THE GUEST ROOM

Almira Satiana Santos. She just graduated from high school and was on her way to her grandmother’s house for vacation, whom she’d never met before.

“Mom, why do I have to go there?... I want my dad.” She looked out to the side of the car, annoyed.

“Your dad and I have talked about this. Once you reached 18, you will visit your grandmother.” She looked at her.

“You agreed to this Dad? Why?” she said looking at the rare view mirror of the car

“You’ll know”

"I hate you"

“Hey don’t talk to your mother like that” She just lean back and fell asleep and Let her be.

She woke up from the cold, dark road, “Mom, are you sure we're at the right address?” She looked out and see the sky starting to dark, the craws leaving the tree, and the noise of the rapids she heard from the abyss. After one in a half hours, they stopped at enormous gates. Her father comes out of the car and opens the gate both her mom and dad have eye contact and her dad nods then he comes back in the car he looks pale.

Not so far away from the car she saw an immense mansion. Almira catches her eyes the figure of two-person holding each other she didn’t notice her tears falling from her eyes she just. wipe them off.

As they arrived her mother turns off the engine and her father comes out of the car and get her bag. She saw her mom walking through the house and her father spoke

“Almira darling… You must be brave this house might be safe and not at the same time. I will miss you” he hugged her “Off you go now..”

“Aren’t you coming to see Grandma?” he smiled

“No your mom will need me here..” he waved

An old woman opened the door and let them in She was wearing this white cloth covering her head

“Get in, it's not safe in here…” As they get in the old woman searched the surroundings as if someone might see them before the door was fully closed she saw her Dad waving.

They removed their jacket and shoes. She was shocked when she looked at the old woman becoming a lady.

“come in… come in…” Almira's eyes followed the lady entering the living room. She was only at her mom’s back weirdly, looking at the old lady turning into a young lady.

“I’m Clara, madam…” Am I crazy? Or it’s just because I'm hungry. How could this be? Even Mom doesn’t even notice it. Was it really happening? If this is just a dream, please help me to wake up.

“Almira…” She came back to her when her Mom called her name. Both of them are curiously looking at her.

“Oh hi I’m Almira…” her Mom happily introduces Clara to her that she is her nanny and friend in this house until her Father finds her here and takes her out of the mansion. Clara leaves them sitting in the living room and her Mom can’t stop telling her how great her love story is.

Later on, a lady came down in a white vintage dress She looked like old money rich.

“Mama…” her jaw dropped as she heard that word from her mom. Did she just call the lady MOM? Her Mom looked at her, reaching her hand out a sign to come and meet her grandmother.

The lady delightedly hugged Almira

“I’ve missed you so much. I've been waiting for you for such a long time,” the woman said and looked at her with teary eyes. Then she called out one maid.

The maid guides her to the room and leaves immediately.

The room was cleaned, and the bed has flowers on its sides and an hourglass on the side table. She just ignored it, thinking it was just a prop. She put all her things in the cabinet and looked out the window, and the height gave her goosebumps. She lay down and looked at the ceiling.

“How could they reach and paint the ceiling?” The painting of the moon makes her sleepy and the thin voice calls her. Her eyes are slowly closing on their own, her sight filling with the backward sad memory.

She woke up in the field with a strong wind laying under the Huge Tree and the sun was so bright that there is a guy who looks like a prince.

“Oh, the girl is awake” She doesn’t know what to do now in the unfamiliar place that she never had been or seen in her life.

“Who are you?” she asked as he come down from the tree

“Does it matter?” then a woman in mid 40 comes panting

“Your Highness, it’s me. Silvia You can’t wander in here without a guard. The queen will punish us,” still catching her breath.

“Who are you? Where and who am I?!” she has a face of disappointment.

“Seems like the news of her is too traumatic that she almost forgot her own self” She saw him crossing his arms over his chest smirking

“Who are you, people?!” She’s screwed up

“Take me back to where I came from” The woman made a sign of a cross

“Okay, I’ll explain to you as we get to the palace,” again confused, surely

She entered the carriage and saw the massive castle in the middle of the city covered with gold and white. A lady approached her with worry on her face.

“And who are you?” she asked the woman in a white dress

“It’s me, Claire, your sister… let’s go. The queen is looking for you or else once she found you she will burst into anger again” She dragged me to the hallway and a range voice of a woman filled the hallway.

“Oh, no… dead end” An angry woman with a tiara walked toward us. All the maids kowtow to her and both of us bowed.

“How could you run barefoot outside the palace and without guards?!” She just looked down

“I’m sorry,” she says. The queen immediately hugged her.

