《Miridical》 Chapter One A soft kiss of an ocean breeze brushed against the rose of her cheeks. The ocean was one of her most favorite places to go as a child, and being there brought a sickly nostalgia she could not shake. Clouds of foam glided across a fine powdery sand, white with sun-bleach and years of baking. Her feet were bare, as anyone¡¯s would be. She could feel the coolness of the ocean, the salty brashness of the air that filled her lungs. ¡°Marie,¡± The girl¡¯s gaze reverted from the darkness of a swirling ocean, ¡°I¡¯d like to stay here forever, please.¡± Her smile was faint as her gaze once returned to the brilliance before her. ¡°I am truly sorry that we cannot, Simone, if I could keep you here I would,¡± Her deep, melodic voice rolled in like the deep curling waves themselves. ¡°Ahh, I figured as such,¡± A sigh escaped Simone¡¯s lips as she dragged her feet through the silky sand, ¡°But, y¡¯know, It wouldn¡¯t hurt to stay for another week or so, right?¡± Marie¡¯s soothing laughter rang in Simone¡¯s ears as they soon began to walk beside each other. An overcast of wispy gray clouds washed over the once blue sky. The dullness of such clouds didn¡¯t distinguish the excellent glow of the sand, though. As the two tread across the beach, Simone¡¯s head perked up and her posture fixed. ¡°Marie?¡± She spoke with a question in her voice. ¡°Yes, Simone?¡± ¡°Was there not something important today? Like- uhm, hrm. . .¡± As Simone fell further into thought, the overcast illuminated. Sand began to drip away off an undistinguished edge. Like an hourglass, the sand began to reveal underneath was a marble floor. Dread filled her chest and Simone looked around, ¡°Marie?¡± There was no reply; rather, a violent wind kicked up a gust of sand towards Simone. She felt no fear, but the slow burn of agony as she realized she was fading into full consciousness. Her eyes shot open as the pale sunlight streamed through her stained glass window. Such a window having a symbol of the All-Mother, a brilliant purple, gleaming bright and trickling splotches of purple about her room. Of course it was nothing more than a simple dream, something so minor, yet left an impact on her sleepy mind. This impact only lasted for a few minutes before sitting up, her lifelong long friend and maid sat beside her. ¡°Finally awake?¡± Her maid spoke, her silky voice sending waves of calm over Simone. ¡°Ah¡­ Unfortunately, I am.¡± With a chuckle, Mariella stood with a soft grace, it was as if she floated with each step. But, she was perfectly placed on the ground. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Another lovely slumber interrupted I suppose, dear?¡± Marie made her way to the curtains, fluffing them gently before pushing them open completely. Now the sun cast light upon the room with a joyful brightness. ¡°Lovely? Mm¡­ I did dream of you¡ª we need to visit the beach again!¡± Simone smiled as she recalled the wonderful waves of the ocean. But it was unlikely they¡¯d ever have such a trip. They rarely had time to themselves anymore. ¡°Ah¡­ The beach is quite lovely, luckily Forvonia has many.¡± Simone couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes, right, Forvonia. Mariella put all her efforts in to cheer her up about the engagement, if you could call it that. Engagement in Simone¡¯s eyes should be joyous, exciting¡­ Consensual. But this was not the case for her own. Despite her pleas to her father, she was to be married off to Dominiq Marc, Prince of Forvonia, in 4 months time. As anyone in their right mind, at least to Simone, would be absolutely depressed, or enraged as she would say. When it was first announced by her father on what was meant to be a celebration of her 18th birthday, turned everything into chaos as she stormed out in complete and utter anger. She had refused to come out of her room for two days. Now, such rage had dulled down to annoyance and spite; but, she didn¡¯t forgive her father. In his own words he could not ¡°keep her forever¡±. But as a child that¡¯s exactly what was promised, so why the change of heart? ¡°Funny, Marie, hilarious even,¡± Simone¡¯s voice fell flat. ¡°Do not be that way, I will be accompanying you¡­ so, think of it as a good thing. You know, you will hardly see him after the wedding.