Chapter 8 - Chapter 8 : Ep. 3 — Family, II

[ morning, 7:00 am, Victoria District ]

The chamber looked like a mix between an office and a magical work place. Shadows clung to the corners, broken only by the soft pulsing glow of a celestial orb resting atop a weathered stone table. Its light shimmered in hues of violet, gold and icy blue, casting unique reflections across scattered tools. Above, towering windows stretched impossibly high, the glass streaked with pale blush of the early morning. The vaulted ceiling arched like a chapel's crown, forming in a conical spire from which dangled a chandelier, its candles burning, their wax frozen. Bookshelves lined the walls. Scrolls spilled from cubbies, and odd instruments, half alchemical, half mechanical rested on the carpet and desks.

at far end, the door creaked open. A guard approached the man standing near the table-stone. The man's eyes were fixed on the glowing orb as if he was trying to decipher the stars.

— My lord, the reports are here, may i?

He was an old man, an alchemist with a long white beard that reached his chest. His body was neither thin nor heavy, just solid and very stable. Like someone who had lived many years. Thick white eyebrows sat above his deep-set eyes. His hair was hidden under a long white cloth that rested on his head and flowed down all the way to his feet. On it, two large golden symbols were sewed, they looked like an arrow pointing up. Underneath, half his forehead was covered by a black headband. He wore a loose white outfit that covered his whole body. It wasn't necessarily a shirt or a robe, but something in between, wide, flowing and soft. From far, he looked like a walking ghost.

— 2 months ago, the princess ran away and we had no news on her location. However, she has been spotted in Dauphin a few days ago. This is because the queen had sent 3 men along with captain Victor in her search. Unfortunately, they failed and the 3 guards were found dead except Victor who survived— ehem. The queen herself went to find her daughter with her royal guard, Cody.

— That girl must be out of her head.

He shook his head shutting his eyes hard,

— Her daughter is a 'fugitive'!

His eyes met, the same eyes as those before, serpent like. His vertical line dilated.

「 EDWARD VICTORIA, Head of the 」

— How dare she left without my consent!

Furious, he slammed his hand on the table-stone,

— Let Mei be ruled under our .

The guard wore a different uniform compared to those in the Royal Palace.

First of all, his eyes were covered by a sleek black blindfold that wrapped tightly. On it, a few lines could be spot, it resembled a spell. His neck was invisible, a void—an unsettling absence, as if it had only a head.

Second, he wore a tailored, distinct uniform. The jacket was asymmetrical, split vertically in the colour of pale dark blue and was joined by a diagonal seam that crossed the chest in a double-breasted style. A gold trim outline the edges from the high turtle-neck collar down to the hem and on the cuffs. Four gold buttons were aligned vertically on the upper side of the vest. At the throat, a high black turtleneck collar wrapped around his neck. His pants were solid black and slightly flared at the bottom.

— According to our laws and system, she will be banished out of her title as the "Queen" who represents Victoria.

in a robotic ton, he continued, "As for her punishment…"

Edward standing motionless,

— She will be sentenced to Death.

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[ Nanaimo, 7:35 am ]

i sat near the edge of the flowing river, birds chirping.

I sat with my knees up, i stare at the river lost in my thoughts.

[ i always remember Zack's words whenever i think of my mom. Even though i only knew him for not even 1 day. ]

come to think of it.. is it strange how..he said those words as if he knew my whole situation.. His whole appearance is off..ugh.. my head is all fuzzy…He even knew why the wanted me dead..did he read my mind.. does a skill like that even exist.. if it does.. that's dangerous..

a block of clouds seem to limit my thinking, it hurts

…

i glanced at my reflection, closely staring the water.

[ Isn't that strange.. the moment i laid my eyes on him…, i felt..safe..and..warmth..as if.. as if i knew him. He did look oddly familiar to me. Did i saw him in my dream? No way that's ridiculous! Maybe i met him…but how? There's no way, Eris never let me go to the crowded places, especially when i ran away.. other than that, it's impossible…i was locked in a tower. ]

…

my brain was overloaded, i was so deep that i didn't hear Victor approaching me from behind, he came down from the wood and climbed the rocks.

— Princess Anny, i found a wagon who can take us to the bridge of . We have to go.

i got up and looked at him, up and down, "ha ah! You finally decided to change clothes, and you look like me!"

