CHAPTER 2- FIRST MEET IN ROYAL PALACE

As the morning sun rose, I hurried through breakfast, eating as fast as possible. I packed everything I needed and carefully placed it inside my precious baby bag. 'Ugh, so beautiful', I muttered, admiring it. But as I stood at my doorstep, ready to leave, a strange sadness washed over me—like I was leaving behind a part of myself.

 The carriage arrived, and a servant greeted me, helping me inside. For a brief moment, I felt like royalty, living a lavish life. But reality struck—I knew this was just a fleeting dream, one that would never truly be mine. Pushing the thought aside, I focused on my mission. I was leaving town to assist the prince, but little did I know, the outside world held secrets waiting for me to uncover.

 The journey stirred memories of my childhood—of the days when my mother would take me to the river to play and gather berries. I smiled at the thought until my heart clenched, remembering the day everything changed. That morning, I had gone out to collect eggs, but when I returned, my mother was lying on the floor. I had run to find the doctor, only to hear the devastating truth—she had been diagnosed with a severe illness long ago. She had hidden it from me to protect me from worry.

 My father had known, yet neither of them had wanted me to suffer. They bore the burden in silence, shielding me. I remembered the moment I watched her body burn, tears streaming down my face. From then on, I grew up without a mother, but my father worked tirelessly to give me a better life. Because of him, I had a chance to be here today. 'Thank you, Dad', I whispered, feeling a wave of gratitude.

 As I arrived at the palace, its sheer size left me in awe, my jaw nearly dropping at the sight. The grandeur was beyond anything I had ever imagined. 'Sir, please come in', a servant said, snapping me out of my daze. Stepping inside, my eyes widened even further. The opulence was overwhelming—Oh my goodness! I had never realized just how wealthy the royal family was.

Just then, the prince descended the grand staircase. I quickly bowed and greeted him, 'Greetings, Your Majesty'. He nodded with a warm smile. 'Why, hello! It's a pleasure to have you here. Oh, by the way, what's your name?'.

'I'm Owen Anderson. I was going to introduce myself when we first met', I replied.

The prince's smile grew. 'What a fine name. Come, let me take you to my father'.

With that, he led me toward the king's chambers, where his ailing father awaited.

 The prince opened the door, and as I walked in looking at the king's condition, I was in shock seeing the king look skinny. I know what type of herb can cure his sickness but it can't remove the curse. 'Your majesty, I know how to cure the illness. All we need to do is gather the special herb called NERBELOVA, which can help cure the illness'.

 He calls all the guards to start gathering and finding the herb. The next moment, the servants returned the herb as I had told them. I ask the prince to lead me to the herb room so I can make the medicine.

 First, I pour a smaller amount of water into the pounder. Second I add the herbs into it and pound it until it turns sticky and purplish lastly put everything into the stove and add water to boil it. When it's done I pour into the bowl and slowly feed it to the king. I told the king to rest more until he is fully recovered. I walk to the prince and tell him everything will be fine just as long as the king takes the medicine that I gave. The prince felt a bit relaxed and thanked me for my help.

 I leave the king's room and look around the hall waiting for the prince to call me. As I look at every painting in the hall, I notice some slightly different things in the portrait. I look a bit more, The person in the painting's eyes starts moving and looks into me. I got goosebumps and was about to fall. Suddenly! A hand held onto my waist, It was the crown prince holding me. 'Are you ok, Mr teller', 'Yes' I replied.

"Owen: Mmmm, Your Majesty I need you to help to take this painting and place it on top of the table, I feel something's not right!"

 "Prince: Sure, I'll call the servants to help you take down the paint but I need to know the reason why?"

 "Owen: I find something odd in this picture and I need to examine the picture more further detail."

 The prince agreed and summoned his servants to take down the painting for me to inspect. As I examined it closely, I lit a candle, and suddenly, a fingerprint appeared. It was small, suggesting it belonged to a girl—but instead of being white or transparent, it was an eerie shade of black. Sensing something unnatural, I took out a vial of miracle water and carefully spread it over the print. Instantly, a dark aura emerged, swirling before vanishing into the air. The lifelike eyes of the painting, which once seemed almost human, faded away, restoring the artwork to its original form.