Am I living in a fantasy novel?

There was a sound of dripping water in the distance.

The spiral stairs that I am walking on felt, repeating. The more and more I walk, the more I feel as if I haven't gone anywhere.

Looking down, I only see darkness. The hole seems almost endless like the one in Alice and wonderland.

I was fortunate that I kept my mouth shut during those shallow talks and decided to eat and drink instead.

“My highness, why are you here?” a silvery gruff voice stood behind me, I have never heard this voice before. Although my immediate response would have typically been to go into 'defense mode' as Arthur wishes to call it, the voice did not convince me that I was in a dangerous situation.

My back straightened slightly when I went to greet this sort of intruder in my formal manner.

There stood a man, like none I have seen before. I have no doubt seen different variations of a man described as 'handsome and gentle', but this man stood out from the rest I have seen, and for a moment, I could not speak.

In my experience, many ladies fell in love with his tall, handsome, rich stature. My heart pounded like never before when I saw him.

As my cheeks and ears warmed, I felt the heat rising.

For a moment, we made eye contact, and I could see his deep pitch-black eyes. His eyes seemed to be filled with sorrow.

His head was quickly bowed as he greeted me.

"Your highness, I am a traveler from overseas who has come to this nation with my master. I apologize for my lack of etiquette. You are here in the catacombs of the city. Why are you here?"

“The what?”

It appears my scream hit him. His hands ran over his hair, his eyes spinning until they fell at the same place below where fear first arose.

This is part of the test, right?

Does he want to make me believe I got my answer wrong and remind me I'm off track?

I need some time to think.

“How did you know that I am part of the royal family?” My fingers snaked through the slit in my dress and I grabbed the knife Joslyn had prepared for me.

“I think only the royal family would possess a gold bracelet with the emblem of the royal family embedded with bright blue diamonds.” he pointed to the very bracelet he was talking about on my right hand. “That bracelet must have caught your eye as you stand in a dimly lit place.” My suspicions mount with every passing moment.

“Okay, you caught me. I am Louis Stamum, third son of the Stamum Ducal family of Viribus Ignis nation, and my Master is Sir Iron Stronghold, owner of the Magnalium Guild.” He showed me his brooch bearing the symbol of the famous Stamum family. He was quick to fill in every detail about his identity before I could ask any questions about him being here in this dark place.

“My master has come to your birthday ball to help start-up some connections here to expand his side business of silk and antiques, you know how it is, connections are the base of everything when you want to start and continue a business.

That's why I recognized you. Besides the main attraction, you were the second highlight of the ball."

Although all of these nobles and people indeed came for the emperor, not me, he did not have to add salt to my wounds. My difficult truth was not easy to swallow, but I learned to accept it.

“However, that doesn't excuse how you came about here.” Careful of my words, I suppose the connection of a link between the city to the royal palace through the catacombs would be a great secret for any nation looking to overrule my beloved homeland.

"It's my fault honestly, I saw you being led somewhere and followed, though the guards made it quite challenging, being in a guild certainly has its perks. Though that might have ended up in them may or may not being assaulted to a state of unconscious..."

“You What?”

“It’s not as bad as it seems, the way those people were acting. I just felt something wrong.”

“What...”

That's a lot of "whats". Perhaps I should search for some alternatives.

“I was right on my mark, the whole palace is under the search for you, even the emperor has ordered his generals to gather a search party for you. That scum that led you here is going around making a ruckus on how you left the party to humiliate the emperor. Sure, I know this might sound suspicious to you, so here listen to this.”

Taking out the levitating orb of gold encircling it, he shows it to us. Are these things real? I've read about things like this in books. Am I going crazy?

The absurdity of this situation makes my eyes pop out and make me want to roll away. I think he notices, but he chants “Reveal the truth of dawn and dusk, to this lost soul. Free them of all doubts and anguish.” however he recites this in an ancient language that I’m thankful, that mother made sure to force those thick books into my head. Otherwise, I really would thought myself mad at how fictional the situation was like right now.

“She was out of her mind your majesty, we must send her abroad to recuperate, taking on the role of a princess must have been too much for her, your grace. If I may, I propose we hasten her engagement plans, love is always the best medicine, a good husband might fix her right.”

The emperor did not say anything after that and simply ordered the knights to find me at all costs. I suppose he was influenced by those lies.

My blood boiled mad, that man was one of the only one of the Emperor faction that I trusted enough to guide me when I was stuck at these foreign conferences. It has become apparent that all along those 'bits of advice' to wear the traditional clothing of those nations was a ruse to entice an alliance.

He slowly reached out and placed his hands on mine spreading warmth that has left me for a while now. I wanted to place this warmth around my body, I was too tired to cry again and waste my tears on something ridiculous.

“Um...uhh...your-your diary is also a rare magical artifact. Aside from you physically writing in it, this artifact records your thoughts every time your emotions are above a normal emotion range for you, like if you were to suddenly feel sad or angry due to some reason, the diary will activate and record all those thoughts and feelings. It only reveals those pages only to the owner of the artifact. Slowly with time, the more of those magical pages are filled, the artifact might be able to ascend itself to a weapon in a time of need.”

I saw his attempts to direct my emotions, however, I wasn’t surprised. The dairy....can’t say I am too shocked about it, my emotions are too all over the place to care about this right now. I just paid some attention, to not let his efforts go to waste.

Recording my thoughts.

Makes it easier to record everything major.

Thankfully, only I can see it.

May, there be a way to paste this information somehow.

“Your, highness I think it’s time that I lead you to your palace.”

Wait...

“Didn’t you say that this is a catacomb that is connected to the entire city?”

“Yes, I did but that was-”

“Take me there.”

I clasped his hands.

He tried, again and again, to redirect my focus back to the palace. Alas, he didn’t know if my experiences of coercing people to get whatever I wanted be it more candy when I was younger or getting those buffoons to stop surrounding me at every dance I have ever attended.

He checks his sun watch, he makes a deal of “we’ll back by a three hours princess, that is the maximum I can offer, without risking the head of my master found flying in circles.”

: someone’s head found flying into circles- To come of rage from helplessness, a cute word used by some of the old villages of the south.:

It seems like he is a reader like me.

I wonder at what mark his book counts are at.