Violet's eyes were closed, while her hands clutched the animal's body. When she thought she was about to be bitten, the animal instead licked her cheek as if it were a sweet candy. Trying to muster her courage, Violet opened her eyes and blinked a few times.
The animal was small, dark purple in color with not-too-thick fur. At the tip of its tail was a tempting gray hue. Violet immediately threw the animal away when it bared its two fangs. She quickly stood up and pointed at the innocent creature, "You!" she snapped.
It let out a low "meow," and its gaze melted Violet: wet, sparkling, and adorable, until she finally gave up on scolding it. Especially when its ears drooped downward, it was truly adorable.
"Don't look at me like that," Violet said to the animal. The animal sniffed Violet's feet and rolled around. Violet chuckled, her heart melted, and she finally picked up the animal and carried it in her arms. "Alright, but don't cause any trouble, okay?"
After placing the tiny animal on the bed, she quickly went into the bathroom to clean herself up. Violet saw the animal curled up and asleep near her pillow. Violet shrugged her shoulders, unsure what to do with the poor little creature. Reluctantly, she lay down and faced the animal.
"Are you also lost like me in this strange world?" Violet said softly.
The animal opened its eyes, gazed lazily at Violet, and drew closer as if to convey warmth. Finally, Violet closed her eyes.
***
"You really like staring at other people's lovers, Prince," Edgar said sarcastically.
The prince turned around, looked at Edgar with a crooked smile, and returned to gazing at Violet's window from afar.
"She's my fiancée, Roger," Edgar continued.
"From the start, she's been mine, Ed. Don't even think about hurting her." The prince turned around, glaring at his cousin with a blank expression. A few seconds later, he stepped forward and bumped into Edgar's shoulder.
Feeling offended, Edgar reflexively grabbed the prince's arm and said, "Don't be greedy, Roger. You already have the throne, so let me have Violet."
"Not this one, your Violet is dead!"
Edgar's hands clenched and his jaw tightened as he watched Roger walk away. No one knew about the murder at the time except those involved. And how did the Prince know about it?
Edgar quickly left the area, mounting his horse and riding through the forest. The darkness of the night did not hinder his vision at all, nor could the cold wind deter the resolve he had long since made—to conquer the Kingdom of Azeroth.
This place was gloomy, felt terrifying, and the air was so cold it could freeze a person's heart. Edgar dismounted his horse and immediately parted the vines that were covering a secret door. When he entered, the creatures guarding the entrance bowed in respect. Edgar's steps grew more confident, and as light began to appear, his pace quickened.
In the room, there was a girl lying down with a dim light glowing around her body. The light entered another figure in the corner of the room who was grinning at Edgar. "Just a little more, Edgar," said the creature.
Its face was terrifying, like a demon freshly emerged from hell; charred and reeking of smoke. It had teeth longer than usual, with poisonous fangs. Its body was dark as pitch-black night, and an aura of death radiated from it so thickly. It was the leader of the Nych, whom Edgar was attempting to restore by sacrificing Violet first.
"Hurry," Edgar said to the creature. Then his eyes shifted to Violet's lifeless body. Edgar stroked her slightly blue cheek and smiled crookedly, "It turns out you're quite useful, Stupid Girl."
The room wasn't very large, but it had a high ceiling and no roof except for Edgar's magic, which kept out the rain or heat. He looked at the creature again and said firmly, "I hear the king is retiring because his hair is starting to turn white. Whether he likes it or not, Roger will ascend the throne. What do you think?"
"I just need about two more weeks," the creature replied.
Edgar turned and left the room after he was satisfied with his discussion with the ugly creature. He then walked further in and parted the hanging plants again. The moonlight illuminated Dark Mountain and revealed the silhouettes of creatures flying like bats, and of course, they were much larger.
When one of them noticed Edgar's presence, it howled, causing the others to dive and line up before him. All of them paid their respects.
***
Sweat was already soaking Violet's back and forehead, but she couldn't give up just yet. She moved one hand and caused nearly all the leaves on the tree to shoot out and stick into the living rock. Unfortunately, it didn't do anything, and the rock continued to chase after Violet.
The girl jumped onto the tree and looked at Prince Roger on another tree, who was busy eating an apple while watching her. Damn it! Did he think Violet was performing in a circus? If that was the case, Violet would rather train with Master Brown and Master Cocaine. Training with Prince Roger was making her body feel like it was about to fall apart.
Violet clicked her tongue, her eyes scanning the area. The prince said she had to harness the energy of nature, and Violet was completely confused. However, her crooked smile and raised eyebrow indicated that she had come up with a brilliant idea involving the living stones.
Violet's hands stretched out, and a large black cloud covered the field where they were training. The girl created a protective dome to prevent the stones from escaping. And when Violet clenched her fists, a heavy rain poured down on the stones.
Roger jumped down and tossed the remaining fruit in any direction. He approached Violet and said, "You're wasting too much energy, Violet."
The prince immediately halted all of Violet's actions and, with a single hand gesture, shattered the stones into pieces. He then turned toward Violet and gazed into her beautiful eyes, which had always lingered in his thoughts.
"Your energy is still unstable. We need to fix that first before moving on to the next exercise," said the prince gently.
Violet didn't smile; she was quite annoyed by the prince's behavior.
However, when the prince took her hand, Violet looked up and locked eyes with him. There were many things she wanted to say or ask, such as why the prince was interested in her when everyone else disliked her. There was also an odd feeling when she was close to the prince.
"I'll make you a drink to restore the energy you lost earlier," said Prince Roger.
Prince Roger was quite skilled at mixing potions. The drink had a scent that was very pleasing to the nose, and Violet couldn't wait to drink it. Especially when he sprinkled the powder and the potion instantly turned red. It was truly tempting.
Violet took a spoon and drank the potion slowly, while the man sitting across from her was itching to say something. Then, when Violet looked at him and smiled, Prince Roger couldn't hold back anymore.
"Do you know my heart always races when I'm near you?" said the prince.
"So, you mean when you're not with me, your heart doesn't beat like that?" Violet replied.
Prince Roger sighed, he didn't respond to Violet's words and only tapped the table while watching the girl finish her potion. Then, he stood up and said, "Come on, I'll take you to your room."
Violet shook her head, "I still have a meeting in Miss Leovra's class, Prince."
So, Violet, who felt like she was being kicked out, quickly stood up and, once she was in front of Prince Roger, she smiled. The prince's heart began to race. Suddenly, a gentle breeze touched Violet's hair, and pink petals fell from above, leaving the prince completely captivated by the figure before him.
With full awareness, Prince Roger touched the back of Violet's head and immediately kissed her lips without permission. The sensation exploded in his stomach, and the sweetness of her lips made the prince even more. He released the kiss and gazed at Violet intently, "I like you, Violet."