es"I went to Glaciers to check for Cool and wasn't there," Hailec said, a week after Cool disappeared.
"I know that. I just wanted to be sure."
"So what's your plan now?" He asked while looking at me reading a book in the library.
"It's either I look for him or he shows up," I answered nonchalantly.
"You're not worried about him?" He was confused with the disinterest I was showing.
I snap my fingers and small flames formed a message in the table between us.
'Someone's outside.'
His head turned towards the closed door of the library before it returned to face me.
"He left me here, alone. He promised me that he wouldn't, that he would stay beside me all the time. But he left. Without a word." I said using a pained voice but with a smirk plastered on my face.
"But you asked me to look for him?" he asked with a taunting smile.
"That was a foolish move. I just realized how stupid I was believing his promises." I replied.
And then we stopped talking, we were just waiting for someone to make a move.
A few moments later, we heard faint footsteps away from the door.
"Who was that?" he asked in a low voice.
"Blaze." Hailec's eyes widened when he heard me answer his question.
"How sure are you?" he questioned while raising one of his brows.
"I knew almost everyone's presence around here."
"Seriously?" he asked in disbelief.
"You're starting to talk like Sassy," I said and chuckled while he was scowling at my remark.
"Seriously, how did you memorize everyone's presence?" he repeated.
"I may have not known about Narte Fantasia before, but my parents are still training me with some stuffs with an excuse of me being a pyrokinetic." I saw him intently listening to me.
"They taught me how to read people based on their actions, movements, and words. My dad also trained me on how to differentiate the presence of each individual from one another." I added.
"Your parents are great." He said with a sad smile.
"Yeah, they are," I answered affectionately.
We remained in silence for a while, but unlike before it wasn't an uncomfortable one, it was so much better than before.
"So what's the real plan?" He later on asked.
I put down the book of prophecy which I was reading over and over for the last two days.
"There's no 'real plan'. I was waiting for the royalties' next move."
His forehead creased when he heard my answer. He leaned forward the table, putting his arms above it.
"Why? Won't you look for Cool?" he asked confused.
I smiled at him and leaned away from the table, relaxing my back on the backrest of the chair where I was seated.
"I am looking for Cool," I emphasized.
"You are? How?" He questioned with a confused face.
"I need to ride on with their antics. They were the only ones who knew where he was." I clarified and returned my eyes to the thick book which contains only one page inside.
"You called for me?" I asked, aggression was very evident with my tone as I entered her quarters.
"Fhyra, hija. You're a princess. Please do act a little more sophisticated." She reminded which I answered back with a scowl.
"What is it?" I implored instead.
I heard her sighed and slightly shook her head as if problematic or maybe she really is, with me.
I smirked with the thought.
For the past few weeks, I did nothing but to cause trouble around here.
There was that I'll interrupt the work of the people causing the delay of some 'important' businesses of theirs.
There's also a time when I 'accidentally' burned one of the arenas where students practiced their abilities.
But those where just some of my disastrous activities lately.
"We would be having dinner with the royalties, later tonight. Please be at your best condition." Queen Feu said firmly.
I scoffed at her and almost roll my eyes.
"I was always on my best," I said in a mocking voice.
"Fhyra." She called out in a warning voice.
I raised both of my hands in the air, surrendering.
"Is that all?" I probed.
"Yes."
"I shall go and prepare so that I can show you my 'best' condition then." I mocked one last time before turning around to leave her quarters.
"I mean it, Fhyra. I want you to face the crowd later at your best condition." She said when I was a step away from the red doors of her quarters.
I didn't even stop walking and just continued to open the door. I was finally able to breathe properly after I had completely left her quarters.
Ignis prepared an extravagant looking long-back dress for tonight's dinner.
The reddish halter dress was silky soft at the top. The red color then fades into something like glittery orange at the back.
The front side of the dress reaches a few inches above my knees while the backside reaches the ground.
Ignis also prepared the footwear which is a fairy styled sandals which I have a lace-like ribbons that I had to tie below my knees.
She also prepared my hair. It was now in a beautiful French twist and a few strands were left hanging to frame my face.
"You look pretty Fhyra." Ignis said in awe as she stared at me as she finished doing 'stuffs' on me.
"That's thanks to you," I said appreciatively.
I smiled back at her when she showed me one of those warm smiles of hers.
