"The power pressure of Valemnia is strong enough to crush a human soul."

♣

Chapter Forty-Three ♣ Meeting with Royalty

There were no fancy carriages of any sort—much to Valeriana's disappointment since she really wanted to ride one. Still, the walk was really short so it was convenient. They went through that door again—the one she took when trying to escape—but it led to another way.

Nevertheless, despite the magic door thingy going on, which she totally didn't understand, they were greeted by a man when they stepped through. He had on a formal aura and was a middle-aged man who grew very little hair on his head, having a big bald spot on top of his skull.

"Whew!" she said, stepping through the doorway and looking back and forth between the room she stood in and back where she came. "I still wonder how this thing happens."

The man cleared his throat.

Valeriana looked towards the man and straightened her spine when she realized how odd she was behaving. "Oh."

"My name is Edeltraud and I shall serve as your guide under the king's request. The palace is a complicated maze, there's a high possibility of you getting lost trying to find your way around."

"That is true. No matter how many times I go here, I am never able to familiarize myself with these twists and turns," Lord Aeron stated in a matter-of-factly tone. "And that is saying a lot, coming from me."

"That is the purpose of this palace's enormous size. Such complexity is something that cannot be mastered in a matter of years."

He seemed proud that he could navigate around this place expertly, and Valeriana herself was impressed. Lord Aeron then waved to the girl, gently steering her to come forward as he gestured to the man.

"Come on now. Introduce yourself."

She stepped forward with a smile. "Is this the part I bow?" she asked her company.

Lord Aeron and Headmaster Kylon simultaneously raised brows.

"Okay, okay." She mustered all the grace in her body before sinking low. "It's a big honor of meeting you."

The man looked her way—finally. "And what is your name, might I ask?"

"I'm Valeriana."

"Well, Miss Valeriana, I assume that you—" He stopped short when he took in her appearance. ". . . are the human."

"That's me!"

He didn't seem to have been able to hide his shock. He visibly held his breath while staring at Valeriana's face as if he just saw a ghost. His body went rigid that it was amusing to see. He was as stiff as a silver spoon.

"I thought that . . ." he trailed off. "Are you really that rumored human who was invited by the king?"

"Yeah."

He then shook his head and began to walk towards a certain direction. "Please follow me."

Although Valeriana was a bit oblivious to what was going on, the Headmaster and the Court Leader caught Edeltraud constantly looking at Valeriana from the corner of his eyes. It seemed that if Valeriana was to dress up formally like a woman, she'd bear a striking resemblance to Valemnia's late queen.

Even the old man was curious about the newcomer who bore Queen Ayslia's features.

Maybe it was a mere coincidence.

Edeltraud cleared his throat and caught the attention of his guests. "It will be a long walk to our destination. Do you mind if I ask you a question, young miss?"

Valeriana turned and raised a brow at the man. "Me? Why?"

"I am just curious, you see." He frowned. "You seem to bear . . . a striking resemblance to the late queen of Valemnia."

"A lot of people told me that since I came here," she said, chuckling. "And since I dressed up in this stupid getup. Honestly, I have no idea."

Edeltraud led them towards a room which was even grander than she imagined. Valeriana looked around with wide and genuinely curious eyes, eventually taking her seat in one of the comfy chairs with a plop. "Wow . . ."

"Please wait here," Edeltraud told them. "While I go call His Majesty."

The headmaster and Lord Aeron took their own seats and relaxed. Valeriana smiled at both of them and started swinging her feet back and forth.

"Valeriana, try to stay still," Lord Aeron told her.

"But I'll get nervous if I do."

"Ah, restlessness," he said, chuckling.

They waited for a few moments until Valeriana decided she couldn't sit still. She stood up and paced about before coming to stand by a window with a large frame. The thick, velvety blinds were pinned on the sides, allowing the girl to get a view of the palace grounds.

She instinctively reached out at what she saw and let her fingertips trace the smooth surface of the glass. Just behind this wall was a beautiful meadow of flowers. The field stretched out, covering wide grounds like a rice field.

She sighed.

The setting skies bathed the flowers in an orange glow, reflecting off of their velvety petals.

Valeriana was too caught up looking out of the window that she didn't notice the Headmaster and the Court Leader leaving. The two had exchanged a wordless glance, nodding understandingly at each other. The girl seemed to have finally found the time to calm herself down that they didn't want to bother, so both of them left without saying anything instead.

Finding the quietness somewhat weird, Valeriana looked behind her to find the two gone. "Headmaster? Lord Aeron?"

She panicked. "Oh, holy cow. Where did those two go?"

It took a few seconds for the thought to register. "Ah, damn. They left me alone without saying anything," she grumbled unhappily.

Looking about the empty room, she saw an armchair angled by the window she was looking through. Deciding it was a better choice rather than stand, she took the open seat and supported her chin with her hand. She didn't want to seem fidgety and jumpy when the king arrived. It would be unsightly and completely embarrassing.

Valemnia had a United Monarchy type of government—meaning that they were under the rule of one person and the other places he couldn't manage were being ruled under his name.

Since the king wouldn't be able to handle all political matters single-handedly, he had six families helping him govern the different lands. There were six continents under the king's name—the Central Continent, Larkovia, Arlandia, Denovegasia, Prelurésia, and Aetheria.

These continents were under the rule of the different aristocratic families.

The Land of Fire, Arlandia, was under the family of von Vaushna de la Wylden. Occupying most of the parts from West to Southwest, it possessed unrivaled beauty for its natural geographical formation and the locals were most proud of their fertile lands.

The Land of Water, Larkovia, under the rule of von Versailles de la Vernados, consisted mostly of bodies of water. Located on the Far East, they have long, meandering rivers, breathtaking waterfalls, wide fishing lakes, and the most admired Water Palace.

The Land of Earth, Denovegasia, was currently being ran by the von Keiffer de la Kaiven family. It was located somewhere along the Southeast, filled mostly with lush, green forests, towering mountains, and thick woodlands. Due to its geographical features, residents of Denovegasia lived as hunters and foragers.

The Land of Air, Prelurésia, which was under the jurisdiction of the von Veralidaine de la Evereesha, was the continent known for being located in higher areas where one could reach the clouds. Prelurésia was located near north and was infamous for its freezing temperature.

The Land of the Spirits, Aetheria, governed by the von Valdemar de la Nevan. Aetheria was the continent most famous for its rich mining sources. Deposits of semi-precious gems, gold, silver, and other valuable resources could be majorly found there. Lord Rowe was officially crowned as the head of the state a few summers back. Since he was still a student, his mother handled the matters concerning the management of the entire continent.

The Central Continent was considered the main capital and the very center of Valemnia, hence its name. This was the place where the Rosellevienne Palace was located—the home of the king. The whole land was under the complete control of the king himself.

And lastly, the Dark Continent where demons thrived. The barriers that surrounded the whole place prevented them from escaping the lands they roamed.

These continents were further subdivided into different countries ruled by other leaders. The king was the world's ruler by name only. He was but a mere symbol of unification.

Lost deep in thought, she was startled when the door opened suddenly.

The girl looked up. She clenched her hands from the anxiety and waited while Edeltraud scanned the room. When his eyes landed on her, he gave her a nod.

"His Majesty arrives," he said before making way for the other man to enter.

They locked eyes witheach other and the girl greeted him with a smile before bending down gracefully—as hard as she could—to a low bow. "It's an honor to finally meet you, Your Majesty."