"So, it was you."

Through the window, the sun's beams penetrating heat agitated the target of its influence. The room was brightly lit, with the whitest shade of white—if that is even possible—glittering on the walls. In contrast to how it seemed last night, the flowers in the vase looked fresh. Books weren't lying around on the desk or bed, indicating that someone had cleaned them. Aura shuffled while squinting her eyes. A soft, comforting blanket encircled her. As the sun's rays hit her eyes, she ducked her head more under the cover, resisting getting out of bed.

Knock, (but she didn't get up.)

Knock, (she whined in her sleep.)

She jumped a little when the third knock came, which was quite loud. Reflexively, she covered her eyes with her palm to block out the sunlight flowing in through the window. She had woken up. She turned around and noticed that she wasn't in her room and that she wasn't even in the castle, based on the surroundings. She remembered tripping from the horse and grazing her knee as she scratched her head. She wrenched the blanket in anguish, but the clean gauge covering her wound prevented any further damage. Where was she? She murmured gently, "I'm alive," checking her legs, limbs, and hair to make sure she was still there.

Her vision began to become hazy, as did her thoughts. The moment she leaned on the tusk and lost consciousness was clear in her memory, but everything thereafter was hazy. She got a hazy vision of someone wearing a mask carrying her limping body. She remembered the ring on the man's finger, but that was the extent of her knowledge. Her presence in a hut and her treated wound were indications that she wasn't dreaming. She turned her head to look up at the surroundings. It was a little hut, and nobody was inside. As soon as she switched her sight to the door, she remembered someone had knocked three times. Her legs moved on their own, and she pushed open the door, nonetheless, there was no trace of anyone. She ventured outside a bit further and discovered her horse tied to a tree, but she was unable to determine where area of the town she was in.

The castle would find out about her disappearance if she didn't leave right now. It's a good thing no one comes to her room, and Harold might be able to cover for her. "I have to leave." She muttered before entering the house to grab her cloak. The pain in her leg was still shooting as she fastened her boots.

A map was left for her under the saddle by whoever had attended to her wound and saved her. She quickly penned a message of gratitude and rode off while paying attention to the map. She didn't know if it was a trap or an ambush; all she cared about was getting out of there and getting to the castle as quickly as she could. After what felt like hours of riding, she finally arrived at her castle, so perhaps it was a well-wisher. She couldn't dodge the security since, as anticipated, everyone was awake.

She made her way slowly towards the castle, defeated. The moment the door opened for her, she was met with a barrage of judgmental looks. She couldn't possibly offer any justifications, so she went inside with a heavy heart. Once more, the maidens and royal attendants were whispering unpleasant things about her.

"She does not wish to meet anyone, your majesty." When she entered the corridor after putting her horse in the barn, she heard Harold making excuses. "She stated that she would awaken in the afternoon, despite being quite exhausted." Harold received an enraged glance from Ezekiel.

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to? "I am her father."

"But-."

"Your majesty." From the other end of the hallway, Aura called. As Ezekiel gave him a glance, Harold blanched at the idea of getting caught lying and being punished. "It's not his fault; it's entirely my responsibility." Aura said this before Ezekiel could decide on a penalty for Harold, who was innocent. Aura's stressed-out expression caught Ezekiel's attention, but when he saw her stumbling, he rushed over to help her up. "I just fell down," I said.

Ezekiel kept focusing on her. "Where?"

"Uh….uh... garden." In dismay, Ezekiel shook his head.

"Come on," Harold assisted them by opening the chamber door. Aura was forced to sit on the bed, and Ezekiel positioned himself in the chair opposite from her. She wasn't in the garden, as evidenced by the mud on her clothes. "Your dad carried out the same action. The only difference is that he arrived back without any wounds. I suppose it's not that bad." He pointed at her leg.

"No, only a scratch." Aura replied while shaking her head. "I'll rub salve on it later."

When Ezekiel nodded, He went on, glancing at Aura's expressionless face. "Your father rushed away, much like you, after talking about his wedding." He laughed. "However, he returned, surrendering his heart to your mother." Mr. Levin's narrative was still fresh in Aura's mind. "Did you also find someone?" Aura glanced at Ezekiel with wide eyes as her cheeks began to flush. "I'm only fooling." Ezekiel looked away for a second and took out a box. "I came to give you this."

"What…is it?" Aura whispered.

"I noticed that you also picked up some of my traits." He pried the box open. There were two crystal balls within. "In stressful circumstances, I always feel panicked. It significantly aided in my ability to cope." Aura took the crystal ball in her hands. They were compact enough to be held in one hand. "It was designed for me by my father, and I'm presenting it to you." The crystal balls felt icy to the touch. "You'll be handling things that could stress you out in a week, so consider it a gift from me." Ezekiel smiled while petting Aura's head.

