Chapter 138 The illusion garden

Chapter 138 The illusion garden
Anastasia felt her skin crawl. She knew Eryndor's eyes were all over her. She looked away from him and stared down at her plate.

“She speaks so freely to the king," the prince suddenly said. His voice was smooth. He leaned toward her across the table. "Most humans would be shaking in fear by now. You are quite fascinating.”

William put his goblet down on the table. His jaw clenched tight. He shot a dark glare across the table, staring into the prince's eyes.

“I hope you held to my warning. She is under my protection,” William said firmly. It was a clear warning.

The prince just smirked at William and took a sip of his wine. He did not say another word, but he continued to look at Anastasia.

Slowly, the magic in the room stopped being beautiful to Anastasia. The heavy physical toll of crossing the realms began to catch up with her.

A sudden crushing tiredness washed over her body. Her eyelids felt heavy. Her hand felt too weak to hold her fork. The soft music from the flute suddenly sounded like a bud buzzing noise in her ears. The glowing tree and dancers started to sit together. Her head began to spin.

William, who was sitting beside her, noticed her heavy breathing. He saw how pale she looked. He leaned in close. “What is it?” he asked quietly.

Anastasia shook her head. She didn't want to be rude, since the king had said the banquet party was specifically held for her. She tried to force a polite smile so she would not ruin the king's party. But her facial muscles were simply too weak. The smile refused to show. She was too exhausted from the journey to pretend anymore.

“Are you tired?" William asked again.

She finally nodded. “I think so, I feel sleepy."

King Caelen noticed the quiet exchange. He leaned toward William. “What is it?" the king asked.

“The realm crossing must have drained her," William told him. “Where is her room?" She needs to rest.”

The king nodded in understanding. "Of course. The crossing is hard on mortals.” He looked at the servant standing closer to him. "Take her to the guest chambers.”

William leaned toward Anastasia. "You should rest well. We are leaving tomorrow after the wedding.”

She nodded once as she wanted to rise to her feet. She sat back, her body had become weary. William holds her hand. "Was it just tiredness?”

She nodded again. "I just need rest.”

The servant moved toward her but was stopped by Aeliana.

"I will take her,” Aeliana interrupted.

She immediately stood up from her chair.

Anastasia froze in her seat. The heavy exhaustion in her body was instantly replaced by sharp terror. Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs.

“I will gladly show our human guest to her room," Aeliana said. She walked around the table and grabbed Anastasia's hand. She gave William and the king a perfect sweet smile.

Before William could object, Aeliana crossed to her side and helped Anastasia up from her chair.

She walked Anastasia out of the Grand Hall, Anastasia completely numb. She remembered Aeliana's threat from earlier. Her mind was screaming in panic, and she was so terrified she could barely feel her own legs.

“You do not have to worry so much," Aeliana said. Her grip was tight on Anastasia's arm as they walked down the stone corridor. “I cannot hurt you yet. My brother has a wedding tomorrow, and I don't want to destroy that. But I wanted to show you something first."

Anastasia stumbled. Her legs felt like lead. She could barely keep her eyes open, the sheer exhaustion weighing on her bones.

But Aeliana's words echoed in her mind. The sentence cut through the fog in Anastasia's brain. If Aeliana was waiting till after the wedding, that meant she wouldn't do anything right now. She would be safe since William said they are going after the wedding. But her instincts flared that she still couldn't trust Aeliana.

She stopped walking. She planted her boots firmly against the stone floor. Aeliana, expecting her to follow her, and trust her words. But Anastasia yanked her arm backward with every ounce of strength she had left.

Aeliana's fingers slipped.

Anastasia didn't wait for another second. She spun around and bolted. She hiked up her heavy gown, her boots slapping loudly against the cold floor. Her breath tore through her lungs. She just needed to reach the Grand Hall. She just needed to get back to William's side.

She took a few paces.

Aeliana did not chase her. She simply let out a sharp irritated sigh. A sudden scent of crushed lavender and rotting from it flooded the corridor. The air in front of Anastasia rippled, bending like water. Before she could change direction, Aeliana materialized directly in front of her.

Anastasia skidded to a halt. She tried to turn back, but Anastasia reached out and caught her face between both hands. Her eyes flared with a binding, luminescent gold.

The magic hit Anastasia like a physical blow. It poured into her mind like warm syrup, thick and heavy. The golden light drowned out her panic. It silenced her racing heart.

The compulsion forced its way into her mind and changed what she believed. The terrifying Fae standing before her no longer seemed frightening. Her fear faded away. Aeliana did not appear like a threat to her anymore. Anastasia saw her as her best friend, and they were just taking a pleasant evening walk together.

Anastasia blocked. The raw terror in her eyes faded, replaced by warm, glazed affection. Her tense shoulders dropped. A calm smile spread across her face.

“I'm sorry," Anastasia murmured. “I don't know why I ran away. I just felt dizzy for a moment."

"I know, sweet girl,” Aeliana replied. She smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind Anastasia's ear with fake tenderness. She linked her arm smoothly through Anastasia's. "Come along. We have much to discuss."

They continued walking down the corridor, arm in arm. Anastasia leaned into the princess. She felt entirely safe, utterly blind to the magical chains wrapped around her free will.

“Where are you taking her?" a voice echoed off the walls.

Aeliana stopped. Her grip on Anastasia is loose. She turned slowly.

