Darkness returned to the hall and found that the uproar had finally settled. The nobles and envoys were slowly dispersing, their faces pale, their steps unsteady, each retreating to rest after the chaos that had unfolded. The grand chamber, which only moments before had been a storm of voices and tension, now echoed with an uneasy silence.
Stepping outside, Darkness noticed that Lord Elfred and Lady Royalle, accompanied by Rubina, had already departed in their carriage. Only a second carriage stood waiting for her, its lacquered frame gleaming faintly under the lantern light.
"Today was a disaster. I tried to ask around, but no one would tell me anything. Can you, Lady Darkness?" the coachman asked, his voice low and cautious, as though fearing the weight of his own words.
Darkness turned her gaze toward him, her expression a mask of calm. "I lost control," she said simply, her voice devoid of emotion.
For a few moments, silence hung in the air like a heavy curtain. Then, gathering his courage, the coachman spoke again. "I hope the one who angered you finds some sense. No good person would dare provoke the Undefeated Guardian."
She did not reply. Instead, she stepped into the carriage, and the driver fell silent at once. With a soft lurch, the wheels began to turn, carrying her away from the hall.
The horses ran swiftly, hooves striking against the stone road in rhythmic thunder, and in no time the carriage reached the mansion. Darkness disembarked without a word, her steps quiet yet deliberate. She did not look at anyone, and no one dared to stop her. Her movements carried the instinctive precision of a warrior—measured, controlled—but her mind was elsewhere, lost in thought.
Reaching her room, she pushed the door open and sank onto the bed. The chamber was still, cloaked in silence, yet inside her heart a raging storm twisted and turned.
'I knew things could turn out this way… but never did I imagine she would be the princess. There is much I must do.'
Her thoughts sank heavier with each passing moment, memories pressing upon her like weights she could not cast off. She had once crafted a perfect plan—flawless, calculated, designed to achieve what she desired. But now doubt gnawed at her. If they refused, if her carefully laid path crumbled, then her last true chance to sever all her connections would be destroyed.
Her head throbbed with an ache that should have been impossible for her to feel. Deciding she needed rest, Darkness closed her eyes, allowing herself to drift into uneasy sleep.
And then the dream began.
This dream was not an illusion, but a memory—untouched by her current self. Darkness was only four years old, a child, one year before her fateful meeting with Lord Elfred. She sat in meditation, her small frame steady, resonating with the flow of nature. She could feel life all around her—every leaf, every creature, every stirring of breath in the forest. With each passing moment, her awareness deepened, her bond with existence itself growing stronger.
But then the harmony broke. A disturbance entered her range—a new presence, human, frantic, chased by another being.
She focused, and the scene unfolded within her senses. A boy was running, his steps ragged and desperate, his decent clothes torn and patched from hardships on the road. Behind him, a wolf pursued with deadly intent.
Darkness frowned. 'I don't like that the wolf should lose its prey, but it is not right to let this boy die under my watch.'
In an instant, she moved. Her pace was swift, her steps steady, guided by instinct and power far beyond her years. She crossed the forest with incredible speed, and within moments she appeared before the wolf and the fleeing boy.
The boy stumbled, collapsing onto the forest floor. Even in his disheveled state, his skin was fair, glowing faintly with youthful vitality, his features softened by innocence yet marked with struggle. Darkness had no time to study him further; her attention locked onto the threat.
She planted herself between the fallen boy and the wolf, her small frame radiating authority far beyond its size. Her eyes burned with quiet command as she raised her voice.
"Stop. It is not right to kill a human. I will not allow it."
The wolf halted, her words striking it like a command from a higher being. It lowered its head, whining softly like a child scolded by its elder. Once, it tried to raise its gaze toward her, but the sight of her expression forced it back down. Finally, after a tense pause, the wolf turned and departed, leaving behind the prey it could no longer claim.
Darkness then turn and see the boy, in dirty clothes but he still have his beauty, he is good looking, he is breathing heavily, recovering from all the running, he stare at her while take time before he get up.