Victor sighed.

He really didn't fit the commoner aesthetic.

He carried a saggy bag with supplies and food.

[…]

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 We sit in silence in the back of the wagon. I stared at the fields and scenery. How long have i been living in this side of The wall? Like 2 or 3 months.

I was no longer the princess.

— Victor, i want you to call me informally from now on, we're friends.

I smiled, in fact, Victor was not just a "Butler", he's a 'Royal Guard' under the guidance of the , however he operates with both the and my mom. He was more than just a regular servant. He started as a servant but grew and secured a godly position in the Royal Palace. As for our relationship, ever since i remember Victor was there for me, he played with me, he fed me when i was a toddler, he was both a brother, a friend, a protector and a father. He covered all the aspects i lacked. My mom was distant, she never spoke to me. She's a stranger to me if she didn't had the title for being my mother.

Victor smiled, "sure"

A few questions popped in my head.

This was the chance, i asked him "victor have you ever been in outside?"

This was the perfect chance to know more about him. Thinking of the past, i noticed how ignorance i was, Victor knew me perfectly, and me, i never asked him about himself— when i did out of curiosity, he rejected to answer those. However, now that i experienced living here, surely he can't hide anything from me.

— I was born here…well i stayed with my grandma when i was a kid in .

huh, Victor wasn't from Victoria..

make sense why he'd refuse to answer. "Dauphin, you say.."

Dauphin..

i placed my hand on my chin, "what a coincidence…"

…

— Victor, do you know a guy named Zack? He's also from ?

Victor rested his hand on his knees, "Z-zack?..i don't think so.."

"Why is he someone you met?"

— Yeah.. he wanted to help me..but..he's dead..and i.. can't help but feel guilty..

Victor's expression was as cold as before, "Anny, stop worrying so much."

[ … ]

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 The train carriage was quiet, wrapped in the soft hum of motion and the occasionally creak of old wood. Deep blue seats lined the walls, the fabric worn but elegant. The paneling was dark and polished, catching bits of moonlight that slipped through the curtains. Through the window outside, pine trees rushed past in a blur, their shape barely visible. 

Two passengers sat across from each other, their knees nearly touching in the narrow space. The man's glasses caught the light every time he shifted, reflecting the blue glow, his posture was thoughtful, his eyes focused on the woman in front of him.

— A letter from Victor. Anny will head to , that's where she'll be in 5 days. For us it's a full and a half week.

I sighed, "What is she thinking.."

I was less worried now that Victor's with her, and that he found my daughter..still i needed to see her with my own eyes, to hold her..to..

— Whatever she's planning on doing..I hope she's safe with Victor.

— Don't worry your maj- i mean..ma'am..Anny's protected by Victor! There's no one that can keep Anny more safe than Captain Victor.

Cody could tell i was worried as our game of mouse and cat got longer.., he adjusted his glasses and said, "For these next days, please enjoy and relax! You said you missed this side of the wall, so please enjoy,—", he whispered, "your majesty .."

i chuckled, Cody's right, Anny's with Victor. She's safe. 

— I guess you're right..haha, you know me Cody

i took a big breathe and said, "Alright, let's think it as a date!"

Cody's voice cracked, "A-A..A D-D-DATE?!", his eyes were big, he looked like he just got out of a sauna

— Why? Is it because you don't see me as an interest? I'm pretty sure we have many things in common.

Cody's face was red, too red, he waved his hands, shaking so nervously, "It-it's not that, I mean—i's not like that! I'm certainly interested in you as…a well..now..it may..starting to sound..weird..but i-..ilikeyou!"

i burst into laughter as i see Cody trying to set a barrier, "I'm joking cody!"

"Hahaha, anyways—", i started to shift the conversation in something else.

Cody pushed his glasses and his sweaty palm scratching his rosey cheek, "right..haha.."

We talked about certain things, then a few knocks and the staff came with a bag carrying newspapers,

— Hello, would you guys like some newspaper? We have every news.

— 2.59 Vekos

i looked at the man and gestured, "i'll take the recent ones, thank you"

— sure! Here you go ma'am.

Cody was still lost in some kinda thought, his face was still hot and his glasses started to fog up, "hm..let's see what's new"

Under his breath, Cody was murmuring, "date..hehe..a date.."

i opened the newspaper and started reading the recent news from every state, including Victoria.

