When Nikita shut the door of her room and leaned against it, her mind was still tangled in the memory of the king's strange touch and the haunting melody of his song. Just then, she heard footsteps outside. A gentle knock followed, and a soft voice asked for permission to enter.
When Nikita opened the door, she was stunned. Ten young women stood neatly in a line before her.
She quickly learned the truth.
They were ten maids, personally sent by the king to serve her.
They had come under the king's direct command, instructed to attend to Nikita with royal care and honor.
The head maid lowered her voice and said, "His Majesty sent us to prepare and care for you. In this palace, no one holds more privilege than you."
Sitting before the mirror, Nikita stared at her sky colored eyes and matching hair. The contradiction disturbed her. On one hand, the king had confined her. On the other, he treated her like a queen, surrounding her with servants. A question gnawed at her mind. Were these ten maids here to serve her, or to watch her?
Whenever the king looked at her with those feline eyes, it felt as though she was trapped in a labyrinth of time itself.
Nikita suddenly spoke in a firm tone. "Close the door. I need to talk to you."
Though surprised, the head maid obeyed. At her signal, the door was shut.
Nikita straightened, her sky colored eyes sharp as blades. "Tell me something. What is your king's real name?"
Fear rippled through the maids. They exchanged glances, hesitant to answer.
Nikita frowned. "Why are you afraid to say his name? Is he not human?"
The head maid finally whispered, "Most call him the Cat Eyed King or the Guardian of Darkness. Only those closest to him dare call him King Kairen. But remember, speaking that name without permission is forbidden."
Nikita silently repeated the name. Kairen. It felt familiar, as if buried deep within her lost memories or hidden in the forgotten records of time travel. Her sky colored hair shimmered faintly.
She sensed a terrifying history behind the scar and the name.
At her insistence, the head maid drew the curtains and spoke in a trembling voice.
King Kairen's story was unlike that of any ordinary ruler.
He was born with cursed feline eyes, inherited from an ancient ancestral curse. Those eyes could see not only the present, but souls and the paths beyond time.
The scar on his face was not from a normal battle. Centuries ago, a powerful sorceress wounded him while he was trying to save a sky eyed princess from another time dimension. The wound never healed.
King Kairen was a traveler of time itself. He had lived through countless eras, wandering through timelines in search of a lost love.
The maids whispered one final truth. "Long before you arrived, His Majesty kept a portrait of you hidden in this palace. Your sky colored hair and eyes are carved into these very walls."
Nikita stood frozen. Memories of the blue serpent and the forest from her childhood rushed back. Was she the very princess he once tried to save? Had time brought her back to her own forgotten past?
Heavy boots echoed outside the door.
Had King Kairen heard everything?
Realizing his presence, Nikita quickly steadied herself. She signaled the maids to open the door.
King Kairen stood there, his feline eyes calm, the scar on his face unreadable.
Before he could speak, Nikita stepped forward and pulled the door shut behind her, locking the maids inside. Now they stood alone in the silent corridor.
She moved close, meeting his gaze with defiance. "What is it, King? Listening in secret? I have heard your history. Now tell me what you are thinking."
Boldly, Nikita reached out and touched his lips with her finger, smiling faintly. Her vampire fangs flashed for a heartbeat. "These lips and this scar are hiding many stories, aren't they?"
King Kairen did not flinch. He gently moved her hand away and spoke calmly, dropping a truth like a blade.
"Tomorrow morning, I will visit a neighboring kingdom to meet a princess. I am considering marriage. I want you and my sister to accompany me."
The color drained from Nikita's face. Her sky colored eyes widened in disbelief.
Was he playing with her? Why seek another woman when he knew who she was?
Anger and hurt burned in her chest as she stared at him, unable to tell whether this was a political decision or a cruel attempt to provoke her jealousy.Hearing that the king was going to see another woman, Nikita did not cry or get angry. Instead, she suddenly burst into laughter. Her unexpected laughter made King Kairen narrow his sharp, cat-like eyes in surprise. Nikita's sky-blue eyes sparkled with amusement, and the small vampire fangs beside her lips glinted once again.
Laughing, Nikita said,
"Well, Your Majesty! Your taste is truly refined. So seeing me with your own eyes was not enough? Now you are going to another kingdom to look for a bride? Very well, I will definitely go. I am extremely curious to see your future wife."
Seeing Nikita's strange calmness and cheerful behavior, the king felt unsettled. He could not tell whether she was genuinely happy or if this was part of a larger scheme.
Nikita stepped closer and said,
"I will go, Your Majesty. But remember, if someone like me with sky-blue hair and the mistress of a blue serpent stands by your side, will that princess even dare to look at you?"
Nikita knew that the king's sister, the queen, would be delighted by this news because she never wanted Nikita to become the true queen of the palace.
Secretly, Nikita thought to herself that during this journey she would uncover the true mystery of her time travel. She would show the king that she was not an ordinary girl but a powerful force in the history of this era.
