Silver- part 1

Next day.

As the morning arrived, the sun struggled to penetrate through the heavy clouds that loomed over the town.

In one of the servant's quarters, Elestria lay sound asleep. Unaware of her slumber, her physical features have changed drastically.

Matilda, 57 years old and the only human maid who is the head maid of the royal palace, donned a coxy dress. She was wrapped in a soft brown old long gown layered with a brown sweater, protecting her from the cold weather of Autumvale.

In the quiet room, the candlelight flickers, casting a soft glow over the room.

Matilda sat on a worn chair, just beside Elestria, who was sleeping on her bed, with a serene face.

Matilda's face contorted in worry at the sight that lay in front of her. The face she saw when Elestria first entered the room has now changed drastically. The severe change left Matilda questioning what she was supposed to do now.

Her mind raced; she knew this day would come, as Agatha had hinted at the existence of her daughter. But she never knew that her daughter possessed powers that were beyond anyone's knowledge.

The whole room was echoed by the sudden knock on the door. Matilda's tired frame rose from the chair in which she was sitting, and with caution steps, she approached the door. 

Opening it, she saw the butler standing in front of her. Intuitively, she tried to hide what lay behind her on the bed.

Matilda moved outside, closing the door behind her. The quick movement caught Butler's red eyes. He looked at her suspiciously while bowing and informed her, "Young Master Zephyr has asked to see her in the early morning; right after the funeral gets over, make sure to prepare her.".

Returning the bow, Matilda assured him by saying, "I'll get her ready; she is sleeping right now." Walter nodded his head in understanding. Taking a step back before retracing his path, he walked away.

With a heavy sigh, Matilda entered her room and firmly closed the door behind her so that no one could enter the room.

Alone again in the dimly lit room, she found herself immersed in her thoughts. The echo of Elestria's scream still resonated in Matilda's mind.

When Elestria started screaming, Matilda, being a mother, caught Elestria in her arms, trying to soothe her pain away. It was at that exact moment just when she noticed how Elestria's brown eyes glimmered with a silver hue. 

Elestria's entire body paled in ghostly white, and the most problematic change was her hair color.

Her hair, once light brown, has now changed into a striking silver color. Despite years of working in the royal palace and the knowledge obtained from the books of the royal library, she found herself at a loss, unable to guess the reason behind the sudden changes that occurred.

Glancing towards the window, Matilda noted that it was almost four in the morning. The trees outside swayed gently in the cool breeze. Gazing upon the trees, all she could think about was what would happen once Prince Zephyr caught sight of her and recognized her possible changes.

Being the mother of two children, Matilda's concerns were fair enough.

As she was lost in her thoughts, Elestria woke up with a startle. Elestria looked around her surroundings, which were visible due to the soft glow of dawn seeping through the windows.

Elestria's panic state had dissipated, exactly opposite of how Matilda had thought she would react once she woke up. She was calm and composed. Her now bright silver eyes swept across the room to get the answers to where she actually was.

Matilda, sensing Elestria's thoughts, walked towards the table where water was kept. She handed the glass of water to Elestria.

"Drink, my child," she uttered with such a soft voice that it nearly pushed Elestria to the edge of releasing her build-up emotions. Accepting the glass from Matilda, Elestria murmured in a soft and shaky tone, her hands trembling, "Thank you." Halfway through drinking the water, Elestria's mind flashed with memories of the room where her mother had passed away. Her head started aching when she remembered what she saw in the room.

It was her mother's memory—the memory of her when she was alive. Her mother was standing by the window, and while stepping back, she said, trembling, as if she were scared of someone, "I don't have the thing you are looking for." Before her mother could complete her sentence, Elestria felt immense pain in her chest, making her unconscious.

Getting up from the bed, Elestria rushed towards the gate. Before she could reach out for the wooden door's handle, Matilda gently held her hand and stopped her by saying, "You can't go looking like this; it's not safe for you, my child," in a soft, worried voice.

"Why? Why won't I be safe? They will kill me too. Huh?" Elestria, for the first time, erupted, her words bursting out in front of someone. Her breathing quickened, her heart was pounding with intensity, and her entire body trembled with a mix of fear and anger that had been building up within her.

She couldn't control her emotions anymore; it was so stressful for her. Everything around her was so overwhelming. Every day her mother would tell her the same thing: 'You'll have to learn to live alone', without ever clarifying why.

Elestria had tried multiple times to get her mother to speak, but every time she was left unanswered. Elestria's frustration was reaching its breaking point.

With her mother now gone, the haunting vision she got when she was clutching her hand wasn't settling right to her core. The need for an answer burned within her, and she will get her answer, whatever it takes. 

She won't let her mother die just like that, with no prior reason.

Her mother, before leaving for work today, had asked her to prepare their favorite bun so that they could eat in the evening once she was back.

She will never leave her just like this.

She just can't.