"The princess is too stunning, Your Highness!" someone said as we were waiting for the food to be served.
I was seated on the left side of the queen, who was seated on the corner of the table.
"They suited each other." Another insignificant person from the table said, talking about me and the Count who was seated beside me.
The Queen and Blaze's father laughed at the remark and joined the conversation too.
As the discussion continues I started to get hints about the purpose of this dinner tonight and I was very hopeful that I was wrong.
But the tiny strand of hope I had snapped when I heard Blaze's father talked.
"We must prepare earlier for the wedding. This should be extravagant! It's a marriage between the princess and a count!"
Everyone stilled when they heard my utensils harshly fell on my plate, creating an annoying sound.
"What is this all about? What marriage?" I asked while still staring at my food before I snapped my head towards my grandmother's side.
"What is this all about?" I asked her coldly, causing her smile from their conversation to fade.
"Princess—"
"Shut up! I'm not talking to you!" I said as I glared at Blaze and push away his hand that was trying to approach me.
I then shifted back my attention to the Queen.
"Your mother was supposed to marry Count Glitter before she run-off with your father." She said as if that would explain everything.
"And what was that supposed to do with me?"
"You are the Princess of this nation, hija. You'll soon take over the throne, you need a good man beside you." She said with finality.
Everyone in the table was bewildered when they saw me scoffed at what their queen said.
"Fhyra, mind your manners." She scolded with her eyes squinting towards me.
So this is why she wanted me to be in my "best" condition?
I rose from my seat loudly, not minding what she said about my manners.
I was about to just quietly leave the hall to save her some face but she just had to say something to infuriate me.
"It's really a pity that Blare raised you with the mundanes and that Glacia boy! Look at you growing up with no manners!"
I felt hurt for my own mother. I felt hurt for my father. They did an amazing job raising me until now but this heartless woman here just has to drag their names in the mud as if they were the worst parents ever.
My palms closed and formed into a fist as I felt my anger rising within me.
"You don't have the right to question my parent's upbringing. They were so much better than you. " I said coldly before I left the hall, infuriated.
I didn't know where to go.
I don't have a place to go.
'Cool, where are you?' I mindlessly called out in my mind because of my dire situation.
'I'm right here, Princess.' My eyes widened and I turned to look around when I heard his voice in my mind, and there he was, staring and standing not too far away from me.
I didn't know how to react.Seeing him show up at this very moment I wanted to run towards him and complain to him how much I feel wronged and how much I was hurting.I was just standing there staring at him staring back at me.He gave me a weak smile when I felt Blaze's presence approaching.My forehead creased when I saw Cool walk away.'Don't worry. I'm just around you. All the time.'I figured that he was hiding from Blaze or probably from the whole Flamis. I didn't know his reason but I somehow trust him. No, I completely trust him. I know he has a good reason why he's into hiding."Princess—""Didn't I told you to stay away from me?" I said without sparing him a glance and just continued walking."But I just want to explain my side." He reasoned out, frustrated with how uninterested I am to hear his story."Are you done?" I inquired a few moments later."You just really don't care about me, do you?" he asked in a bitter tone.I turned around to face him this time, my left brow ri
"Sassy this is Ignis, Ignis this is Sassy. The friend I was talking about." I introduced them to each other after arriving in Hailec's place."Hi! It's nice to meet you Ignis!" Sassy greeted cheerfully."Hi, it's nice meeting you too, Señorita," Ignis responded shyly."Woah there! I'm no royalty, okay? Sassy is fine." Sassy corrected."Okay, Sassy," Ignis said still a little awkward with Sassy's enthusiasm."I've prepared your rooms," Hailec said after appearing all of the sudden."Kimean!" Sassy called out as he followed Hailec inside the house."I thought his name was Hailec?" I asked Ignis after realizing that Sassy was talking about the baylan."Only a few one's knew that the real name of the Punong Baylan is Kimean Hailec Ledesma. And very few are given the privilege to call him with that name. I think your friend holds a special spot in his life now." She said and gestured me to follow the two first."Sassy," Hailec's warning tone welcomed us, as we enter his living room."But I
