Meeting Natasha~
A few hours later, the royal physician returned to the palace to examine Queen Elizabeth for the second time in less than two months. It had become a topic of discussion among the palace servants. Many believed the new queen was either too fragile or simply too reckless to survive life inside the palace.
"Maybe she's trying to get the king's attention," some of the maids whispered while carrying out their duties.
"Or perhaps it's a sign she doesn't belong here," another maid replied. "After all, who would want such a weak queen?"
The others nodded in agreement.
Almost everyone seemed to have something unpleasant to say about Queen Elizabeth, and every time Kira overheard their gossip, her blood boiled with anger.
"How is she?" Kira asked anxiously as the physician stepped out of Elizabeth's chamber.
"The queen is recovering well," the physician replied. "She suffered a severe shock that caused her to lose consciousness. Tell me… do you have any idea what might have frightened Her Majesty so badly?"
Kira lowered her head sadly.
"No… I don't."
The other queens had only claimed that they found Elizabeth unconscious inside the garden. None of them explained what had truly happened.
It didn't make sense to Kira.
But she also knew she had no authority to question the king's queens.
That night, the palace was unusually quiet.
A cool breeze drifted through the open windows as the full moon illuminated the entire palace grounds in silver light.
Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes.
Her head throbbed painfully.
"Huh…"
She gently pressed her fingers against her forehead.
"My head hurts…"
"What happened?"
She remembered arriving at the Magic Pool.
She remembered meeting the other queens.
After that…
Everything became a blur.
"You should stop forcing yourself to remember."
A calm voice echoed from somewhere within the darkness.
"It will only make your headache worse."
Elizabeth's eyes widened.
She immediately sat upright.
"Who's there?"
Silence.
Her heart began pounding inside her chest.
She looked around the dark chamber.
The candles had long burned out, leaving only moonlight to illuminate the room.
Then…
Something moved inside the shadows.
Elizabeth froze.
She could feel someone watching her.
"Show yourself!"
A cold breeze swept through the room, causing the curtains to sway gently.
The presence drew closer.
Elizabeth slowly climbed out of bed, her trembling legs barely supporting her weight.
Then she saw it.
A strange creature stepped into the moonlight near the window.
It possessed the body of a cat.
A long serpent's tail.
And a pair of elegant feathered wings folded neatly against its back.
The creature gracefully leaped onto the windowsill before calmly licking one of its paws like an ordinary house cat.
Elizabeth blinked.
"A… cat?"
Before her eyes…
The creature transformed.
Its body stretched upward, shimmering beneath the moonlight until it became the figure of a woman in her forties.
She sat comfortably on the windowsill, smiling at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth's face instantly turned pale.
"Aah!"
She screamed.
"Who are you?!"
"What are you doing in my room?!"
Terrified, Elizabeth stumbled backward onto the bed.
The mysterious woman calmly stood up and took a slow step toward her.
Elizabeth immediately rushed toward the door.
She grabbed the handle.
Locked.
"What?"
She pulled harder.
It wouldn't open.
Panicking, she continued trying until she suddenly sensed someone standing behind her.
"It's alright."
The woman's voice remained gentle.
"I'm not here to hurt you."
Elizabeth quickly turned around.
"Stay away from me!"
She backed herself against the door.
"Help!"
"Cristal!"
"Guards!"
She screamed with all the strength she had.
No one came.
The woman sighed softly.
"No one can hear you."
"I placed a silence spell over this room."
"No sound can escape."
Elizabeth's breathing became uneven.
Her eyes searched desperately for anything she could use to defend herself.
Then she spotted a decorative marble sculpture resting on a nearby table.
Though heavy, she managed to lift it with both hands and pointed it toward the strange woman.
If she had to fight…
Then she would fight.
"What do you want from me?"
"How did you get in here?"
She demanded, her voice trembling.
"I flew through the window," the woman answered honestly.
"And I truly mean you no harm."
Elizabeth didn't believe a single word.
The woman slowly took another careful step.
"If you'll simply allow me to explain…"
"I promise I won't hurt you."
There was something strangely comforting about her voice.
It was calm.
Warm.
Almost motherly.
Without realizing it, Elizabeth's racing heartbeat slowly began to settle.
Still…
She refused to lower the sculpture.
The woman let out a quiet sigh.
"My name is Natasha."
She smiled gently.
"And I am your guardian."
"My… what?"
Elizabeth stared at her in disbelief.
A flying cat had entered her room…
Turned into a woman…
Claimed to be her guardian…
And expected her to believe such nonsense?
Was this some kind of dream?
Natasha couldn't help smiling.
"I know it sounds unbelievable."
Her eyes moved toward the sculpture Elizabeth was still struggling to hold.
"But you should put that down."
"You're only hurting your arms."
"And besides…"
She chuckled softly.
"You don't even know how to use it."
Elizabeth frowned.
After several moments of hesitation…
She lowered the sculpture onto the floor.
But she still kept her distance.
"What do you want from me?"
"Did the king send you?"
For the first time, Natasha's expression changed.
She looked almost… offended.
But instead of answering, she simply smiled sadly.
"I should leave now."
She slowly walked toward Elizabeth.
Before Elizabeth could react, Natasha gently took one of her hands and placed it inside her own.
Her touch was surprisingly warm.
"Elizabeth Williams…"
Natasha's voice became unusually serious.
"Your journey has begun."
"You will face countless trials."
"You will lose things."
"You will gain things."
"And the path ahead will be far more dangerous than you can imagine."
She squeezed Elizabeth's hand gently.
"But remember this…"
"You will never truly be alone."
"If you ever need me…"
"Call my name."
"And I will come."
As she spoke those final words, Natasha's body slowly began fading into tiny particles of silver light.
"W-Wait!"
Elizabeth reached toward her.
"I don't understand!"
"You still haven't answered my questions!"
"How do you know my name?"
"Where are you going?"
But before she could ask anything else…
Natasha had completely vanished.
Only silence remained.
Elizabeth stood frozen in the middle of the room.
Her mind was overflowing with questions.
Your journey has begun…
What journey?
What was Natasha talking about?
Why did she call herself Elizabeth's guardian?
Nothing made sense anymore.
Elizabeth slowly sat down on the edge of her bed.
For the first time since arriving in Austro…
She desperately wished she could see her mother.
Mother would know… wouldn't she?
She gave birth to me.
Surely she knows something about all of this…
Why haven't my parents come to visit me?
Why does it feel like everyone knows something… except me?
Thanks for reading this chapter. I'm so grateful for all the little supports and compliments I've been getting about this book. It really meant a lot to me ❤️ Please continue supporting my book and sharing the link. If you have any questions or complaints, don't hesitate to comment below. Thank you & love u all