Chapter 102 – Levisia’s Past
Levisia scratched her cheek when she saw the ornate, golden carriage arriving in front of the palace. As soon as it came to a halt, the doorman hopped down from the driver’s seat and opened the carriage door. Elizabeth was sitting inside with a sour look on her face.
“Welcome, Your Highness…” Levisia said with a bow, to which Elizabeth scoffed at.
“Get inside.” She said, not bothering to look at Levisia. Levisia hesitated, feeling as though she did not deserve to travel in such a grand and opulent carriage. As she debated over whether she should enter, Elizabeth ordered some maids to place the suitcases into the carriages behind hers, and then enter themselves. The whole time, Elizabeth never left her carriage.
“Hurry it up, Levisia. We haven’t got all day!” She shouted as she leant back in her seat and pinched the bridge of her nose.
When Levisia went to climb into the carriage, she saw Pel leaving the palace with his luggage. Their gazes briefly met, before Pel entered the carriage behind hers. There was no smile on his face, only a curt nod of acknowledgement.
With a heavy sigh, Levisia boarded the carriage and sat down across from Elizabeth. The horseman closed the door behind them and climbed back into the driver’s seat. With a swish of the reins, he ordered the horses to take off. As the carriage pulled away, Levisia wondered how it had all come to this. Two weeks ago, she was minding her own business. But then Elizabeth had included her in the inspection team. Not that Levisia could have refused in the first place. Without asking for Levisia’s opinion, Elizabeth had formally written her name down on the registry.
In the offer, which was really just a notification that she was to join in on the inspection, Elizabeth had said she would be responsible for Levisia’s convenience throughout the inspection schedule. Levisia had had no choice but to say yes so as not to offend her. Yet she couldn’t help but feel as though she was tagging along on the royal family’s official duty.
And it didn’t seem like just a hunch. Levisia hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since the day she’d caught the Kraidens’ attention.
She was hoping they’d cut her off one day, but it seemed like a long way.
Whilst Levisia was lost in her thoughts, she could feel the glare of Elizabeth burning into her soul. No matter she did, she could not avoid the stare for much longer.
“Your Highness, is there something you’d like to say to me?” Levisia asked, after plucking up the internal courage to face Elizabeth.
“How did you end up in the palace?” Elizabeth said, like she had been waiting patiently for the opportunity to talk.
“I used to live in the capital. When I was young, someone came from the palace, visiting everyone from door to door. They had a stone with them, and asked us to hold it.” Levisia explained. “I somehow resonated with the stone, so I was allowed to enter the palace. Back then, I hadn’t known the stone was a fairy stone. I only found out afterwards what it was.”
Elizabeth’s cheeks turned red, and she looked away as if overcome with embarrassment.
“Is that it? You resonated with a stone and were brought into the palace? Did someone’s illness get cured or something like that?” She snapped.
“If something amazing like that happened,” Levisia said, flinching slightly. “Why would I be staying in the most secluded place in the Imperial Palace? And while no one was healed, aren’t there a few other great things that have happened?”
It wasn’t the Kraidens she was talking about, but the unnamed royal family that’d come close to them. Levisia had heard that they could be quite extraordinary when their abilities were expressed. If that’s what Elizabeth wanted to hear, it’d be better to hear it from them.
“And what about your mother?” Elizabeth said after a moment of uncomfortable silence. “What happened to your mother after you came to the palace? Wasn’t she left all alone?”
Levisia frowned. How did Elizabeth know that she used to live with her mother? Elizabeth seemed to have looked into her past. And if that was the case, then why did she ask when she already knew the answer?
Perhaps, there was another reason why she asked Levisia about the behind story of her entering the palace. Because Elizabeth had to know how she’d done it if she’d lived with her mother.
“Did you know that your mother went missing after you came to the palace?” Elizabeth asked, perhaps noticing the awkward silence that had fallen within the carriage.
Chapter 102 – Levisia’s Past
Levisia scratched her cheek when she saw the ornate, golden carriage arriving in front of the palace. As soon as it came to a halt, the doorman hopped down from the driver’s seat and opened the carriage door. Elizabeth was sitting inside with a sour look on her face.
“Welcome, Your Highness…” Levisia said with a bow, to which Elizabeth scoffed at.
“Get inside.” She said, not bothering to look at Levisia. Levisia hesitated, feeling as though she did not deserve to travel in such a grand and opulent carriage. As she debated over whether she should enter, Elizabeth ordered some maids to place the suitcases into the carriages behind hers, and then enter themselves. The whole time, Elizabeth never left her carriage.
“Hurry it up, Levisia. We haven’t got all day!” She shouted as she leant back in her seat and pinched the bridge of her nose.
When Levisia went to climb into the carriage, she saw Pel leaving the palace with his luggage. Their gazes briefly met, before Pel entered the carriage behind hers. There was no smile on his face, only a curt nod of acknowledgement.
With a heavy sigh, Levisia boarded the carriage and sat down across from Elizabeth. The horseman closed the door behind them and climbed back into the driver’s seat. With a swish of the reins, he ordered the horses to take off. As the carriage pulled away, Levisia wondered how it had all come to this. Two weeks ago, she was minding her own business. But then Elizabeth had included her in the inspection team. Not that Levisia could have refused in the first place. Without asking for Levisia’s opinion, Elizabeth had formally written her name down on the registry.
In the offer, which was really just a notification that she was to join in on the inspection, Elizabeth had said she would be responsible for Levisia’s convenience throughout the inspection schedule. Levisia had had no choice but to say yes so as not to offend her. Yet she couldn’t help but feel as though she was tagging along on the royal family’s official duty.
And it didn’t seem like just a hunch. Levisia hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since the day she’d caught the Kraidens’ attention.
She was hoping they’d cut her off one day, but it seemed like a long way.
Whilst Levisia was lost in her thoughts, she could feel the glare of Elizabeth burning into her soul. No matter she did, she could not avoid the stare for much longer.
“Your Highness, is there something you’d like to say to me?” Levisia asked, after plucking up the internal courage to face Elizabeth.
“How did you end up in the palace?” Elizabeth said, like she had been waiting patiently for the opportunity to talk.
“I used to live in the capital. When I was young, someone came from the palace, visiting everyone from door to door. They had a stone with them, and asked us to hold it.” Levisia explained. “I somehow resonated with the stone, so I was allowed to enter the palace. Back then, I hadn’t known the stone was a fairy stone. I only found out afterwards what it was.”
Elizabeth’s cheeks turned red, and she looked away as if overcome with embarrassment.
“Is that it? You resonated with a stone and were brought into the palace? Did someone’s illness get cured or something like that?” She snapped.
“If something amazing like that happened,” Levisia said, flinching slightly. “Why would I be staying in the most secluded place in the Imperial Palace? And while no one was healed, aren’t there a few other great things that have happened?”
It wasn’t the Kraidens she was talking about, but the unnamed royal family that’d come close to them. Levisia had heard that they could be quite extraordinary when their abilities were expressed. If that’s what Elizabeth wanted to hear, it’d be better to hear it from them.
“And what about your mother?” Elizabeth said after a moment of uncomfortable silence. “What happened to your mother after you came to the palace? Wasn’t she left all alone?”
Levisia frowned. How did Elizabeth know that she used to live with her mother? Elizabeth seemed to have looked into her past. And if that was the case, then why did she ask when she already knew the answer?
Perhaps, there was another reason why she asked Levisia about the behind story of her entering the palace. Because Elizabeth had to know how she’d done it if she’d lived with her mother.
“Did you know that your mother went missing after you came to the palace?” Elizabeth asked, perhaps noticing the awkward silence that had fallen within the carriage.
