She really hated it. This life she was living, this cage she was forced to endure.
How could she have been so complicit all these years, accepting it like it was normal? No, this had been her normal, the life of a caged bird.
A bird who had never spread her wings and soared would not know the wonders of the sky. A caged bird who had lived in a cage would think that was all the world had to offer, never asking for more.
But then what if that caged little bird soared? What if it touched the clouds, felt the winds of freedom, and had the gift of choice far from its fate in the cage?
After seeing what it saw and knowing what it knew, how could it ever want to return to the cage and be complicit in its own suffering?
The world outside wasn’t in her books. It was there, on the outside, just beyond her windows, through her doors.
Never... never again would she accept anything that was not a choice born from her own free will.
She would deny any love that damned her to a cage.
The first step to freedom was always making the choice to be free.
Her long white hair draped down around her, her grey eyes staring out through the windows.
She was still young, especially so for an elf. However, surprisingly, she wore a dress that could only be called a white maternity dress. It was like she was trying to subtly tell the world...
"I’m pregnant..."
It wasn’t an overt clue, but it wasn’t subtle either.
The room was brightly lit, with bright lights that illuminated every corner, leaving no room for shadows.
She hated how bright it was. However, she made no effort to take down the lights.
In her mind, it was consideration for the servants taking care of her.
The gaze of the maids lingered on her. Each of them was sworn into secrecy, as if Sylvia had done sothing completely unacceptable.
In their minds, their princess was pregnant, even though she wasn’t actually married.
How much sha would this bring to her parents and the Moon Glades?
The elf king, Kadelas Moonveil, would be seeing Sylvia today.
Sylvia didn’t really think too much of it. She watched the city of Valerion through the window with a calm expression.
The war gas would soon start, and the Valtheron capital was welcoming guests from all around the world.
This would be a great ti for Valtheron to show off their national might. Probably why they were having a Victory Day celebration, where champions and heroes of the empire would join a military parade or procession with the emperor and the grand dukes.
This was just to show off their power... to other nations present for the war gas.
Sylvia’s train of thought was cut off by the sound of footsteps.
Normally, it would have been discourteous not to acknowledge the people who had entered the room, but Sylvia wasn’t really in the mood to look at them.
She heard the familiar footsteps of her father as he walked into the room. Along with his own were the lighter footsteps of her mother.
Even then, Sylvia did not look at them. Her father paused, glancing at her before walking to a sofa in the room and sitting down, his white hair giving him an imposing presence.
Sylvia’s mother, Daphne Moonveil, sighed with a frown on her beautiful face, her hands subtly shaking as she slowly took a seat.
Her daughter didn’t seem to acknowledge their presence, so she spoke first.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself..."
Daphne’s voice was cold yet calm as she addressed Sylvia.
"You can’t even look us in the eye after what you’ve done..."
Sylvia closed her eyes slowly, a thin smile forming on her lips.
"The view here is nice. I was rely appreciating it. Valerion is a beautiful place, a lting pot of so many races. The diversity is beautiful..."
Daphne closed her eyes, choking down the pain in her heart.
"What happened... has happened. You made a mistake, Sylvia. I can understand that... you are young and naive. You were tricked..."
Sylvia listened to her mother’s words with a calm expression. Her heart held no emotions of weakness, only certainty in what she desired, in what she wanted.
Daphne continued.
"We’ve co to a decision... if you denounce that boy... if you confess to him forcing himself on you... we can sweep this under the rug..."
Sylvia sighed, feeling a headache.
"When I was a child, I used to think you were a wise and benevolent person, mother... but now all I see is a scheming woman who wishes to manipulate her own daughter. I see how small you are from where I stand..."
Daphne narrowed her eyes, feeling a bitter taste in her mouth.
"That’s enough, Sylvia. Do not speak to your mother like that..." Kadelas finally spoke, seeing Daphne lose control of the situation.
Sylvia turned around with a soft bow.
"My apologies... but I was speaking the truth. Let’s be honest, you don’t want to actually confess to anything... it’s a tactic in manipulation. Surprisingly, one Damon uses often himself... yes, I’ve been on the receiving end of this..."
Sylvia smiled as she spoke Damon’s na, not minding her parents knowing he was manipulative.
"The idea is to lay out an option that your subject would find unacceptable. Then, when they refuse, you present an alternative which seems better to the target..."
She shook her head with a thin smile.
"Your actual objective is the second alternative, right..."
Kadelas sighed, holding his head. He stood up, walking to Sylvia, his white ornantal cape flowing behind him.
"Sylvia... the test ca back, and what I feared has co to pass. However, I cannot let you keep that child growing in your body..."
Sylvia almost let out a sigh of relief. It seed her tampering with the test had worked. It would have been annoying if they found out she wasn’t actually pregnant.
Her gaze was cold. Moving her hand to her abdon, she shook her head furiously, then whispered.
"No..."
Kadelas was not in a good mood. Turning his head away from his only child, he muttered.
"We are not giving you a choice..."
Sylvia took a step back, opening the window and climbing onto it.
The wind fluttered her dress. Her parents watched her with wide eyes.
She spoke with a bitter tone in her voice.
"Losing a child must be painful... I can’t imagine that..."
She called forth her Ascendant weapon, its blade moving to her own neck.
"If you kill mine... I will kill yours..."
Daphne and Kadelas froze at her blatant threat. If they aborted her pregnancy, she would kill herself.
Kadelas could easily stop her... but he couldn’t always watch her.
Before he could say anything, the door opened.
An elf ca in with a deep frown.
He glanced at Sylvia before handing the king a letter. Kadelas reflexively opened it while his eyes were on his daughter.
Reading the words, he frowned.
Daphne glanced at him, already knowing what he was going to say due to her powers as an oracle.
"Godric Ravenscroft is dead."
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