Ch. 1 “Once upon a time…” (part 1)

No wonders of the Temple, or the city, or even entire country, however, could compare to the resplendence of the Golden Palace, home to the ruling family.

Located on the Lepidian Hill, it towered above the city. Its roof, made out of shining gold, reflected the warm Aelian sun, and its massive colonnades were visible from even the furthest parts of the city.

Most people in the Kingdom would see only this side of the Palace in their entire life. Those, however, who were lucky enough to belong to the upper echelons of society, could enter the Palace grounds and see the famous fountain decorating the front plaza. It was made out of the precious aurelianite and depicted important moments from Aelian history.

One could also have a pleasant walk in one of the three gardens surrounding the Palace, or spend a leisurely afternoon by the Modice lake. The Palace ground spread far and wide, providing entertainment worthy of a ruler of the biggest kingdom on the continent.

Aside from architectural wonders and the golden splendor of its interior, the Golden Palace was home to one more treasure of the Aelian Kingdom.

Princess Oriana was the only child of the current ruler - King Flavius Lucius II - and Queen Hester. Her beauty was a subject of many songs and tales written by enamored poets, flocking to Lucetta throughout the years in hopes of catching a glimpse of their muse.

The constant attention and commotion every Princess’ outing was causing eventually led to her disappearance from public spaces. Some people believed that it had more to do with her unofficial engagement to Prince Emil of the neighboring Adler Kingdom rather than a few harmless idiots. Still, the longer the Princess was absent from public view, the more elaborate and crazy the rumors got.

Some claimed that the royal daughter fell in love with some low born from a nearby village and so the King was forced to confine the Princess to house arrest to prevent the two from eloping. Others made strong statements about how they know from a good source, that the Princess fell victim to a foul curse that made her so hideous, that the King and Queen were forced to lock her up in the darkest corner of the Palace, desperately searching for a cure. There were even those who believed that the Princess died a suspicious death and the Royal Palace was trying to cover the whole thing up.

Since the Palace never made an official statement addressing any of those, nobody could really confirm or deny anything and so, most of the rumors became hot gossip told over a cheap drink at a local tavern.

Those working in the Palace knew, of course, the truth about the Princess and the real reason she disappeared from public. However, all of them were loyal to their masters and so no one dared to share any information with the outside without their permission.

Nevertheless, in the entire Palace no one knew the Princess better than her personal maid, and no one could compare when it came to loyalty and devotion to her mistress. It is also true that not many people could handle the task of attending to the Princess, which at times proved to be quite the challenge.

- Your Majesty, it’s time to wake up.
On a lavishly decorated king-size bed, under expansive velvet duvet, a small lump moved ever so slightly.
- Mmmm… five more minutes, Kyra…
- It has been already a full hour, Princess. If you want to eat breakfast before your tutor arrives, you need to get up now.
- Just tell him that I had important palace business to attend to. He will understand. I’m the Princess after all. - a hardly graceful yawn resounded from under the pale pink sheets, only to be soon replaced by the sound of quiet snoring, indicating that the discussion was over, as far as the Bundle was concerned.
- Mhm. I’ll tell him. - The maid didn’t show any signs of leaving - Should I tell the same to the Commander?
Wheat-colored locks, peeking from under the sheets, flinched slightly. Then, the entire bundle rose to a sitting position, revealing a drowsy looking Princess. Despite quite the unfavorable circumstances, her clean skin, long, wavy - albeit - messy hair, gentle face with pink cheeks and deep blue eyes, gave off a very attractive vibe. There were no signs of any curse either.
- What?
- Oh? Did I forget to mention? Commander is coming to escort you to your classes again today. She should be here any moment now.

Kyra’s face remained expressionless, but in her green eyes shone a tiny glimmer of pride. It seemed like her plan worked. She knew that the Princess wouldn’t be fazed by committing a slight blunter against her teacher, but the perspective of being confronted by the famous Commander of the Royal Guards was a different story entirely.
On the other side of the bed, the mood was quite the opposite. Hearing the news, the Princess’ body, like an unwatered houseplant, wilted and powerlessly fell back on the bed.

- Again? Why? - It must’ve been nearly the fifth or sixth time this week alone. It wouldn’t be even that bad, if the said person didn’t act so uptight about every single thing. And what’s up with that obsession of being everywhere on time?! Doesn’t being royalty give you at least a small privilege to be late every once in a while? The thoughts in the Princess’ head in were changing like the colors in a kaleidoscope.
- Queen’s orders - Kyra shrugged, while setting the table for breakfast. Even though she was serving the royal daughter, she was still a simple maid, and so she could only guess that the Queen must have had her reasons to make this decision. Or at least this was the impression she wanted to give.
- Of course these are my mother’s orders. She’s been weirdly adamant about tormenting me lately, especially by sending her favorite pet on me. - The Princess wasn’t really expecting an answer. She already knew that her mother was behind the majority of decisions involving the Commander. - Oh, I didn’t mean any offense, Kyra. - Oriana raised her head, while the rest of her body remained in the same position, like a starfish washed up on the shore. - It’s just that your sister is a monster. She’s always lecturing me and complaining about me and constantly nagging me to act this way or that way…bleh.

Kyra approached the bed with a sympathetic smile on her face. She couldn’t deny that her sister could be a bit harsh around the edges, but she also was well aware that most of the lecturing and complaining and nagging was caused by the Princess’ refusal to act appropriately.

- I know that Valeria can be a bit… difficult to deal with. But she only means well. She doesn’t want you to face any unpleasantness from the nobles. Especially now, when you’re about to start showing up in public again. Her Majesty must feel similarly and that’s why she’s sending my sister to accompany you lately.
-Well, I might not suffer any from the nobles, but I sure get plenty from her - Oriana muttered. With her cheeks puffed and her arms folded, she looked like a grumpy little child, angry at her parents for not letting her eat candy in bed.

Kyra giggled quietly. Seeing her mistress like this, she really wanted to pamper her.
- How about this, if you get out of bed now and attend all of your classes today, I’ll make your favorite apple pie. We even received a shipment of Ping Guo apples yesterday.

Hearing the keywords “apple pie” and “Ping Guo”, the Princess immediately perked up. What are a mere few hours of boring lectures and the company of some buffoon compared to the heavenly delights of Kyra’s renowned pie, paired with the best apples in the world from the legendary Apple Paradise of Ping Guo!

- Kyra, you are the best! Please, never leave my side - Oriana wrapped her arms around her maid’s waist like a little kid. She started wondering how two sisters can be so different. Even though Kyra and Valeria are not blood related, they’ve been together for years since childhood, so how come one grew to be the sweetest and kindest person Oriana knew and the other to be the most aggravating?