Chapter 3: Betrayal

The royal garden was quiet, the hum of distant voices muffled by the rustle of leaves and the soft gurgle of a nearby fountain. Charmaine meandered along the gravel path, seeking solace in the bursts of color and the gentle perfume of flowers. This was one of the few places in the castle where she felt at peace.

Spotting Marx ahead, she felt a surge of warmth. He had been her one friend in this strange world, the one person who treated her like she mattered. She thought to call out to him but paused when she saw the king standing beside him. The two were deep in conversation, their expressions serious.

She stepped behind a hedgerow out of curiosity and listened despite herself.

"Your Majesty," Marx said, his voice measured, "my time with Lady Charmaine has yielded unexpected results. Her healing magic isn't just limited to the sick and injured. It seems to replenish magical reserves as well. I've felt it myself. Spending time in her presence has restored some of my depleted energy."

The king's tone was sharp, cutting through the gentle rustle of the garden. "And you're certain of this?"

"Positive," Marx replied. "If the other mages were to spend time with her, it's likely we could recover enough magical strength to attempt another summoning within weeks instead of months."

"I also noticed that if we force her to heal, it takes more effort and less effectiveness. If she is willing, her powers grow," he reported.

A pause hung heavy in the air, the king's next words striking like a blade. "Then we shall proceed. Whatever her purpose here, it is not to linger. The gods must have sent her to aid us in this way. Ensure she does not refuse. Ply her with gifts and attention."

"Yes, your majesty."

"Good man, Marx. You shall be rewarded," the king said.

Charmaine felt her heart shatter. She had been a tool to them all along. Even Marx, the one person she thought she could trust, saw her as nothing more than a means to an end. The warmth she'd felt just moments ago turned to ice, and her hands trembled as she clutched the fabric of her skirt.

She stepped back, her breath catching in her throat as she fled the garden unnoticed.

***

Charmaine didn't remember much about packing. She returned to her modest chamber and shoved a few essentials into a satchel—her pillow, some drapes, and a small loaf of bread she'd saved from dinner. The court's disdainful glances replayed in her mind, mingling with Marx's words and the king's cold declaration.

She couldn't stay.

The forest loomed ahead, dense and foreboding, but it felt like freedom compared to the suffocating walls of the castle. She trudged through the underbrush, the night air biting at her skin. Her boots sank into the soft earth, and low-hanging branches snagged at her dress.

When she finally stopped, the moon was high in the sky, casting pale light through the trees. She dropped her satchel and set to work, gathering fallen branches and weaving them into a crude tent frame. She draped her thin coverings over the structure and crawled inside, clutching her pillow.

The silence was absolute, broken only by the occasional rustle of leaves or the distant cry of an owl. Charmaine shivered, pulling the drapes tighter around herself. The cold seeped into her bones, and despite her exhaustion, sleep eluded her.

Then the rain began.

It started as a gentle patter against the leaves, quickly escalating into a downpour that soaked through her makeshift shelter. Water dripped onto her face, her pillow, and the small loaf of bread she'd intended to save for the morning.

Charmaine stared at the darkness, frustration, and despair clawing at her chest. She curled into herself, willing the tears threatening to spill from her eyes to stay back.

"This is better," she whispered to herself, her voice hollow. "Better than being used. Better than being laughed at."

But deep down, the loneliness gnawed at her. The cold and wet were unrelenting, and the reality of her situation weighed heavier than she had imagined. Her body trembled, both from the chill and the raw ache in her heart.

As the rain poured and the forest closed in around her, Charmaine let out a quiet sob. For all her efforts to make something of herself in this new world, it seemed even here that she couldn't escape being unwanted.