《Coral and Pearl》 Coral and Pearl (Part 1) The sky was clear and blue, the aftermath of the terrible storm the night before. With a chilling breeze that introduced the autumn air, Coral found herself once again at the shore of the beach she had known her whole life. It was on these days that Coral found herself waiting the longest, the minutes ticking by feeling like an eternity. Then as if on cue, the deep waters of the sea parted, and steps formed out of the sand leading into darkness. Eager to make contact with the Ocean once more, Coral flew down the steps without looking back¡­ This, the secret Coral so closely held to her heart, is what the pregnant duchess saw when she stepped out into the chilling sand. With her bare feet exposed to the soft sand and her maids by her side to balance a parasol over her head, the duchess had come out to enjoy the morning air before retiring to her chambers for the bulk of the day. Instead she had seen the sea swallow up a girl, as if the turbulent storm that previous night had foreshadowed this forthcoming. ¡°Did you see that girl drown in the ocean?¡± The duchess had decided that the girl she saw most likely drowned, for despite how the sea had opened up and closed around its victim so readily, it was much too absurd to speak out loud. The duchess had turned to the maid directly next to her who escorted her by one arm; and who was the quickest one to speak and the most attentive of the three maids. But even this loyal servant with a sharp tongue had lost her words when she looked out into the now calm waves. ¡°Your grace, there is no one there to speak of.¡± the maid finally says. ¡°She drowned.¡± repeats the duchess. ¡°We saw no one when we came.¡± said the maid carrying the parasol. The maid at the very back of the procession carrying a stack of towels nodded her head in earnest. But as her maids spoke in denial of what their master saw, the duchess crept closer to the sea, her bare feet squelching into the wet sand as she met the point where the waves lapped over dry land. The maids scurried to follow the duchess without protest, the quick-witted one also gifted with swift movement, able to follow her pregnant master who needed her for support. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. It was clear as day as to what the duchess wished to do. Without so much as a word spoken from their master¡¯s lips, the maids all took motion. The most diligent maid continued to stay by her grace¡¯s side while the maid with the parasol handed over her object to that same maid, and together with the maid at the very back; who had left the towels on the dryer patches of sand, rolled up their skirts and waded into the sea in search of the girl. ¡°Your grace, did you mayhaps see the girl¡¯s face?¡± asked the perceptive maid. She wore no expression of concern, and the duchess knew this question was not of curiosity nor distress on the maid¡¯s part, but of pure courtesy or politeness so that light talk may fill the silence and comfort her restless master. Nevertheless, the duchess replied hurriedly in clipped short sentences and did not seem thankful for the light talk, ¡°She was much too far away. And it was much too quick.¡± Then a pause, for the duchess had briefly seen the tip of the girl¡¯s crown before she disappeared into the depths of the ocean. ¡°What is it, your grace?¡± asks the maid, who¡¯s intelligent ears had captured the duchess¡¯s hesitation. ¡°Pray tell, truely what did you see?¡± The duchess clasped her maid¡¯s arm and recalled that the girl she had seen was a brunette. She left out the part that the shadows casted by the sea as it swallowed the girl may have misinterpreted the color. The girl could have been a redhead. But the duchess knew that that would be preposterous because the only redhead in the whole kingdom was back at the estate, still tucked away in her bed beneath the covers. A few minutes later, the two maids returned, shaking their heads with defeat and squeezing out the salty water from their skirts. There was no girl. Dead or alive, she was gone. Or like the maids had suggested, that girl did not exist. Had the duchess¡¯s own eyes betrayed their master? She wrapped an arm around her swollen stomach as if to protect her child from the very mouths of the Ocean that had consumed a girl moments before. ¡°Very well,¡± the duchess spoke resolutely, ¡°let us return to the estate. I am tired.