3

It was late when Arcane opened her eyes, the light from the window beside her bed shining directly on her, making her uncomfortable. She blinked a few times, trying to adjust her eyes to her surroundings.

"You woke up, Princess!!" Blanca exclaimed with an overjoyed face. She was already dressed neatly with her hair done into a bun.

"Yikes!" Arcane's eyes widened as she was met with sudden positive energy first thing in the morning. "Did I scare you?"

The brightness in Blanca's eyes disappeared when she saw the scared expression on Arcane's face. "No... it's not like that," Arcane rubbed her face and gently combed her hair with her fingers, and looked at the window that was shining light right in her face.

She then noticed something odd on the couch. "What is that?" Arcane pointed at the huge boxes.

"Ooh!! Princess, they arrived this morning. It is a small gift from the Emperor," Blanca couldn't contain her excitement and hopped like a bunny while biting her fingernails.

"Hah?" Arcane's one eye squinted sarcastically as she looked at the size of the boxes. "That?... you call that a small gift?" Arcane shifted her legs to the side of the bed, Blanca hurriedly brought her flat slippers.

"Nah! I am good without them." Arcane didn't wear her shoes, she walked barefoot on the cold marble floor with joy. "It's fun this way," she stepped down the stairs. The boxes were huge, about the size of her height. They were covered with elaborately embroidered cloth that was used as a replacement for gift wraps.

"This must be for the upcoming banquet...Just like in the book," Arcane muttered to herself, she suddenly felt a gust of cold wind hitting her that made her tremble all over. She suddenly remembered the storyline where she was going to be brutally killed.

"Princess!!" Blanca saw Arcane's pale face and trembling body, she ran over to her side and held her tightly to avoid her from falling. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Arcane shook her head in response as she was not okay. The trembles a while ago had caused her head to spin, she suddenly saw vague memories that the real Arcane's body held. Blanca helped Arcane sit on the couch, while she held her head tightly, she felt immense pain surging. Arcane had clenched her teeth tightly, trying hard not to scream, but it was all in vain. She could no longer control her pain and screamed bitterly as the painful unconscious memories of Arcane made their way into her conscious mind.

She saw how brutally her hands were broken and then cut off, she could feel the pain. The memories of the time when Iroas penetrated the sharp sword into her heart for the first time and then followed by the endless stabbing. She saw the hatred, loathing, and disgust in his eyes as he continued to cut her skin. Arcane couldn't take in the sorrow, her screams grew louder as she passed out. Still, the memories didn't stop pouring into her head and tormented her even in her dreams...

"Gah!!" She blinked violently as she abruptly sat up in her bed. The light of the day had long set into the never-ending darkness of the night. She looked around the room to see the silhouettes of the furniture. The moonlight was the only source of light. Arcane still had the ringing sensation of being stabbed all over her body. She felt like she had been stabbed. She gently stroked her hands that had been cut off and breathed out heavily. Arcane felt as though she had been stabbed. She gently stroked her hands, which had been cut off, and breathed heavily. Her hands were still trembling from the trauma.

"What should I do? What if I die like that again? I don't want to die," Arcane mumbled through tears. "What if I run away? What if I can just disappear from the story's plot? I am sure nothing would change, it's not like I have a major role." Arcane spoke to herself in the dark room, still stroking her hand.

"The banquet of the hero's arrival will be next month. I should just run away before that," Arcane spoke with a determined tone.

She sat there in the same posture for an unknown amount of time. She was pulled back into reality after the first light of the sun hit her face directly. She shifted her blood-red eyes towards the sun and clenched her teeth.

"I will fight you all...I will not let anyone use me like a doll," she paused for a moment, "or at least I will try."

"Or what if I could go back," she thought to herself before her attention was diverted by the door.

Click.

The door of the room opened cautiously. Blanca stepped in slowly, trying not to wake up Arcane, who had not slept a wink for the past night. Blanca was holding a huge bowl and a towel in her hands. Her eyes lit up when she saw Arcane wide awake.

"Princess! You scared me. I thought you were dying," she sprinted over to the bedside and whined.

"I was not dying...not yet," Arcane said.

"Are you feeling any better? Do you want to go outside? I have heard that they have great gardens in the palace," Blanca said excitedly.

"Outside?..." Arcane bit her lip and looked out of the window, where the trees were lightly dancing with the wind. "Let us go outside,"

"Yes! I will prepare you tea and snacks," Blanca replied.

Blanca had prepared jasmine tea and freshly baked milk bread with syrup. Thinly sliced fruits added color to the breakfast. The food was laid out on the table under the tree.

"Princess, what do you think?" Blanca asked.

"This is nice. What about you? Have you had your breakfast yet?" Arcane asked.

Blanca nodded in response. Arcane picked up the fork and ate a few berries. She had a perplexed expression. Blanca noticed her uneasiness and asked,

"Princess, is something wrong? You suddenly passed out like that and now you are frowning?" Blanca fidgeted her fingers. "You can tell me if something is bothering you,"

Arcane lifted her gaze and looked at her innocent maid. She bit her lip lightly before speaking.

"I am homesick," Arcane said.

"What? But you were the one who said you were sick of that home! Princess, they didn't even treat you like a person back there. Why would you miss that home?" Blanca suddenly spoke out with a little louder voice than usual, surprised.

What Blanca had said was true. Arcane, the adopted daughter of Duke Jackel, was not treated well. She was considered a filthy object that was never accepted into the household. She never saw the love of her family since she was born.

Arcane chuckled at Blanca's response before pausing to think. "Is there a library in the Palace?" she asked. Blanca's eyebrows twisted as she looked around before replying, "I don't know, but I can ask the other maids."

"Okay, great," Arcane said, sending Blanca on her way. As she ate her fruit, Arcane watched Blanca disappear into the distance. Without realizing it, she had finished her entire bowl of fruit.

"I want more of these," Arcane pouted, looking around. Not surprisingly, she realized she was living in a fruit orchard. A smile spread across her face as she lifted her puffy dress and walked towards the densely grown trees. "I wonder if they have oranges here," she mumbled, entering the orchard.

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