"Ooekk.. Oekk.."

The cries of a baby filled Selly’s chamber, Queen of the Roseman Kingdom. It was a joyful day at the palace. The second child of King Habel and Queen Selly had been born. He was Melvern, the long-awaited little prince.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty,” said the royal physician as he handed Melvern to King Habel. The moment King Habel held Melvern, the baby stopped crying. The King smiled.

“Welcome, my son,” he said warmly. Then he looked at Queen Selly.

“Thank you, my love.” Queen Selly smiled and nodded.

“Mother…” called Flori, their first daughter. Three-year-old Flori entered the chamber and approached them.

“Flori, look at your baby brother! Isn’t he adorable?” said King Habel. Flori gently held Melvern’s tiny hand. Suddenly, Melvern gripped her finger. Flori smiled happily.

“I will protect you, my little brother Melvern,” promised Flori.

“May happiness always be with our kingdom,” said King Habel. Everyone smiled and agreed—including baby Melvern, who smiled for the very first time.

...****************...

Seventeen years later…

Flori woke from her sleep. She heard noises outside.

“May?” she called. Usually, her personal maid would come when called. Flori was the princess of the Roseman Kingdom.

“May?” she called again, but still no response. Something must be wrong. Flori gathered her courage and stepped out. What’s going on?

In the distance, she heard the clash of swords and the screams of people.

“Coup!! Protect His Majesty!”

Thud! Flori’s heart felt like it stopped. A coup? Is this real?

Flori was terrified. She never imagined a coup would happen in her kingdom. If this is a coup, then her father, mother, and Melvern are in danger. She had to get to the royal shelter.

She ran through the secret passage—one known only to the royal family and the King’s guards. In times of danger, they were to hide there.

Flori arrived at the royal shelter door. Each royal family member had a key around their neck. All she had to do was unlock the door—

Wait!

Flori trembled. The door was already unlocked. Blood stains covered its surface. Had someone already been here? But why was it so quiet?

With a shaking hand, Flori pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room was dimly lit. Her eyes took time to adjust to the darkness.

“Father, Mother, Melvern,” she called, her voice trembling.

“Flori…”

She recognized the voice that called her.

“Father!”

Flori searched for the voice and found her father lying on the floor, covered in blood. Nearby, her mother and brother lay soaked in blood. They were all...

“Flori…” called King Habel. Flori clutched his hand.

“Father, what happened? Why is everyone—” Flori choked on her words. Her chest tightened.

“Flori, no matter what happens, you must survive! Only you can protect the key to the kingdom!” said King Habel urgently.

A warm light shone from King Habel's hand to Flori’s. She felt a warmth seeping into her right hand. After a moment, the light faded.

Flori saw the royal crest appear on her hand. It meant her father had passed the kingdom to her.

“Trust no one! Believe in yourself!” he commanded.

“Don’t leave me, Father,” Flori sobbed. King Habel closed his eyes. No! This must be a dream. This can’t be real! Flori cried uncontrollably.

“Princess Flori!”

Someone grabbed both of Flori’s hands to snap her out of it.

“Princess Flori, are you alright?” he asked. Flori looked up at the man in bloodstained armor. It was one of the royal guards—and her closest friend.

“Diego,” she whispered.

Diego nodded and hugged her.

“I’m sorry… I couldn’t protect His Majesty,” he said regretfully.

“What happened?” Flori asked.

“The commoners attacked our kingdom. It’s a coup. They want to wipe out the entire royal family,” Diego answered with a trembling voice full of rage.

Diego let go of her and saw the crest on Flori’s hand. He realized Flori was now the Queen of Roseman.

“We can’t stay here long! Come with me! I’ll protect you, Your Majesty.” Diego helped her up and pulled her from the shelter.

Suddenly, someone attacked Diego. He swung his sword to deflect it.

“Princess, go! You must escape the kingdom!” May, Flori’s maid, rushed in and pulled her away.

“But Diego—?” Flori looked back, seeing him still fighting.

“There’s no time, Princess!” urged May. Flori ran, following her maid. She looked back—more enemies were closing in on Diego. He was the only one left.

“Whatever happens, don’t stop! Don’t look back. You must keep moving forward!” May said firmly. She helped Flori mount her horse.

I don’t want to leave them like this, but… Flori held the key necklace close to her chest.

