"I know you've grown but I can't just let go of the image when you were still a toddler running around in circles. The maids spent lots of their time dealing with that."
"Please, father. Refrain from speaking out loud about such things."
"And now, my daughter has learned to be embarrassed."
"I told you to stop!"
"Alright alright. All the images in my mind felt like yesterday. Soon in the future you'll continue prospering this kingdom in my stead."
"..."
"What's the matter, you should feel happy to be trusted as a royal blood."
"But...I couldn't harness it, the power that was given to our ancestor through generations."
Her bloodline consisted of people able to harness the power of the crystals and control them with sheer will. However, when it came down to Evaline - the 7th gen, an accident happen. She almost drowned at an early age which led to not manifesting the bloodline powers when she reached the required age.
"I see, maybe you're not ready to wield it yet."
"But I'm your only child and you'll soon have to retire. If I don't take it after you, who will?"
"Evaline, do not worry. Even age this age I am still at my best. I don't want my duties to become a burden on you. Never stop trusting yourself and soon your inner power will respond to your call."
"I hope so, father."
Meanwhile, someone was sneaking nearby as they looked at the 2 father-daughter with hate and envy. It was the king's right-hand - sultan. He had long envied the king for having a beautiful wife and a daughter as well as the power he possessed. On this day, he again looked at 2 chatting people with ill intentions but he couldn't do anything. He later walked away vowing to put an end to it all someday.
Eventually, the 2 came inside the castle and had dinner with the Queen already waiting for them. They ate purple glowing energy cubes to sustain nutrient inside them which was something that allowed them to had a life in the vast land underground filled with glowing crystals. Aftermath, Evaline went to her room while her parents discussing something among themselves.
"My liege, so what was it about that worried her that much."
"She felt overwhelmed by the role she would eventually inherit. I can't tell her to ignore it completely."
"She's still on about that incident, isn't she? That was something that never happened to you or your ancestor, to have not yet unlocked your inner power when you reach the right age."
"I too was curious about it but I don't want to make it sounds like she's ruining our kingdom's future."
"I understand. As parents, we both want the best for her. Also, please put some caution on the sultan. I noticed recently he looked at me with impure intentions. I want him stay as far away from our daughter as possible."
"You're worrying too much, I'd been close with him for years. I'm sure he also wants the best for her."
"I hope so..."
At night, when everyone was asleep, Evaline would sneak out of the castle and spend her times inside the mines trying to harness her powers. Yet, every each of her attempts resulted in failure. This night was no exception, either. She sat down on a large rock and panted after several struggles.
A figure in a black robe came out of the dark and approached the tired girl. He reached out his hand to her and showed her what he as holding. It was a red glowing crystal with a crack on its surface.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
"What is this?"
"The key to your success."
"What do you mean? What can it do to help me?"
"You want to be acknowledged by your inner power, do you not? This object will significantly increase your capacity to invoke it, allowing you to grow even stronger than your father in his prime. You could reject this offer, I am not trying yo force you. But...such an opportunity like this will never come around again in a million years."
"..."
"Don't you want to stop worrying everyone around you and show them that you have it in you? If you possess the power to lead, your father will finally be able to rest easy feeling proud of his heir."
The words coming from the mouth of a stranger shouldn't be trusted, yet they resonated with her internal worries which led her to want to see her family smiling and the people across the kingdom happy. She couldn't bring herself to suspect even one word. In the end, she accepted.
"I'm glad to see you make the right decision. Remember, do not tell this to absolutely anyone. This conversation is between us. We can't have anyone bearing ill intents to exploit the object."
"What should I do with this thing?"
"All you need to do is to hold it in your arms while you sleep. It will be absorbed inside your body and you will see the results."
With that, the figure disappeared into the darkness. Evaline wasn't sure if it was a hallucination but the red crystal she was holding was real. She later sneaked back inside the castle, pass through the night patrols secretly. She did as what they told her, slept with the crystal in her arms. The next morning, she felt a bit more refreshed than every other day. This became a surprise to her parents as they noticed her being more cheerful than usual.
In the next night, she once again tried to concentrate into her palms as she held them out. After a few minutes, a strange light emitted from her palms and it formed into a pierce of crystal. Evaline started dropping tears on her eyes at her very first success in the harness of her ability. Then, she kept training nights after nights in secret without even her parents knowing.
The king had been quite busy with recent works and the queen could sometimes felt an impure gaze from a distance among her servants in the castle. Hence, they couldn't be bothered to feel something strange happening with their daughter. In fact, the king felt proud of his daughter's improvement in mentality. He was a bit more at ease seeing his daughter feeling better, yet she always avoided it when he asked about what caused the change in her.
In a mine at night, Evaline decided to increase the output of her energy to see if she could progress further with her awakened power. She began channeling into her palms and held them in the front as she imagined a crystal pillar rising in front of her eyes. Then, a crystal pillar pierce through the ground and rose 5 meters above her. She couldn't bear to contain her joy, she would eventually show her parents the result of her training on the special day of the kingdom. But for the moment, she still had long to go before actually revealing it.
Meanwhile in a chamber deep under the castle, a researcher was trying to harness a crystal from a corpse. Suddenly he heard footsteps at the entrance of his lab. It was the esteemed sultan who had decided to visit the researcher in the middle of his work. He seemed eager to see the result of the ongoing experimentations.
"Doctor, how is it progressing."
"So far so good my lord. At this point I'm still amazed that extracting life-force from an organism would create a crystal with much more energy than the regular ones around the kingdom."
"That's good to hear. How long will it take until a complete product is ready?"
"With this pace, I believe it will be right before the event day."
"Just what I wished for."
"How is the progress with the crystal given to her? Did it work as I expected?"
"Not to worry, doctor. She did well, soon her family will be in shock of her capabilities."
"I see."
The researcher continued on with his work and the sultan left the room, exciting to see his plan working. He vowed to reclaim everything the king stole from him as he laughed to himself alone.
The next morning, the king saw his daughter up and about in the backyard of the castle. Seeing an opportunity to talk to his daughter in private, he began speaking.
"Evaline, how have you been doing lately?"
"I'm fine, father. These recent days I've felt more at peace with myself. Even I could see myself no longer being the same as before."
"That's the spirit, sweetheart. Though, if you ever feel troubled or worried, always remember that your mother and I are always ready to listens to your struggles. No matter what happens or will happen, you're never alone. The entire kingdom will also support you no matter what."
"Thank you for your kind words, father. I promise I'll never let you or the people down."
"I expected as much from you. Keep on with your endeavors and they will bear fruit."
The 2 of them had a nice chat with each other after days of minimal interactions between the family. At the same time however, the queen had a visit from an unwanted individual that she never expected of all the people she could thing of.
"Queen Rosaline, long time no see."
"Sultan Edmont, what are you doing in my chamber?"