Chapter 4 The Liar

• ELLA'S POV
• Princess Hellen paces restlessly around the room, her usually radiant face marred by tears and frustration. She just failed to lift the Alpha King's curse in the most embarrassing way, and in the next several hours, she will undoubtedly take out her anger on us.
• "My lady, you did all that is within your power," Julia comforts gently as the Princess finally comes to a stop and sits on the edge of her ornate bed. Her gaze is drawn to her reflection on the grand mirror that adorns the wall.
• "Not a single one of them even seemed to notice my beauty!" She laments. "What am I to do?"
• Her fail safe plan was to capture the great Alpha King's attention, but apparently, even that wasn't enough.
• I carefully choose my words before clearing my throat. "Your Highness, maybe if we try to understand more about the curse itself-"
• "What do you mean, human? Are you saying I didn't try hard enough?" She turns sharply, her eyes flashing with anger.
• I quickly backtrack. "No, your Highness. That's not what I meant at all. I just thought that perhaps..."
• "I don't need your excuses! I need solutions! I need to find a way to lift this curse and prove myself to them." She interrupts, her voice trembling.
• "Your Highness, perhaps Ella is right. If you discover what went wrong with the first ritual the kings might be willing to give you another chance to make amends." Julia says.
• Princess Hellen's eyes widen with a sudden spark of as she listens to Julia's suggestion. She wipes away her tears and straightens her posture.
• "That's..... brilliant. Go to the kings' assistant immediately. Tell him I request an audience with the kings to ask for another opportunity for me to prove myself." she commands Julia.
• "Why not send the human instead?" Asher interjects.
• "I need the human to study my spellbook and discern what went wrong during my first ritual," Princess Hellen explains and my eyes widen. She is the witch, how can I read the spellbook on her behalf?
• For hours later Princess Hellen lie on her bed while I read the spell book, listing down the things and steps to be followed for the ritual to lift the curse. We wait anxiously to hear if the kings will offer her another chance.
• The kings assistant had promised Julia that he will inform the kings of Princess Hellen's plea and get back to us with their decision.
• "How long does it take for three people to make a simple decision . . .?" Princess Hellen starts to lament, but trails off when a loud knock sounds through the room.
• "That must be him." She jumps to her feet and hurry to open the door herself, and indeed it is Sir William. She smiles widely at him.
• "Sir William, thank you for coming," she says, trying to contain her excitement.
• Sir William looks uncomfortable as he enters the room. "My apologies, Princess Hellen. The kings have declined to grant another opportunity."
• A wave of disappointment washes over Hellen's face. "But I've found the flaws in the original ritual and developed a new, flawless one. Why won't they listen?"
• "They have invited you to dine with them this evening," Sir William says. "They wish to hear more about your new ritual before you proceed. I will send a maid to escort you when the time is right." Sir William answers before turning to leave.
• Hellen's face lit up. "They're giving me another chance," she exclaims loudly, closing the door. Asher and Julia embrace her in excitement.
• I can't shake the feeling that the invitation is not a second chance, but a test. If her new ritual does not meet the kings' expectations, there won't be no more opportunities. But I choose not to dampen my mistress's mood with my concerns.
• **********
• Several hours later the beautiful princess is all set for the dinner with the kings. She has put on a sparkling red dress to make another attempt on dazzling the kings with her beauty.
• "Where is the information you wrote?" She inquires while two palace maids wait outside the room to escort her to dine with the kings. I hand her the paper containing the details I had written down, but she pockets it without glancing at its contents.
• "Lead the way," she commands and the maids guide us down a different direction than the one we had taken earlier with sir William, veering right into an unfamiliar hallways.
• "Human!" princess Hellen calls as we walk. I hasten to her side.
• "What caused my previous ritual to fail?" she asks.
• That will definitely be the first question the kings will ask. According to the spellbook, numerous crucial elements were lacking in her initial ritual. I opt for the simplest explanation.
• "Um, some vital components were missing from your ritual, your highness like..." my words are cut short as the maids unlock two massive doors, granting us entry into a grand dinning chamber adorned with a long banquet table.
• The opulent setting is resplendent, with towering vases of flowers adorning the table and magnificent seats. The three kings sit on one side of the table, with three maids standing behind them. All kind of foods are laid down on the table.
• I'm quickly learning to ignore their beauty as it is but a facade that hides their ugliness within. No amount of beauty can mask the ugliness of their words and actions.
• Princess Hellen approaches them and gracefully curtsies in front of them. With what happened earlier today her confidence is certainly unmatched. "Your majesties, it is an honor to dine with you tonight." She says.
• A maid pulls out a seat for her. We promptly position ourselves behind her.
• "I know my previous attempt at lifting your curse was... well, less than successful." she begins with a light laugh.
• The Kings, however, seem rather disinterested, their expressions stoic and unimpressed.
• "That's putting it mildly, Princess. You set fire to our throne room." King Reagan says.
• They haven't changed their outfits from earlier so I can still tell them apart.
• Princess Hellen's smile falters for a moment before she regains her composure. "Yes, well, mistakes were made. But I assure you, I have learned from the missteps of my attempt and I am prepared to rectify them. I assure you that I am the most renowned sorceress in the land. You won't find another like me."
• King Aleric arches an eyebrow, his piercing gaze locked on Princess Hellen. "And what makes you so certain this time will be any different?" he prods, his voice laced with skepticism.
• "I dedicated countless hours to devise an entirely new ritual, addressing all the crucial elements I previously missed," she declares with confidence.
• "What crucial elements did you miss?" King Aleric inquires, his curiosity piqued.
• Reaching into her pocket, Princess Hellen retrieves the folded parchment I gave her earlier . "Here," she says, passing it to me. "Present this to King Aleric," she commands and I obediently retrieve the folded paper from her, carrying it around the table to present it to King Aleric. As he reaches out to take it, I can't help but notice that his exposed hand bear a barely noticeable rash, a stark contrast to the smoothness of his face. Perhaps his hands had been exposed to sunlight.
• As he takes the paper from my hand, our fingers graze and something very astonishing happens.
• The rash on his skin starts to disappear and the pale skin begins to gain back it's healthy colour and a beautiful glow.
• "You must be kidding me!" king Aleric exclaims staring at his hand in disbelief.The entire table falls silent in shock. I too look at my hand but see nothing.
• "How is that possible?" King Kian asks astounded. "The rash vanished."
• Princess Hellen rises from her seat and walks to us. Her slender fingers reaches out to touch King Aleric's smooth skin, as if not believing it's real.
• Suddenly king Aleric turns and grabs my hand. He checks my palm. "What did you do servant?" He asks.
• "Your Majesty, I swear, I did not..." I stammer. Shock has got me frozen.
• "It is my earlier spell that has begun to take effect. Spells can sometimes require time to manifest," Princess Hellen interject.
• The kings turn to her, their expressions shifting from disbelief to hope.
• "But earlier, you mentioned that your ritual lacked some really crucial elements," King Reagan questions, his skepticism evident.
• Princess Hellen nods confidently. "Yes, your Majesty. However, the absence of certain elements does not necessarily negate the effects of a ritual, it may simply prolong the process and weaken the curse over time."
• I look at Princess Hellen, silently dismayed by the deception. The kings, however, seem convinced, and their expressions soften with newfound hope.
• "If what you say is true, then we are indebted to you, Princess Hellen. We will gratefully accept your assistance," King Aleric declares.