It had been almost a week since I arrived in this world. I was being trained to become a guardian of this place. I still didn’t know why I had been chosen to be the goddess of this world, but for me to get out of here and return where I truly belonged, the emperor and I made a deal: I would help them with the upcoming war, and he would help me find a way back home.

But I couldn’t fully trust the emperor; there was something inherently untrustworthy about his demeanor.

That’s why I decided to find my own way out of here.

…

I was in the library, browsing the title on the spine of books, searching for anything that might help me translate the golden book- the key to my questions. The language of this country was the same as my own, so communication wasn’t an issue. But the golden book was written in a script I couldn’t decipher, and I was convinced that its contents held the answers I needed.

After nearly an hour of searching, I had gone through three-quarters of the library’s shelves with no luck.

“Ughh, why is this so difficult? If I had my phone and internet access, I wouldn’t have to work three times as hard.” I muttered, lightly banging my head against a bookshelf.

Suddenly, a hand cushioned my forehead, and a voice said, “You’ll bruise your forehead if you keep that up. You always seem worried whenever I see you.”

I turned around, frowning slightly, to find Sebastian standing behind me.

“Why? What’s wrong, Astrid?” he asked.

“I can’t find anything.” I replied, still frowning.

“What exactly are you looking for?”

“I’m trying to find something that can help me translate that book.” I said, pointing to the golden book lying on the desk.

Sebastian’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked at where I was pointing. He approached the desk and inspected the book before asking, “Where did you get this?”

“Oh, I found it in a bookstore the time I got lost.” I replied, moving to stand beside him. “Why?” I added peering at him.

He glanced at me and said, “Do you know what that is?”

“If I knew, then I wouldn’t have a problem translating it.” I replied. sarcastically

He rubbed his forehead, clearly exasperated by my sarcastic response, and that’s when I noticed his hand was bandaged.

I immediately grabbed his hand and examined it closely. “What happened to your hand?” I asked, concerned. Then I added, “You should let Mikhael heal it; he’s a good healer. He healed me when I bruised my face last time.”

Sebastian remained silent, staring down at me. Yes, he was so tall that the only way for him to meet my eyes was to look down.

Sensing the need to fill the silence, I asked, “Are you not on good terms with him?”

He ignored my question and changed the subject.

“We have digressed. You won’t find anything that can translate that book here or anywhere in this country.”

“Really? So, you do know what this is?”

“That book is bound with divine powers; you’ll only be able to read its contents once you’ve fully manifested your sacred powers.”

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“Seriously? But I’m having trouble manifesting those powers. I don’t know how to access them; I have no idea about anything in this place or about being the heir of a goddess.”

Since arriving in this world, I had never felt or used the power they claimed I possessed.

Feeling despondent, I sat down and laid my head on the desk.

“I don’t know what to do anymore; the only thing that could get me out of this world was still out of my reach.

“Don’t be discouraged. How about I teach you? Just so you have knowledge about the history of this empire.” Sebastian said as he sat down beside me.

I raised my head and nodded at Sebastian’s suggestion.

He grabbed a piece of paper from the pile on the desk, then took the pen and started to scribble.

“What are you writing?” I asked.

“Here, I drew you a map of this world. This is our country, Araceli; it consists of three regions: Sunniva, Metzli, and Csilla.” he said, pointing the pen at the paper.

“Oh wow, you drew that from memory? Impressive.”

Based on his illustration, Araceli was a medium-sized country divided into three regions: Metzli to the north side, the land of the moon goddess Selene; Csilla to the south, the land of the star goddess Asteria; and Sunniva in the middle, the land of Helios, the god of the sun. Metzli was bordered by two other countries; Sunniva has the largest portion of land, bordered by both land and ocean. Csilla, on the other hand, was surrounded only by ocean.

“Sunniva is where the imperial palace is located. Metzli and Csilla are managed by two duchies, Elrod and Crassuz respectively.” Sebastian added.

“Are there any people living outside our borders?” I asked, pointing at the neighboring lands of Metzli.

“Yes, there are kingdoms and villages existing on that side. Sometimes, when it is too cold in the north, they ask for aid in eliminating some demons that beset their land.” Sebastian answered.

There were other portions of the illustration I was curious about, like that large chunk of land on the left side of the map and other countries across the ocean. But the one island below Csilla intrigued me the most.

“What is this?” I asked, pointing at the small island below Csilla.

“That island is Miriim.” he answered.

That name rang a bell. I thought I had heard it somewhere before, but I could not remember where.

I fell silent, trying hard to recall where I’d heard it, when, suddenly, a knight came rushing into the library.

“Sir, I’ve been looking everywhere for you! You need to hurry downstairs.” The knight said, panting.

Sebastian stood up and asked, “Why are you in such a hurry?”

“The imperial princess is coming.” he replied tensely.

I could see the terror in their eyes, especially Sebastian’s, at the mention of the princess. I wondered to myself with my head propped on hand, ‘What kind of princess can terrify a six-foot tall knight?’

Sebastian looked back at me and said, “Astrid, you should go back to your room; we can continue our discussion another time. Please don’t wander around today.” He then instructed the knight to escort me back to my room.

…

“What’s with the princess?” I asked as we walked down the corridor.

The knight hesitated, but I just looked at him, waiting for him to speak. He had no choice but to blab it to me.

“She’s been infatuated with Sir Mikhael for almost two years now; some say it’s become an obsession. They met at a ball held for the princess’s 16th birthday; Sir Mikhael rescued her after a kidnapping attempt by Latveria. Ever since, she’s visited frequently and even decided to live here to be closer to him. That is why the duke sent Sir Mikhael away on business, so he could have some peace without the princess constantly disturbing him. But since the war is approaching, he had to return, and maybe the princess heard he was back in Csilla; which is why she’s coming here again.” he said in a gossipy tone.

“It’s just some puppy love; I don’t see any harm in that.” I replied.

The knight scanned the area to make sure no one else was around before continuing. He signaled for me to come closer and whispered, “There was a lady who was very fond of Sir Mikhael; her father even sent a marriage proposal, but one day she vanished without a trace. Rumor has it that the princess got rid of her out of jealousy. She wasn’t punished due to lack of evidence and witnesses. Plus, being the emperor’s only sister helped keep the scandal under wraps.”

I raised an eyebrow. “That’s intense, but it’s still just a speculation.”

“Yes, my lady, but it’s better to be cautious. If possible, avoid being seen by her or her maids when you’re with Sir Mikhael. Call out to us if you sense any danger.”

I laughed and assured him I would. Shortly after, we arrived in front of my door. He bid me farewell and left to line up at the gate to greet the imperial princess.

To be continued.