I spent the whole long night sighing. I thought it would never end—until dawn finally broke, its light spilling into the large room with its carefully arranged, luxurious furnishings…just like me.
I remained lying on the bed, the soft cover the only thing shielding me from the gentle morning breeze, while the sun peeked over the distant black hills in a beautiful, silent rise.
I could see my lady standing by the window. Her long, wavy hair—black as the depths of night—danced in the air as if lightly brushing my face. She watched the forest stretching out behind the palace with mature, captivating eyes. The back garden was her private world.
She wore a red silk robe, its sash tied around her slender waist—that waist my eyes have so often admired with passion.
After last night's wild indulgence—until madness itself—she stepped closer to the window, her gaze drifting into the distance, then spoke my name:
"Nirael."
I slipped out of bed, shook off the last traces of sleep, and reminded myself of my place in my lady's palace.
I am her servant…her beautiful doll.
Yes, I consider myself as beautiful as she always calls me: "the Lovely One."
And so my behavior must be lovely, befitting my enchanting beauty and reflecting it before my revered lady.
She spoke softly, and I listened in hushed reverence, bowing even as I stood naked:
"Uninvited guests roam my garden, my dear… and they're now playing with my wolves, Nirael."
Then, in that same enthralling tone, she added:
"I'll leave it to you while I prepare to come down. I'll join you shortly… and if you arrive early, and the pups aren't dead yet, leave them be. I have my doubts… perhaps."
She finished speaking and drew the crimson, wavy curtain closed.
I answered at once, in a gentle voice:
"Yes, my lady."
I dressed as always: white apron over black—my traditional maid's uniform. It looked beautiful on me, just as I like.
Then I stepped out, nothing waiting for me but to venture deep into the vast, splendid forest that's part of Lady Lydia's grand garden.
She's always compared me to the beauty of that garden in our private moments… and how I've loved that comparison!
I won't let anyone taint my world… or hers.
The moment my feet crossed the threshold, I wished Lady Lydia's massive, tamed wolves had already dealt with the intruders—leaving me with nothing but the nasty cleanup. Instead, the sight before me was even crueler: three or four of her majestic black wolves lay motionless, bodies stretched out on the ground, while three others I knew well—Vitor and his brothers—even though Death had claimed some of them.
Rage welled up in me and I spat curses under my breath until I spotted the culprit: a lone knight, looking fragile as blood oozed between the plates of his armor without a whimper. The gashes from Vitor and his brothers were deep… he deserved far worse.
Then I noticed his companion: a girl with shining golden hair, swaying weakly at his side, bolstering him with a secret spell. I thought bitterly to myself, "Time for my turn… with my beauty."
The instant I stepped forward, the wolves stilled and recognized me, while the knight's eyes locked onto mine. Realizing I'd arrived, he stammered:
"Alruna… fall back!"
His tense, trembling voice made me smirk inwardly: "At last, a real man!" But the golden-haired girl interrupted him with childlike candor:
"She's not Rona—she's Alruna!"
(Kids these days, so cheeky!) Then she sneered:
"Clumsy knight!"
Suddenly everything fell into place. I advanced with the regal grace of a saint in the guise of a captivating maid, and in a clear, commanding voice I declared:
"Let me remind you of reality: you've defiled Lady Lydia's land—her garden, her realm! You could've been gracious guests… but instead you dared storm her sacred paradise without permission, and even killed her lunar pups! How utterly rude. And I truly despise rudeness!"
My voice rose, yet remained an elegant threat wrapped in silken words.
The girl, trembling, stuttered her excuses: she claimed she didn't know, insisted this was Lydia's land, that the wolves attacked first so they only defended themselves. She looked pitiful, pleading with terrified eyes.
"What nonsense is this?!" I erupted, advancing two steps.
"Shut up!"
If fate hadn't been so foolishly kind, her head would've flown off by my slender dagger's copper edge. But the knight—still foolish—rushed forward to shield his beloved again, shouting:
"Alruna!"
Even mispronouncing her name as he ordered her back—while catching my strike that pierced his shoulder plate, leaving a clear, bloody wound.
I saw him draw his long sword in response, planting his feet firmly. I readied myself to pounce with elegance, the massive wolves aligning seamlessly with my attack.