“I’m sorry for raising my voice,” the queen apologies

The three of them go to the throne hall where the Highest Queen mother is waiting for her grandchild

“Oh, Almira, where have you been, my child?” I’ve become worried about you” highest Queen Mother hugged her tight.

The grandmother makes a celebration for her comeback Tonight it will be just inside the palace

Before the party started, she was doing back and forth and thinking about how she will go home. She doesn’t know how she will survive here and what is the key to go home. Could it be leaving this palace? Or staying?

“Should I hang myself? No, it would be uglier for me” She saw a sword on the side of the bed. “or should I?” she pointed it to her neck. “No, It would be hurt” She bring the sword back to her

“Your Highness, the party is going to start” She looked at the mirror and cheered herself

As she arrived at the front door of the Hall, she heard announcing her name. As the door opened and all the royalties and nobilities were looking at her.

“The star of the night…” She saw her sister holding her hand, and they both walked down the stairs on the red carpet. Almira stands in the middle of the stairs together with the Highest Queen Mother.

“Tonight I announced that I wish my granddaughter happiness, and it’s been a long time since the friendship of all continents united after the long time war. Now I announced that the Crown Princess of the Celestial Kingdom and the Crown Prince of the Eastern Kingdom have decided to enhance the boundaries of both Continents by Marriage” Almira was shocked by what she heard.

“Wait Highest Queen Mother, Your Majesty, The Queen... I am so sorry to tell you, but I disagree to have a marriage.” Everyone was murmurin

“What if I’l ask for more Suitors so that the 4 continents I’ve Heard there are 2 Crown Prince in the west and the east.” Everyone agreed so there has no choice for the queens to agree. In the crowd, a handsome man was approaching from the distance.

“Let’s all enjoy the night…” The Queen Said and everyone was cheering

A young man approached “Your Highness, I am the Crown Prince of the Eastern Kingdom.

“May I have your first dance?” She thinks twice if she will or not. She holds his hand. She saw everyone was watching her and waiting for her. She did take it and they start dancing, but his hold will give her bruises. Eventually, she saw this man, the guy she met on the hill. After the dance, she let go and excuse herself. The Guy she met immediately leaves the Hall she wanted to ask him, but he disappears. She searches everywhere, but he is gone. She sat on the bench in the garden.

She saw a figure from another bench she come near and asked, “Are you the one who runs away?” He smiled and walked towards her and get closer to her face and she became a statue in that situation. She was amazed by his beautiful face.

“Are you single?” Almira asked without thought he smirks

“No, no, I mean-…” he stops her

“Yes, I am… are you interested?” she turns away, and she laughs silently in excitement. She becomes serious.

“No…” smiled

“Good, I’m not interested in you too…” her jaw drop As she looked at the man he disappears. She goes back to her room, annoyed.

For days they are always been in a fight, they fight like cats and dogs and even the Eastern Prince can’t handle them. And it just changes when one time the assassination of the Queen's dark forces called Almanor attack the city, they have the ability to kill your spirit and even can kill you physically once you’ve been wounded by the Almanor you’ll die. Almira was wounded by the claws of the Almanor and the only way to bring her back is the one genuine kiss. Lus present himself to wake her up. When she woke up, she saw him giving her a kiss. It becomes weird for both of them for a mean time. But Now, Almira was trying to guess if she has feelings for him. But now she might be ready to confess.

3 months passed they are getting along well together. It is a day for hunting of all royals. The queen assigned Almira to partner with Lucas the Western Princes and every royalties and nobility are carefree to join. The western prince and Almira walked into the woods before the hunting started. She holds a bouquet, 1 wildflower, 4 daisies, 3 tulips, and 7 roses that she gets from her garden and gives to him. He accepts it and thanks her and smiles. He gave her a hairpin with a moon on it.

“Starting today. This will be our best day, I’ll protect you at all cost.” Lucas put the hairpin on her hair and she was so happy.

“From today I chose you as my husband,” she says in her thought

Out of nowhere, a woman’s voice shouted for help. They run together to find the voice and she was in the tree hanging downward and blindfolded he helped her, and Almira cured her. She saw him looking at the woman. They are both looking at each other with affection.

“She is beautiful…” her thoughts says, he carries the woman through the camp tent and cures her on his own. She looked down and left for the palace.

