Born As The Emperor’s Daughter - Chapter 243

The sound of leaves rustling, twigs snapping in half, birds chirping, and such sounds heard inside the green and lush forest was heard as Harrison sat on top of a branch with his feet dangling. The warm sunlight passed through the small gaps of the leaves and laid on the ground that was mostly covered with leaves. Dew shaped like beads, effortlessly followed the curves of the earth. The color beneath it shines through, glistening as light hits it.

He was currently taking a break as he was just aimlessly walking or running and jumping around the forest for hours and didn’t even take a break. He left the inn that he was staying at for days and went straight to this forest, it was just very early in the morning. The sun still hasn’t risen during that time. At first, he just walked around and with the help of the fireball that he summoned, following him around as he walked, he was able to see his surroundings though it was vague.

And now that the sun has risen, a few hours earlier, he was already running and jumping around, from trees to trees. It was much faster that way though it was quite exhausting. Flying around with the help of magic was quite draining and it wouldn’t help at all, he only sees trees and nothing but trees if he would.

Looking for the Fountain of Life was quite hard even though you have like a few clues that pinpoint or tell you where it might be found. Harrison has never gone there before nor did he even thought in his whole life that he would go on an adventure just to look for it. It can’t be helped as his mana was taking too slow to recover.

I mean, he could go on for another hundred years just to wait for his mana to fully recover but a change of plans, things happened and someone arrived in his life. You know who that is.

Harrison went from town to town, staying in inns while keeping his face hidden or covered with a cloak but if he wants to go out without looking like a suspicious person, he would have to change his appearance. Just like what he and Alexandra do when they would go outside the palace walls.

Well, it’s only the color of his eye, to be honest. The color of his hair is quite common and normal so he doesn’t have to do anything to it. He could style it whatever that he wants and they wouldn’t care. Though he would still grab the attention of some people, mainly females who find him good-looking. However, he would only ignore them. He finds it annoying and disgusting at the same time.

He already has someone that he likes. A person that is precious and dear to him.

A weary sigh slipped past his lips before he stood up from his position. The palm of his hand placed against the trunk of the tree as he stared at what’s ahead of him. He senses multiple presences though it was faint, meaning that it was far away. Probably a village or something, he thought to himself. He was about to go jump down when he felt this burning sensation in his wrist where the mark (the crimson flower one that looked like a tattoo in their arm) and there was an aching pain at his head.

It was sudden and he was in the process of leaping down the branch. Since it was quite slippery and wet as it rained during the night, he slipped but he was quick enough to grab the branch. His body was now dangling down the branch with only one hand holding to it. The distance between the ground and him wasn’t small, however, he would survive if he fell from this height but it would be quite painful.

The burning sensation in his wrist and the aching pain in his head was still there though it was already faint and was fading away.

With the help of a spell, he let go of the branch that he was holding to, and just like a feather falling, he slowly and graciously fell. His coat fluttering as he did. A loud crunch was heard and came a snap, he stepped on leaves that were dried hidden underneath by the lush green leaves along with a twig.

The pain has faded and he looked behind him confused.

Why does it seem like somebody was calling for me? Was that just my imagination or not?

Harrison’s eyebrows furrowed for a moment before he looked ahead of him, still confused about what happened earlier.

—

Blue eyes fluttered open.

Alexandra’s sight was greeted with a bright and green meadow, she was being surrounded by colorful flowers and low grass. There were daisies of different colors. The meadow was a glorious expanse of green grass that rustled gently as the wind blew. Alexandra noticed that she was sitting underneath the shade of a huge tree and was leaning against the trunk, everything seems familiar to her.

Wait, why am I here? Is this another dream?

She recalled everything that happened earlier, the portrait of her mother, her running to the garden then encountering Beatrice who was acting kindly towards her but is actually planning something, Lillianna stabbing Carlos with a knife that has poison, her battling Beatrice then she went to Carlos as she doesn’t want to run away without him as he was in the brink of death after being stabbed and left bleeding on the ground, and she was shot in the shoulder with an arrow.

Then right after that, Beatrice took off her wig and it turns out that it was Mark Devan, that creepy and disturbing palace wizard and that’s where she became unconscious as her vision became black.

I’m sure I would be in some sort of cage right now. This is probably a dream, she thought to herself as she roamed her eyes around the place. Feeling quite relaxed even though she has a guess what her current condition is outside of this dream.

“Alexandra,” Then there was a familiar voice and Alexandra’s eyes widened when she heard it. She turned around to look at the person that called her, however, ever before she could, she was engulfed in a hug. A warm and tight hug, Alexandra just remained still, unmoving as she blinked her eyes multiple times.

