ARC 1 - THE JOURNEY

The sun had just risen up in the sky, peeping through the clouds, the daylight in every nook and cranny as it shines its brilliance on the earth.

The stores opened their doors and windows as the peddlers display their wares to the purchasers.

There were a few carriages on the street and in one of them sat a girl, skin white as snow, hair as bright as the sun, looking like a goddess descended upon the earth.

She looked out the window, her dainty fingers opening the swaying curtains. A merchant who happened to pass by looked at her fascinated

"Oh! beautiful lady, would you like to buy a bracelet?"

The beauty smiled gracefully and with a look of embarrassment on her face she said

"No, no thank you so much kind sir".

The carriage drove away and the merchant watched it go with disappointment.

Rhaia had just arrived to this world and is yet to sort her memories.

The body she is occupying is that of a girl named Rhaia Vin Devalle, the only daughter of Baron Devalle of the kingdom of Tarldia having just a younger brother after her.

She is an unmarried young girl who neither has a lover nor a suitor and that was why she voluntarily accepted to go to her distant cousin Duke Carlos von Teese either to be his wife or even his mistress.

"Give me the mission of this world" Rhaia said to Zeddicus hiding in her consciousness.

"Main Mission: Retrieve the soul fragments (1/3)

Side Mission: Marry Carlos and become the Duchess.

Side Mission 2: Pay off the debts of the Devalle Family.

Goodluck Rhaia, I will be around anytime I feel you need my help"

Rhaia looked at the missions given.

You would think as a family with a Baron title, the Devalles would be wealthy and live comfortably. Well that was true, they did live well but that was until three years ago when the Baroness died leaving behind her new born son.

It was a bittersweet moment for the Baron who lost the wife he loved but also got the son he had always wanted.

He gave himself up in the sorrow and his competitors and enemies took the opportunity to bring him down.

Greedy servants and subordinates took their own share of the large wealth of the family and left nothing. Baron Devalle's territory was slowly acquired by the invaders and enemies who pretended to be friends and brought the family into an abyss of debts.

When Baron Devalle finally came to, he realised his Family had become an empty shell of itself. The once glorious household was eaten out and the family wealth had been depleted. All that remained was a fragile skeleton to hold up the skin.

Wanting to right the wrongs and for the sake of maintaining a decent life, also to revive the dead treasury, money had to be acquired. This was done by borrowing repeatedly from usury and other nobles, enemies and foes inclusive. The borrowing continued till it became an enormous debt to be paid off.

The creditors had been knocking on their doors and their enemies were waiting to use it as an opportunity that would be the straw that broke their camel's back.

A thin camel is better than a horse they say. As a family who was once glorious, the Devalles were able to persist for a long time, however, the Baron's effort to change the tide wasn't enough.

Now the family was facing a great dilemma, they tried to pay off their debts by selling their clothes, jewelries and some minor properties amongst others but it still didn't make a great change. The Baron needed help from a greater power.

A help that would definitely be built on common interest.

The Baron together with his daughter discussed on what to do. After a long period of conversation and almost burning the midnight oil, the solution they came to was marriage. The eighteen years old Rhaia had to take up this responsibility. She had to marry whoever so to keep her family out of this dilemma.

Her father was unhappy about it but there was nothing he could do, the old man aged a few more years that instant. The Baron loved the children of his late wife so much and didn't want any of them to suffer any injustice. This was the reason the eighteen years old girl neither had a lover or a suitor, it was the result of an over protective father. Therefore, this dilemma and the solution both was like a bone stuck in his throat, he never wanted to sacrifice any of his children.

However after much persuasion from his daughter, the Baron finally agreed to the solution but on the condition she married within the family rather than a total stranger.

All young lords and nobles related to them were screened out leaving her maternal cousin, Duke Carlos of the nearby Eardenbal Kingdom.

The twenty years old Duke was said to be powerful, handsome and capable, the greater power the Baron needed urgently. Although of recent times, he had been rumoured to be sick in bed, but even with this, did the girl Rhaia of an ordinary bankrupt Baron family have the capacity to marry him? Could she marry Carlos despite the countless girls who wanted the young Duke?

After so many considerations, it was decided that Rhaia be with the Duke irrespective of being his wife or mistress, but favourably be his wife.

The Baron had to write a letter personally to his distant nephew that since he was sick in bed, Rhaia would come visit him on behalf of the Devalles to show their concern for him.

Ten days after the letter was sent, another creditor came to the door, the Baron had to send his youngest daughter to the carriage without receiving a reply. The father and daughter duo shed tears at the doorstep of the mansion before his only daughter had to leave for the kingdom of Eardenbal, and that led to the embarking of the long journey by the girl on the mission to marry her cousin.

On her way to the Kingdom of Eardenbal, Rhaia Vin Devalle fell sick from fever. Fear, anxiety and coupled with poor medical conditions the young girl gave up the ghost enabling Rhaia Adela Von Curiel take over her body.

Rhaia was shocked by the memories she got. Her first thought was how was she to get the soul fragment if she was to seduce and marry another? That mission was important as it is a sort of payment for the body she is using.

"Zeddicus, how am I supposed to get the fragment if I am to marry a Duke Carlos?"

"Sorry Rhaia that's the mission, you are to figure it out yourself. Let me remind you that the mission you promised to do is the reason the owner gave up her body to you.

So you are to do the mission, and the way or how you get the soul fragment of Alaric is up to you.

Oh! Lest I forget. I have given you an arrow that will lead you to where the fragment lies."

"Well I thought you said I would know Alaric if I was to see him, why now an arrow?"

"The arrow is to lead you to where the fragment lies and not to point at who carries the soul, to know who carries the soul still lies in your hands.

To use the arrow, your have to activate it using your consciousness and then it would point you the way to where the fragment is. All you have to do is follow the arrow."

"Ok, I understand. Thank you Zeddicus".

She activated the arrow using her consciousness and could see a golden arrow drawn right in front of the carriage and it looked like it was pointing where they were going....The kingdom of Eardenbal.

"I guess the fragment will be where I am going but who will it be?"

Rhaia whispered the words into the air as the carriage sped on.