"Thank you." Aura murmured as she put back the stones into the box. "

"Well, I should leave now, but don't forget to apply salve to your wound," Ezekiel got up and walked out of the room. When he left, Aura hastened to rummage through the dressing drawers. She kept opening doors but was unable to locate what she was looking for. She began to search the pockets of her cloak when she came into contact with a slender item. She had a hairpin in her pocket. Her anxieties were overcome by confusion. How could the hairpin reach the effigy when she was very certain that it had been in her dresser for years? There was a little packet that she also felt within the pocket.

"Can I come in, Princess?" Harold spoke out from the door.

"Come in, Harold." When hanging the cloak on the side wall, Aura retained the tiny packet inside once again. Harold burst through the door. He was about to wrap his arms around her but stopped himself. A ura eyed him

"I'm sorry. Are you alright? Where had you been? And what happened to your leg?" He ignored Aura's attempt to respond and immediately began bombarding her with questions. Aura grabbed his shoulders and shook him when he continued to ramble.

"I'm fine Harold, I'm fine." She was glad that Harold's mumbling had stopped. "Now if you excuse me, I have to change as I'm stinking." Harold quickly nodded and went outside the room without a word as he was flustered.

Aura kept returning to the hairpin in her thoughts. It was odd that someone would have removed the hairpin from her drawer. Harold, Prince Ezekiel, and occasionally Timothy are the only people to ever enter her room. How did the hairpin get to the effigy if she took it out herself, considering how long it had been since she had visited? She was thinking about these things while she was eating when someone rushed through the door. As he inhaled, everyone's attention was drawn to the man. "Levin, "the advisor," has passed away." The color left Aura's face. Did she hear correctly? Everyone got out of their chairs.

"Explain." Ezekiel hissed.

"His body was discovered in the center of the town by bystanders. His throat had been cut open. The investigators had already begun their inspection of the region, but they declared that they needed to interrogate the palace because he had previously worked here." The thought of his demise sent Aura's mind spinning. He knew something, which is why he was murdered.

The lunch had long since been forgotten, and the dishes had been removed from the table. Because no one was allowed to leave the grounds, everyone congregated in the hall. Everyone was dismayed by the news, but Aura and Harold were taken aback because they were the only ones to go meet him in the shadowy alley. "The Witch." The first term that came into Aura's mind "The witch was aware of my visit with Mr. Levin." She whispered to herself, her hands twitching with fear, and the crystal balls were in her room. Harold noticed her hands and held hers in his. The gesture went some way toward calming Aura's anxiety.

It wasn't long before the detectives made their presence known within the castle. The interrogation was announced to everyone by the investigators. The nobles were instructed to hold out until the staff members were questioned. Ezekiel was requested to sit in the courtroom with other advisers because he would be announcing the verdict. One by one, the security personnel were interrogated. A yellow ring in one of the security defenses caught Aura's attention at that moment. The ring was identical to the one she had seen the previous evening, and the man's face was also covered by the mask. Suddenly, he turned away after looking at Aura for a moment. One of the interrogators called her, "Princess Aura," bringing her back to the present. "We need to question you,"

"What about the other staff?" she inquired, noting that a huge number of employees had yet to be questioned, so why had she been summoned for questioning?

"From them, we learned everything we needed to know."

Savannah said from behind, "Nobles are to be questioned last. You cannot take her at this time."

"I apologize, your grace, but please allow us to operate our own way; we don't need to interrogate any more servants." Aura heard the words loud and clear. "Please, your grace." The man gestured for Aura to follow him while he spoke once more. Instead of taking her to the interrogation room, the man escorted her to the courtroom. They drew confused looks from everyone. Harold made many unsuccessful attempts to halt the man. Clueless Aura followed the man into the courtroom, and others followed close behind. Ezekiel froze when he saw Aura and the interrogator enter the courtroom. "What is the meaning of this?" Ezekiel got up furiously.

"Please accept my apologies, but princess Aura is the main person we suspect of killing Sir Levin." At the statement, everyone exhaled and turned to stare at Aura. A stunned Aura simply stared at the man in shock. Her throat became clogged with words.

"Watch what you say." Ezekiel bellowed.

"I speak with proof, Sir, not false allegations."

"Go on."

"We questioned some of the guards and servants, who provided us with some critical information." When he turned around, the guards and the maiden moved forward in response to his signal. " These guards observed Princess Aura hobbling and wearing muddy clothes when she returned from outside the castle this morning." The guards concurred with the interrogator's assertions. "Even her clothing was stained with blood, which I assume was caused by her wound." With each word, Ezekiel's fist clenched and unclenched. "Perhaps they got into a close fight, or perhaps Sir Levin tried to defend himself."

