A moment of darkness... And then Maisie slowly opened her eyes. The splendor of space, the light of the stars, was everywhere. As she looked around in amazement, a pitch-black world approached Maisie, blocking out the light of the stars. At the same time, it was spinning calmly around itself.
When it got close enough, a notification appeared in front of Maisie.
"Please select your starting location...
Available locations...
Lonepeak town... ..."
At the same moment, a flash of light appeared in the southern hemisphere of the dark world. It was like a laser beam shooting out from the world into space. As Maisie looked at the light and murmured, "Light?... Could Lonepeak Town be there?" the pitch-black world suddenly spun closer and brought Lonepeak Town, where the flash of light was, right before Maisie's eyes.
This was the starting town for first-time user gamers. The game's first safe town. Players didn't have to worry about being killed or mistreated in these towns. Everything in this town was built around the players' safety.
The town was built on a massive boulder, standing in the middle of a flat forested area. The peak of the rock was hundreds of meters above the forested terrain, so it was far from danger. At least, it was easily protected from threats from below.
To descend into the forest below, the townspeople had carved a staircase into the rock's steep slope, wide enough for only one person. This allowed them to meet their needs and protect themselves from enemy attacks.
As Maisie examined the town at the top of the rock, a flash of light suddenly enveloped her and transported her to the fountain in the town square. This sudden and unexpected change of location frightened Maisie. She had played virtual reality games several times before, but had never experienced anything like this.
She wasn't sure if this virtual game was really safe. Maisie only wanted to play this game because her friends were playing it. She couldn't stand her friends bragging about what they did in the game and talking down to her anymore. If she had the chance, then should Maisie play this game too. What do her friends have, that Maisie doesn't?
She entered the game out of jealousy and stubbornness, but this game was nothing like the others she had played. Here, she felt extremely vulnerable. Suddenly, the anxiety of being alone in an unfamiliar place overwhelmed her.
Looking around in this state of unease and bewilderment, she saw Asena on the other side of the fountain. Without hesitation, she walked quickly over to her. At that moment, Polat and Serdar were also there to greet them. When the four of them came together, Maisie's fear subsided and her confidence returned.
- Welcome, sir.
- Hello, Polat… Serdar.
- Welcome, my lady.
- (Asena, who had been ignored, interjected.) Hello, gentlemen. You arrived before us. So... You must have prepared some things for us, right? Or did you just come here to say hello?
When Asena got straight to the point, Maisie chose to remain silent. Her brother had said many things about the game, but because of the anxiety she had experienced a little earlier, she was having trouble remembering his words.
- (Polat began to speak confidently.) Of course we have some preparations. First of all, we reserved a safe room for each of you and prepared the materials and equipment you might need. After delivering them to you, we planned to take you to the blacksmith so you could choose a weapon for yourselves...
- Is that all?
Polat, who was expecting praise, was surprised by Asena's question. Having spent almost his entire life in the military, he had no idea what a woman might need. His bewildered gaze turned to Serdar. Because everything they had prepared had been done under Serdar's direction.
Polat's look, which seemed to say, "What is this woman talking about? What else could she possibly need?", found no response in Serdar. Serdar calmly looked away as if he weren't there and hadn't heard the conversation at all.
- It seems you have no other preparations. Just know that this superficial preparation means nothing. What my lady might need, what matters to her…
- (Maisie raised her hand to silence Asena.) Asena, calm down. We're all new here except Polat. So we can't expect Polat to provide everything. What Polat and Serdar have prepared will be enough for us for now. We can get the rest of our needs later. Our priority should be getting to know our surroundings, right?
- Yes, my lady, you're right.
- (Serdar joined the conversation when the topic changed.) Then let's not linger here any longer and go get your safe rooms as soon as possible, okay? My lady?
- Yes… Let's do as you say…
They all began walking towards the Durin Inn. As Maisie's uneasiness faded, replaced by curiosity, she began to look around more carefully. What struck her most was that all the houses in this town were stone, and they were all two-story houses.