¡± ¡°Doubtful, he¡¯s most certainly a pervert.¡± ¡°Simone!¡± Mariella sighed with exasperation. ¡°What! It¡¯s true, you know it¡¯s true! Have you seen the way he looked at me when we first met?¡± Simone gave a shudder, the way his lips curled into a smile made her stomach twist in discomfort. ¡°Bah, do not remind me¡­ I was just as displeased as you,¡± With another sigh, Mariella adds, ¡°You do know he is coming today, as I¡¯ve reminded you oh¡ª Twenty-seven times this week?¡± Simone flopped back onto her pillow, a hand gently placed across her forehead. She let out a drawn out groan, ¡°I refuse, my fair lady!¡± Mariella resisted a roll of her eyes, and with a playful grab of Simone¡¯s arm, she yanked. ¡°Oh get yourself up now, come on! It will reflect on me after all! Come on now!¡± Her relentless little tugs made Simone let out a snort. ¡°My l- Fine! Fine. Only because you asked of course. . . And, I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°As usual, I¡¯m sure there will be a wonderful breakfast served at his majesty¡¯s arrival.¡± ¡°Wonderful,¡± Simone slipped out of bed with the enthusiasm of a funeral. Mariella gazed upon Simone, her eyes tracing the figure of what was one of the most beautiful creatures she¡¯d ever met. Despite all her loose and curled strands of hair that fell out of a braid she wore to sleep, or the dried dirt over her rose-kissed cheeks, the sleep that Simone desperately rubbed from her eyes¡­ Mariella felt a smile creep upon her lips. ¡°Ah yes, how are we feeling attire wise my dear? Dark? Bright and bold? Or shall I tell his majesty his soon to be wife would rather die?¡± Simone smirked softly, her arms crossed as she pretended to think, ¡°Well, Let¡¯s see here¡­¡± Chapter Two There was a considerable amount of sun pouring into the garden. The sound of trickling droplets filled the hazy summer air. The garden, according to herself, was Simone¡¯s favorite place(second to the beach of course). Within the mossy confinements of cobble walls walked the two young women, both fair in face and shape. The two had quite the contrasting appearances, which many castle staff found humorous. They were an distinguishable pair, Simone a short little thing with a stocky appearance to her. She was overly pale (and was told to sit in the sun many times) and had silvery hair. Where did she get silvery hair from two brunette parents? They believed it was just a strange birthmark, her father saying it was due to the fact that before his lovely daughter was born the All-Mother had graced the baby with her own comb, brushing the stars into her hair. It was a cute story, but to Simone, unrealistic. Now, Mariella was nothing of the sort. Plain brown hair, a thin, defined face, tall in stature. But yet, the two were tightly knit. Not that appearances made much of a difference for either of them. Ever since Simone was 5, Mariella had been alongside her. She remembered crystal clear the day Mariella arrived. She had been so frail and small, even smaller than Simone(despite being older by a few years). Gazing upon her now, Simone could not believe how far she¡¯d come, could she say she was proud? After all, Mariella was the one taking care of her all these years. ¡°Simone,¡± Mariella broke the stillness that had surrounded them, ¡°When we leave for Forvonia, do you suppose I bring a bucket for your sea sickness?¡± Simone felt a harsh burn in her cheeks, of course Mariella broke the silence with mockery. ¡°Har har, No. I would say I¡¯ve been getting better with it honestly,¡± She tried to smirk, but her lips quivered in embarrassment. ¡°Right, since when was it last you went on a boat, hm?¡± ¡°Oh would you- don¡¯t we have somewhere to be?¡± ¡°We are walking there, are we not?¡± ¡°Yes yes, quite slowly though.¡± ¡°You begged me to take you through the gardens. . .¡± Mariella gave a huff before chuckling, ¡°And now you want to rush? Make up your mind darling.¡± Simone and Mariella turned their heads to the sound of a heavy bell, and the rattling of hefty chains in the distance. ¡°Ah, he¡¯s here.¡± ¡°Wh- I thought he was here already? Marie. . .