¡± As the young duchess and her maids retreated back to the grand estate, they failed to notice bubbles escaping to the surface of the sea, as if the Ocean itself were releasing a sigh of relief. Coral and Pearl (Part 2) Although mentioned many times before like a far-away scenery meant for a background, the estate was nothing of what its appearance suggested it to be. Wrought from beautifully carved sandstone, the estate stood tall on a hill overlooking the sea. Honoring the resources of the village in which this magnificent architecture was built, the gardens of the estate were not adorned with flowers of many, but with shells and stones found in the shores and deep in the sea which were polished until they shined. The pillars of the building which looked like a mock-up of some Roman architecture reached towards the heavens, making this building approximately four stories tall. The main domed ceiling held a stained glass roof, and the many other windows along the sides of the estate were all decorated with beautiful artistry of sea creatures. This mansion, which was the most elegantly crafted architecture second only to the Catholic church, is the Haven estate. It was not the Ashburn Estate, which stands in the next town over and belongs to the young Duchess Ashburn who notably saw a girl drown moments before. This estate belonged to the adopted daughter of the Reverend High Priest Revelios Haven, who¡¯s father had customized the artistry of the palace in the name of fatherly love. And it was built in its very location to remind his daughter of the very place where father and daughter first met. It is prompted every morning as the daughter overlooks the Ocean, that it was the waves of the sea that had brought the priest his daughter in a woven basket; like how Moses was delivered by the hands of God to the Egyptian princess. This child, the adopted daughter of the High Priest, the true master of the glorious estate, is the duchess¡¯s noble and sweet friend, Coral Haven. So it is in this magnificent estate, not belonging to the duchess, that the real plot of this wretched story begins¡­ That same afternoon on which the duchess had experienced a shocking experience at the beach, she now calmly sat in the lounge of the second floor of the estate; sipping black herbal tea and reading a book. The sun now shone up very high and so the windows were cracked open ever so slightly so that it could let in the soft breeze. The duchess was enjoying this hour of tranquility with her light novel as the humid, salty air tickled her nose. She was without disturbance; having dismissed her three maids to go elsewhere and with even the babe in her belly now seemingly fast asleep. It was during this peaceful time for the mother-to-be that the true master of the estate burst into the lounge with her fiance¡­ and another woman. ¡°Pearl!¡± Coral embraced her friend and helped the pregnant duchess up from her chair, who immediately greets her friend''s fiance. ¡°Your highness,¡± curtsies the duchess, Pearl. ¡°To what honor do I have your visit?¡± ¡°The honor is mine,¡± says the prince. ¡°You are a friend of my future wife, please, drop the formalities.¡± ¡°Only the wife of his highness would dare call you by your name.¡± Pearl says politely. The stranger who had been standing silently, flinches. ¡°You are a stubborn one, duchess.¡± says the prince. ¡°So it''s always been.¡± Coral hugs Pearl¡¯s arm and looks up at her friend lovingly. ¡°I am only playing the part of a loyal citizen of Gelum.¡± Pearl continues to smile. ¡°To what business do I owe being in the presence of someone such as yourself?¡± she asks the prince. Pearl did not actually care or want to know what swam in the prine¡¯s mind; her intellect and intuition had already guessed this, but proper etiquette forced her to ask. As if waiting for this very moment, the prince happily takes the delicate hand of the stranger and gently brings her forwards; forcing Pearl to finally acknowledge the unwelcome guest. It was the eyes that attracted Pearl¡¯s attention first. Huge and buglike and very shiny in the irises like big, black marbles. Then it was the hair made up in a simple braid, which was such a pale color that the platinum locks looked almost translucent when the rays of the sunlight passed through. Besides her eyes and hair, the rest of the girl looked quite normal. Although Pearl noted that her thin lips were horribly chapped and the girl looked pale to the point that she looked sickly. Pearl didn¡¯t know what to make of the girl. She didn¡¯t like how the stranger grasped the prince¡¯s hands in a tight manner. But it almost looked like the girl held his highness¡¯s hand in that way only because she knew no better. The dutchess thought to herself that at least the girl had a taste in fashion. The pale pink polonaise dress was absolutely dashing on her. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°This is my dear friend, Star.¡± says the prince. Pearl did not like the way the prince called the strange girl ¡°dear¡±. However, as a duchess of such high aristocratic nobility, Pearl clenched her jaw and fully turned to face the prince¡¯s new friend. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you, Star.¡± Pearl says brilliantly. ¡°Please forgive me for failing to introduce myself earlier. I am Duchess Pearl Ashburn, friend to his highness¡¯s fiance.¡± Pearl waited for some sort of reaction from the girl. Perhaps a curtsy and a word of apology for not doing so earlier; which an educated young woman would know to immediately do. But this strange friend of the prince did not even move a muscle. Instead Coral speaks in Star¡¯s stead. ¡°She is mute.