I was halfway through the articles, skimming headlines—nothing seems to interest me—when the words stopped me cold. My eyes locked on the line, and for a second, i thought i'd misread it.

I blinked.

Read it again.

I blinked.

Read it again.

I blinked.

No, it was real.

It was real, my stomach dropped. The paper trembled slightly in my hands. 

My breath caught somewhere between my chest and throat, shallow and sharp.

"no..no..no…"

Gripping the paper tightly to the point it crumbles, i felt a heat rush to my face. I tossed the paper on the paper and quickly got up and head straight to my room.

—i'll—rest in my room!..

— Quee- i mean Madam! 

Cody's face was left in confusing, he looked down at the newspaper lying on the table, "did she see something..?"

Nervously, his hand reached and picked where i was left off.

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I gently knocked at her chamber, 

knock knock

i could hear a quiet hum. Faint. Muffled. Crying.

— Your majesty.. may i.. come in?

i paused. Listening to her from the other side of the door. 

I open the door gently…

— Your majesty..

i stood by the door, "I..i will forever be on your side.."

i shut the door, taking small steps

The room was dim, lit only by the moonlight slipping through the window and the soft amber glow of a wall lamp. The bed sat against the far wall, neatly made except for the edge where she sat, hunched forward, her shoulders trembling.

she didn't look up and ignored my presence. Her face was turned slightly away, one hand pressed to her mouth as if trying to hold sound in. The other clutched a crumpled handkerchief. 

Seeing her…

My chest tightened. Not with panic, but with that quiet ache that comes when you see someone carrying something you've already felt. I didn't speak right away, i didn't want to make her feel worse.

i stepped closer and closer, slowly, knelt beside the bed. Her gaze was staring in the distance, tears coming down. I placed my hand on my chest, and expressed dearly,

— It's nonsense propaganda! Even if it's true—i'll always stand in front of you, protecting you with my whole life!!

i barely manage to maintain my calm state, but i couldn't help but feel a sharp strike in my heart

she then glanced at me, 

— Cody…

She calmed herself, taking slow breath and pauses, blinking repeatedly, "there's something you need to know about me…"

— I'm not an actual "queen".

— i'm not apart of the royal family…

i sat there, knees bent, trying hard to listen and make sense of it

— The reason i have the queen title is because of Anny. It's because of her father that i'm assigned as the queen.

— That's the only connection i have to the throne…

She gave a small smile, "i'm sorry. I'm sorry for dragging you into my mess"

I stared at her, her kind smile that didn't reach her eyes. It was soft, almost apologetic, like she was trying to reassure me or maybe her herself. But i could see it. The way her lips trembled just slightly at the corners. The way her eyes, red and glassy, held too much silence behind them.

— NO!

i stood up, 

— I-i.. I'm happy to be on your side— Please don't apologize! Q-Queen or not— i..i'll always have respect for you.. madam..

The kinda smile someone wears when they're trying not to fall apart.

— I'll defend you with all the power i have!! I won't let Edward raise his hand on you!

My voice was trembling, i was out of breath, i spoke too fast, 

Mei grabbed me by my hands and pulled me close, "hehe..i'm lucky to have someone like you on my side"

laughing through, she looked at me, 

— I'll make sure everything goes well. I'll make sure Anny gets to be safe and that you won't get any penalties for being on my side.

she regain back her posture, and in a serious tone said, 

— I'll go back to Victoria and i'll talk things through, i'll make a deal with Edward for my daughter's safety. 

I was clinging to her sleeves, i didn't wanna let her go 

— Let me come with you. It's gonna be dangerous now that you have a bounty on your head!

she moved her body towards the window and looked outside, "then tomorrow morning 6 am. We'll head towards there's a station to Victoria. We'll take the station."

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Below, the public room was save for the low murmur of the train and the occasional clink of glass from the bar at the far end. A chilling jazz music was playing. 

Warm lamplight spilled across the tables, casting soft reflections on the well polished wooden floor. A few passengers sat scattered around, each lost in their own business.

A woman was seated near the window, alone. The newspaper held high enough to hide her face. Her fingers visible turning the pages. The paper rustled softly. 

Then she slowly lowered it.

Her cheeky smile was showing. Her eyes sparkled with it. 

"Well this is interesting…", Iriel's voice was full of amusement

— The Queen's Execution.