I start walking down the well-paved, marble-covered path leading all the way to the massive manor’s entrance. My eyesight seems unusually sharp, maybe it's the adrenaline? I was able to see the path the maid took while I was sitting atop the small hill in this beautiful garden.

Or, should I say park? And calling this a "manor" feels like an understatement… It’s more like two manors stitched together. It could easily cover ten city blocks.

My body is still shaking and trembling from what happened back in the alleyway.

I hold the book with one arm tightly to my chest, lift my other hand up to my neck and cover it with my palm, gently rubbing it, making sure nothing is out of the ordinary.

So far, there is no pain or a feeling of a scar. However, I still feel a slight sting everytime I swallow. It must be psychological… It’s quite annoying and distracting. Though, I truly hope it passes soon. And let’s hope I don’t get murdered in a beautiful garden this time.

I bring my hand down from my throat and take a few deep breaths, trying to push my worries aside for now. It’s extremely difficult not to feel anxious or worried after everything that happened. Got kicked out of my own home, murdered in a cold filthy alleyway by some druggie, and now transported into a completely different world. And worst of all, I had to socialise with a stranger.

Whatever, I need to stop thinking about it… I should focus on more troubling matters like this damn tight, uncomfortable dress. Do women really wear this? It’s so tight it feels suffocating. And these heels are killing me, despite not being too high, they’re still a pain to walk in. And I have to admit, I wobbled and almost fell down a few times. It seems like the dress and these heels are teaming up to take me down. Man, I really miss my normal clothes and shoes…

After my short fashion critique, I take a look around me some more; lush active greenery beaming with a small ecosystem of its own, well-trimmed bushes and shrubs shaped into many figures like: generic horses, unicorns, crescents, deers, abstract patterns which I can’t really make out what they are, and many more. These shapes are many and endless.

What really caught my eye, however, are the tall lamp posts erected right on the sides of the path. But their glassy chambers are completely empty, there’s no tungsten foil, and their top is even left open! How could they possibly light anything up with the way they’re made, were these things built by amateurs? They got the shape right at least, almost similar to how it looks back on earth, but their functionality? Questionable, at best.

I must look like a complete weirdo looking around me and gawking at everything… Anyway, the marble path beneath my feet looks incredibly smooth and well-textured. Throughout the time I walked this path I noticed: chevron patterns, mosaic tiles, generic five edge stars, leaves, animal tracks… who the hell made this thing? It’s like six architects with conflicting visions each took a turn. There’s no rhythm or harmony, it just abruptly shifts in theme. I’d give this work a weak 6 out of 10.

After all that walking and sightseeing, I finally reach the entrance. Like everything else here, it’s oversized–more like a gate than just an entrance. At least it looks nice, with its gothic arch and glass door framed in gleaming gold. On either side stood a butler and the same maid who checked on me earlier. I sure hope I didn’t arouse any suspicion in her with my weird behaviour earlier.

Wait, what is that in their chests? They’re shaped like rings and are spinning very slowly. They both have different colours but possess only a single ring each. The maid has a dark red coloured ring while the butler’s is blue. Just what could they be? There’s so much going on today I have no idea what to even focus on.

“Welcome back, princess.” the maid and the butler say in unison, bringing me back to reality from my thoughts. They bow their heads down towards me with both their hands placed together on their crotches.

“Yes, hello. I have returned.” I grab one side of my long dress and bow down, although not as deep as them. I guess I should focus on this for now. Also, is this how a princess is supposed to act? I really should know this, after all the books I’ve read… goodness gracious, I recognized the path’s texture and shapes but not this??

After raising my head back up, I see that theirs are still bowed down. Am I doing something wrong here? This is getting very uncomfortable, “Raise your heads, please.” I softly order them. “Yes, princess.” They raise their heads and the butler heads to the glassy door, holds the handles and gently pushes it open.

He steps out the way and bows once again saying, “Please, head in.” I walk through the glass door right after he’s done talking but not before handing over the book to him “Butler, put the book back from… wherever got it from”. He gladly takes the book from my hand and replies with, “At your orders, princess.” With that, the maid walks in right behind me into the manor.

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We walk down the path for a bit, absolutely confused not knowing where to go. Wasn’t she supposed to be ‘escorting me’? What happened to that plan? I’ll just stop walking and hope for the best.

I stop walking and the maid stops right behind me. We stay like that for a few seconds, standing in the middle of the hall, in complete silence. For the love of god, women do something.

“Is everything okay, princess?” The maid finally breaks the long silence. “Ahem, I thought you were supposed to be guiding me to where I am meant to be?” I answer her, a little too authoritatively as I look at her. Oh no, was I too harsh? Was I too suspicious? Her ring is starting to spin quite rapidly, is it related to her current mood, or maybe a sense of fear and urgency?

