"What a beautiful full moon," Jade exclaimed happily.
We had come to a garden full of roses. Jade had wanted to visit this garden for a while and had asked for permission from Miss Ariana, who surprisingly said yes. Now, here we were, enjoying the moonlight mingled with the scent of roses.
The entire garden was filled with red roses; there were no other flowers. The master of the house surely loved them, and they were meticulously cared for.
While Jade was marveling at the bright moon, my attention was drawn to the red roses. I walked closer to one and inhaled its sweet, nostalgic scent. It reminded me of home. The red roses looked almost sinister in the dark, their beauty enhanced by the surrounding shadows.
I suddenly felt a pair of eyes on my back. Turning around, I saw no one. As I scanned the area, I noticed two red eyes staring from the top floor—the prince's room window. He was standing there, dressed in a black shirt and pants, holding a glass of wine, taking a sip while staring at the garden—no, he was staring at me. Even from afar, I could see his red eyes darken whenever they focused on me.
"Hey Emelia! Let's go over there. There's a big fountain," Jade said, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards it.
The fountain was enormous, larger than the one at the House of Dreams. Its architecture was similar, but instead of water, a red liquid flowed out. It looked like blood. A chill ran down my spine. It was odd, disturbing.
"Wow, that's interesting," Jade said, carefully examining the fountain. She moved closer and tried to touch the liquid. I immediately stopped her hand.
"Don't be foolish. Don't touch it."
"Why not? It's just water; it won't harm me," she said, laughing.
"Water? Isn't it blood?" I asked, confused.
"Ah! You're trying to scare me, right? Because it's my fault we're here," Jade said, smiling brightly.
Suddenly, a gust of cold wind blew past us.
"It's too cold. Let's go back," Jade said, rubbing her hands together.
"You go ahead, I'll follow you," I replied.
"Okay, but don't stay out here too long. It's cold. I'll be waiting for you inside," she said, running back into the house.
Puzzled, I looked at the fountain again. Yes, it was red. It was blood. Why could only I see that?
....................
It was late at night when I received a letter. Fairies had the ability to deliver letters instantly with a flick of their fingers. I had received one before from the prince.
I opened the letter, which read:
Come fast
This time, his handwriting was messy, unlike the usual beautiful cursive script.
But I knew it was from him. No one else would summon me this late at night with just two words. It could only be him,
full of arrogance.
I was wearing a knee-length nightgown made of sheer black fabric, which was see-through. In a hurry, I grabbed a red shawl from the rack, one that belonged to Jade, and wrapped it around myself.
I ran from our maid's quarters to the House of Illusion. It was raining outside, so I sprinted to avoid getting too wet.
Once inside, it was dark; all the candles had been blown out by the wind coming through the windows. I carefully moved across the lounge to avoid tripping over anything.
I grabbed the handrail, forgetting about the roses on it, which pricked my finger again. "Ouch," I muttered. "Who puts roses on a handrail?"
Standing in front of the prince's room, I was completely soaked. I adjusted the shawl around my body and knocked on the door.
There was no answer.
I knocked again and waited.
The last time I was late, he had punished me by making me take care of his paperwork all night. I didn't want that to happen again, so I had run through the rain.
I knocked once more. Suddenly, there was a creaking sound—the door opening. I pushed the door open.
"Your Highness..." I said quietly.
"Your Highness? You called for me?" I repeated.
As I stepped inside, the door slammed shut behind me.
I sensed a breath against my neck. Someone was behind me. Instinctively, fear took hold of me. I raised my hand to strike whoever was there, but a large hand grabbed my wrist before I could make contact.
It was him. His golden hair fell over his forehead, nearly obscuring his red eyes. He leaned toward me without letting go of my hand.
His gaze traveled from my head to my toes.
My body felt hot under his lingering stare. Suddenly, his eyes met mine.
I immediately looked away.
Something was wrong with me. My heart was pounding loudly. I didn't know if it was because of fear. I couldn't handle these strange emotions building inside me and looked away.
He grabbed my chin with his long, slender fingers, making me look at him again.
I was drawn to his red eyes. Those eyes—I wasn't scared of them like I had been that night. They made me want to read and understand all the emotions hidden behind them.
He leaned closer. Too close. I could feel his breath on my skin.
I also leaned closer to him, my strange emotions getting the best of me.
YOU ARE READING
Enthrallment : The Twisted Trust
Fantasy" please don't " He pleaded, his voice cracking with despair. Tears streamed down his face as he dropped to his knees, clutching at the air as if trying to grasp the fleeting fragments of her presence. ...