The knight parried my assault masterfully, despite his trembling voice and overwhelming tension. Yet he fought like a seasoned warrior—or a high-ranking hunter. Not the type I fancy, neither men like him nor girls like that one.
His resilience astonished me! Despite my blade in his shoulder and right leg, and despite Vitor's claws having ripped through him so forcefully they uprooted two trees, he didn't flinch! He even bolstered himself with a spell when he gasped. I realized it was Alruna who'd cast it.
Still, I laughed on the spur of the moment—and I knew deep down: I wanted to kill him right now! The knight's defiance stoked my fury.
I lunged with my dagger, while the wolves tore at the golden-haired girl, who could barely stand.
My focus was solely on him. My beautiful eyes locked onto his cursed helmet hiding his features. I snarled and we traded blows.
He tried—for heaven's sake!—to open a parley, to calm things down despite all the offenses. He wanted to apologize and make peace.
But I… I am Nirael the Beautiful, and I won't let him off so easily! Before he thinks about tomorrow—when he's reborn after I kill him—I want him to think twice before violating my lady's lands again!
The chasm of power between us was vast. I'd show him that! Though I'm no hunter, I endured the "Awakening" trial and earned my C+++ rank.
This had to be decisive: I'd make him kneel under my feet after exhausting him. After only a few rounds of crushing…
I saw him fatigue and stagger, and I smiled at him. But he wouldn't fall! He struck back again, despite the many blows I landed, and he barely ever parried me.
Even though he'd slain the other wolves, it was just him and me in this sacred duel. I granted him my admiration when I smiled—but he didn't smile back. He pressed me relentlessly with his sword, the blade longing to touch my fair body more than once. I grew weary and sweat trickled d
"Damn it!" I screamed when the little golden one surprised me with a fire spell that burned me! It was so rude, so ugly!
Yet even then I couldn't curse her! The knight cut me off and attacked, narrowing my space to move. Even thinking of retreat felt shameful. The specter of defeat slipped into my mind—possible, given I was alone and exhausted, and the poor knight even wearier… yet he still stood!
"How is this happening?!" I spat curses, insisting that someone with my beauty and status must never—ever!—be bested by a miserable heap of rust and a weak girl far less lovely than I! I said it—and that was my last ounce of strength.
The moment had come…
I thought the knight would lunge and split my head. Instead he stood his ground among the tree shadows, his blood flowing. Then Alruna stepped in with a moderate healing spell. A light appeared as she mended him—while here I was, teetering on the brink of collapse from exhaustion. But I'd rather die than have Lady Lydia see me in such a state!
I believed it was over. My legs gave out and I fell… until someone caught me. I recognized the scent: Lady Lydia herself, clad in her black aura and dark gown.
She looked at me with pity and a cold smile when she saw my tears.
"I suppose I arrived too late, little Nirael. I apologize… and I apologize again for making you bear the burden of my earlier mistake. It seems they were unexpected visitors, and we rarely see their kind." Her gaze then fixed on the desperate knight, and I hated it! Also… did he have a name? If so, calling him "the knight" felt awkward.
Lady Lydia addressed him in a mysterious tone:
"You who come from the far North… I did not expect to see you again. Honestly, despite all I've heard of you and all you did in the old days—after all, we are beings of an age long gone—how did you find the world after your long absence?"
From my perspective, he seemed not to understand her words.
I whispered to him sarcastically, "He'll understand soon enough." I found it hard to admit my ignorance of their dialogue, especially when I caught Alruna's own confusion. That's when I realized they were of the same order.
Lady Lydia did not hide her anger at the killing of her wolves or my distress. And I—knowing my Lady's spirit has spanned over a thousand years—knew she was a formidable force, as beautiful as a disaster.
Then she cast a potent healing spell on the knight, and he was whole in an instant. He stood bewildered, regarding her long and grateful nod despite his stammer.
I didn't understand her motives, but she gently carried me, and I felt relief. Before her magic whisked us back to the palace, she gazed at him and said:
"We shall meet again… and destiny awaits us at our next encounter, knight…"
In that moment we were transported to the palace's grand halls, the wolves left behind.
I cursed him in silence for letting them go unpunished, sinking into my own depths, unable to face her with the question:
"Lady… why did you look at him with those eyes?"
For the first time, I felt that my beauty wasn't enough.