"We're an hour away from the kingdom of Edessa, your highness," the air hostess said, as she slowly approached me with her red short skirt and white shirt, which was tight on her body. As she got closer, I could smell her strong cologne, which only made my situation worse by bringing back the migraines I'd been trying to get rid of.
I couldn't leave yesterday because the plane was out of fuel. I had to spend the night in the serene pack, but I was on the plane first thing this morning.
"Okay," I answered, waiting for her to leave my presence while I focused on the important mail that I couldn't cover while I passed out, which was still a huge mystery for me.
No matter how hard I tried to remember, my head only throbbed harder, yet no memory seemed to be coming in. Eventually, I decided to let go of it. I needed to be in Edessa now, and I'll probably remember what happened when my head is ready. There's no need to force it out.
"Why are you still here?" I asked, already irritated. The air hostess was still standing beside me despite doing nothing.
"You seemed stressed, and I was hoping you'd need some head massage, your highness," she replied. In an attempt to seduce me, she bit on her red lower lips before pouting them out. I thought I instructed the crew not to wear any bright makeup or dresses; those colours affect my mood. And why in the hell is she wearing this much red lipstick on her lips?
"I don't need a massage, and clean that obnoxious paint off your lips," I replied, resting my back on the chair as she walked away from my presence with a fallen countenance.
The moment she left, I was released and could finally breathe through her suffocating cologne.
In exactly an hour, the plane landed on a freeway as the pilot announced that we were in Edessa. For some reason, my heart skipped a beat as I unbuckled my seat belt.
There is no way I would be scared of showing up in Edessa because I had only taken their king because of his evil and wicked deeds; his daughter just happened to be in the way when I struck him, and because of their daughter, I am here to grant them access to my armies in order to protect their kingdom.
I am here to grant them help, but why can't my chest stop heaving and my heart skip a beat? There's definitely something on this land that is calling for me.
The doors of the plane were opened, and some air hostesses escorted me outside the plane. I came alone to Edessa because I didn't feel the need to have anyone around me. I would have asked Josh to tag along, and I was sure he would want nothing more than to follow me, but since he has a girlfriend now, I would want him to enjoy every moment he can have with her.
I wish I had had the chance to enjoy every moment I had with Lenora before she disappeared. Nevertheless, I won't give up on her. Even if it takes a hundred years, I am more than certain that I will find her before the birth of our child. Hopefully, our child is hale and hearty.
"Your Majesty!" An unfamiliar voice interrupted my thoughts, and I tilted my head to see an old woman with a golden crown on her head approaching me with some guards and female servants.
The more she neared me, the more it felt like she was having an encounter with a ghost as her heart thumped, her frail fingers shook, and her lips trembled.
"Why are you afraid?" I asked, with a cocked brow.
"Afraid? Why should I be afraid, your highness? "I'm more than honored to have you step on our land," she said, and on getting to where I was, she fell to her knees while bowing her head in greeting.
"Stand up, let's make things quick," I said. And with that, she and her accomplices returned to their feet, but the fear in her eyes was still evident as beads of sweat trickled down her forehead. Not only was she sweating there, but her gown was beginning to be soaked from sweat.
"I never thought you'd reply to our messages; it's been almost a year since we wrote to you, your highness."
"These days, I check my mail rather than old letters. You should be lucky I went through my letters," I replied.
"Oh, we don't have the means for such," she nervously said through a chuckle.
"Then open your borders and receive the new-age technology," I replied, signaling the end of the discussion as I walked past her while her guards led me into the castle.
It was farther than I thought it would have been; the huge castle made the distance appear smaller, but after some minutes of walking, I finally made it into the castle.
It has been ages since I saw things like this, but for some reason, they were nostalgic. The old fountains and wallpaper in the castle Even the wolves around here dress like they are from a hundred years ago, with their blonde hair swinging as they walk.
