Timeless Legacy

struggles

Elina, Evie, and Mal had just arrived at their dorm after a long day. As Evie busily prepared Elina's gown, Mal, now sporting soft blonde hair with purple tips, flopped onto her bed with an exasperated sigh.

"Evie, I cannot breathe," Elina complained, struggling to adjust the layers of her outfit.

"Well, you can breathe after Cotillion," Evie replied, adjusting the dress on Elina from every angle. Mal huffed and looked at her friends, overwhelmed.

"I have at least twenty more events, and I can't even remember what a single one of them is," Mal ranted, feeling the weight of her responsibilities.

Elina, standing nearby, nodded sympathetically. "Tell me about it. I don't even have time for Maddox anymore," she sighed, her own frustration evident.

After everything that had happened at the coronation, Ben had thought it would be a great idea to ask Mal to be his royal advisor. Mal had agreed, thinking it would allow her to help Elina and the villains on the Isle. However, she hadn't anticipated the overwhelming workload it entailed. Meanwhile, Elina found herself gazing at her reflection, increasingly resembling her mother. Though she loved her mother dearly, seeing her reflection often reminded her of what she had left behind. Her heart ached with longing for her family—James, Morgie, Morgian and even Harry.

"Do you ever think about what we'd be doing if we were back on the Isle right now?" Mal asked her friends out of the blue, her tone reflective.

Evie, engrossed in measuring Elina, laughed dismissively. "That's funny," she said, not taking the thought too seriously. Elina, however, followed Mal's gaze to the iconic purple leather jacket hanging nearby. How she wished for a reason to return to the Isle...

"Oh! Look who's on TV," Evie suddenly exclaimed, cutting through Elina's thoughts. The screen showed Ben, Elina, and Mal.

"As the royal couple continues their tour of the kingdom, they dined with Aladdin and Jasmine. Six months ago..." The footage showed Ben chatting with Jasmine and Aladdin while Mal enjoyed strawberries, with Elina barely containing her laughter behind her hand. The pair remind her of Jaladdin, the tale her mother had told her, making the scene all the more amusing.

"Yeah," Mal said, chuckling as she watched the screen. She glanced over at Elina, who was on the verge of laughing again.

"No one thought King Ben and his girlfriend from the wrong side of the bridge would last. And not to forget their new everyday companion, the royal advisor Mal, whose mother is a lizard now."

Mal rolled her eyes at the mention of her mother. "Yeah. No kidding," she muttered. Elina, meanwhile, looked down at the ring on her finger, feeling a pang of doubt about whether she now belonged on the "wrong" side of the bridge.

"Elina must be counting the days until the Royal Cotillion... when she will officially become a Lady of the Court," the TV commentator continued. Elina sighed and sat down on her bed, while Mal, feeling the pressure, grabbed her spell book and started to read frantically.

"I know Mal's and Elina's secret to fitting in, and Ben wouldn't like it one bit. Haven't you guys had enough secrets between you already?" Evie said, looking at the two friends who shook their heads.

"Evie, you remember what I was like before I started using my spell book. I mean, I was a complete disaster," Mal tried to explain, her voice earnest.

Evie picked up the spell book, shaking her head. "Well, personally, as your best friend, I strongly believe that this spell book—and my mirror—belongs in a museum. Don't give me that face. Put the pout away," she said sternly, her tone leaving no room for argument.