“M-Mom..?” She was sure that it was her mother and she called out to her, her voice low and faint. However, she didn’t get any response and just felt the hug tighten around her.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Repeated and continuous whispers of apologies were heard and the wind blew. Alexandra was confused as to why her mother was apologizing, her eyebrows furrowed, and her mouth agape. She was about to open her mouth to speak and say something when her mother interrupted her and prevented her from doing so.

“Don’t. Don’t give in. You shall not yield. Please, I’m begging you, Alexandra.”

“Mom, what are you saying?”

“Just listen to me and do what I say. Resist, do not submit. Control, do not give in.”

It feels like her mother was speaking in codes or in another language that she couldn’t understand. Her mother tightened the hug once more, burying her face deep in her shoulder. Her head was spinning in transitions, trying to comprehend what her mother was saying.

Although she was confused, Alexandra slowly lifted her arms and was I the process of wrapping her arms around her to return the hug, finding comfort and solace in her mother’s arms despite the confusion that was whirling inside her.

“Don’t lose yourself—”

But she suddenly disappeared or more like became broken fragments that flew away like ashes in the wind. It was like a solid figure dispersing into small shards, like a glass falling off a table and crashing against the floor. The material that it was composed of was broken and scattered all over the floor.

“—Again.”

Her surroundings have changed. Instead of bright and green meadow, the glorious expanse of the green grass as she was being surrounded with flowers, there was only nothing. An empty space, it was like she was in the middle of a vast empty room and she turned her head to look behind her to see a door.

Where in the world am I right now? Just earlier I was in the meadow with my mother telling me things that I couldn’t grasp or understand and now I am here in some sort of room or different dimension with a door.

Alexandra’s eyebrows knitted as she fully turned around and faced the door that was not far away from her. She walked closer to it, the door was enormous and dark-colored. Alexandra could sense the creepy and dark feeling the door was emitting. It was like the door that you will see in the entrance of an abandoned house. Alexandra stood in front of it and saw that there were chains wrapped around the door. It was tightly sealed as if no one is allowed to open the door.

But there were a few cracks seen on the chains as if it was indicating that it will break soon.

What’s behind it?

She reached out her hand to touch the door but heard a voice that boomed inside her head.

“Don’t.”

Blue eyes jolted open.

Alexandra gasped as she coughed multiple times. It feels like water has invaded her lungs and she was trying her best to get it out just by coughing continuously. She was laying against a cold surface, a floor probably. Her vision was blurry and she continued coughing, it died down after seconds and she tried to get up however, she was unable to do so.

Something was restraining her to do so. The cold feeling her wrist, she turned her head to the side and saw that something was binding her wrist to the ground as well as her other wrist and her ankles. Her vision was quite blurry and the room was dim, making it hard for her to see anything, there were a few candles surrounding her yet its light wasn’t enough. Then she heard a voice.

A cold and somehow, a creepy one.

It sent a chill down her spine as it sounded familiar to her not until she realized who it was. Mark Devan, the one that took me earlier in the garden. Alexandra figured where Mark is despite her messed up vision and the dim surroundings because of the direction of where the voice came from and glared at him as she heard him spoke.

“Oh, you’re finally awake. We thought you wouldn’t wake up after a month like a week already passed by.”

Dumbfounded, Alexandra’s eyes were wide with wonder as she blinked multiple times. A week? I was unconscious for a week? But it feels like it was just earlier when—

Then she felt a stinging pain in her cheek as a hand came in contact with her skin. A sound of a slap resonated inside the room. Alexandra hissed in pain then a series of coughs came right after, her throat was dry and she felt quite weak.

“Why did you do that?” She heard an unfamiliar voice. It was a male. Another comrade, huh.

“I was just making sure that she was awake. Nothing was happening to her when she was asleep, we already used multiple spells and such but nothing was happening,” Mark responded. What were they doing to me? Alexandra wanted to ask them but somehow, it feels like something was also restraining and preventing her from speaking.

“So you’re thinking that something would happen if she was active or awake?”

“Something like that. Now, do it. We can’t afford to waste time here, it has been a week yet there is still no result.”

Alexandra heard the man that Mark was talking to let out a sigh and there were footsteps.

“This might hurt a lot so prepare for it, princess.”

Yet even before Alexandra could process what Mark has said, something underneath her has glowed and she felt pain. It feels like she was being electrified and as if her body was being crushed at the same time, she couldn’t help but scream as she writhed in pain, tears in her eyes,a and she coughed out blood.

And what it seems like chains slowly cracking and breaking was felt.

This continued for days.