In twos and threes, they walked past me with a bow, then proceeded to talk amongst themselves. None of them were lowering their heads while walking, and I realized it was because they had no phones in this place. Rather than communicating online, they walked together and spoke to each other.
The sight before me was definitely beautiful, down to every single detail, including the purple grass that surrounded the castle. For some reason, I couldn't help but picture Lenora in one of these dresses, running on the purple grass and around the beautiful fountain. She'll definitely stand out in a place like this, and everyone will adore her.
"Shall we discuss in the courtroom, your highness?" The Queen said.
"Hm," I replied, and I followed as they led me to the courtroom.
There's not much I need to do here except inform her of the number of armies I'll supply her in compensation for the loss of their future queen. Afterwards, I can proceed to take a tour around this place.
The castle alone appeared ethereal, and I believe the rest of the places here would be just as lovely.
A part of me can't stop reminding me that I have more important things to do than take a tour in a foreign land, but the other part of me knows that I can't just leave Edessa without getting to the root of the feeling I have for this place. I need to understand why I was in a hurry to come to this place and why my heart wouldn't stop racing.
"Please, your highness." The queen motioned for me to sit on her throne. Without hesitating, I walked straight to the throne, which sat in the middle of two smaller thrones. I assume the smallest throne was meant to be for their daughter, but she's no more, so two thrones are empty.
"What exactly do you want me to do for you?" I asked the moment I sat down on the throne.
"Well, ever since you killed my husband and daughter,..."
"Get straight to the point," I shunned, cutting off her sentence.
"Forgive me, your highness," she pleaded.
"The kingdom of Edessa will be more than delighted if you can spare us a little portion of your armies and your word."
"What word?" I asked.
"Your word is powerful; if you announce and declare us immune from other kingdoms, then no one will dare to harm us," she said.
"Okay," I replied. On hearing my response, her head sprung up and her eyes widened in surprise, with her lips slightly falling apart. In no time, tears welled up in her eyes, and she immediately fell to her knees.
"Thank you so much, your highness; I don't deserve this," she cried. with her forehead touching the tiles on the floor.
"I'm doing this to make up for your daughter's death; it won't bring her back to life, but it will help preserve your kingdom and its wealth as long as you don't become greedy," I explained.
Her head was still bowed on the floor, and I could hear her silent tears flowing down her cheeks.
"Thank you," she said again.
"It was never my intention to hurt your daughter; your greedy husband was caught in his evil acts. In an attempt to save himself from the strike of my claw, he lifted your daughter off the ground and used her as a shield. It was too late to retract my claws, and unfortunately, it struck her," I said.
I didn't need to explain myself to her, but after seeing her gratitude for what I'd done, I changed my mind and decided she needed to know what had killed her family.
"The same way you feel helpless is the same way other kingdoms felt helpless when your husband stole from them and killed them," I added. The sound of her cries increased as she cried her eyes out on the floor.
"I don't deserve your help," she whispered under her breath, but I heard it.
Seeing her cry made me confused; I knew she was happy with my help, but there's obviously not much I can do to stop her crying, so I decided to let her be and leave the throne room.
Even as I walked past her on the floor, she didn't lift her head to look at my face but only continued to cry. I couldn't tell if they were happy tears or the opposite.
"Would you like me to show you your chamber, your highness?" A servant asked, and because his accent was funny in some way and his aura was light, I could immediately tell that he was a carefree type of person.
"No, take me to the prettiest place in Edessa," I replied.
"Ah, you'll definitely enjoy the Jade Lake, which is close to the border with the Kingdom of Latvera," he responded.
"Okay, let's go there," I replied as he led me outside the castle and into a black car. I was trusting him to take me to a beautiful place because of the light and warm aura I felt within him.
"Your highness, I need to tell you something important." The queen exclaimed as she dashed outside the castle gates, but I was already in the car.
"Don't stop," I said to the servant who was driving me.
"Yes, your highness," he replied.
Whatever she wants to say can wait; after all, I'll be spending the night in the castle. I just need to find out why my soul longs for this land.