(Elara's POV)
After that night in the forest, I could not sleep well. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the same scene again—the waterfall, the lake, and the strange woman standing under the falling water.
The stranger from the falls stayed in my thoughts. I kept wondering where she came from. She could not be from Kazunaga; most people there had black hair, and hers was blonde.
Maybe from Aryanda? But that forest was too far from their territory. Another thought crossed my mind, one that made me pause longer than I should have. Was she… some kind of forest spirit? A fairy, something not entirely human.
I groaned quietly into my pillow. I had not even asked her name.
My mind kept replaying the fight again and again, searching for details I might have missed. Her sword stood out the most. I remembered that clearly. The blade was not ordinary. Even I could tell it was expensive, well-made, not something a traveler or bandit would carry.
And her clothes… I realized I had barely looked at them, which was strange, considering how thin and soaked they had been when she stood under the waterfall. That thought made my face warm again, and I turned slightly on my bed, trying to push the memory away.
Every night after that, whenever I managed to slip away from the palace, I returned to the Web Forest. This time, I brought stronger guards—not because I was searching for the rare flower anymore, but because I wanted to see her again.
Somehow, she had become something else in my mind. A rare flower herself—difficult to find, impossible to catch. During one of those visits, I did finally see the real velvet flower, the same one the students had talked about.
It grew near the lake, a deep purple color, shining softly under the moonlight. Beautiful. Strange. Different from other flowers—just like the woman from the falls.
The first time I entered that forest, I was searching for the velvet flower. Now—I was searching for the mysterious girl instead.
But she never appeared again. Each night I returned, hoping to see her standing near the lake. Each time, the forest remained empty, and only the velvet flowers waited there.
Eventually, I returned to Vesperia. For the first time in weeks, I felt strangely disappointed. I told the story to my closest friend, Miya, daughter of Count Crispin.
She listened carefully while I described the forest and the strange woman I met. When I finished, Miya simply smiled and said, "Maybe she really was a fairy."
I rolled my eyes. "Fairies do not carry swords."
But Miya only laughed.
Later, she discovered something else—that I had been sneaking out to the Web Forest several times. After that, she would not stop teasing me.
"You know the laws of Vesperia," she said one day. "Relationships between two women are forbidden."
I nearly choked. "I was not thinking about that!"
Miya laughed even harder. "Then why do you keep going back to that forest?"
I frowned. "I was curious. That is all."
Still… sometimes I asked myself the same question. Why was I searching for that woman? Why did I want to see her again?
One morning, my father summoned me to the royal chamber. King Ivan of Vesperia stood there, and beside him was his wife, Queen Letisha. The moment I entered, I already knew the topic.
"The Blood Oath," my father said.
It was an old promise between kingdoms—between Vesperia and Kazunaga. My grandmother, the Queen Mother, wished to see it fulfilled before she died.
I already knew the arrangement. For years, everyone expected the same outcome. I would marry Prince Haru of Kazunaga.
It had been discussed before between the Han family and my father. The idea was simple. The Crown Princess of Kazunaga would step down. Haru would take the throne. Then the Blood Oath marriage could happen.
I had already prepared myself for that possibility.
But the news my father told me next changed everything.
"The Crown Princess refused to step down."
I blinked in surprise. Actually… it made sense. Why would she give up the throne if she was the rightful heir?
But that decision created a new problem.
Because now—I was the one expected to marry her.
Two women. A political marriage. A complicated situation.
And for me, it meant something else.
If I married the ruler of Kazunaga, my life would no longer be my own. I would belong to the throne, to the alliance, to the kingdom.
And love—would never be allowed.