“Whatever happens, you must protect the key to the kingdom.” She remembered her father’s final words.

“I’ll come back. I promise I’ll save you all,” vowed Flori.

May didn’t respond—she just smiled and slapped the horse to make it run.

The horse galloped forward. Behind her, Flori still heard people chasing. She urged her horse to go faster.

Where? Where do I go?

Is there anywhere safe? Will I survive?

Flori was scared, but she couldn’t stop. Not after witnessing the sacrifices of those she loved.

She had been riding for a while, yet the enemies still pursued her. Dawn was breaking. Beyond the forest, she saw a gate up ahead.

It was the gate of another kingdom. The Ezbert Kingdom—frequent enemies of her own.

What do I do? They’ll never let me in. They might even kill me.

Flori had heard tales of the cruelty of their king. Spies sent there were often executed brutally. Her father eventually gave up trying to deal with them.

“Stop or we will attack!”

Flori heard the warning as war horns blared.

What should I do? If she stopped, she’d be killed by her pursuers. But if she didn’t, the Ezbert guards would kill her too.

Before she could decide, an arrow struck her back. Flori’s horse reared, and she fell off. She tried to get up, but her body ached all over. She looked back—another arrow was ready to be fired. Flori closed her eyes. So this is the end… I’m sorry, everyone…

...ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ...

“You must protect the key to the Kingdom!”

“No matter what happens, don’t stop! Don’t look back!”

“Stop or we will attack!”

“ARGHHH!!”

Flori screamed and opened her eyes. Her breathing was erratic. A dream? Thank goodness, so it was all just a dream. She tried to get up, but pain surged through her whole body. These wounds…? Flori remembered the moment when the arrow struck her back and she fell from the horse.

She couldn’t move her body; she could only look around. This wasn’t her room. Where is this? What happened?

“You’re awake?”

Flori looked toward the voice, but her vision was still blurry. She couldn’t even move her body.

“Ugh…” she groaned unconsciously in pain.

“You shouldn’t move yet. The healer just treated your wounds,” the man explained.

“Whe... where?”

That was all Flori could manage to say.

“Where is this? Yeah… that’s probably what you want to ask. Don’t you know where you are? You came into my Kingdom at the crack of dawn and caused a commotion,” he said with a mocking tone.

Ah… Flori realized. She was in the Kingdom of Ezbert. But why am I still alive? Why did he call a healer to treat me? Flori didn’t understand. Her head was spinning.

“I’m sorry… and thank you…” Flori whispered. She closed her eyes again. Her consciousness was slipping.

“Rest. You’re safe here.”

Flori faintly heard the man’s voice. She didn’t know if she should be relieved or not. She just hoped this was all a nightmare and that when she woke up, everything would be back to normal.

Flori slept for three days. When she woke up, her body no longer hurt as much. This time she could move, although she still couldn’t walk.

The servants treated Flori well. They fed her and tended to her wounds. They did it all without saying a word. Flori didn’t speak either.

A week passed, and she still hadn’t seen the man who had saved her.

“I can feed myself,” Flori finally said when a servant tried to feed her. Her condition had improved a lot, although the wound from the arrow in her left back still hurt.

Flori finished her meal. She wanted to return the plate to the table near the bed. This was the first time she had gotten out of bed and tried walking.

Though a bit weak and dizzy, she managed to set the plate down. Flori began to observe the room she had been staying in.

The room was large and luxurious. In the center was a huge window. Flori walked toward it. This was a palace, she realized. Her room was high up. From there, she could see the kingdom's landscape, even the gates and forest were visible.

“I see you’re getting better.”

The man’s voice startled Flori. She stepped back and turned around but lost her balance.

Flori closed her eyes, bracing for the fall, but the man caught her. She slowly opened her eyes.

This time, she saw his face clearly. He looked to be in his twenties. His expression was stern and cold. He had the build of a soldier and wore armor with a sword at his side.

“I’m sorry,” Flori apologized. She regained her balance. The man helped her sit back on the bed.

“Are you from the Kingdom of Roseman?” he asked. Flori nodded.

“I’m Fred, Fred Ezbert.”

“Ezbert?”

“Yes, this is my kingdom.”

Flori looked at Fred and studied his face. She didn’t expect the King of Ezbert to be so young. So this is the feared King Ezbert? What would happen if he found out I’m the Queen of Roseman? Flori became hesitant.

