Butterflies fluttered freely around a blonde-haired woman with a crown adorning her head, her jewel-like green eyes gazing intently at rows of beautiful red roses. The woman occasionally smiled and laughed as she admired them. She felt a tickling sensation in her hand, tempted to reach out and touch one of the roses.
The woman was truly beautiful, outshining even the butterflies and roses in the garden.
"How about it, Princess Lilac? Do you like the roses?" asked a short-haired woman dressed in a servant's uniform.
The woman addressed as Lilac turned her head, a smile spreading across her beautiful face as she nodded. "I love them so much! They're absolutely beautiful!" she said enthusiastically.
Lilac Ivelle.
That was the name of a woman renowned for her beauty and kindness. People were always praising her, and her life was constantly filled with love. She was the youngest daughter of King Morgan, earning her the title of the youngest princess of the Kingdom of Cyrus.
How did she feel about being a princess, you ask?
The answer was simple...
Happy.
She was always surrounded by kind and loving people, especially her father, who cherished her dearly. Although her mother, the queen, had passed away, Lilac was grateful because her father and older sister always cared for her with love.
The maid smiles, sharing in the princess's joy. "Thank goodness. It's because you always take such good care of these roses, ma'am."
Lilac loved flowers, but roses were her favorite. That was why her father had created this beautiful garden specifically for her when she turned fifteen as his gift.
Lilac strolled through the garden accompanied by her loyal servant, Alora, who had served her since she was eight years old. Alora had always been by her side, so Lilac considered her a friend rather than merely a servant.
Lilac bent down, intending to pick a few red roses to place in her room. "Ouch!"
"Princess!" Alora quickly grabbed Lilac's hand when she noticed the blood trickling from the finger that had been pricked by a thorn.
Lilac fell silent as she watched the blood drip from her finger. It was the first time she had ever been injured by her favorite flower. "This is not good..." Lilac murmured, gazing at her hand.
"Oh Lord! Are you all right, ma'am?" Alora hurriedly tried to stop the bleeding from Lilac's finger. She was truly alarmed to see the princess injured.
Suddenly...
"LILAC! LILAC!"
Lilac turned around, as did Alora. She saw her older sister running hurriedly toward her. Sweat beaded on her sister's forehead, and an expression of sheer terror was clearly visible on her face, a sight Lilac had never seen before.
"Sister, what's wrong? Why are you running like this?" worried Lilac as she watched her sister panting heavily.
GRAB!
Daisy gripped both of Lilac's shoulders tightly.
"RUN! YOU HAVE TO RUN!" Daisy insisted, staring intently at Lilac.
Lilac furrowed her brows, confused by Daisy's strange words and behavior. "Sister, what do you mean? I don't under—"
"You don't have to understand! You just need to run away right now!" Daisy cut Lilac off, her voice trembling along with the hands gripping her younger sister's shoulders.
Lilac pulled Daisy's hands away from her shoulders and let out a small laugh. "Hey, calm down. Why are you acting like this? You're scaring me."
Alora nodded in agreement with Lilac. She thought that King Morgan's eldest daughter needed to calm herself down first. She was just as startled as Lilac by Daisy's sudden arrival.
Daisy squeezed Lilac's hands tightly, her gaze fixed on her with deep and firm.
"You should be afraid right now!" Daisy declared. "B-Because you are going to be offered as a sacrifice to the God of Misfortune, Styx!"
...
The sound of ragged, heavy breathing echoed through the dense forest as her bare feet raced aimlessly through the undergrowth. She paid no heed to the sharp twigs slicing into the soles of her feet. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she ran past the towering trees.
She kept running...
Running...
And running, like a lost lamb.
She glanced back, her heart pounding wildly. Fear coursed through her, causing her entire body to tremble and her vision to blur.
"Hah... Hah... Hahh..." Lilac kept looking back, terror evident in her eyes. Faintly, she could hear the voices of the royal guard pursuing her, shouting her name.
"PRINCESS LILAC!"
What was happening now felt like a nightmare, or something far worse than that. Her life seemed to be crumbling apart in the blink of an eye.
"PRINCESS, PLEASE STOP!"
Lilac held her breath as tears streamed down her cheeks. It felt as though the Angel of Death himself were chasing her.
It seemed like only moments ago that she had been laughing, happy with the life she always had. Yet now, look at her… she was running aimlessly, desperately fighting to save her own life.
"Sob... God! Please help me!"
She kept running tirelessly, desperately searching for a way out of the forest. The forest had once been her playground, but now it stood as a silent witness to her desperate flight from death.
THUD!
"Agghhh!" Lilac fell. Her knee struck a sharp rock, and her dress tore as it caught on a branch.
Wincing in pain, she looked down at her bleeding knee and her palms, which were now dirty and scraped. Her heart sank. She had never imagined that her fate would turn out this way.
"PRINCESS LILAC! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
Lilac froze.
Dozens of royal guards were still in pursuit. She could hear the clanking of their armor growing closer. She scrambled to her feet, forcing her exhausted legs to run once more.
She didn't want to die…
SHE DIDN'T WANT TO DIE!
"God! Please... let me live!" She ran for what felt like miles before finally reaching the edge of the forest.
Her prayers had been answered. She had managed to escape the forest but only to emerge into a place she did not recognize at all.
In front of her stood a massive palace, yet it appeared abandoned and neglected. Vines choked the gem-adorned pillars, while dry leaves littered the palace terrace. Lilac stunned for a moment before shaking her head to pull herself together.
She rushed toward the palace, pounding on the doors with all her strength, desperately hoping that someone inside would hear her cries for help.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"Someone! Please help me!" Lilac cried out through her sobs. This time, she pounded desperately on the doors with both hands. "Pleaseeeee!"
Silence.
Was there truly no one behind those palace doors who could hear her?
Lilac kept knocking and screaming for help, but to no avail. Despair washed over her as a whirlwind of thoughts filled her mind.
Was this how her life was meant to end?
Was there truly no way to escape the death her own father had orchestrated for her?
Helplessly, she sank to the ground, her shoulders trembling. The sound of her sobs echoed through the seemingly uninhabited palace. It was truly a heartbreaking sight. Anyone who saw her would have felt pity for her.
Now, all she could do was prepare herself to accept her fate, waiting for the royal guards to find her and take her away. Until...
"Who are you?" a deep voice suddenly rang out from behind her.