Wildflowers grew in front of the windows of some houses. Small bushes grew in others. But most strikingly, because the entire town was perched on a massive rock, all the roads and sidewalks within were carved from the rock beneath.
After a short walk, Maisie and her group passed between the stone houses lined up opposite each other and arrived at the Durin Inn. This inn, like the others, was two-story. It was small and charming. Maisie, who had imagined the inn would have at most eight or ten rooms, had her thoughts completely overturned upon entering.
The inn's entrance hall was almost larger than the town square. How could such a small inn have such a large entrance hall? It was impossible to understand. Asena, unable to believe what she was seeing, stepped outside the inn and waited for a while before going back inside.
But no matter what Asena did, the size of the entrance hall didn't change. Finally accepting the situation, Asena came over to Maisie, and together they proceeded to the registration desk, led by Polat. While Maisie and Asena were registering for their rooms, the inn's door opened, and four men rushed inside.
…
Three days ago, Alpkutay, the fourth prince of the empire, was preparing for bed in his private suite in the imperial palace when urgent news arrived. This was news that Maisie Kenna Miloid would be joining the "primitive world" play. For Alpkutay, this news was perhaps the most important news of his life.
Alpkutay had seen Maisie two years earlier, on the day his brother Alperen was crowned crown prince. His father, the Emperor, had invited all the nobles of the country, along with their families, to the palace. He wanted them to witness Alperen's ascension to the throne. Of course, he also thought it would be beneficial for his country if he could find a wife for Alperen.
A ball was held for all the princes and the children of the nobles. The other princes attended the ball held for Alperen to choose a wife. That's when Alpkutay's life changed. He reluctantly attended this ball, where he saw Maisie and fell in love.
Maisie wasn't like the other girls. She stood off to the side, avoiding any publicity. She had light freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her wavy, copper-red hair hung down to her waist. She wasn't one of the most beautiful women in the empire, but she wasn't ugly either. She had her own charm.
The more Alpkutay looked at Maisie, the more his attention grew. He could barely take his eyes off her. But the most important person here was his brother, Alperen. What could Alpkutay do if Alperen chose Maisie as his wife? Nothing. He glanced quickly at his brother. Fortunately, his brother was interested in other girls.
A profound sense of relief washed over Alpkutay. Then he turned to look at Maisie again. He thought for a moment, then decided to ask her to dance to show everyone at the ball that he was interested in Maisie. Amidst everyone's astonished gazes, he walked calmly toward Maisie. When he got close enough, he saw her unique eyes.
At that moment, Alpkutay's heart began to beat wildly, and every hair on his body stood on end. He was only a few steps away from reaching Maisie when he suddenly stopped. His body was trembling, but that didn't matter. Because Alpkutay now knew the truth.
"This girl was made for me. This girl is a part of my soul. How could I have lived without her? How could I not have realized my life was incomplete? But it doesn't matter anymore. I found you... And everything is in the past. Nothing can stop me from being with you, from living with you."
Alpkutay calmed his trembling body, then he moved closer to Maisie and extended his hand towards her...
...
From that day on, Alpkutay never stopped thinking about Maisie. He searched for excuses to see her, but he couldn't find any. He couldn't go to the Miloid Duchy without a reason. He couldn't even tell his father he was interested in Maisie because of his brother's search for a wife. Finally, he found a solution and placed agents in the Miloid Duchy.
The agents sent regular reports on Maisie's activities. Each time Alpkutay read a report, he felt as happy as if he'd received a letter from Maisie. This had become his routine. Since the ball, this quiet and reserved boy hadn't gone a day without dreaming about Maisie.
And finally, three days ago, news arrived that Maisie would be entering the primitive world game. He ran to his father, the emperor, and asked for permission to use the virtual rooms. It wasn't difficult to obtain permission, and Alpkutay and three of his best men entered the game.
