The Luna's guardian

Alicia's POV

The Royal harbingers ambled inside the prime minister's manor immediately after I wrapped up scrubbing Lady Dia's feet. I swerved in respect and watched with half-lidded eyes as they matched forward to the giant entrance of the building while the guards scurried to open the portico.

They were definitely here to convey an important message.

I stretched my back and wiped the sweat on my forehead the moment they entered.

It had been an exhausting and dampening day. As usual, I wasn't able to avoid Lady Dia's typical abuse of my face. Every single time her eyes came in contact with me, she would land a stinging slap on my cheek, including other unnecessary mistreatment at any slight mistake I made. Lady Dia wasn't that antagonistic when I first got peddled to the family.

According to what I heard from the other servants, her severe rigour and bitterness towards me were a result of the crown prince noticing my presence during a ball I was appointed to be her entourage.

A prince I didn't even set my eyes on , and it will be over by dead body to be in any way in an intimate relationship with the son of a person that massacred my parents. What hurt me the most was that he bears the same name as my childhood lover.

Lady Dia's fetish attitude towards the so-called prince is an issue that needs a thorough understanding.

It had been two years since then, and the prince was still yet to ascend the throne as he was still having issues considering that he was an illegitimate son. He was supposed to be the Emperor of the great Genovia a year before which was after the death of the Emperor , but no one knows the reason for the delay. Aside from my dislike for the populace of this country, I loathe the Royal family that had steered the unforeseen and agonizing combat on my once serene park and that of my childhood lover.

It had been fifteen years of dire and tormenting experience. I was collared and traded to a peddler whom I was fortunate that he was constantly on a trip. For eleven years, I lived with the merchant until he sold me to the prime minister at a high price.

I was like an asset to the merchant and he had pawned me for a mouth-watering amount of money. When I got to the Prime Minister's villa, I had thought it was a God-sent prospect to find my way into the palace and take revenge on my people, lover, and family.

I was naive.

I wasn't even able to kill an ant. Slowly, my determination to revenge diminished and I lived in agony with the only hope of finding my childhood lover, Arnold. All I did was cry when I was bullied by the other maids. They were jealous because the prime minister's first son has some sort of feeling for me whose heart is for no one but my betrothed childhood aficionado.

A night wouldn't pass without me worrying about him. When we were in my homeland, my father would tell me that I needed to be prudent from hazardous encounters when I went out with him anytime he came from his village to visit. I felt safer whenever I was with him because he was a great warrior even at his young age.

I was ten while he was fifteen.

He will be thirty this year while I will be twenty-five.

Our last meeting was when we strolled around the market. I was mid-smart but not bold or courageous. My father was from a low status and my mother was the Luna of the park signifying that I would be the next Luna.

Dad was a diligent farmer, and I had accompanied him to the location of the ore mine which was a bit far from our homeland. It was in a hideous location.

Father explained the benefits it would have on our park and the next day when Arnold visited, I told him about the ore mine as we were to rule our parks as Alpha and Luna when we grow up.

I thought that there shouldn't be a secret between us. I thought it shouldn't be a big deal to report it to my soulmate.

Since then, Arnold did not come by to visit me, which I don't know the reason for. A week later, an envoy from Genovia announced that we should surrender the ore.

It's a mystery about how they got to know about it.

Of course, my parents forbade me to tell anyone. To our surprise, they went back to their country only to come back and trap the whole park.

They captured both the Tiger and Greenland Park.

Father had instructed me to pass through a secret route out of the house while I heard the scream of torture of my parents as they were slaughtered like animals. I had escaped death but was held captive as a slave with other people in the park.

They had no idea that I was the next Luna of my tribe.

Since we were the ones who knew the location of the ore mine, I still don't know why Greenland Park was punished and how the news about the ore mine got to the hearing of the wicked Emperor of Genovia.

I jolted out in fear when Bona, my only friend tapped me "What is with you drowning in deep thoughts, huh. You don't want Lady Dia to catch you slacking around do you?" she asked and urged me to come along.

"I am sorry" I mumble and carry the big bowl while walking beside her in the direction of our quarter.

Bona suddenly stopped and faced me with a suspicious stare "I heard something strange from the cooks about Prince Arnold summoning a particular maid. I guess it's just a rumour but I guess that you are the one"

My heart beats in dread as I clutch the bowl tightly "You must have heard wrong. I don't have any relationship with the royal family whatsoever"

"Really?" She gasped dramatically and proceeded, "The others also mentioned that a year ago, he had commanded the prime minister to take good care of the maid but out of jealousy, instead his daughter had secretly maltreated the maid"

"The only one that seems to fit this is you, Alicia. The ruthless Prince of Genovia has come to take you" She says and raises her hands.

I hissed angrily, and stomped into the quarters. My stomach grunts and my body shivers in anxiety. Different thoughts overshadowed my mind.

What if the greedy people know that I'm the supposed Luna who knows the location of the ore mine?

Will they kill me just like they did to my parents?

I screamed in distress and fell to my knees as that had been my only option for letting out my sorrow.

It's too much. My back, fingers, and legs hurt.

My heart clenches.

Immediately I heard Bona's hurrying steps, I wiped my face and pretended like nothing happened.

She was breathing heavily like someone who had run a mile. "They are here, Alicia. They are here to take you away. What have you done?" She mutters repeatedly and worriedly.

"I told you to stop spouting nonsense. I might vow not to talk to you anymore" I warned and sniffed shakingly.

"The Royal messengers are outside our quarters now. I saw them with my own eyes, Alicia" she panicked.

In the blink of an eye, realization dawned on me that I was called upon. My breathing became erratic as it fell out of rhyme.