"Before your arrival here in Narte Fantasia, Blaze already had a hunch that there's a mole within the Royalties and he was right. The moment you came, the suspected mole acted more suspicious." Cool stabilized my position on his lap and he rounded his arms around the small of my back to my waist before he continued."Remember Duchness Ardor?" He asked and looked at me questioningly.I tried to recall who he was referring to but nothing came into mind, so I just shook my head to tell him that I don't."Remember the lady who suggested to send me back to the glaciers? You burned her clothes." He said and it was with his last sentence that I remember the middle-aged lady who screamed like a banshee after having her dress set on fire."Oh, yeah. I remember. Wait. Don't tell me she was the mole?" I inquired in which he responded with a nod."Yeah. She is.""Wow! The darkess did a great job sending an idiot as a mole." I said both a little disappointed and amused."After being taken by the Gu
"Wow!" I heard Sassy gasped as soon as we step foot on the opening of the Kabisera."Don't go too far away from us." Hailec reminded her."Yes, sir," Sassy answered together with a playful salute."Ignis, are you okay? Are you comfortable?" I asked her when I realized how quiet she is."Yeah. Don't worry. I just missed walking around here." She answered with a smile."Why? You haven't been here for a while?" I asked, my forehead creasing from curiosity."As soon as I entered the palace, it was too hard to go outside. It was a rule made by the queen since she found out that an insider helped Princess Blare escaped before." I wanted to feel pity for her, being unable to go to places she used to go to, but I knew that's the last thing she wanted right now."That's fine with me though. Don't worry." She said with a smile."I'll just look around for a while," she said and started to blend in with the crowd."Sassy!" we heard Hailec called out and immediately followed my friend who looks lik
I can still hear the screams and shrieks of the fantasians behind the wall where we are currently hiding.'Would the others be alright?' I worriedly asked him with my mind.He tilted his head to face me.'Don't worry. They'll be fine.' He said and gave me an assuring smile before peeking once again on whatever was happening behind the wall.I was pinned against the wall, Cool's body against mine, I can feel his hands on my waist.I didn't know how long it takes before the disturbing screams of terror started to die down until there was nothing left but silence.A dreading and eerie silence.'Stay here.' He ordered as he tried to check the area before he came back to get me.I felt my stomach turned upside-down, I instantly felt the urge to vomit.The lively and crowded Kabisera was now filled with dead fantasians on the ground. The disgusting scent of blood lingers on the air.I immediately thought of my friends and hurriedly scanned the place for any sign of life.My eyes glowed when
The very next day, Queen Feu immediately sent Blaze and a few guardias to come and fetch Ignis and me at Hailec's house."The Queen is worried about Princess Fhyra's safety, since your home is quite near in the Kabisera. I hope the punong baylan won't take it negatively if we ask the Princess and her muranda to come back to the palace?" Blaze respectfully told Hailec who was seated on the couch on the receiving area of his house.It's a good thing that his house was huge. We were quite startled to see Blaze and the guardias early this morning.Seeing Cool here would be a little understandable but seeing a mundane like Sassy here?So we needed to mask her presence in case the others would notice and Hailec hid her somewhere inside the house.Ignis, on the other hand finally gained consciousness this morning as well and Hailec assured me that she was fine.So here we are, facing Blaze and the five guardias sent by Queen Feu."It's not that I held it against the Queen, since I do understa
"No! I'll be draining you if I do. No, I wouldn't do it." I said in a firm and determined voice."No, you won't. You won't let yourself drain me. You can do it." Cool said encouraging me.I tried to focus once again but every time I started to feel his energy creeping into my body, I immediately
I don't know if a one week stay at the punong baylan's house was too long, but stepping inside the Flamis Palace once again feels foreign now."Good morning, Princess Fhyra!" The murandas that lined up by the gate of the palace greeted in unison.I throw a glance at Ignis who was standing behind me and gave her a meaningful look. She suddenly nodded, curtly bowed, and left the place in a hurry to do what I ask her to do before we left Hailec's home.I faced the people confidently and made my way towards the Queen's quarters to give my greetings and let her know about my return.Although we're not in good terms she's still the queen and my grandmother, just like what Cool said.'Cool?' I called out in mind.It took him a few more minutes to respond.'I'm here.' I almost sigh in relief when I heard him talkback on my mind.'Just go to my room. He'll be there soon.' I told him pertaining to Blaze.Before we left Hailec's house, I asked Ignis to immediately find the count and told him to g