¡± Mariella fought a smile, ¡°Mm? Well, I knew he was on his way. . . You would never get up if I didn¡¯t rush you.¡± Simone¡¯s eye twitched slightly as she felt her pace quicken. Collecting the skirt of her dress into balled up fists, she began running. Despite having the disadvantage of short legs, she was agile(at least in her mind). This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Gh- Simone! Do NOT run in those shoes!¡± Mariella hurried after the girl. The servant passageway smelled of mildew and fresh dirt. Only the occasional murmur from one to another as they passed each other through the tight corridor, that was, until a bright-eyed girl slammed through a door eagerly. Mariella¡¯s cries after Simone filled the corridor with panic. Carts tipped over, boxes toppling down as the girl sprinted for the next exit, Mariella just in toe. With a glance over her shoulder, Simone could see the maid catch up. ¡°Simone! I swear on our m-¡± She stopped herself with a deep breath, ¡°Why the rush!? Were you not unenthused earlier!?¡± Pausing at the door, Simone gave an animated spin to face Mariella, ¡°Well. . .¡± Mariella came to a stop, her shoes now scuffed with dirt. The maid held the skirt of her dress tightly in her fists before throwing it down and letting out a huff. ¡°Now look at you- you¡¯re a mess,¡± Her arms fold as her voice falls flat with exhaustion, ¡°Was this the intention you had when you decided to run off like a wild fox?¡± Simone blinked, ¡°I- well, you see-¡± She could feel herself crumble under the cold gaze Mariella placed upon her. Her dark eyes read over Simone, who was most certainly untidy. From the humidity of the servant corridor her hair had become loose and curled, that Mariella had fought so hard to braid. She shook her head with the stalest chuckle Simone had heard. She knew she was in trouble. ¡°And you suppose we go back and fix you up? When there is no time whatsoever?¡± Simone looked to her feet, heat filling her face. But then, she felt a gracious touch upon her chin as her gaze was shifted to meet Mariella¡¯s eyes. She was being inspected. With a few strokes of her hand, and a few twirls of her fingers, Mariella managed to make Simone¡¯s hair at least presentable. Her movements were swift yet graceful, brushing off the stray dirt and grime that Simone had collected from her run. And although it wasn¡¯t perfect, she looked good enough. ¡°Now then,¡± Mariella stepped back, admiring the work she had done, ¡°I say we get walking, got that?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡± Simone knew not to challenge Marie again, or she would truly be upset. When it came to Simone misbehaving, it could have gone one of two ways; Mariella would be disappointed and fix the problem OR Mariella would be extremely disappointed and ignore Simone whenever she spoke. The kind of silent treatment where Mariella would do her duties for her(Simone), and then continue her day without a word. It was Simone¡¯s least favorite thing by far, other than Prince Dominiq Marc. They approached the doors of the chapel, where Dominiq would be waiting. It was not the wedding of course, but Simone¡¯s father, King Allister Hartluck, thought it would be necessary to meet in such a holy place. The doors were a rich oak, polished and carved to perfection with the key of the All-Mother, a heart leading into two protrusions on either side of a long vertical plank. The heart contained a swirling stone dark with a mesmerizing plum; around it were gold curvatures painted with gold leaf that once the sun hit them just right they glowed. ¡°I¡¯m suddenly nervous,¡± Simone¡¯s eyes were glossed over with thought. The purple stone glimmered as the few rays of sun broke through heavily covered windows. A weight grew heavier in her stomach. Something was terribly wrong, but considering a man she despised was just past the door she reasoned that she should be uncomfortable. But, it wasn¡¯t just discomfort. It was a burn in her throat, a churning in her stomach that flipped over like the sensation of the rolling ocean; the feeling she got up on a boat. How could she feel sea sick when her feet were on solid ground?