Searching Soul - a Mikhaiah au

CHAPTER 12: Countess Soul

Gibrael shifted to a more comfortable position on her bed, her back pressed against the headboard, as she held the book she had just bought from the library. The anticipation coursing through her was almost tangible. She flipped the book open, noting that it was quite thin and the font was fairly large. She guessed it contained around a hundred pages.

"Western Isle of Erythea," Gibrael read the cover quietly before turning to the first page.

The text seemed familiar:

The Kingdom of the Western Isle of Erythea once lay in the southern part of Spain, in the region now known as Seville. The kingdom mysteriously vanished in the early 1850s.

The Kingdom was known for its policy of strict isolation, rejecting access to outsiders from the mainland.

The Kingdom's name resurfaced in mainland records when a controversy erupted over a peerage dispute. In the late 1840s, the nobility, under the King and Queen, decided to travel to the mainland to negotiate the Kingdom's opening to Spain. However, they suffered a tragic accident, leaving no survivors.

The only noble left to inherit the throne was the Baron, the King and Queen's son, who had been excluded from the meeting. Lacking experience in court affairs, he refused to rule.

The Kingdom began to crumble due to a lack of leadership, especially as the King and Queen aged. Eventually, the King's illegitimate daughter was discovered. The Baron, surprised, learned that his sister, the Countess, had been secretly raised for leadership by the King, her father, and was treated by the Queen as her own daughter.

At 20, the Countess became the heir apparent, forced to abandon her simple life for the royal court—a shocking transition.

Three years later, she was engaged to a prince from the Kingdom of Alcázar, but the engagement was abruptly canceled weeks before the wedding.

After this, all records of the Kingdom of the Western Isle of Erythea vanish. After that, all records of the Kingdom of the Western Isle of Erythea vanish. Many believe it to be lost or cursed, as no trace of the Kingdom remains today.

A Kingdom Lost.

"Huh? Isn't this just the same as the book I read earlier?" Gibrael muttered, flipping through the pages, slightly annoyed by the redundancy. Then, a title midway through the book caught her eye, causing her heart to race.

"The Princess and Gabriel," she read aloud, her curiosity piqued. "No way!" she whispered in disbelief and began to read the passage with a mix of eagerness and apprehension.

In the early 1850s, the Princess of the Kingdom of Erythea, the heir to the throne, was set to marry Prince Nicolaj of Alcázar.

It was publicly known that the Princess was not inclined to marry at such a young age but was compelled to comply due to political considerations and ease of diplomacy between the two kingdoms.

Young and inexperienced, the Princess had little choice but to agree to the arranged marriage, which was scheduled for the following year.

The Princess and Prince Nicolaj were often seen together, trying to familiarize themselves with each other beyond the palace gates. However, the Princess's reluctance was evident to the public.

One day, while walking along the shores of the Kingdom, the Princess discovered a wrecked boat. Upon investigating, she found Gabriel, a lone seafarer who had been cast adrift by a storm.

She brought Gabriel to her secret safe house, a place hidden from the public eye.

For months, the Princess remained with Gabriel, and her absence led to her being declared missing by the Kingdom. A reward was offered for any information leading to her whereabouts.