¡± Coral quickly interjects. ¡°But not deaf, I hope?¡± Pearl¡¯s smile wavered, she was now struggling to maintain her good natured expression. She was disliking this new girl less and less. ¡°Only mute when we found her.¡± says the prince. ¡°Found?!¡± Pearl lost all composure for a moment at the inconceivableness in front of her. She forced herself to pull things back together with a deep breath. ¡°Your highness, thank you for visiting such a humble person such as myself and introducing me to your friend when you are busy with wedding preparations. I look forward to seeing you often in the future.¡± The prince bows, understanding that he is being politely kicked out. ¡°I thank you.¡± As Pearl bows quietly, the prince takes Coral¡¯s hand in his other arm. ¡°Wait.¡± Pearl looks back up. ¡°May I have a word with my friend, alone?¡± The prince leaves with Star with a nod of his head, then when the door finally closes behind the two, Coral and Pearl are alone. Pearl loses all composure in front of her friend and collapses back into her chair, her gray Edwardian dress sagging with new weight. Then the pregnant woman turned her tired grey eyes towards her only friend. ¡°How could you let another woman get close to the prince?¡± she says accusingly. ¡°Where did she come from, really?¡± Pearl refused to believe that the prince of this very country and her best friend had just brought a girl with an unclear background into their circle of friends. ¡°The details aren¡¯t important.¡± Coral tells Pearl with a smile. ¡°But we met her on the shores of the beach closer to the palace a week ago.¡± ¡°A week ago!?¡± Pearl exclaimed aghast. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I failed to mention it until now.¡± Coral says apologetically. ¡°Wedding preparations have kept my mind busy¡­¡± Coral looked back over her shoulder at the door where the prince and Star waited on the other side. ¡°But trust me on everything I say about her. Star is a really nice girl. She¡¯s fun to have around. Lively, and so full of curiosity. And she does many fun things too. I think,¡± Coral pauses. ¡°I think of her as like a little sister.¡± Pearl looked at her friend, her expression hardening as if dark clouds now blocked her vision. Suddenly the memory of the girl being swallowed by the Ocean resurfaced without warning and Pearl couldn¡¯t help but notice that when Coral moved, parts of her scarlet hair looked darker. Almost brown. ¡°Leave.¡± Pearl finally says. ¡°I didn¡¯t call you back to hear you compliment a mute.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t be mean,¡± Coral begs. ¡°Star¡¯s my friend too.¡± ¡°And what of I and the prince?¡± ¡°You are my best friend, and he is my husband-to-be!¡± ¡°Good,¡± Pearl says. ¡°Because I was starting to think that you¡¯ve forgotten where you belong.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± Coral sighs. ¡°Look, I know you don¡¯t like associating with those who are of lower status than you, but I¡¯m a commoner too!¡± ¡°No, you will become the crown princess. And whether you were engaged to the prince or not, you have me. That girl has no one.¡± Coral sighs with defeat. ¡°I think you need some rest Pearl.¡± she says softly. ¡°And please rest; for both you and your baby¡¯s sake. You are a mother-to-be after all.¡± ¡°And you, a bride-to-be.¡± Coral turned and walked towards the door to leave the room. But before she pulls the latch to open the large wooden door, she looks back at her friend once more. ¡°You know Pearl, Star too has a name. And she does have someone. Me.¡± Coral and Pearl (Part 3) As June came to a close, the duchess was entering her eighth month of pregnancy and growing even more restless by the day. It was unclear as to whether the baby may come in early or not, but the maids grew concerned with the duchess¡¯s inability to find comfort in any position and the lack of sleep due to that fact. Despite it all, the duchess refused to go back home to her husband and the Ashburn Estate because her friend¡¯s wedding was to take place in two days. The discomfort the duchess felt was small compared to the reward she will soon feel after witnessing her best friend¡¯s marriage. Once everything comes together as planned, her mind and body will be at peace. This, the duchess was sure of. After all, it was all the duchess¡¯s suggestion to the prince that he reward Coral by asking for her hand in marriage. The event which led to the engagement between the crown prince and Coral Haven, an event that the duchess labeled as fate, happened in early June when the summer heat first began to roll in. Coral and Pearl were strolling along the shores of the beach one morning when they had walked upon the ship-wrecked prince! The intelligent Pearl naturally saw this as an opportunity to gain close connections with royalty, but never did she expect the prince to ask her for suggestions on how to reward them both! At the time, the duchess was almost sorry that she was already married. Perhaps the prince and the most noble title next to him could have been