“Your Highness…?” Prince of Eastern called her out seeing her lokking at the carriage leaving. She smiled bitterly and left. A Love firework festival will be held in the Palace. She wanted to invite him to watch the firework. As she entered the room, she finds them laughing. she knocked and asked if he can be her partner later, but he refuses

“What about going to the city and having fun?” with excitement on her face he refuses again

“She can’t run,” he says, looking at the girl

“You are not her nurse, not even a relative, stop giving her so much affection you don’t bearly know her a few days ago” As she leaves, he tried to follow her and calls her name 3 times, but she didn’t even look back and disappear.

She hides in the small cave in the garden crying all night and never attended the festival

Another day she met the Prince of Western guiding that woman. She instantly entered a room to hide and lean back from the door until someone knocked.

“Your highness…?” no response

“I know you’re in there. Please come out…”

“I’m changing clothes go away…” making noise to make him believe

“This is not your room, Your Highness…” *knocked bad timing bad timing

“Tsk, that man is really getting on my nerves…” she comes out

“We can go out later…” She was stunted but Almira looked at the woman standing beside him

“The firework festival was yesterday evening. Do you remember? Or maybe you already bump your head while laughing!” she leaves and entered her chamber torturing the pillow in her room.

“Your Highness, the pillow is innocent” Silvia says telling her to stop. She stops and began to back and forth in front of her bed

“He is such a jerk” angrily throw the pillow in the bed and sat down

“Who are you referring too my lady?” curiously Silvia asked

“That Prince Lucas “the jerk” of Western Kingdom” When Silvia heard that she kowtow at once

“Your highness you can’t just give a royalty some kind of name,” she says and Silvia was apologising

“Stand up it’s not your fault” Silvia stands up, bowing her head

“I don’t care if he’s a royalty!. Lucas is a Jerk!!!” Almira shouted at the top of her lungs. And Silvia kowtow again at her

A minutes later, A letter arrived from the Prince of Western. She looked at it for a few seconds before she took it

“Is this a letter from a jerk. Did he hear me?. That’s good if he did” As she open the letter.

Dear… Princess Almira

“Your Highness later in the garden at 11:00 pm, I have a surprise for you”

From

Prince of Western

She hurriedly wears comfortable clothes and natural make-up and waited there for minutes… She saw someone coming and thinks it was him and she wave. The person was covered by a black cloack and making a hand move and a green circle shows up and attacked her. Thankfully, she escaped his attack. She made a hand move and a vast circle of magic formed. The two powers pushing each other. The clock of attackers flies away, and it was the woman they helped from the trap in the woods.

“It’s true you have a bad intention. How dare you stepped into my kingdom!” She pushed the attacker with great strength.

The woman makes a move that a knife stabbed her in the side of the stomach. Almira removed it and it healed on its own.

The woman smiled and made a scene of being scared.

“Oh your just smiling just now then you’re scared now?” Almira raised her hand ready to kill the attacker. Lucas arrived while she still has the magic in her hands and a girl laying on the ground.

“Lily…” Prince shouts and runs at the woman” I’ve never seen Lucas being to caring for someone and now he’s giving a sympathy for her? I can’t let him be fooled by this evil woman

“Lucas, Stay away from her. She tried to kill me and soon you’ll be the next” Almira attacked her, but the prince protected the woman. The prince’s eyes were shaking in anger.

“You are the one who has a circle of magic on your hand and you’re accusing her she is trying to kill you?”

“I am so sorry Lucas… but you have to stay away from this evil” Almira was trying to hold him but he refuses

“Stop using that word…” she grinded

“WHAT EVIL?!” Directly looking at the woman

“You’re going out of line…” he says

“Lucas..?!” He helped the woman stand and guides her through his room and left Almira in the garden

“Lucas, How about your surprise?”

“Forget it…” he carries the woman inside.

“This is my Kingdom my house and my territory believe me… you cannot trust people who you just met…” She defend

“It’s none of your business Almira” and both of them leave

She walked back to her room, crying. And the Prince of Eastern sees her walking in the hallway.

“Your Highness…?” she wiped it and smiled, telling him she was okay

For the past 3 weeks, being cold and rarely talked to each other. One day, The Mother Queen told her that He is sick since the day they fight in the garden. She felt terrible for what happened to him. They tried to heal him and even asked the magis to cure lucas but they can’t.

“How could be he has a magic and cultivation to protect himself”

The Queen decide to bring the prince back to the Western Kingdom. Since they are the country of magic, he will recover there immediately. Almira gets permission to come with the Prince to help him to heal and to protect him as an apology for not taking well of the heir of the Western Kingdom.

The woman travel with them because it was a request from Lucas before he passed out. It was burden for Almira looking at Lucas laying down and with this woman holding him.