Episode 18

Esmeralda rushed into her room, silently closing the door behind her. Tears streamed down her face, shattered by Ezra's rejection. All she had ever wanted was to be with him, and now she faced the prospect of losing him. She understood that his rejection was an attempt to protect her, but it hurt nonetheless. The look of pain in his eyes was etched into her mind, and she blamed herself for it. Opening up to her father and confessing her love for Ezra seemed like the only solution she could think of. With her birthday and initiation ritual just three days away, she dreaded the impending loss of control over her own life. Her desires and dreams would no longer matter; only the empire's well-being would be of importance. The thought of sleep filled her with dread, as it meant the return of morning and all its burdens. Unable to bear it any longer, she stepped out onto the balcony, shed her gown, called forth her wolf, and leaped into the compound, disappearing into the woods. This was the first time Esmeralda had intentionally summoned her wolf. While other werewolves couldn't transform at will, outside the power of the full moon, Esmeralda could. Running through the woods, she finally felt a sense of freedom after a long time. She let out a howl at the moon and raced further into the forest. Suddenly, the rustling of leaves caught her attention. It was a girl, no older than 18, with dark auburn hair. The girl appeared confused, scared, and lost, desperately searching the dark forest. Esmeralda's wolf remained hidden, observing the girl. Their eyes met, and the girl screamed in fear before vanishing the instant Esmeralda emerged from the bushes. She quickly made her way back to the palace, transforming back into her human form, and went to sleep.

Lily awoke on her bed, shivering and frightened by the vivid dream she had just experienced. At this point, distinguishing reality from the world of dreams had become a challenge. These hallucinations were slowly devouring her sanity, leaving her in desperate need of someone who could make sense of it all. She glanced down and noticed her feet covered in mud from the forest floor. Overwhelmed, she realized it wasn't a dream; somehow, she had ended up in the forest, feeling the intense gaze of the beast upon her had frightened her beyond words. Terrified, she had been teleported back to her bed. She tried to comprehend why this was happening, but her efforts proved futile. Fearful of being further isolated and rejected, she hesitated to confide in anyone about these strange occurrences. Lily was already an outcast and a pariah at school, and any additional abnormalities would only solidify her social exile. She had overheard fellow students gossiping about her, attributing her unusual existence to dark Ramava. Doubts began to cloud her mind, questioning everything her mother had ever told her. Nothing seemed to add up, and it appeared that even the one person she believed she could turn to was concealing the truth. She knew she had to return home soon and have a conversation with her mother. She couldn't continue carrying this burden alone, she was determined to find answers. She forced herself back to sleep, as she had classes to attend and plans to hang out with King Aiden later. Aiden was the only thing that made sense to her in recent days. She resolved to confide in him, hoping his ancient wisdom and knowledge of Esteria's various magical species, combined with the wealth of information contained in the royal library, would provide a solution to her predicament.

Esmeralda was awakened the following morning by her overzealous maid, whose exclamation of terror startled her out of bed.

"Your Grace, there is mud everywhere!" the maid exclaimed, her eyes bulging with shock as she surveyed the messy room.

"Lower your voice or you'll wake the entire castle," Esmeralda cautioned.

"My apologies, Your Grace, but what happened here? This room was cleaned just yesterday, and now..."

"Well, clean it again. That's what you're paid to do," Esmeralda responded, her frustration evident.

The maid stifled a groan and replied, "Yes, Your Grace, I'll run you a bath now and have everything cleaned in no time."

Esmeralda nodded in approval and rolled over to the other side of the bed, checking her phone. She had expected her usual good morning text from Ezra, but this morning, there was only silence.

"Ughhh!" she exclaimed in frustration, rising from bed and heading into the bathroom for a shower. As she sat in the tub, memories of the previous night in the woods flooded her mind. The presence of the mysterious girl intrigued her. What was she doing alone in the forest? Esmeralda knew she had frightened the girl with her wolf form. There was something oddly familiar about the girl, but she couldn't quite place it. Pushing those thoughts aside, she found herself consumed by thoughts of her encounter with Ezra in his bedchambers.

Meanwhile, the frustrated maid began cleaning the room and called for additional assistance while Esmeralda was in the bathroom. When Esmeralda emerged an hour later, her room was impeccably clean, and the maids were scurrying out with their cleaning items.

"Would you like me to assist you in getting dressed today, Princess, or will you manage on your own?" her handmaiden asked.

"Thank you, Cilia, but I'll manage just fine on my own. You may leave," Esmeralda replied, dismissing the maid.

All Esmeralda wanted to do that day was stay in bed. However, she had been promised to the company of Damian, her betrothed, for the entire day to become better acquainted. She dreaded the thought, knowing she would spend the entire time thinking about Ezra