“And you? Who are you and why did you come here?” Fred asked.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. My name is May. I’m just a servant of the Kingdom of Roseman. There was a coup, so I fled here,” Flori lied. She felt the need to keep her identity hidden.

“A servant?”

“Y-yes,” Flori replied, bowing her head.

Fred fell silent, seemingly lost in thought. Flori grew nervous. She tried to hide the kingdom symbol on her hand. In truth, only people from the Kingdom of Roseman could see it. It was impossible for Fred to detect it—but still, she felt uneasy.

“So you’re saying the Kingdom of Roseman has fallen?” Fred asked. Flori nodded.

“The entire royal family is gone.” Flori’s voice trembled, holding back tears. She didn’t want to admit it, but no matter how long she slept, the harsh reality always caught up to her.

“Ha… hahahaha…”

Suddenly, Fred laughed. Flori clenched her fists. Of course, he must be pleased. His enemy’s kingdom had collapsed. Just like the rumors said, King Ezbert was cruel and heartless.

“Ha… After all these years, Roseman finally falls by its own people's hands. How amusing,” Fred mocked.

He stopped laughing and looked at Flori.

“If you’re well enough, you can work here as a servant. Make yourself useful if you don’t want to die,” Fred said coldly. He left, and Flori could no longer hold back her tears.

From that point on, Flori moved to the servants’ quarters. After a week of rest, she was assigned the job of food carrier.

According to the palace servants, Fred’s parents had died three years ago when he was 22. Since then, Fred had become cold and withdrawn.

Although strict and stern, he treated his people well. He was ruthless to the wicked but protective of the weak. That was how people saw Fred.

“That’s a representative from the Kingdom of Roseman. I didn’t expect them to come here,” Flori overheard some servants talking.

“Kingdom of Roseman?” Flori asked, approaching them.

“Oh right, you’re from Roseman, aren’t you? Seems like they sent a representative here. They’re meeting with His Majesty right now,” one of the servants replied.

Flori quickly walked toward the main banquet hall. That was usually where the king received guests. She wanted to know who the representative was and why they had come here.

Flori hid behind a pillar near the hall. She waited a while until several people emerged from the room. Flori recognized one of the men from the Roseman delegation. Her heart began to race.

...ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ...

Flori recognized one of the Roseman representatives. Her heart raced. Diego! Thank goodness Diego was still alive. Flori smiled. She felt relieved to see him again, especially after the last time she had seen Diego fighting hard to protect her. I have to meet him!

Flori decided to secretly follow Diego. When he was finally alone, she approached him.

“Diego?” Flori called.

“Your Highness?” Diego was just as surprised to see Flori. He ran to her and embraced her. “Thank goodness you’re safe, Your Highness. I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” Diego said joyfully.

“I’m glad you’re safe too, Diego,” Flori said emotionally. She never thought she would see him again.

Diego let go of her and knelt. “Forgive me for failing to protect you, Your Highness. I promise, from now on, you’ll be safe with me! Let’s return to the Kingdom!” Diego urged.

“Stand up, Diego,” Flori said. Diego obeyed.

“Can you tell me the current situation in the Kingdom?” she asked. She needed to know what had happened since that night. Diego nodded.

“Since that night, the attackers took control of the palace. Now he’s our new king,” Diego explained.

“New king?”

“Yes. Like it or not, we all have to obey him. If we don’t, he’ll kill us all,” he said grimly.

“Then how did you end up here?” Flori asked in confusion.

“I hate to say this, but His Majesty ordered me to form an alliance with the Ezbert Kingdom,” he replied.

Flori was puzzled. Wasn’t the Ezbert Kingdom their enemy? Why offer an alliance? What were they thinking?

“Your Highness...” Diego took Flori’s hand. She gave a bittersweet smile. Your Highness? Do I even deserve to be called that anymore?

“What if you came back? I’ll try to negotiate with the King so he’ll spare your life. We can live together again, like before,” Diego said.

“I don’t think I can return. Right now, I’m hiding my identity as a servant. If King Fred finds out, I’m afraid he’ll kill me,” Flori confessed.

“Don’t give up! I’ll protect you, Your Highness. As long as you still have that key, you can reclaim the throne! I’ll help you,” Diego promised.

The key... right. If only I still had the key...

