Enthralling Lunatic

[ENG] ch. 2

"Goodness, such a beautiful girl as you, don't you want to become His Majesty's women too?" asked one of the senior concubines at the same table.

"Indeed, the king will surely like you."

The concubines bantered, laughing cheerfully at the afternoon tea party. So did Alresca. Their words were all praises for her. It seemed not that bad to pretend to be a village girl. Or maybe it was because the people in Valvhanra were all good, unlike her siblings in Amburse.

Alresca's cheeks blushed, embarrassed.

"I am not worthy of the king; I am just a common village girl—"

BAM!!!

Before Alresca could finish her sentence, the sound of thunder echoed through the royal hall. The concubines in the pavilion screamed in surprise, automatically turning towards the source of the sound.

What happened?

It was midday. How could there be thunder?

"Oh my... It must be His Highness Cadius again. Poor him," said one of the concubines, rubbing her chest, still shocked.

Alresca turned, confused.

"The Crown Prince?"

"Yes, His Highness is a transcendent. One of the strongest in Valvhanra," the concubine replied after regaining composure.

Another concubine nodded, "We often hear sudden thunder and other disturbances in the palace."

The other concubines chuckled and nodded in agreement. They quickly returned to a relaxed state after the commotion.

Several minutes after the thunder, guards ran back and forth through the pavilion towards the main hall. It seemed true; this was a common occurrence for the palace people.

"Does Miss Alresca not know about the Transcendents?"

Suddenly asked, Alresca turned to the source of the voice, silent.

Of course, she knew. Transcendents were individuals blessed with natural powers, more or less like that. But maybe it was better if she didn't say anything.

Alresca smiled in confusion, shaking her head, "I am just a village girl, how could I know what that term means."

The concubines nodded, trusting Alresca's act as a naive village girl.

In Alresca's mind, she never expected that Crown Prince Cadius was a transcendent. Transcendents in Amburse were like criminals and gangsters. They were aggressive and liked to act arbitrarily because they inherited power from pure bloodlines. Unlike Alresca, even though her mother was a pure blood, her father, King Amburse, was an ordinary person born without godly bloodlines. So, Alresca was born with only her mother's genes, unable to use any powers like transcendents except for healing the sick.

This fact was disclosed by Alresca's late mother when she was about ten years old. Her mother deliberately kept it a secret, fearing that people would harm her daughter.

Fortunately unfortunately, at least father wasn't a monster.

One guard seemed overwhelmed, carrying Cadius's medicine to the main hall. The box wasn't too big, but it seemed very heavy for the muscular guard. When the guard stepped down the stairs, he accidentally slipped and fell. The concubines in the pavilion were startled by the sound of the metal box falling to the ground.

Alresca was also surprised, then sighed along with the concubines. It seemed that the Valvhanra palace was not as calm and peaceful as rumored outside.

The box broken, and crystal balls like bubbles rolled out, broken with its contents wetting the paving.