The letter (2)
Two weeks later
Luna smiled at the servant before entering the room with a weary sigh. Another quiet day she had passed for her in the Veniam Duchy. She closed the door and walked to the centre of the luxurious and beautiful bedroom, carefully observing the interior. It had been two weeks since she arrived at the Veniam castle. On the first day of her arrival, she was taken on a tour of the castle to familiarize herself with the place that would be her temporary home so she would stay aware of it.
Of course, Luna was thrilled, as touring the castle was an excellent opportunity. During the tour, she hoped to get closer to the servants to find answers to her questions about the Duke of Veniam’s younger sister or perhaps even meet the mysterious sister while exploring, but in reality, neither of those things happened.
Even at dinner, Luna did not meet the young lady of Veniam. The servants only smiled subtly and remained silent when asked about her. In the days that followed, Luna tried to investigate on her own, attempting to be in parts of the castle she believed were most frequently used, hoping to catch a glimpse of the mysterious young lady. But just like at the beginning of her stay, there was no sign of the woman, only deepening Luna’s curiosity.
She later tried to speak with Mr. Jaxon, but it led to nothing. So, after two weeks in the castle, Luna chose to step back and suppress her curiosity, but that didn’t mean she would give up. She planned to wait for the right time to ask about the young lady of Veniam again.
In the morning, her thoughts were consumed with the young lady, while at night, she couldn’t sleep soundly, hoping she could meet Alkrevas again in her dreams. Whether her soul would reach him or he would come to her, as he had mentioned last time, her hopes were once again dashed, as her dreams were only a blur, forgotten upon waking.
Luna sighed deeply. Her meeting with Alkrevas had not lessened her longing; it grew more substantial and profound. She bit her lower lip and entered the brightly lit room illuminated by magical lamps. She took in every detail before moving toward the bed, intending to rest for a while before the servant arrived to help her prepare for sleep. However, she suddenly recalled the Duke of Veniam’s words before teleporting.
“Luna, if I haven’t come for you before the next full moon night, I want you to go to the third floor and enter the only room there. You’ll find the answers to your questions there.” Luna sat up, frowning in confusion. If she remembered correctly, the servant had never shown her the third floor, only the first, second, and ground levels during the castle tour. Should she ask Mr. Jaxon what the Duke of Veniam meant?
Luna got off the bed and walked toward the door. She decided it would be best to ask, for when she thought about it again, the Duke’s words seemed very strange to her, but they only made her more anxious and curious. The third floor? A room? What was there? What answers? Luna reached for the door handle and opened the door. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Mr. Jaxon standing in front of the door, his hand raised as if about to knock.
“Mr. Jaxon? What’s going on?”
“Beta Savon has just sent a message.”Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.
“A message? Has the Duke of Veniam reopened communication?”
Mr. Jaxon nodded. “Yes, but it’s only one-way communication, though under strict supervision and only allowed from the Imperial Palace.”
“Is that safe? What if that traitor contacts someone else?”
“All of this is by the Emperor’s decision.”
“Oh… Wait a minute! The Emperor? Has he returned to Mylonas?”
“Yes, that’s correct. However, His Grace the Duke mentioned that the Emperor is still busy attending to duties that were neglected during his absence, in addition to investigating the black mages in Mylonas…” Luna’s heart raced. She didn’t catch the rest of Mr. Jaxon’s sentence because her mind was entirely focused on the information about Alkrevas. Her face brightened, and her eyes sparkled with genuine happiness.
The fact that Alkrevas had returned to Mylonas was enough for her. Luna was satisfied when she realized the message wasn’t from Alkrevas himself. She didn’t mind. She could wait longer here until the man was no longer busy and could come to fetch her. Luna cleared her throat softly, realizing they were still speaking at the door. She quickly allowed Mr.
Jaxon to enter before asking, “What message did Beta Savon send me?” Luna held herself back from asking more about Alkrevas and instead focused on the reason for Mr. Jaxon’s visit.
Mr Jaxon pulled out an envelope bearing the Royal Beta seal and handed it to Luna.
“I do not know the contents, as I didn’t dare open it.”
Luna nodded in understanding and swiftly opened the envelope, her brow furrowing in confusion when she saw only a paragraph written there.
-Return to your world, Empress. Your life is in danger. The Emperor orders you to leave immediately.-
“What…?” Luna gasped as the letter she had just finished reading suddenly caught fire and vanished as though it had never existed. “This…”
“One-way letters are enchanted to disappear after being read,” Mr. Jaxon explained briefly. “So, what did Beta Savon write?”
Luna remained frozen, not because Beta Savon had addressed her as ‘Empress,’ but because of the information that her life was in danger. When had Beta Savon written the letter? And who was after her? Could it be that Abigail and Beth were moving again? “Mr. Jaxon, I’d like to know. What’s the situation in Mylonas Capital? Has anything alarming occurred?”
Mr. Jaxon frowned in confusion and pulled a small crystal from his coat pocket, placing it on a small table in the corner of the room. Immediately, the hologram she had seen before appeared, but this time, it wasn’t a message. It was more like a recorded video.
“His Grace the Duke included this crystal with the letter, and I hadn’t yet seen it… this…” Luna approached the table and gasped at the sight of Mylonas Capital, which was eerily silent, especially the Imperial Palace, which looked grim.
“What happened…?”
“Did His Grace say anything in the letter?”
“No. He only mentioned ordinary things before the letter burned away. And he said the situation was under control.”
Luna narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the scene of Mylonas Capital, which seemed far from under control. “Is this the reason the Emperor returned to the capital?” Luna asked Mr. Jaxon. The recording shifted to the Imperial Palace’s garden, and now she noticed something strange-no, something terrifying.
“That… isn’t that the Emperor?” Luna asked in a trembling voice. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing: Alkrevas standing amid a sea of lifeless bodies, his sword drenched in blood. Even in the magical recording, Luna could see the intense aura radiating from Alkrevas and a brilliant white-golden light of pure mana surrounding him, revealing another side of Alkrevas she had never seen. “Alk… what’s happening…?” Mr. Jaxon suddenly gasped and quickly grabbed Luna’s hand.
“Mr. Jaxon?”
“Miss Luna, you should leave here. Save yourself.”
“What?”
“The traitor… it seems he has revealed himself and is no longer hiding.” Mr. Jaxon glanced at the magical crystal recording, specifically toward a figure of a man in the distance, smiling. Luna followed his gaze. Instantly, her body froze as she realized what Beta Savon’s warning meant because the man knew exactly who she was-Alkrevas’ soulmate.
“That man… The traitor.” Thick black fog surrounded the man, enveloped in a red glow. Inside the fog, the man appeared to be speaking to a woman standing beside him with a blank expression.
“How could this be?”
Luna couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
…..