"Don't worry, you are currently safe with me here, however it is not for long as i have to go back home" Darkness said and then added "So why are you here, where are your parents or guardians"
Darkness ask but the one before her hesitate, Darkness Can feel the injuries, heavy breathing and his bad condition tell her that he need medical attention, Darkness can heal her, make her recover but it is not the time for it and she also don't want to tell others how she do it.
'It is best to take him home' Darkness thought as she said "Come my home is near also there is an orphanage where children can live in exchange for doing small things"
Darkness said as she touch him, however a single touch tell her 'He is a girl also malnourished and hurt' She knew by just a touch however she actually want to help her.
The girl following Darkness even she is alert, her body tense and hesitation but she still follow her.
The path is long so she ask"My name is Darkness, what is your"
She ask but don't get a reaction.
"You know we are going towards an orphanage, the place is. good and people are nice, if you help in daily work then you can have food and shelter, afrerall nothing is free in world, free is just an illusion to fool the simple and greedy people" Darkness start talking until the reply stop her words.
"You talk like a smart person, words of wisdom" She said and continue "My name is Nyxera, you can call me Nyx" she now get close.
"How you stop that wolf" Nyx ask.
"Oh, i spend huge amount of time in forest and by understanding the forest, they understand me, you know knowledge is power and I have huge amount of it, everyone in forest knew me including all animals, trees, birds and insects" Darkness said, even if feels exaggerating but there is somewhat sense in it, it impress Nyx a little.
"you look not like a child, you feel like an old person" Nex said.
"hey, i am just Four, i am not old" Darkness act like a child, not like herself.
"Darkness, Dear where are you" Suddenly a voice heard by them.
"it's my mom, let's go" Darkness become a child and pull Nyx with herself move fast and then hug her mother.
"Mom" Darkness said as she hug her mother.
"Darkness, don't run like this, oh who is he, such a cute boy" Juily said
"Mom, he is." Darkness want to say but cut by her mother.
"Oh, he is hurt, we should take him to orphanage" She said with urgency as she pick Nyx "Well, I should be proud, my girl find a man for herself, Young Man i hope you will marry my daughter" Juily said it as a joke with huge grin.
Darkness shock, her mother said something that she shouldn't and she was unable but the final nail press by Nyxera.
"Yes, Mam, i will marry her" Nyxera said, she don't know what happened but she feel a comfort and already impress by Darkness, if she find her not suitable she will ran away but an option like her not a bad deal so she accept.
"No!" Darkness shouted as her eyes flew open.
Her chest rose and fell in quick, uneven breaths. Sweat clung to her skin, dampening her clothes, and her hair stuck messily to her face. For a moment she could not even recognize her surroundings, her vision clouded by the heavy haze of the dream. The familiar walls of her chamber slowly came into focus, but the pounding of her heart refused to settle.
It was not merely a dream. It was a memory — one she had buried, one she had wished would never return.
Her trembling hands pressed against the sheets as she whispered, "But nothing can be changed…"
The words hung in the silence of her room, sharp as blades. No matter how much she wished to deny it, the truth was already etched into her fate. Her mother's careless words had bound her to Nyxera, and Nyxera's acceptance had sealed the chain. What had begun as a childish accident had turned into a promise that carried the weight of law and destiny.
Darkness closed her eyes, her jaw tightening as the storm inside her heart grew louder. 'I never wanted this. I never wanted to be tied down by anyone. I live for my own path, for my revenge, for the duties left to me. And yet… because of that promise, I cannot run. I cannot fight it.'
Her breathing slowed, but the heaviness remained. The memory of Nyxera's calm reply— "Yes, ma'am, I'll marry her"— echoed again and again in her mind, a chain that clattered louder each time it struck.
She pulled her knees close to her chest, curling on the bed like the child she still was, but her aura carried the weight of someone far older, far more burdened. 'Why… why do I feel powerless before her? Why can't I deny it, even now?'
Darkness lifted her gaze to the ceiling, her eyes sharp yet hollow. The silence of the night pressed down around her, broken only by the faint rhythm of her breathing. She knew she would not sleep again.
Because no matter how much she fought against it, one truth remained: she was bound — to her mother's promise, to Nyxera's words, and to a fate she could neither embrace nor escape.