"These are only baseless accusations that you are making. A 16-year-old girl could not possibly try a murder and drag the body through the town by herself." Aura couldn't speak up in her defense since she was so confused.

"Your Majesty, yes, but-"

"Then what?" The man pulled something out that was covered in a white linen.

"The allegedly murder weapon, which was jabbed into the victim's throat, was discovered close to the corpse." The man untied the fabric and took out a brown hairpin. The sight of the hairpin caused Aura's eyes to widen.

'I had been right; there were two of them.' Aura interpreted. She had the opportunity to refute the charge at that very time, but she chose to keep her mouth shut since she was thinking about something else.

"Does this belong to you?" He questioned Aura. Ezekiel took a close look; tears were already welling up in his eyes. In response to his inquiry, Aura nodded. "I require you to say it." Ezekiel was helpless to stop it. In front of him, his princess was being charged with murder. The rules and regulations of the castle laws had him powerless.

The individuals watching the case gave out another wave of gasps, "Yes, that belongs to me." Yes, they made negative remarks about the princess, but they never thought she would be able to pull this off. The accusations made against Princess Aura were not refuted by her. Who, after all, would take her at her word if she claimed to be out but in another location? She gazed at the man with the yellow ring, hoping he'd say something, but he didn't. He could have saved her, but perhaps this was all part of a plot to frame her, and he was equally engaged.

"I don't think this is true, but it could be a trap to frame my daughter."

"You majesty, it's tragic, but the fact that your daughter wasn't in the palace when this happened, the fact that her garments were stained with blood, and the fact that this hairpin suggests that princess Aura was responsible for the murder," the man said.

Perhaps she was the victim of a cruel game that fate was playing with her. She first learned that there were two hairpins that were identical. Then, Mr. Levi's passing and the hairpin discovered inserted in his neck all provided evidence that the attempt to frame her had been thoroughly thought out. Whoever committed this doesn't intend to fall behind that easily. Aura had been the thorn in the side, and now she was out. Ezekiel struggled to remain calm as the counselors explained their choice to him.

The words "The court has decided to" came from Ezekiel with a tiny tremble. Ezekiel's hands began to tremble as he stamped the verdict paper, "To chain her in the dungeon." Aura ignored the remarks coming from behind her as she lowered her gaze and tightly closed her eyes. The arguments made by Savannah and Harold against the ruling were ignored. Ezekiel's voice was gruff as he fought back tears of rage, "The verdict is final, the court is dismissed."

As she was being escorted to the dungeons, individuals started hurling insults at her once more. Savannah sobbed and begged for forgiveness for her daughter, but the verdict stood. One of the soldiers dragged her to the dungeon while shackles were fastened around her wrists. It was the same dungeon where the witch had been burned and which had been shut since. Since that time, the dungeons have never been used. Aura experienced goosebumps on her skin as she walked through the dark halls of the castle's restricted area. The dungeon guard who guided her their experienced shivers running down his spine. The dungeon's grill door opened, revealing the black walls and the stench of black soot that she had heard about. Her wrists were now ringed by the chains that had been used to restrain Marianna, the witch. There was no other light source; the sole choice was a burning flame. With a heavy heart, the guard closed the door and forbade himself from even looking at her.

Aura was detained in dungeons a week prior to her coronation. She was accused of doing something she would never even consider doing. Since she was a young child, she has been subjected to rumors, which have since changed to obscenities. People's murmurs continue to pain her like a prick. She was starting to panic, and there was no one nearby to help her. She was alone in the dark dungeon, with only Marianna's terrifying stories to keep her company. She was already hearing things, which terrified her even if her mind was just playing tricks on her. She sat on her knees, sobbing hysterically, with her eyes closed. "Leave now." She continued to mumble as tears streamed down her face.

She wasn't sure when she fell asleep, but she was roused by the jarring sound of the door opening. " Princess, oh no, please." Harold entered with a guard. He carried food with him. He crouched down, frightened to touch her, as if the slightest touch might break her. Aura narrowed her eyes to get a better look at him. She felt weak and her eyes were puffy from sobbing all the time.

"Water." Aura said in a hushed tone that nearly broke Harold.

He swiftly handed her the plate of food and a glass of water. "Prince Ezekiel and prince Timothy are difficult for Princess Savannah to keep in control. She is not doing well for herself. Princess, they're thinking of methods to get you out." As tears streamed down Harold's cheeks, he began to ramble. He babbled, and Aura laughed.

"And you?"

"Me?" He surprisedly turned to face her.

