The Proposition

The carriage wheels came to a halt in front of a large mansion, and a tall woman who looked like she was in her early forties stepped out, followed by her handmaiden. The woman was dressed in a long blue beaded gown with a side lacing that tightened around the waist, flaring long bell sleeves, and a wide scoop neckline that showed off her fair neck. Her dark red hair was long and straight, falling freely down her back.

Her face was angular yet soft and full of features; her eyes were amber with thick eyelashes and the shape of her lips reminded one of blood. Her skin was flawless and glistening as if it were freshly taken off the drying rack. She exuded power that was intimidating and intimidatingly beautiful. The woman walked through the door, into the foyer of the manor, where two servants greeted her, bowing their heads.

Her mere presence demanded respect and she oozed so much charm and gracefulness that people would immediately bow before her while she would smile at them – acknowledging their greetings.

The butler who stood in the middle of the room deeply bowed his head, welcoming her. "Your Grace."

The older woman smiled at him. "It's good to see you, Gustavo."

"Yes, Your Grace." The old man nodded his head.

"Where's he?" she asked, referring to the Duke.

The Butler gestured behind the woman towards the staircase, "The Master is in his room, Your grace."

With another smile, the woman turned to the stairwell and started up the stairs. The butler followed after her as they climbed the stairs.

On their way, they met a man in a black cloak, who also seemed to be going to the Duke's bedroom. As soon as he saw her, he bowed.

"Your Grace!"

"Trevor," She said, acknowledging his greeting. "What's the chaos all about?" She had noticed a lot of guards walking around earlier, which was more than the normal amount of guards that guarded the manor.

"Someone broke the protective barrier and sneaked into the mansion. But not to worry, we've caught the intruder and put her in the dungeon. Forgive me for my incompetence!" He responded.

"Her?"

"Yes, she's a witch."

"Then she must be one powerful witch, For her to be able to break the barrier." She paused, "Take me to her, I want to see her." Without waiting for him, she turned around and walked back down the stairs.

He followed her. "Of course, your grace."

They started walking together and the man opened the door of the dungeon. It had a strong magical barrier placed inside, so no person could get into the cell. They passed several cells until they reached the one Aylin was in.

The Grand Duchess stared at Aylin who lay curled up on the floor in wet and strange clothes. Her disheveled hair covered part of her face and she used her hand as a pillow to support her head as the other hand was clenched tightly into a fist.

As Andromeda watched Aylin, a small smile made its way to her lips — which went as soon as it came.

"How long has she been in there?" She asked, her amber irises gazing intently at the sleeping girl.

"3 hours, Your Grace," Trevor answered and a soft sigh escaped her lips.

"Open the door to the cell."

"What?!"

"I'm sure you heard me, Trevor."

"Forgive me, Your Grace, I was only thinking about your safety."

"Do you think that a witch which you easily caught could harm me?" She asked, raising one of her eyebrows.

"No Your – "

"Just open it," she ordered in an almost irritated tone.

Trevor hesitated before taking out a key and unlocking the lock on the cell. The cell slowly opened, causing the girl to stir slightly.

Aylin heard the sound of her cell door opening and footsteps walking toward her. She slowly sat up and moved her hand to rub her eyes before blinking a few times to get the sleep off her.

A beautiful woman was looking at her. Her eyes held warmth as she stared at Aylin and a smile adorned her face.

"You're awake," The woman stated.

"Obviously," Aylin muttered under her breath, wondering who the woman was and what she wanted.

Andromeda pretended not to hear her and simply turned to Trevor who was waiting outside the cell.

"I would like to talk to her alone."

"Your Gr–"

"Trevor, leave," she ordered and Trevor, who didn't have much choice, turned around and walked away.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your sleep," The Grand Duchess apologized to Aylin.

Aylin looked at the lady standing in front of her and couldn't help but feel confused about who she was. Especially with the way she ordered that knight guy.

Who was this woman?

"Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt you," She said softly, her voice smooth as honey.

Yeah, that's what everyone has been saying.

"Then, who are you? What the hell is this place and what in the actual f*ck is going on?" Aylin questioned, her throat hurting like hell as she hadn't had anything to drink since noon but that didn't stop her from asking the question that she wanted and needed an answer to.

"Why don't you calm down–"

Aylin chuckled as if she heard a joke. "Calm down? You want me to calm down? Why don't you do this, trip on a stone, fall, and find yourself in a completely different place where you see the most gorgeous but craziest man you've ever laid eyes on who ends up calling you a witch and orders you to be thrown into a freaking dungeon! I'm sure you are going to be very calm aren't you?"

