A new exciting beginning

What would you do if, on the most important day of your life, something happened that you could neither undo nor accept? Something that would change your whole life in an instant. 

Terrifying, isn’t it? 

Well, that’s exactly what happened to Moniri on the day of her adoption and her coronation as princess of the 

Enekhtia Empire. A day when everything was in turmoil.

~~~~

“Stop moving, Miss Moniri! You’ll mess up your hair.”

“I’m not moving!”

“You’ve been moving for five minutes now. Please, don’t move!”

Since early that morning, maids had been in her room helping her get ready. They woke her up, washed her, dressed her, and did her hair. They made her so beautiful that when she looked in the mirror, she didn’t recognize herself.

Is that me? Whoa! I’m a cutie!

From a fifteen-year-old orphan, she was about to become a member of a family, the royal family, no less. Her joy was indescribable, and her anxiety was so intense it made her ears tingle. And there was something else.

From very early in the morning, she’d been feeling something strange in her stomach. It wasn’t hunger, nor was it anxiety. It was something she’d never felt before, something that was making her feel a little sick.

“Miss Moniri? Are you all right?”

An older maid, who looked like a great witch but wasn’t scary, asked her, noticing how pale she was. But her tone was neither concerned nor affectionate.

There was a hint of curiosity in it, as if she knew something was wrong and already had the answer.

Moniri found this strange. She hadn’t seen her in the palace before, but then again, she hadn’t been staying there long, only five days, so she wasn’t sure of anything herself.

“I’m fine.”

She chose to respond with a faint smile.

What if she really is a witch? That would be terrifying. Especially since magic has been banned throughout the empire.She let it go. She didn’t know what to think, so she decided not to think at all.

~~~~

Three hours before the coronation, and she had already forgotten what had happened.

She was standing in front of the door to Emperor Kaspen and Empress Tchanna’s room, waiting to be let in. A servant had already gone inside to announce her arrival. 

She couldn’t wait to see the imperial couple again. Every time they’d met, they’d treated her in the kindest, sweetest way anyone had ever treated her.

I’ll never forget that first day! I was so awkward and clumsy, but Empress Tchanna smiled at me so sweetly.I wish this happiness would never end!

As she made this wish, with her eyes closed, she took a deep breath and tried to relax by gently moving her hands. She opened her eyes, and for a moment she didn’t realize that something was terribly wrong.

Whoa! Everything suddenly got bigger! Or… is that not it?… Could it be that I’ve gotten smaller?!

With wide eyes, she had come to a terrifying realization. The door looked enormous, and suddenly the floor seemed longer than before. But now what? She didn’t know what to do.

What’s going on? Am I going to stay like this forever? I can’t stay like this forever!

She was trembling all over. Looking around, everything confirmed that this wasn’t normal. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind, and then she began to shake her head. Her eyes closed again, as if she didn’t want to see what was happening, as if she were rejecting what was happening to her. But when she opened them again, everything was normal.

The door opened, and her servant told her to come in. Inside, waiting for her were not only the Emperor and Empress, but also the second child they were to adopt that day. Both looked happy and visibly moved. Empress Tchanna hadn’t stopped crying since that morning. 

Well, it was a very important day for them as well, as they were unable to have children for so many years, they decided to adopt a boy, Almond, and a girl, Moniri, from the orphanage, for whom they had received the necessary recommendations.

The boy stood next to the Emperor with the same awkward expression she’d had when they first met. They looked at each other, but he immediately looked away.

“Moniri, my child!”

Empress Tchanna rose abruptly from her seat and, approaching her, embraced her affectionately.

“My Emperor, I think it’s time, before the coronation, to give the children their gifts.”

“That’s a good idea, my Empress!”

At a nod from Emperor Kaspen, the servant who had opened the door for her a moment earlier left the room, and when he returned, he was holding two boxes in his hands.

“We wanted to give you these heirlooms of the imperial family. After all, you now belong to it as well.”

Moniri opened the box, which contained a necklace with a turquoise gemstone. The chain was gold, and the letter “M” was engraved on the clasp.

Empress Tkhanna looked at her children with their gifts, filled with pride.

“For Moniri, a necklace with a turquoise stone. The same color as your eyes.”

“For Almond, a brooch featuring the constellation of Vakhdi. It symbolizes God’s favor toward the Enekhtia Empire.”

“We wanted, my dear, for you to have God’s favor as the heir to the throne.”

The Empress began to cry again as she stood beside Emperor Kaspen, who comforted her by gently patting her on the shoulder.

“Thank you, Imperial Couple!”

the two children said, bowing. Then Empress Tchanna paused, looked at them, glanced at her husband, and with a sad and confused expression, looked at them again.

“Oh, my children! We are a family now. And just as in all families, you must feel at ease with us here. Call us Mother and Father.” 

Moniri felt that strange sensation in her stomach again, along with a tightening. A sigh escaped her, followed by an unconscious little smile.

This peaceful moment didn’t last long. It was soon time for the coronation, and everyone had to go to the great hall. 

But no one knew what would happen next. And not without reason. Everything began normally and calmly, until the moment of the oaths and speeches that the honorees were to deliver.