Chapter 58: TURNING BACK TIME, THE BINDING FATES

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[Princess Sarah's POV]

The day had finally arrived. The day I would meet Elyse. Anticipation thrummed through me, a symphony of hope and longing. I sat at my desk, a familiar notebook open before me. My hand, guided by memory, traced the features of my mother, Chrystiana De Zues, the woman I called Tina, the woman I called Master Lucia.

Her midnight blue hair, a cascade of silken night, flowed across the page. Her eyes, a kaleidoscope of shifting colors, held the power to captivate any man who dared to meet their gaze. Long, dark lashes framed a face of ethereal beauty, her skin as pale and cool as a December night, the night she was born, December 26th.

Even in her gaze, men trembled, all except my father, Seth, the King of Chetan, who was utterly captivated by her. Whispers had followed her arrival in the Soul Kingdom, whispers that she would be the next Queen. But she was destined for greater things. She was Master Lucia, the ruler of the Aracnia Empire, a woman of unparalleled authority, a woman who could have been Queen, but chose a different path.

Tina wasn't my biological mother, but she was the mother I craved. My birth mother, a woman who couldn't withstand the eternal winter of Chetan, had died giving me life. Her death was a political sacrifice, a pawn in a game of power. But my father, the King, loved me fiercely, his heart a beacon of unwavering devotion.

It was in the shadow of that love that I first met Tina. She was a woman of contradictions, her purple eyes, a storm of emotionless intensity, yet her embrace, surprisingly warm. A warmth I never received from my birth mother. I yearned for her to be mine, to fill the void in my heart.

My father, ever the devoted father, granted my wish. Tina, bound by duty and friendship, became my mother. They had been close, their bond forged in shared dreams and aspirations. But my father's love for Tina, a love that burned with an intensity that consumed him, shattered their friendship. He fought for her, for her love, until he finally married my birth mother.

But the past held secrets, a dark undercurrent that twisted their friendship into something more complex. An unknown entity corrupted Tina, leaving her scarred and broken. My father, ever the protector, tried to help her, but she refused. Their broken friendship, mended in a strange, twisted way.

As a child, Tina always seemed cold, a lonely figure in a world that didn't understand her. I clung to her, desperate for her affection. One day, she took me to a festival in the human realm, a celebration of light and joy. The Aracnia Empire, once known as Olympia, was bathed in the golden glow of lanterns, a spectacle that filled me with wonder. It was there, under the luminous sky, that I saw Tina smile, a genuine, heartfelt smile that warmed my soul. It was the first time I felt the warmth of a mother's love, a warmth I had never known before.

When I turned fifteen, Tina gave me a white tiger puppy, the first gift she had ever given me. It was also the last. She disappeared, vanished without a trace. I waited for her, nights turned into agonizing days, my heart a hollow echo of her absence. I searched for her, every corner of the Chetan Kingdom, every shadow, every whisper, hoping for a glimpse of her, a sign of her return. But there was nothing.

Then, the news came, the news that shattered my world. My mother was gone, lost to the shadows, a victim of forces beyond my comprehension. I used all my power to find her, to understand the darkness that had consumed her. I discovered the truth, the truth that tore me apart. She had endured it all, the pain, the fear, the corruption. Alone. Haunted by her trauma.

And then, I found Elyse, a beacon of hope, a woman who could help my mother. Relief washed over me, a tidal wave of emotion that threatened to drown me.

I finished my drawing, a smile gracing my lips. The day had come. The day I would meet Elyse.

"Your Highness, everything is ready," a maid announced, her voice a soft whisper in the stillness of my room. I nodded, a silent acknowledgement of her presence.

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