Andromeda remained calm as she responded to Aylin. "I understand that you must have gone through a lot, but trust me, I'm here to help and I will answer all your questions but firstly, let me introduce myself—my name is Andromeda, I'm the Grand Duchess and also the current Duke's grandmother."

Grandmother?! Aylin's eyes trailed the woman's graceful form. How could – she didn't even look old! How could someone as young and beautiful as her be a grandmother?

"And one question, what is the meaning of what you said just now? Something like… actual… F-f*–" Andromeda added and Aylin gaped at her.

Seriously? She couldn't even pronounce f*ck? Were they in the 18th century or something?

"Actual fuck?" Aylin raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, that."

Aylin shrugged, "It's a curse word, it means what it says."

"Oh, I see, it's a strange word," Andromeda commented. "Anyways, your name is Aylin, right?"

Aylin's head shot up, "Yes... that's my name, but how do you know?"

"Let's just say it's one of my gifts."

Gifts? Like powers?

"Can you stand?" Andromeda asked, making Aylin move her gaze to her swollen leg.

"I can try, but why do you ask?"

"Because we are getting you out of here." She stated and Aylin's eyes widened before narrowing making Andromeda smile. "I'm here to help you."

"Help me?" Aylin scoffed "Why should I believe you?"

"You should because I know how you got here–"

"You know how I got here?"

"Yes."

"Then how did I get here?"

"You fell into a portal." She stated and Aylin stared blankly at her for some time before laughing.

"A portal?! Like in novels and movies?!"

"Yes, a portal. Considering that you've seen people teleport, that shouldn't be a surprise to you. Tell me, how do you think you went from one place to another place which is so different in every way in a blink of an eye hmm?" Andromeda raised her brow before sighing. "I also know that you are not a witch and there's no reason for you to be here. So do you want to get out of here?" Andromeda stretched out her hand with a smile but Aylin didn't take it.

Seeing that Aylin was feeling skeptical, she added; "Don't worry, I'm going to explain everything to you later but let's get out of here first hmm?"

Aylin sighed before taking her hand.

With a smile, Andromeda bent down and placed her second hand on Aylin's wounded ankle, closing her eyes, a shimmering white airy light circled her leg for some time while Aylin stared wide-eyed before starting to feel something warm in her leg which made her sigh in relief as the ache began to disappear.

After a minute or two, Andromeda stood upright, pulling Aylin up with her.

Not feeling any pain from her ankle, Aylin's hand went to her ankle and she held it, twisting her leg from one side to the other while still holding her fully healed ankle.

Aylin couldn't believe what had just happened as she gaped at the older woman.

"Why are you helping me?" Aylin asked as she stood upright.

Why was she helping her, how did she know that she fell into a portal and why was she so sure that she wasn't a witch?

At her question, Andromeda chuckled. "That will be for later, but for now, let's get you cleaned up." She said, grabbing Aylin by the arm, before teleporting to an enormous room.

"This will be your room for now," Andromeda told Aylin who simply nodded absentmindedly, still reeling from the fact that they teleported.

"I'll show you to the bathroom." She said, dragging Aylin along with her to a door beside the bed frame. Behind the door, they came upon the bathroom. It was huge. Everything was white, from the bathtub, shower curtain, toilet, and sinks.

"Well, you seem to like it." Andromeda said as she observed Aylin's expression, "Now, go wash up, I will tell the maids to get a dress ready for you." With that, she disappeared and left Aylin standing in the middle of the room, disoriented.

What was happening?

That was the first question that came to her mind.

She slowly took off her accessories starting from her bracelet to her earrings and necklace before pausing.

A portal?

She resumed taking off her clothes.

If what that young-looking old lady was saying was the truth then she fell into a portal and came… Here? Speaking of here, where and when exactly was she? Judging from their clothes it looked like the 19th or 18th century but there was no magic at that time or was there?! I mean teleportation? Healing? Those were all found in movies, lies. But she… They… They did it. How?!

After taking off her clothes, Aylin washed her face and hands, stepped into the bath, and submerged herself in the warm water. Soon, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax.

Eyes still closed, the image of the red-eyed guy came to her mind and her eyes shot open.

Goodness, she had totally forgotten about that devilishly handsome man. However, recalling how he had scared her and made her slip and fall into the pool without helping, her face turned into a scowl. He had even watched her with amusement, she had clearly seen the smile in his eyes, and not to forget, he'd also called her a witch!

Seriously? In what way did she look like a witch?! But… he was convinced that she was a witch and the situation also made her look like the intruder. If she was in his position, she would have probably thought the same. Still… she couldn't forgive him just like that, he had to pay for what he did.