He and his men were staying at the Alpin Inn. This inn overlooked the town square, so Alpkutay sat by the window, constantly watching the town square. After two days of waiting, Maisie finally entered the game.
Alpkutay waited for Maisie to come to the Alpin Inn, but it didn't happen as he had hoped. As they headed towards the Durin Inn, Alpkutay gathered his men, and they ran towards the Durin Inn as well. Because Alpkutay no longer had a moment to live without Maisie.
…
Alpkutay saw Maisie only once after the ball. He hadn't had a chance to speak to her then. But now Maisie was right in front of him. She had her back turned, but she was still there. He stepped aside and waited quietly until Maisie was done and after walked toward her.
Maisie finished registering at the room and completed her work. As soon as she turned around, she saw Prince Alpkutay standing before her. When she immediately bowed to greet the prince, following Maisie, Asena, Polat, and Serdar also bowed to greet the fourth prince.
Alpkutay didn't go and stand up her, even though he bowed before the woman he loved. This was a consequence of the hierarchy and the necessary thing to do. You can't change customs and traditions. But somewhere inside Alpkutay, a feeling of satisfaction arose that Maisie was bowing before him.
"This is the right thing. What's more natural than a woman bowing before her man? In the end, I'll be Maisie's man. If she doesn't bow to me, who will she bow to?" An obsessive mindset and a desire to possess Maisie planted their first seeds in Alpkutay's heart.
Given the superiority of the monarchy and Maisie's bowing before him, Alpkutay didn't want to miss the opportunity to show off to Maisie. Taking arrogant, self-important steps, Alpkutay drew closer to Maisie. He wanted to say, "Your man, he's this strong, this resolute. Are you aware of that?"
But Maisie had no strength to look at Alpkutay. Even if you were descended from a duke, the situation wouldn't change. Maisie couldn't raise her head without the prince's permission. Otherwise, according to imperial law, approaching or confronting princes and princesses without permission was forbidden. Anyone approaching without permission would be branded a murderer and would inevitably be killed on the spot.
Maisie was waiting. At least, she had to wait with her head bowed until the prince spoke and normalized the situation, or until he moved away from them and enough distance was created between them.
- Hello, Miss Maisie. What a pleasant surprise to meet you here. It's been a long time since I saw you. Believe me, I'm very happy to see you.
- Hello, Your Highness. We are also delighted to meet you too. We're glad to see you in good health.
- Thank you, you're very kind... So... How long have you been here? I haven't seen you in the primitive world before.
- We've arrived today, Your Majesty. My friends were singing the praises of the primitive world, so I wanted to give it a try. I wonder if I'll be successful.
- Of course you will be. (Raising his hand and gesturing to his men.) We have been playing this game for a while. If you'd like, we can help you. At least we can keep you company until the next safe town. What do you say?
- Thank you very much for your good intentions, Your Majesty. We would never dream of obstructing you or trying to stop you...
- (Alpkutay interrupted.) You're not obstructing us at all. Besides, I'm the one offering help. So there's no need for you to feel guilty.
- You're right. My words were very susceptible to misunderstanding. I apologize for that.
- (As the conversation took an unexpected turn, Alpkutay didn't extend his offer of assistance any further.) Okay, okay, no problem. We'll be around whenever you need us. Just let me know. You can be sure we'll come to your aid immediately.
- Thank you, Your Highness the Prince. We'll definitely let you know if we have any problems...
- Okay, I'll be waiting.
- (When Alpkutay didn't move, Maisie had to explain the situation.) Your Highness, if you'll excuse us, we have some preparations to make for the play. So we must leave now.
- (Alpkutay stepped aside and gestured toward the door with his hand.) Of course... Certainly, please go about your business. We'll see you later...
Maisie and her team salute to the prince and then slowly walked out of the inn to retrieve their remaining belongings...