Princess of the Silver Ocean - Chapter 25

When Friday arrived, she was in a bad and agitated mood.

“Why do you look so agitated, Nexi?”

The elf asked her, neatly setting her clothes in her purple suitcase. Keya watched as the princess was too restless to sit still and paced back and forth. It was clear that the princess was troubled. Astoria dreaded today since she did not feel like going to the Kuba family, let alone staying with them for two nights, mainly when she was an amnesiac and vulnerable to people’s deceptions.

“Keya,” she said, “I don’t think I should go. Do I have to? Can we not postpone it to next week or next month?”

“You have to go, princess. It is your royal duty.”

She softly groaned at the elf’s response.

‘Royal duty, my ass.’

“Come on,” the elf said, holding her hand, “Let’s go.”

She sighed and let the elf drag her to her father.

“My child,” the king said, “you are looking so beautiful this morning.”

‘Don’t compliment me, please. I’m way too pissed off and agitated right now to take any compliments.’

A slow, fake smile worked its way across her face as she stared at him.

“Thank you, father.”

The king was not wrong in complimenting her. She really looked beautiful in her apricot dress. The dress covered her shoulders halfway and flowed down into a modest plunging neckline. It was a snug fit which made the dress look sleek and elegant. Her arms were covered just below her shoulders which was a good thing as her silky skin looked even silkier.

The dress had a slim waist, with a small, elegant ribbon wrapped around the waist and tied in the front. The ribbon helped accentuate her waist without being too much. Below the waist, the dress widens with an asymmetric draped style. The apricot dress reaches just below her knees and is the same length all around.

She wore black pumps, which perfectly matched the dress. To top it all off, she wore a gorgeous necklace and opulent bracelet. Her blue-black hair was not tied, and it framed her face in a flattering way as it glistened in the light.

“I hope you have packed everything you need.”

“Yes, father.”

She tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ears. The king walked to his daughter and placed his hands on her shoulder. A smile of joy and satisfaction lit up his face. When she continued to stare at him blankly, he shook his head in understanding.

“I know this may make you uncomfortable, my child.”

She nodded but said nothing, her gaze strolling over the room absently.

“Are you afraid?”

Her wandering gaze came up to his face, and she sighed.

“Yes, but I’m more like terrified. I can’t remember anything about anyone or even myself. I did memorise everything in the papers you gave me, but I still feel uneasy.”

He understood her concern and pulled her into his arms, stroking her hair.

“I understand, my child,” he said.

As he spoke, he continued to lightly stroke her hair, holding her hand gently.

“I promise you will be okay and safe. If you begin to feel extremely uneasy, you can just phone Keya, and she’ll arrange for someone to fetch you right away.”

She nodded, obviously still uneasy about the whole situation.

“What about the Smoke Monster?”

The king regarded her with a puzzled expression. She met his puzzled gaze and explained further.

“I mean, the monster that killed my mum and is after me. Before, I felt safe from it because I was told that protective magic surrounds the kingdom. Thanks to the magic, that monster cannot hurt me, but what about my safety in Chesropis?”

“Oh, um, do not worry about that. The Kubas will protect you as they know our situation. Besides, we have been doing searches on that creature but haven’t found any site of it. You’ll be safe since the Goddess is watching over you.”

‘Great, that response was not very reassuring Why do I feel like he’s hiding something?’

She nodded and grabbed her suitcase.

“Let me walk you to the gate,” he said, walking by her side.

When she was outside the palace gates, she looked back at the palace. She was getting used to this place now, and it had been about a week since she woke up to find herself stuck in this place. So far, none of Nexi’s memories had come back, but she knew that they would return slowly and, hopefully, soon.

“Before I forget,” the king said, causing her to turn and face him, “take this.”

A leather book, glowing in a silver colour, with a magic seal, appeared in his hands.

“This is a book with magic spells. If you find yourself in trouble, you can summon this book by saying ‘Vexati’. Whatever spell you want is in here. For example,” he opened the first page of the book, symbolising a silver flame.

“Invisibility,” he said.

The book floated in front of them, and the pages turned without anyone touching them. She watched, fascinated, as the book landed in his hands again. The page in front of him revealed an invisibility spell. He showed it to her, and she was intrigued. She saw the words one would have to say to conjure the invisibility spell.

“Wow,” she breathed out, bowing to look at the page, “that’s amazing.”

She stared back at him, and he smiled. The book was placed in her hand, and then it began to slowly fade into her hand, causing a black dot to gradually appear on the top of her hand. The black dot looked like a mole, and she blinked in surprise as she stared at it.

“The book is inside you and whenever you need it, just say ‘Vexati,’ and it will instantly appear.”

She nodded and felt a bit at ease that she had a magic book she could use to protect herself. However, she had no idea if the spells would be effective against the Smoke Monster or any monster. He held his arms out to her, waiting for her to hug him. She hugged him, a smile on her face. He really reminded her of her father, who she dearly missed.

“Alright,” he said, “you should be on your way now.”

She nodded and sat in the backseat of the car. The king put her suitcase in the boot. She popped her head out the window and waved goodbye to the king and elf as the vehicle began to drive away.

“I’ll see you soon!” she exclaimed, a smile on her face.

The king and Keya waved back, smiles plastered on their faces.

“She was never this bright,” the king said to the elf as he continued waving.

“Yes,” the elf agreed, “but I like this version of her better.”

They smiled as they continued waving, the car beginning to disappear. She sighed and braced herself for whatever was to come.

‘Okay, Astoria Chambers. No matter what happens, try and keep yourself collected and alert. Also, let’s try and focus on getting bits of Nexi’s memories back.’

A familiar look of determination was on her upturned face.