The Princess Royal Guard (ENGLISH)

PROLOGUE Lilith, Mistymoon City March 2000 A clear breeze greeted me as I left the house. It's only seven in the morning, but you can hear the noise all around the village. It’s the weekend today, so there are definitely a lot of people in Lilith City. I took my bike before riding it to Lilith. Customers were flocking to the shop right now, and Grandma might be overwhelmed because of that.  I was still far from the shop, but I could see the people queuing and waiting for their turn to enter the cafe. I tied my bike to one side before going through the back of the shop to get inside. “Good morning!” I greeted them when I entered the shop.  "Good morning, Sadira! Can you assist me?" Mrs. Coleslaw said when I passed by her.  I smiled and put down the basket I was carrying. "Sure, what do you want, Mrs. Coleslaw?" I ask as I get the small notepad to take her order.  Nana and my sister Sephora were the ones in charge of the counter and making their orders. While I was the one cleaning, taking orders, and making sure that they'll give us more time to serve them.  My usual routine is mainly like this after class and on weekends. These two are the only family that I’ve got, and I’m thankful for them for staying with me. After I fixed the tables and got their orders, I helped Sese in assisting other customers. It must have been thirty minutes before we made them all calm down and were able to rest. While everyone was resting, I also tidied up the kitchen to make our lunch. Sese is tired, and I don't want to depend on her more often for our food. She is constantly busy and tired in the cafe, so I tried to help with the minor task.  When afternoon came, I finished all my work so that I could leave immediately. Quillan was already there and looked like he had been waiting for a while. I just said goodbye to Sese and Nana and informed them that I would be going out with Quillan.  "Are you going to the castle again?" Sese asks before I go out.  "You know it’s her favorite place, Sese. Who knows your sister might really become a Princess,” Nana teases me. “Nana! Stop teasing me! You sound like Sese too. You know you are so the reason why I liked the stories about them,” I reason out as I get my bag.  “All right, just leave and stop sulking your Prince has been waiting outside for a while. Maybe he can find another Princess and you’ll end up crying on us,” Sese added while grinning to annoy me more.  I just shook my head after saying goodbye to both of them. When I came out of the cafe, Quillan immediately took the basket I was carrying and put it on the back of his bicycle. We are just leaving on time for other tourists to leave in the Ruins. After all, the tourists might have left in the ruins because most people who go to Ruins are tourists and come from far away places. So, they usually leave before the sun goes down to make it to the last train to the city. Precisely the right time for me to gawk over the Castle I always dreamt of since I was young.  Quillan bike ahead of me and followed him. The Castle is very close, so we don't have to travel long. When we turned to the corner, I smiled as he waved at me, holding my favorite drink in one hand. I jump on him in excitement, but he rants about how clumsy and noisy I am.  We were always together, but he was also constantly complaining about me. Even though he always complains that I was loud and naughty, he never rejected me every time I invited him. I don't have any other friends besides him because we are both busy helping our family.  When we are done with our task, we’ll stroll around the palace of the former Queen. It's just Ruins for others, but the fun and peace I get every time I'm here in this place is different. “Hey, Sadira don't walk too fast, you might fall,” Quillan shouted.  I look back and turn to him. "I'm good. I've been doing this everyday, Quil. No need to worry about me," I assured him.  "You're so stubborn," he commented while shaking his head.  While walking, I couldn’t help but smile as I watched the scenery around me. Even though I see it every day, I don't think I’ll get tired of watching it swaying with the wind. If I can build a house here, even in the forest, that's fine with me, but the government already owns the land in this whole area. So, whatever I save, I will not have this kind of land. “Sasa, hurry up and walk. You’re interrupting other tourist coming into the Ruins,” Quillan calls me. When I looked behind him, I frowned when I saw some tourists were already making faces at me. Tsk! They no longer appreciate the beauty of the whole place. I guess I'm the only one who comes here because of this beauty that spreads all over the place and not to be proud that I got to this secluded place. Quil just paid at the entrance before we went inside. The first place we went to was where we often hung out because there weren’t too many people there. But when we got there, we caught up with a few couples who were probably dating, so we had no choice but to look for another place. I don't want to mingle with other people here, especially since most tourists mess around here. “Sasa, where do you want to lay the mat we brought?” He turned to me. "Maybe in the usual place like before,” I replied sparingly and followed him.  We arrived at our former place behind the Ruins, where there is a small garden. We often stay here, but it is too hidden from everyone and close to the gorge, so it is hazardous. So we just looked for another place that was pretty close but unnoticed by people and not dangerous. I just laid down the mat we were carrying and took out the food in my basket one by one.  I look around and check the whole place before waving my finger in the air. As I put down my hands, a couple of flowers and some birds appear in front of me.  I secretly smiled before sitting down and waited for Quillan to return. The Ruins were once a beautiful Castle that many people admire, but their beauty wears off and starts to crumble gradually as time goes by.  