“Oh, you’re right, princess. I’m very sorry!” The maid hurries forward in front of me, “I’m a new hire here. I may make mistakes. Please forgive me for my negligence, princess!” she says, trying to justify her actions. Jeez… the maid and the butler are too respectful, do they think I’m gonna hang them for a small mistake? But at least she still hasn’t suspected anything. Though, I hope everyone doesn’t act like this…

“You’re forgiven, new hire. But please do try to not repeat the same mistake again. Also, what’s your name?” Softly this time, I tell her. “Yes, thank you, your highness. I will not disappoint! My name is Rosaline” with a more upbeat tone this time. She starts walking down the manor hall. I walk right behind her as I take in the new view.

The manor’s interior is much more beautiful than its exterior. Not that the exterior is bad or anything but this is quite impressive. A long, white, fluffy hallway carpet laid right on the floor, I bet it’d feel incredible if I wasn’t wearing these damn heels.

Beautiful intricate paintings hung on the walls, small lamps laid atop tables with chairs to sit down on–most likely for the butlers or maids, beautiful glassy golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling with a bright white light emitting from them. Once again, it felt endless.

After a few minutes of walking, we stumbled upon something mesmerising. Two portraits of what looks like great, strong, and important figures. I wanted to examine them more and see what they have to offer. “Rosaline, let’s stop walking for a few minutes. I want to check something.” I say as I look at the portraits and Rosaline stops in her tracks and turns around to face me. “Yes, princess.”

Great, now I have the time to gawk some more! The left portrait was of a young woman, wearing a purple dress. It isn’t as puffy as mine.

Oh god, am I starting to refer to this dress as my own?? Ugh… Anyway, back to what’s important, her dress was more free and easier to walk in than mine, long and cascading flowing beautifully to right above her feet, white stripes running from around the sleeves and connecting right in the middle of her abdomen, she has long midnight purple hair with a few white strands, on her head lies a generic witchery hat with stars etched into it, on her feet she wore an elegant pair of short white heels, and finally the pupils of her eyes are replaced with four edged stars stretching out to the outside or her irises. She’s standing outside under a very pretty starry night with a sickle pointing to the moon in one hand and what seems to be an “urumi” in the other hand. There’s a golden plaque right under her portrait.

“Queen Minerva Zornitsa

A being loved by the stars”

Is what’s written on it.

The other portrait stood a tall young man with long black hair reaching right above his shoulders, and his irises are absolutely terrifying but shining with a radiant gold with pitch black pupils. He has a very serious expression on his face almost like one you’d see on a hardened veteran. Wearing a white robe with dark red sharp claw marks on them, although they look like part of the design not wounds he’s suffered through. His hand stretched out holding the handle of a giant sword with its head rammed into the ground. The blade itself is reddish black with a cat eye spanning from the handle till its end. He was standing in what seemed to be a battlefield with… dragon corpses? Am I seeing this right? Nono, this seems too farfetched, right..? Anyway… under his portrait also lies a plaque.

“King Cadel Chaser,

Notorious dragon hunter”

Oh god no… ‘dragon hunter’? So it’s true… Dragons DO exist in this world. I truly hope I never come face to face with one and if I do then, well, I hope they are at least a bit reasonable.

But anyway, so, those two individuals are the king and queen of this place? Man, they sure do look very different from how they usually look. I mean, where’s the fatass king and the greedy bloodlusted queen?

Examining further, there was another smaller portrait dwarfed by the size of the two. It snuggled right in between them, in it was a child with white hair, pupils replaced with four edged stars stretching out to outside of her golden irises, she was sitting very happily in a fluffy white bed smiling brightly. There’s a smaller plaque under her portrait

“Princess Astaria Zornitsa,

Born of star and dragon"

Wait… could it be. “Rosaline, bring me a mirror, now!” I suddenly say, after a few minutes of silence startling the poor maid, “Y-yes, princess!” The startled maid hurriedly left looking for a mirror and came back just as fast with a small hand held mirror in her hands. The ring in her chest now spinning even more erratically while shining a bit. “her-” before she could say anything, I took the mirror from her and I gazed upon my possible new life…

I take a deep breath and look… white hair… pupils replaced with shiny four edged stars stretching outside of her golden irises… this child is me. I am those two’s child. How have I not connected the dots?! Have I gone senile? They called me princess, they treated me really well, and I get to walk around this place like I own it! Of course I am her! Damn it damn it, why a princess?! Now I’ll look even more suspicious with my actions and what’ll happen if they find out who I am?? Or more like who I am not because I am certainly not their child!!!

Okay okay, it’s gonna be alright. I need to calm down. I look back at the maid trying to act as normal as possible. “Here, Rosaline. Thank you. And sorry for ordering you too harshly.” I say extending the hand with the mirror towards her. She takes the mirror back with a very very concerned look but doesn’t wanna intrude, worried she might get yelled at despite reassuring her I won’t. “Yes, princess.. I will put it right back.” she turns around and puts it back to where she found it as I am standing there doing breathing exercises. I really need to practise these more often or else I might end up having a heart attack…

Now, with a fixed posture, and a heart full of stress, I clap my hands together with a smile on my face as I look at the now exhausted maid. “Now then, let’s go, shall we?”