to be that day.

Artha mentions beforehand to wait for him in front of Grea's Bakery two hours before Nymph sings, fortunately it was the same bakery where she first encountered Alin. It was a good thing she remembers the way vividly.

The Bakery situated within the centre of Aola's street, where several stores of different varieties lined up in accordance, it was strategically built within one corner of the intersection.

Fascinated, her sparkly eyes still lock onto the coming and going of pedestrians and tourists, a few youngsters running down the street accompanied by melodious songs from a string instrument filled out the road. Her eyes still follow one peculiar creature that happened to pass by when she caught the sight of a familiar face standing across the street.

He had a pair of straight eyebrows and obsidian orbs looking over to his left side, his sharp jaw visibly clenched. His tall and straight stature accentuated the neat and stiff dark blue uniform she presumed freshly ironed, coupled with a black belt around his waist that completed his look.

Despite the luxuriant glow of the sun, his expression was as cold as the coldest day of winter. There was a faint furrow between his eyebrows, making his appearance look stern, Raiene could witness a few passerby looking him over with both fear and respect tracing their faces, some blushed and staring with blatant lust. Once his gaze locked onto Raiene, his posture considerably turned relaxed and he stride over from across the street within a few several steps.

"Have you waited long?"

His hoarse voice sounds out, she shakes her head and stares warily at him. He looks different from yesterday, though both appearances scream discipline, this one before her seems more docile and soft. One thing she wouldn't ever use to describe a Qye's guard. Especially after meeting him with presumably a more formal attire than he wore yesterday.

Raiene wouldn't ever know, the Crown Prince before her had spent almost two hours going over each uniform Qye's are given out towards officers with different branches.

The one he had worn yesterday happens to be owned by personnel whose main task is to protect the Palace from possible threat, while the one he happens to wear today is a uniform specially created for personnel whose task is to protect the Royal Family, one of the higher guards.

Although both uniforms were crafted with care, the one Artha wore has a slightly more prestige than the other.

"Let's go."

Artha whispered and reached out his hand, waiting for her slender finger to clasped between his and probably caught a fast glance at a ring or bracelet he happened to miss. 

Ever since Alron let out the fact he had dismissed and forgotten about, Artha spent his night trying to recall whether she had any ring or bracelet on her wrist. 

Despite one of his abilities to recall memories and playing it over within a slow time of motion, he can't find a single part where he happens to look at her fingers and it all drains his energy for the entire night. He decided he would ask her about this later.