Prince Eryndor stepped out from the shadows of an alcove. His hands rested behind his back.

“Are you following me, Eryndor?" Aeliana asked. Her voice was sharp and defensive.

He shook his head. “I did not follow you. My eyes have been on you since you left the table."

"And why is that?”

"Because I lack trust in you,” Eryndor stated flatly. He took a deliberate step forward. He did not look at his sister. His gaze remained fixed on Anastasia. "You walk toward the east wing. The guest chambers are in the west.”

Eryndor stepped closer, leaning in to inspect Anastasia. He noted her relaxed posture, her vacant smile, and her dilated pupils. He scoffed lightly.

“A glamour, sister?" Eryndor asked, his tone dripping with mockery. “Mind magic is a deep trick. Let her go. Lord Liam will tear their palace down to its foundation if you break his consent."

"It is an insult to our family,” Aeliana hissed. She maintained her sweet smile for Anastasia's benefit, but her tone was pure venom. "Lord Liam is supposed to marry me. Instead, he cares more about this fragile thing than he can ever admit. That's what I'm fixing.

Eryndor moved to the center of the corridor blocking their path. “I will not let you kill her. As I told you at dinner, she is far too interesting to be discarded."

Aeliana stared at him. He knew Eryndor, but he did not care about his arranged marriage or William's horror, not even their father. He only wanted one thing. Their father's youngest wife. She is the only girl he ever loved before their father married her.

Aeliana leaned toward him. She dropped her voice to a harsh whisper. “Then let me assist you. I will take her, after I'm done with her. I will deliver you love to your quarters tonight.”

Eryndor tilted his head. He studied his sister's deceitful face. “Why should I believe you?"

“Because you know me," Aeliana smirked. “You know exactly what I can do. And I know you never let go of her even as she is married to her father. We both get exactly what we desire.”

Eryndor stood in silence. He looked at enchanted Anastasia, who was unaware of the bargain being struck over her life. Finally, Eryndor stepped aside.

“Deliver her," Eryndor commanded quietly. “Do not disappoint me, sister."

Aeliana pulled Anastasia down the hall and pushed open a set of heavy crystal doors. They stepped into the royal Fae gardens.

Even through the hazy fog of the enchantment, the garden took Anastasia's breath away. Silver trees arched overhead, their leaves dripping with glowing dew. Crystal flowers bloomed in the moonlight, chiming softly whenever the wind blew. The air smelled of rain and sweet sugar.

She was still playing the gracious host flawlessly. The cold, threatening princess vanished completely beneath the facade. “You are really lucky, Lord Liam chose you. I see now why he chose you. You are quite brave."

Anastasia smiled softly. “That is not it…”

"It doesn't matter what it was," Aeliana interrupted. “What's important is that you are here with me."

Anastasia beamed. The mind magic made her accept whatever she said as genuine. The crushing exhaustion still weighed her down, but she felt relaxed. “You are not going to hurt me, are you?"

"Of course not,” Aeliana laughed gently. She walked toward a lush, emerald-green patch of moss. “Come here. Look at these moon-lilies. They only bloom at midnight. If you touch the white petals, they sing."

Anastasia raised a brow. She stepped off the stone path, slowly walking to reach her hand out toward the glowing flowers. She takes more steps on the thick moss.

The ground instantly vanished.

The violent shock of the drop shattered the enchantment. The warm fog evaporated from Anastasia's mind in a split second, replaced by pure, freezing reality.

Anastasia gasped as she plummeted. The lush grass had been an illusion. She had stepped right into a ‘shadow-rift’ an ancient, seemingly bottomless trap meant to swallow intruders alive.

Her hands reached out blindly in the darkness. Her fingers caught a thick tree root sticking out near the edge of the pit. The sudden stop jerked her shoulder hard. A pained pop echoed through the air.

She hung helplessly by one arm over a pitch-black void. A freezing wind roared up from the seemingly bottomless depths, pulling heavily at her legs. She looked up, panting in terror. She expected to see Aeliana at the edge.

The edge was empty.

Then a powerful gust of wind swept through the pit. Aeliana dropped down into the darkness.

Huge, glowing, see-through wings spread out from the princess's back. They looked like the wings of a giant moth, shining with a purple light. Aeliana floated easily in the middle of the pit, slowly lowering herself until she was face-to-face with Anastasia.

The sweet smile was completely gone. Aeliana's face changed into a cold, cruel smile.

“Help me!" Anastasia begged. Her fingers slipped on the wet tree root.

Aeliana floated closer. The wind from her huge wings brushed against Anastasia's frightened face. There was no mercy in her eyes. Aeliana had lied. There had never been any intention of waiting after the wedding.

“Did you really think I had forgotten what I said? Until after the wedding?" Aeliana asked coldly. Even over the roaring wind, her voice was clear. “No, human."

Aeliana reached out and rested her pale fingers on the tree root that was keeping Anastasia alive.

"No, this is your grave.”

Aeliana snapped the root in half.

Anastasia screamed as she fell backward. She slammed into the rough sides of the narrow pit. Poisoned roots tore her free as she fell deeper and deeper into the dark pit.

Far above, Aeliana beat her wings and flew back to the surface. Her boots touched the ground, and her glowing wings faded into tiny sparks of light.

Aeliana waved her hand. The magical illusion closed completely. Green moss covered the pit once more, trapping Anastasia below and leaving the garden silent once again.