CHAPTER 5

Isolde awoke to her first morning in the Elven court in an unfamiliar bed, surrounded by cold stone walls. Sunlight filtered weakly through thick curtains, casting the room in a dim glow. Rising and dressing, a slight hunger pang in her stomach prompted her to await breakfast. Hours passed, but no one summoned her. Finally, her elderly attendant entered with slow steps. On the tray in her hands was a meager breakfast for one: a few slices of dry bread, a tasteless fruit, and a glass of water.

She had not been invited to the royal family's breakfast table. Clearly, in the eyes of the court, she remained a mere outsider, a necessary inconvenience to be tolerated. Isolde made no protest to this slight. In her own world, she was a proud princess, but here she was a guest, and she believed she must adapt to Elven customs.

As the days passed, Isolde's breakfast, and indeed all her meals, continued in the same vein. However, with each meal, Isolde detected a strange taste. The soups were excessively salty, the meats stale, and fine grains of sand grit the water. Initially, she attributed this to the differences in the palace's cuisine. But with time, she noticed the cold, even hostile, demeanor of the servants towards her. Their contemptuous glances, whispers, and deliberate clumsiness wounded Isolde deeply.

The servants acted under the indirect orders of Queen Lyra and Princess Elara. In their eyes, a human could never be queen, and it was their duty to make life as difficult as possible for this "savage" princess. They secretly added extra salt to her food, sprinkled sand in her water, and delayed cleaning her room. Their aim was to intimidate Isolde, make her miserable, and perhaps even drive her away from the court.

Isolde tried to endure these humiliations and mistreatment without complaint. She believed that patience was necessary to preserve her own dignity and solidify her position in the Elven court. But as she ate and drank less and less, her body grew weak and listless. At night, she tossed and turned in her bed, tormented by hunger and thirst, silently shedding tears.

One night, when her strength finally gave way, Isolde secretly left her room late into the night. Moonlight painted the palace's stone walls in shades of silver. Driven by the unbearable pain in her stomach, she walked silently towards the gardens. The cool air offered slight relief to her burning throat.

In a secluded corner of the palace gardens, she reached a shimmering pond. Collapsing to her knees, she began to weep uncontrollably. Liam's betrayal, her father's decision, the court's coldness, and now this degrading treatment... everything weighed heavily upon her shoulders. As her tears mingled with the dark waters of the pond, Isolde felt once again how utterly alone she was in this cruel world. Silent curses against the servants who had brought her to this state and against this alien court escaped her lips. Her thirst grew so intense that she tremblingly dipped her hands into the pond's cold water and drank deeply.

Just then, the palace doors creaked open slightly. King Caspian had worked late into the night on his affairs and was wearily returning to the palace. Hearing the sound of sobbing coming from the gardens, his curiosity piqued, and he walked towards the source of the sound. By the light of the moon, he saw a figure kneeling by the pond's edge, drinking water between sobs. As he drew closer, he realized it was his wife, Princess Isolde.

Caspian was taken aback by Isolde's disheveled state. Her face was pale, dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her body had clearly lost weight. The moonlight cruelly illuminated the young woman's weakened form. When Isolde noticed Caspian's presence, she startled and quickly tried to stand.

"Your Majesty..." she whispered, her voice trembling and ashamed.

"Isolde?" Caspian said, his voice filled with concern. "What is wrong with you? What has happened to you?"

At that moment, Isolde could no longer contain her anger and despair. "What is wrong with me, King Caspian?" she cried out, her voice shaking with fury. "It is your vile servants who have brought me to this state! They poison my food, they put filth in my water! They leave me hungry and thirsty! I am treated like a slave in your palace!"

Caspian was stunned by Isolde's unexpected outburst of anger. This ferocity was a far cry from the timid and gentle princess at the wedding. But at the same time, the desperation and rage in Isolde's voice stirred something within Caspian.

"What?" Caspian asked, his voice hardening. "The servants are treating you this way? Why did you not tell me sooner?"

"What difference would it have made if I had?" Isolde retorted with a mocking tone. "Do you not despise me simply because I am one of those 'vile humans'? Am I not just a pawn used to save your kingdom?"

Isolde's words struck Caspian's heart like an arrow. His prejudice against humans had, without his awareness, harmed his own wife. In that moment, he understood that Isolde was not just a beautiful face and an intelligent tongue, but also possessed a proud and strong spirit.

Caspian angrily seized Isolde's arm. "Come with me," he said, his voice now icy.

Isolde looked at Caspian in bewilderment. "Where?"

"We are going to hold accountable everyone who has treated you this way," Caspian replied, a dark expression on his face.

Taking Isolde with him, Caspian strode angrily towards the servants' quarters. Despite the late hour, he had all the servants roused from their beds. Standing before the trembling servants, he pointed to Isolde and roared, "This woman is my wife, your queen! Whoever has dared to disrespect her, to humiliate her, will pay a heavy price!"

The servants trembled before Caspian's wrath. The culprits were quickly identified. Without hesitation, Caspian severely punished all the servants who had mistreated Isolde. In that moment, everyone in the palace witnessed the extent of Caspian's fury at the disrespect shown to his wife.

Afterward, Caspian gently took Isolde's arm and led her towards his own chambers. "You will no longer stay in this cold and lonely room," he said, his voice filled with unexpected tenderness. "I am giving you the luxurious room next to mine, in the heart of my palace. You will live like a queen."

Isolde was both astonished and moved by Caspian's sudden change. This cold and distant king was showing her compassion for the first time. Perhaps, in this foreign court, there was something beyond despair. The chapter concluded as Caspian settled Isolde into the opulent room beside his own. People from two different worlds, under the shadow of hatred and prejudice, stood on the precipice of an unexpected closeness.

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