hers, but after setting her friend up with the prince, and then seeing them together, Pearl knew this was destiny. When the prince took Pearl¡¯s suggestion of marriage to heart, she believed Fate had personally handed the two girls this opportunity. Pearl had eagerly grasped onto this firm line, and she was ready to see it through until the end. It was that night, almost a day away from her friend¡¯s wedding, that the duchess grew a deep thirst for fresh air. The walls of the magnificent estate felt stifling that particular night and so just opening the windows was not enough. Pearl did not have a balcony in her room, but the empty room next to hers had one, so she walked out as silently as she could and entered the next room over. Right when the duchess was about to close the door behind her, she heard the floorboards creak in the distance. She paused, then slowly turned back, creaking open the door wider once more to peer into the hallway. In the distance, Pearl could make out a soft glow which disappeared around a dark corner. How peculiar. It was nearly midnight. The whole estate should be asleep by now, thought the duchess. The household staff was no exception as there was no night watch at this mansion. This town was the safest in Gelum, and no one would dare steal from the High Priest¡¯s daughter and future princess; not even in the guise of darkness. Forgetting the balcony and swallowing the suffocating sensation of the enclosed walls, Pearl follows the candlelight. The duchess was somehow able to follow the light even in this dark hour. Perhaps it was thanks to the floorboards which creaked ever so often or in the slow way the bearer of the candle walked. Pearl guessed that the person she now followed was not accustomed to walking in pitch black. The light left the estate, which Pearl was relieved for because she secretly longed to step out into the freshness of the night air as well. But instead of moving towards the village onwards, it winded back down the hill on the opposite side towards the beach. The duchess struggled to catch up to the candlelight here for the hill was very steep and hard on the pregnant body. She had not visited the beach up close since hallucinating the drowning girl (by this time, Pearl had accepted it as an illusion). And so the duchess doubted her ability and safety to be able to climb down. And there was that question too if she could climb down unnoticed, for she found herself huffing and wheezing violently. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. It was when she had reached the bottom and her bare feet slid once more into sand, that Pearl truly realized what she was doing. This is incredulous. Absolutely preposterous. No one would ever think, let alone believe that a pregnant duchess of such high class such as herself would follow a stranger in the chilling air of darkness. Pearl shivered at the possibilities of what she may face in the night. What was she thinking? Pearl scolded herself. And yet, the duchess felt something in her rise that she hadn¡¯t felt in a long time. A thrilling joy. Ecstasy that shouldn¡¯t be felt at this moment of possible danger. Is this one of the effects of being pregnant? Pearl hurries along the beach after the light. When the person carrying the candle reaches the waves, their silhouette or form could finally be made out. Pearl had to cover her mouth to keep herself from gasping out loud. It was that girl she witnessed drowning only weeks before! Except the girl must have not drowned for she stood under the night unscathed. So it wasn¡¯t an illusion after all! Pearl watched in amazement, her mouth gaping open with a silent gasp, the only disturbance in the still night before the waves began to churn. It was unlike what Pearl had ever seen. The waves continued to wash over what was dry land, but the water, instead of retreating backwards soon after, piled up on top of each other. The tower of waves continued to pile high until it was a foot taller than the candlelight girl. The light now reflected against the clear water and made the girl beneath it more distinguishable. And she looked somewhat familiar. In the way she stood almost on her tippy-toes, the distinct way her free hand moved restlessly, and then the girl¡¯s face turned towards the duchess for a slight second. It was only for a moment, and the two had not made eye contact, but Pearl now knew that this girl was in fact someone she knew. Someone she knew very well in fact, her dear friend Coral Haven. Pearl had not spoken to Coral since their last conversation regarding Star. Not that they even had the chance to meet with Coral¡¯s busy wedding schedule. But they were best friends, and best friends always find time to try and see each other occasionally. Yet Pearl did not seek out Coral, and Coral did not go meet Pearl. But here she was, Coral in the candlelight beneath a tower of waves. And Pearl, her pregnant friend who secretly witnessed all this, could not make sense of it at all. But the duchess could see it now. How Coral¡¯s red