While eating, we watched people happily taking pictures in every corner of the Ruins. I don't know what they see in this place to go back and forth because Quillan said it is just a pile of rocks. Nothing special! “Will you wait for me?” Quillan suddenly asked me. I smiled without looking at him. “Do I have to wait for you?” I joked, causing him to choke on his drinks.  “You’re so bad. You know I’m just waiting for you to stop me from leaving,” there was a sullen tone in Quillan’s voice. A laugh escaped my lips as I could no longer suppress it. “I have no right to stop you, especially if it helps you grow. I’m happy to support you in everything you do even if it meant I would be left here in Mistymoon,” I smiled softly as I caressed his cheek and kissed his lips. Quillan and I have been friends since I can remember. He was courting me ever since I got my first pimple, but I consistently declined him like what Sese does on Mason. Simply because our life is not as simple as it may seem, but I know Quillan can feel what I feel for him even though I’m not saying it.  “There are more people today than the other day,” Quillan said as he sat down next to me. “Will you look around? Don't go too far because I might not be able to find you,” he reminded me before I left. He was the one left in our spot because he was busy with his studies. I think the exam week is coming up, so it's the reason why Quillan is always awake. This is also one of the reasons why I take him for a walk because he can't rest at their house.  I reach the top floor in ruins. I stopped and smiled, watching the birds playing above the roof. As I watched them, I couldn’t help but see people relentlessly taking pictures at every corner of the ruined castle. I smiled and moved my snout, and the smile on my lips widened more as they began to look for the food that was already in my hand.  If Sese and Grandma find out what I’m doing now, they'll surely go berserk about this. No matter how many times they banned me from using my magic, I couldn’t help it. Sometimes it's just nice to feel that I can do so much by just waving my hand.  I stopped when I heard a voice. It was a voice that was calling me. But as I roamed my eyes around, no one else was there besides the birds eating the bread I had given. "Did you call me?" I couldn’t help but ask them, but as expected, I got no answer.  I was just shaken down when I heard Quillan's voice calling to me. He must be hungry because he has been waiting for me for a while. But as I was descending, the sky suddenly darkened, and heavy rain fell. “Sasa, where are you?” I heard Quil shout. I tried to answer him, but because of the heavy downpour, he could not hear me. And I'm also having a hard time getting down. The rocks are getting slippery because of the rain. And as I was trying to get down, I again heard the voice calling to me. “Sasa, help! Help me!” the voice calls me again. “Who are you? Where are you?” I also shout because she might hear me. But no one answered me except the heavy downpour, and I can only hear Quillan calling. So I just continued going down, but on my last step, suddenly lightning struck hard, and my foot slipped from the rocks. At the same time as I fell, a loud shout escaped from me, calling for Quillan.  I tried to wave my hand, but my magic didn’t work. God has rewarded me for what I did before, so maybe Grandma forbade me to use it. I just smiled bitterly and closed my eyes, and accepted my fate. My only consolation now is that I am here in my favorite place.  I blinked at something cold sticking to my skin. I rejected it a few more times, but it just stuck to my skin again. And I heard a few more voices before I decided to open my eyes. When I roamed around my eyes, a large ceiling greeted me. And when I looked at the whole room, it was so big, and even a tiny part of it was unfamiliar to me. “Who are you? What are you doing to me?” I ask the woman standing near my feet.  “She's awake! She's awake!” I heard a voice. When I looked up, two women were standing there on my head. And three more rushing women re-entered the room where I was lying. I frowned at them as I watched them running around as if something was happening. Do they have a problem?  Wait, where the heck am I, anyway? I got up because Quillan might be looking for me, but the woman next to me quickly stopped me and laid me down again. And then I noticed the dress I was wearing was like a mosquito net. “Who are you? I need to go home now. Grandma and Sasa might be looking for me,” I said as I was trying to get up.  “You are already home, Princess Atarah.” A woman beside me uttered.  “Home? What the heck are you saying?” I scowled at her.  “Forgave her rudeness, Princess. But you need to get dressed now and get breakfast,” another woman added.  “I’m not a Princess though I really wish I am,” I regard, making her smile.  A brunette that was standing on my feet waved her hands. I followed it, hoping for magic to happen like what I was doing, but nothing happened. “Dress her up and show the Princess what she looks like,” she commanded the woman beside me.  I gasped when they stood me in front of the mirror, and my lips parted in surprise when I saw myself. My brown hair was curly at the ends, and I was wearing a white sleeveless dress topped by a corset wrapped around my body. It was as if my breasts were about to come out of its tightness. What the hell is happening?  Why am I wearing this s**t?  Am I dreaming right now?  “Princess Atarah, stop hurting yourself. The King is already waiting for you in the dining area. You need to get dressed,” the brunette Sunnifa told me, making the girls beside me move faster.  “King? Princess Atarah?” I was stunned for a moment and looked around again. “What's the day today?” I ask Sunnifa, making her look at me with brows furrowed as if I was asking her some nonsense questions.  “March 1910,” she replied, causing my world to stop. What the hell am I doing in 1910?