“I’m sorry, Diego. I couldn’t protect it. When I arrived here, the key was already gone. I don’t even know where it is,” Flori said with tears in her eyes. She was ashamed of herself for failing to guard the key—something so important.

“Your Highness...” Diego was speechless. He simply embraced and comforted her.

“What’s going on here?”

Fred suddenly appeared behind Flori. Diego immediately let go of her.

“Respect to Your Majesty,” Diego said with a bow. Flori wiped her tears and lowered her head.

“Greetings, Your Majesty,” she said.

“What is a Roseman soldier doing with my servant?” Fred asked coldly.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty. I was just happy to see a former servant of Roseman,” Diego replied.

“The carriage is waiting. You can leave now!” Fred ordered.

“If I may, Your Majesty, may I take this servant back to Roseman? She is like family to me,” Diego asked politely.

Flori looked at Diego, surprised. She never knew he saw her as family.

“No.”

“What?”

“I said no! She is a servant of Ezbert. Her life belongs to me. If you understand that, you better leave before I lose my patience and cancel this alliance!” Fred threatened.

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Diego bowed respectfully.

Before leaving, Diego gave Flori a look that said I will come back and save you. Flori nodded in understanding. I’ll wait for you, Diego. You’re the only one I have left.

“You! Stop staring at him and come with me!” Fred ordered angrily. He walked ahead, and Flori followed fearfully. What does he want? Why is he so angry? Is he going to kill me?

Fred brought her to his office. No one else was there.

“So you’re very close with the head guard of the Roseman Kingdom?” Fred asked.

Flori nodded.

“Yes, he’s like family to me,” she replied.

“Do you want to go back there?”

Flori nodded again. “If the situation allows, and if Your Majesty permits,” she answered cautiously, still afraid of making him angry.

“Hah! You just waltz into Ezbert, we save you, and now you want to leave without a second thought? You’re unbelievable!” Fred scoffed.

“I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I’m very grateful to you and the Ezbert Kingdom for saving me. I promise I’ll repay your kindness one day,” Flori said sincerely. After all, she owed her life to Fred.

“How can I trust a liar like you?” Fred asked.

Flori looked at him. What did he just say? A liar? Did he already know?

“I overheard your conversation with the guard. You’re not a servant, are you?” Fred guessed.

Ah... so he heard everything. There was no point hiding it anymore. She would face the consequences.

Flori knelt and bowed deeply.

“Forgive me for hiding my identity. I am Flori, princess of the Roseman Kingdom. I’m the last of the royal family,” she confessed.

“If you return, would you try to reclaim the throne?” Fred asked.

Flori shook her head.

“That would be difficult. I’ve lost everything. I’ll return and start a new life,” she said. She had come to terms with her situation—she no longer held power.

“But, as I heard earlier, you could do it if you had the key, right?” Fred asked.

“Yes, but I’ve lost it,” Flori replied.

“Is this the key you’re talking about?”

Flori dared to lift her head. Fred pulled a key from his desk drawer. Her eyes widened in shock.

“That... how?”

She couldn’t finish her sentence. So it was Fred who had taken the key all along.

“This key means a lot to you, doesn’t it?” Fred smirked.

Flori clenched her fists. Yes, it meant everything. She remembered when her father had given it to her.

It was the night after her 17th birthday celebration. Her parents came to her room.

“Flori, this is our gift to you.” King Habel placed the key around her neck.

“This is the key to the Kingdom’s treasure. You must guard it well!” Queen Selly said.

“The Kingdom’s treasure?” Flori asked. Since she was little, her mother had told her stories about the Kingdom’s treasure—a power passed down through the royal bloodline. That power would be dangerous in the wrong hands. Flori had always thought it was just a fairy tale.

“Every royal heir receives a key at the age of 17. It’s our duty to guard the treasure. No one must know about it. We must protect it with our lives!” King Habel instructed.

Flori nodded.

“I promise I’ll protect this key,” she had vowed.

“So... what do you want?” Flori asked bluntly. She knew Fred wouldn’t return the key so easily.

“Would you grant any request I make?” he asked.

“If you return it to me, I’ll do whatever you say,” Flori promised. The key was more important than anything else.

“Alright then. Tomorrow—we’ll get married.”

“Yes, alright. Ehhh... what?!”

Flori stared at Fred, stunned. Fred smiled, walked over to her, and helped her up. “Marry me,” he said again.

...ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ...