Chapter XIV

The sun continued to radiate its warm glow from above, gracing the vast verdure that danced alongside the silent tune of the wind. Nature indeed is admirable, an essence of perfection that the gods and goddesses have gifted to mortals and living species alike. Although it’s rather shameful enough that some irresponsible and greed-filled humans doesn’t own the heart and conscience to care for such blessing. Back in the grand castle, inside an exquisitely made bedroom, sat a young lady whereas her companion stood near the window, gaze focused on admiration to the view and beyond.

Servants dressed in neat black and white flocked the room, coming in groups of five or one— bringing some essential necessities for the princess’s preparation. Glassed perfumes, high-end shoes, extravagant dresses to choose from, blinding jewelry, exquisite hair accessories, fragrant oils, and many more. It was all a little young girl could ever dreamed of. Living life as a royalty whilst basking in wealth.

Watching from the sides, Clementine have started estimating the costs of one item to another, mentally face-palming when she deemed that all of it combined could eventually sustain a family of four in whole month. She painfully sighed, suddenly remembering the life out of castle-walls. Many families out there struggled financially, having to eat a little portion of food for a day to preserve the rest for tomorrow and after. Mothers, fathers, some children, out underneath the scorching sun— fighting of the excruciating heat in order to find coins to feed their members.

A sad reality.

She knew the feeling. The way a stomach churned and grumbled for more. . . more! But couldn’t, forcing it to submit to starvation for the food on the table isn’t enough, and will never be enough. Clementine sighed, swallowing an ample amount of saliva that were stranded in her mouth. She couldn’t help but reminisce the past hardships, she grew under in their household. She was thankful for the fortune she attained through her years of work as a magician, allowing to feed herself and her family back in Sappherine to satisfaction.

It was really difficult way back then.

She used to scrub stables, feed horses, brush them clean for a few coins that could barely buy them food for a single meal.

“Lady Clementine. . . You seem deep in thought? Are you perhaps bothered by something?”, concerned, Isabelle approached her company, waving a hand in the air, telling a servant to pause her ministrations. Golden eyes flickering with worry and sadness at the sight of the troubled lass by the enormous window pane.

“You can tell me, I’m willing to listen”,

“To listen but not understand? No, it’s alright. I’m doing well”, Clementine replied hastily yet solemnly. A royal like Isabelle, someone who is sheltered by blinding wealth and extravagances. She grew up with maids flooding her daily routines from morning till twilight, she grew up without difficulties in life, she grew up sleeping on the comfiest bed, eating luxurious meals thrice a day, wearing fine clothes— whilst the magician herself, grew up facing the opposite of what the princess did.

“You can go on, continue with your preparations, I’ll stay here for a bit”,

“Ah, Lady Clementine. . .”, Isabelle felt really bad, seeing as the mage have been down this past few minutes. Her heart clenched in both wanting to comfort the other or leaving her be as she had recently stated. However, the kind princess couldn’t. She didn’t want to leave Clementine under the shade of gloomy clouds.

Therefore she opted for the only thing that she found comforting yet borderline trespassing for the magician’s personal space. Although hesitant, she deemed that cheering a friend is much more necessary, thus she slowly lifted her hands, both gently and delicately clasping the nearest hand of the magician, who then flinched at the sudden physical contact that she felt.

Clementine acted in immediate reflex, pulling her hand to her chest as she glared at the blonde princess. Her silvered-optics were in sharp slits, both throwing painful daggers towards the one who meant no harm at all. Her hands— it was a very special part of her that she’d rather die than to be touched by another without her permission. They were the product of hardships. The only remembrance of her difficulties as a child who grew in the slums and in poverty.

“Your hand. . . It’s calloused”, the princess whispered, seemingly caught tongue-tied at the new finding. She didn’t expect that at all. Doesn’t magic make things easy? Clementine isn’t supposed to garner such hands, a clear product of hours basking in blood, tears, and sweat. . .a product of labor.