A/N: *Shakes head* He wasn't even asking for your forgiveness in the first place.

The way his voice turned cold and his attitude took a one-eighty-degree turn when he said she was a witch had been… Frightening.

She'd always had a soft spot for handsome men and that was one of the things that drew her to Ian but he could never compare to the silver-haired man. Never.

Ian…

F*ck him. He was the cause of all this.

F*ck you, f*ck you, f*ck you, Ian!

After cursing Ian a few more times in her head, she sighed and resumed bathing.

When she emerged again, after drying her body with the towel provided before picking up a white dress folded neatly on a table which was a long-sleeved flowing gown with beautiful patterns embroidered on it.

With a frown, Aylin held up the gown.

Was she going to wear this? God, she hated wearing gowns like this.

Aylin knew that if she wore this, she was sure to feel restricted.

She felt the fabric and as soon as she noticed that it was soft and easy to tear, her face brightened and she didn't waste time turning it into a slit gown before putting it on.

After that, she took her clothes and wore her bracelet before walking back into the room where she saw Andromeda sitting comfortably on one of the chairs with maids following her instructions as they cleaned the already neat room.

Andromeda turned to see Aylin approaching her, her eyes widening when her eyes went to Aylin's torn dress.

"Oh lord! The dress is torn! Why did you wear it?" Andromeda asked as she stood up and walked to Aylin with a look of horror on her face. "Didn't the maid see that it was torn?"

Aylin stopped and looked down at the dress before looking back up at Andromeda who was already beside her, "No, It wasn't torn before, I was the one who tore it."

"What? But why?"

Aylin shrugged, "Well, I don't like gowns so I had to tear the dress so as not to feel restricted."

"You don't like gowns? Then what do you wear?"

"I wear trousers, loose-fitting trousers."

"Trousers like every time?" Andromeda asked and Aylin nodded.

"I thought only men wore trousers?"

Aylin smiled, "Well not anymore, I mean at least where I come from."

"Okay, well though it looks strange, I must admit that it looks good on you too," Andromeda stated and Aylin chuckled.

"Thank you," she replied.

"Ok so, would you like some tea?" Andromeda asked with a warm smile as she sat back down.

Aylin wanted to refuse but her stomach growled, and Aylin's hand flew to her stomach.

"Or maybe something to eat?" Andromeda asked, raising one of her eyebrows.

"Yes please," Aylin replied, sitting down next to her as the maids took their leave except for one, who was standing next to the Grand Duchess.

Noticing Aylin staring at her handmaiden, Andromeda introduced, "This is Selena, my handmaiden."

"Oh, Nice to meet you, Selena," Aylin said to the older woman, who simply bowed to her.

The maids brought the food and Aylin ate to her heart's content, not caring about Andromeda who stared at her till she finished eating.

Aylin sat on a chair in front of Andromeda, facing each other.

"I'm sure you must have a lot of questions," Andromeda started "But, I can't answer every one of them so choose wisely."

Aylin nodded, "Why are you helping me?"

That was the first thing Aylin wanted to know. She needed to know why this woman was helping her.

"Because I also need your help," Andromeda answered with a smile.

Her help? What help could Aylin possibly give her?

"What is this place, like where am I?"

"This is a kingdom with supernatural beings, like people who possess magical powers, witches, wizards, and vampires. Though there are no vampires anymore. That's all I can tell you for now, later, I will personally give you an answer to every question regarding the kingdom."

A kingdom?! Did she travel back in time or to another world? Because the world she knew didn't have magical powers in the past. And no vampires? So that guy wasn't a vampire? Then why did he have red eyes, or could it be the normal color of his eyes?

Wow.

"Can I go back home?" She needed to know if she could go back home.

"Well... let's see, it depends, first why don't you start by telling me how you fell into the portal? And where did you come from?"

Aylin told her everything, from how she fell into the portal and found herself here, what her world looks like, and others.

"Well, it's strange that you fell into a portal because there's no magician who can create a portal anymore. The ability to create a portal was given to a few chosen people. They used to be plenty one time, then they went lower and lower until they ceased to exist. So if you want to go back, we need to find a witch, who is highly skilled in dark magic, which will be like finding a needle in a haystack, but as long as you can help me, I will do it."

Aylin wanted to ask why it was hard finding a witch but she remembered that she had limited questions so she had to use them well.

"What help could I give you?" Aylin asked, hoping that Andromeda would give her the help that she needed most, that is, getting out of this strange place.

The older woman smiled, "Since you will be staying here for a while, at least until we find the one who can help you get back home, why don't we make your stay a little helpful?"

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, for me to help you, you will have to make my Grandson, the duke, fall for you."

"?!"