'Hold me,' Aura spoke, and it was clear from the look on her face that she wasn't joking. Aura faked to collapse just as Harold began to raise his hands, but Harold caught her just in time. She kept him close by tightly gripping his arms.

"Princess, you need to eat."

"Hear me out." Harold grew aware. It was a ruse to enable her to communicate with him secretly and out of sight of the guard. Aura sighed as he nodded. "Go to my room. In my cloak is an envelope. Please provide it to me as soon as feasible." Harold gave her a second head nod before holding her strongly.

"I will." He gave her a vow and hugged her close to reassure her that he would be at her side at all times. Or maybe he was afraid to let her go. He began to cry a little as all the emotions he had been holding inside began to surface. "I promise,"

"Now go and look after father." She was compelled to sit on the ground after he withdrew. He didn't understand why Aura requested him to watch over Prince Ezekiel, but he did as she instructed. He exited the prison with the guard after getting to his feet. Aura watched as his tall figure walked away. Even though she desperately wanted to keep him nearby, she was unable to. He had provided her with a continuous pillar of support for many years, so without him she felt vulnerable. Aura saw a reflection of someone as Harold left. The shadow appeared, clenched his hand, and then vanished.

Days passed with no sign of Harold; only a guard came inside to feed her some food and water. She had no idea why she had been kept alive despite the fact that the sentence for murder was death. She was gradually losing hope. Mr. levin is dead and she still hadn't discovered the key and had no idea who the witch in the castle was. She thought the envelope would contain all of the answers to her inquiries, but who had stored it in her cloak pocket? Why, then, hadn't Harold arrived yet? It's been a few days.

Perhaps she was too weak and hadn't gotten enough sleep to hear a soft voice calling her. Aura's eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly open. She could feel a scorching sensation in the cuffs around her wrist. The chains limited her movement to ten steps. When she heard a faint voice, she groggily turned her face upward. Despite her vision becoming increasingly fuzzy, she could make out a female figure approaching her. "Princess, my daughter." Aura tried shaking the vertigo out of her brain, but it didn't work. The voice told her it was Savannah.

"Oh, your grace, what a delightful surprise." A hint of irritation could be seen in Aura's voice as she spoke. Perhaps because she was imprisoned in chains and nobody even noticed that she was there. That's what irritated her. But who could she possibly blame? Without the authority or consent of the king, no one is allowed to enter the dungeons. "Are you missing your little girl?" Savannah was crying and clinging to the bars, and she could see it.

"Your father is inconsolable, he can't stop crying..." Her voice began to break. "He's not even permitted to come down here. After some persuasion, I came here, but just for a little period of time. They're coming back at any moment." Aura gave her a close examination as she arched her brows. "Don't worry; we're working hard to get you out." That got a sneer from Aura. There was a brief period of silence. Aura and Savannah remained silent. Savannah eventually took something from a pouch. "I brought this for you right here. I figured you'd want this." Aura raised her eyes to two crystal balls. She needed that. How did Savannah obtain the crystal, though? It was in Aura's bedroom.

"The hairpin." Aura spoke to elicit a response from Savannah, but she was deafeningly silent. "How did my mother's gift of a hairpin end up being a murder weapon? It was laying beside the effigy on the dust, coated in spider cobs." Savannah's expression changed as a result.

"What exactly are you implying?"

"I don't understand how one hairpin may be in two places at once." Aura spoke confidently, a slight grin spreading across her face. "Only if there were two of them can this be explained as having a chance of happening."

"What kept you from saying it sooner? We could have provided evidence that you were being falsely accused."

"Really?" Arrogant Aura.

There was a brief pause before Savannah burst into tears. She shivered hysterically and gripped the metal bars tightly. Aura took her a close look. "You may stop the act, your grace. There are no guards that I can see near the passageway, therefore the fact that you arrived here by yourself in the dungeons raises suspicion." Savannah then burst out laughing once the weeping had changed to laughs. "The fact that you've revealed your true colors doesn't hurt; what hurts is the fact that I'm not shocked."

"Well then." Savannah suddenly stopped laughing and turned to look at Aura with a vengeful expression on her face. "I suppose the time has come. Princess, I never intended to harm you. I loved you so much till you got older." She dramatically brushed away her tears. "You were so obstinate, even though I believed I could push you out of the way without hurting you." She stopped and looked into her eyes. "The same as your father. I was stuck with no choice, but a few years later, you even got the advisor involved." She burped. "As a result, I needed to clear my path."

"So, it was you."

Aura came to the realization that the witch she had been seeking was none other than the person who had raised her. She behaved as a mother to her for all those years, showing her everything a mother would do. The reason for the mishap in the castle and everything It was her; it was indeed her. Aura had been nothing more than a rat on the verge of getting evicted.