"Who said I never saw him?"
Astra paused mid-bite, glancing at Arisu in surprise as they continued walking.
"I saw him once… when I was a child," Arisu said as if recalling a distant memory.
"My grandfather worked in the palace back then, and he took me with him. I had begged him endlessly to let me see the festival at the imperial capital. I was so spoiled and stubborn as a child, so in the end, he had no choice but to take me."
"That was the first time I visited the imperial capital. It was nothing like the world I knew till then. the grand estates of nobles, streets so wide they seemed endless, and huge stalls filled with rare goods. It felt like stepping into another world, one I never even imagined existed."
"But even with all its grandeur, nothing could compare to the imperial palace. Standing at the heart of the capital, it was massive, its walls gleaming under the sunlight as if they were made of gold. It had two giant towering gates heavily guarded by hundreds of guards."
"Only those with an entry badge were permitted into the capital, and only those with a special badge could step inside the palace. Those who worked there carried another kind of badge. My grandfather had all three of them… and In that case I was lucky to enter the palace."
As I walked through the palace corridors with my grandfather, he suddenly ran into someone he knew and got caught up in conversation. Seeing my chance, I slipped away, eager to explore on my own. But as I wandered deeper, I lost track of my path and somehow ended up in the royal backyard.
That's when I heard a voice. Worried I might get caught, I quickly hid behind a pillar and peeked in the direction of the sound.
"For the first time, I saw the prince. Although I didn't knew he was the prince at that time I just thought him as child who was the same age as me who stood by a grand fountain, his back turned to me, speaking to someone I couldn't see."
"Wanting a better look at his face, I crept closer, but even then, I could only make out part of it half of his face was covered by an eye mask. Still curious about whom he was talking to, I inched forward until his voice became clear."
"Didn't I tell you not to come here again? I don't need your flowers… It's not safe for you here. Hurry, go back and wait for me there."
"His tone was soft yet filled with concern. He was speaking to someone standing farther away, but a wall blocked my view. Desperate to see who it was, I moved even closer. But just as I did, my foot caught on a pot, and I tumbled forward, landing flat on the grass with a loud thud.
Startled by the noise, the prince immediately hid behind the fountain. In his rush, his mask slipped off.
Groaning, I sat up and dusted off my clothes, my eyes darting around to find where he had gone. When I spotted him behind the fountain, I instinctively moved toward him. But before I could take another step, I saw a dark mist-like fog swirled toward me.
I screamed as it wrapped around me, enclosing me in a suffocating darkness. My body trembled, and cold sweat dripped down my forehead. Then, within the mist, I heard a voice whisper something...something I couldn't quite remember at all. My limbs grew weak, and before I knew it, everything went black.
When I regained consciousness, I was lying on the grass. The prince was beside me, his mask back on his face. Sensing my movement, he turned sharply, his voice laced with concern.
"Are you okay? You're safe now… no need to worry. The mist is gone I've taken care of it. Don't tell anyone what happened here and that you saw me."
"That was all he said before he ran off, leaving me alone in the backyard. I sat there, still shaken, until my grandfather and a few guards arrived, searching for me and the guards looking for the prince calling him out. That's when I got to know the one I saw was that prince whom people admired deeply.
The moment he saw me, my grandfather rushed over, his face filled with worry. Even though the prince had told me not to speak of what happened, scared to death as a child who just experience the dark presence I burst out and told my grandfather everything crying non stop.
That's it from that day on, he never allowed me to visit the capital again or even mention about that incident. He also quit his job at the palace and returned home to stay with us.
I never questioned his decision and obeyed without complaint thinking it's for my safety as a child. But now…
Now, I wish to go back.
I wish to find out what really happened that day. What was that dark presence? Why did it come for me?what did it asked me to do? And more than anything… I want to thank His Highness for saving me from that dark presence."
After walking all the way to the inn while recounting her story about meeting the prince, Arisu finally finished her flashback. She pressed a hand against her chest, emotions swirling inside her.
Realizing Astra was no longer walking beside her, she turned around with a sigh only for it to turn into a sharp gasp.
She was lying on the ground, unconscious, just a few meters away.
"Astra!"