hair could have and still continues to look brown. And how the shadows of the waves, the ominous darkness, sucked all the brilliance out of her hair. What looked like rubies in the daytime looked dead and decayed beneath shadows. As Pearl began to define and accept what she saw, she began to sort and calculate her moves. Unlike the bright eyed Coral, Pearl¡¯s dark eyes easily adjusted in the darkness. She scanned her surroundings, picking up her choice of weapon if she would need it later, a rock. Her stone was not a pebble. Sharp along one edge but firmly large enough that it had to be carried by both hands, the duchess clutched onto it as she waited. Finally, the sorcery of the Ocean completed and collapsed, revealing Coral¡¯s biggest secret. Pearl clenched her jaw, finding resolve. This time picking up a pebble, Pearl threw it with all her might as far as she could in the opposite direction with a PLU-THUNK! She continued to do it until it caught Coral¡¯s attention enough to scare her. Coral momentarily dismissed herself from the what-would-be-revealed, and hurriedly went to look for the subject that made a disturbance. Pearl made her move. With swift motion, one that should not be possible for an eight month pregnant woman to do, Pearl approached the object that drove all of Coral¡¯s attention, and attacked it with the giant stone. Out of breath, the duchess looked down with the expectation of seeing a mutilated, dead body. But to the pregnant woman¡¯s relief, and pure astonishment, was that all that was left of Coral¡¯s secret, which she had locked so tightly in her heart, was nothing but sea foam. Coral and Pearl (End) Pearl stood out over the balcony of the honeymoon ship with a glass of red cranberry juice as she admired the sunset. The wedding was a success, as she expected it to be. Now all the honored guests were aboard the ship that would take the two royal couples into their honeymoon. Pearl lazily sloshed her drink around, an act of drunkenness, conducting daydreams of what may come next in the lives of herself, and Coral. Pearl already knew what was ahead of her without a doubt. It was predictable that the ship would stop at a port in the town where the duchess¡¯s estate lay. The duke, her husband, would no doubt be waiting with a comfortable carriage at the ready with the finest and swiftest horses to drive it. Then they will reach their mansion just in time for the duchess to give birth. This was in Pearl¡¯s fantasy, but so was the train of events for Coral¡¯s honeymoon with the prince which led them to visiting the entirety of the world and then for them to return with one toddler child and announcing the expectancy of their second. The duchess hummed happily, downing the remainder of her drink in one full swig. And to think Pearl once thought that the prince¡¯s new friend, Star, would become a threat! In reality, Pearl found the girl to only be a flea, easily squashed. And although the pitiful girl who was quite openly in love with the prince appeared as a guest at the wedding, the mute did what was expected of them and did not say a word to try and stop the wedding. Thinking about the peculiar girl, where was she? The duchess knew that the prince had invited the girl onto the honeymoon ship in the same way the Pearl now stood on the deck; as an honorary guest to ride part way. But did that girl accept the prince¡¯s invitation? This, the duchess did not know. But as the duchess wondered where the girl may have gone, Star appeared as if out of thin air on the other side of the horizontal stretch of the balcony. It was now dark and at the brink of night, she could only be seen thanks to the ship''s orange lanterns. Star looked even more ghostly in the night. And her tear streaked complexion made her look like one of the martyred saints on the church¡¯s stain glass windows. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The duchess¡¯s heart skipped a beat with an exciting idea. Perhaps a reckless next step for the pregnant woman is to do a good deed! She would take this heartbroken girl under her wing, and perhaps even find her a suitable husband. Yes, what a fitting idea, thought the duchess. Perhaps this girl who was useless with manners will be useful with kids. Pearl had yet to assign a nanny for when her child was born. Now feeling feverish with adrenaline running on high alert, Pearl raised her hand and opened her mouth to get the girl¡¯s attention. Before any word could be uttered, Star produced a sharp dagger from her bodice and threw herself off the edge of the ship while stabbing her heart. Pearl¡¯s vision sparked with alarm at what she had just witnessed. Is the girl dead? For what reason did she do that? Was her heartbreak enough to give up life? Pearl knew she should sound the alarm, perhaps look for help on the ship to save the poor girl. But instead, the duchess ran to the side of the balcony where Star stood moments before and peered over the edge. The deep blue in which the weeping girl fell were remnants of seafoam. The duchess laughed.