Magicians— they were of noble blood. There is no magician dated in history who doesn’t live under the roof of a famous house. She knew some magicians herself, including the Highest Four Magicians which includes Alejandro Yvelle, Delphinium Douverne, and Florencius— or originally known as Francois Ellysia, her very own uncle, a sibling to her father the current bearer of the Ellysian crown. They all came from noble ancestry houses, one was even royal himself. Then there’s Clementine. . .the odd cow in the group.

Come to think of it.

She knew nothing about the magician. Nothing of her past. Nothing of her life. Nothing of her favorites. Nothing of her hobbies. Nothing of her achievements. Absolutely nothing, except for the minor details that she is one of the four strongest, ranked as second after Delphinium Douverne of the Noble Ancestry House of Douverne, who is placed as first. And that she is Clementine, the imperial magician of Celeste who swore loyalty to the Celestian empire till the very last of her breath.

“You saw nothing, Isabelle”, the magician muttered, barely audible to the princess who was now taken back by her recent statement. Golden jewels watched as the person before her stood regal, both hands clenched into tight fists on either side of her petite figure— though, unlike the events that partook not a minute long ago— this time, the mage’s silvered-optics were laced with nothing but blankness, lips formed into a thin line, showing her poker of an expression.

However, her fists with knuckles turning white told a different myth.

“M-my apologies!”, the princess squeaked, fretting on the spot. Her face flushed in embarrassment and uncertainty— gaze now darting through every corner of the room just to avoid the magician’s faraway gaze. Her anxiousness started to rise, thin soft fingers now playing with each other. She didn’t mean to transgress, but she obviously transgressed her— the very last person whom she didn’t want to offend asides Aethan and her father.

“I didn’t mean to trespass. All I wanted is to help Lady Clementine! To make the gloomy clouds blow away and replace it with something positive!”,

“Thank you, but I assure you that there is no need for such thing. I appreciated the help, however”, the white-haired lass puffed out a sigh, followed by reaching a hand to her hair in order to ruffle it messy. She apologetically sent the royal a small strained smile, curtsying first before vanishing in thin air, leaving no trace of her behind.

Clementine appeared once again in a hallway, one that was isolated from the rest, the outcast of the halls— the farthest possible place in the palace that no one ever comes to aside from that fishy room were they felt it first. Her head was lowered, finding the old dusty carpet somewhat fascinating. She found solace in the dimness and silence of the vicinity, only having the illuminating shine from the stationed candles, the walls that were stained with dust and age. The brightness and warmth of the sun doesn’t reach this place, unfortunately making it barren and somewhat eerie.

After hours in what seems to be hell itself, she had finally freed her tortured and bothered soul from the grasps of Satan’s spawn. It was agonizing back in Isabelle’s room. It was as if she was in hell, suffocating and burning in a fire called naivety. All rainbows and candies, and the atmosphere was seriously chivy that she was seconds away from throwing herself off the porch, yet refrained from doing so. That pesky blonde haired princess guilt-tripped her into coming along and Delphinium have threatened her to do so— and Clementine knows that all chaos would break loose once she defied the imperial magician of Xereisee.

She was obviously unaware of the life that some people currently experiences, that princess. The life with barely food to eat, leaky roofs, uncomfortable beds. Life with the lowlifes.

“The dirty rag life”, as what Clementine liked to call it.

‘Oh how naïve and innocent one could be’

She thought with yet again an inaudible sigh. Some moments after, se felt a presence behind her, a looming one— as if she was prey to a predator. This made her frown, squinting her eyes in annoyance at the fact that someone dared to defy her wish of having time to collect herself. With a clenched jaw she summoned her thin sabre, using the swiftness of wind to twirl around and point its tip on someone’s throat. Clementine glared hard, much harder than before— her optics screamed mad for answers and disgust about the sudden notion of the man before her.

“What are you doing here, Florencius?”,