King Kairen gently rubbed the scar on his chin and smiled faintly. In a deep voice, he said,
"We leave tomorrow morning. Be prepared."
Nikita smiled at the king one last time and muttered as she walked back to her chamber,
"You are going to see another girl? Go ahead. Let us see what fate awaits her."
The next morning, when it was time to depart, the entire palace fell silent as Nikita stepped out of her chamber. She was dressed in such a way that she no longer looked like an ordinary girl but like a celestial princess from another world.
She wore a royal gown in pure white and soft sky-blue, embroidered with silver threads along the edges. The dress flowed perfectly with her form, making her look like a water fairy.
Her long sky-blue hair was left loose, spreading a strange fragrance as it swayed in the wind. A small diamond tiara rested at the center of her head, completing her princess-like appearance.
Her sky-blue eyes, outlined with dark kohl, looked deeper and sharper. The faint curve of her smile and the subtle glimpse of her vampire fangs gave her a dangerously beautiful aura.
King Kairen stood beside his horse, waiting. Seeing Nikita like this, he forgot to blink. His strong jaw relaxed slightly, and unconsciously, he touched the scar on his chin.
The king's sister stood nearby, glaring at Nikita with jealousy. Whispering, she said,
"Brother, we are going to see a bride, but she looks like the one getting married today."
Nikita stepped forward, bowed her head slightly, and said mockingly,
"Your Majesty, is this appearance suitable for meeting your future wife? Or have I become more beautiful than her?"
Regaining his composure, King Kairen replied in a firm voice,
"You know who you are, Nikita. Come. Prepare the carriage."
As Nikita climbed into the carriage, she noticed the blue serpent gently coiled around her wrist, as if it too was ready to join the journey.
The carriage began to move. The royal horses galloped toward the neighboring kingdom. Inside, King Kairen sat silently with his usual stern demeanor, while Nikita sat opposite him. Her sky-blue hair fluttered through the carriage window, and though her gaze rested on the passing scenery, her attention was fully on the king.
The atmosphere inside the carriage was tense. From time to time, the king glanced at Nikita. Her princess-like appearance made his heart race, though he refused to show it.
Breaking the silence, Nikita laughed and said,
"Your Majesty, you are so quiet. Are you dreaming of your future queen? Or thinking of how to send me away?"
King Kairen looked at her briefly with his cat-like eyes and rubbed the scar on his cheek.
"I have no time for dreams, Nikita. I only wish to see where this game of time will end."
Leaning closer, Nikita whispered,
"I did travel through time to come to this kingdom. But do you know that you yourself are a major piece in this game? The song you sang after kissing me last night was not meant for some foreign princess."
Before the king could respond, the sound of galloping hooves and screams erupted outside. The carriage stopped abruptly. The queen screamed.
Pulling aside the curtain, they saw a group of disguised soldiers surrounding them. King Kairen immediately drew his sword. Nikita, instead of showing fear, smiled as her vampire fangs gleamed.
She looked at her blue serpent and said,
"My friend, you have been quiet long enough. It is time to work."
The king stared at her in shock. There was no fear in her eyes, only a strange satisfaction of battle.
Before stepping down from the carriage, Nikita's eye color deepened into a darker blue. She signaled the king to stop and gave a mysterious smile that made even the enemies hesitate.
"My sword will rest today, Your Majesty," she said softly. "I am not just a princess. I am the forgotten truth of this forest."
She stepped down gracefully. The hem of her dress touched the ground, while the blue serpent in her hand crackled like living lightning.
When the enemies attacked, Nikita simply raised her hand.
What followed was unbelievable.
The blue serpent transformed into a massive dragon-like form, releasing toxic blue smoke that blinded the enemies. A glowing blue barrier formed around Nikita as she defeated them with mere gestures. Her vampire fangs were fully revealed, causing the enemies to scream, "Witch!"
Within minutes, the forest fell silent. The enemies were either dead or fleeing. Nikita had single-handedly turned the tide.
King Kairen stood frozen. He knew she was special, but not this powerful. The queen cowered in fear.
After the battle, Nikita calmly approached the king and touched the scar on his face with her blood-stained finger.
"Your Majesty, do you remember now? Or do you still wish to see another bride?"
The king's eyes were filled with shock and fascination. He realized she was no ordinary princess. She could both destroy and create.
Later, as they arrived at the neighboring kingdom's palace, all eyes were drawn to Nikita. The princess whom the king had come to see appeared beautiful, yet ordinary compared to Nikita.
When Nikita noticed the locket around the princess's neck, identical to her own childhood locket, her heart stopped.
Unable to contain herself, she cried out,
"Grandmother! Why are you here?"
The hall fell silent.
Nikita realized her mistake. That princess was her ancestor.
If the king married her, history would collapse and Nikita's existence would vanish.
Determined, Nikita decided she must stop the marriage at any cost.
And so, the real battle with time had only just begun.