Two days flashed by, and it came time for Elaine's appointment with Alexander. Though it was too late for regret, she dreaded meeting him without knowing his motive. Gerard sent over a few attendants to accompany her journey. But she denied them all, giving the false excuse of not wanting to raise the third prince's suspicion. Elaine was under enough surveillance, and she did not want another pair of prying eyes.

"Princess, your carriage has arrived." Cecil rode a jet-black stallion standing at the entrance, his eyes on high alert, bracing for all situations. He jumped down on her appearance, extending his hand. "Please allow me, milady."

"Thank you." Elaine accepted the young man's gesture. Though his hand was not much bigger than hers, she could feel the rough calluses, a sign of persistent weapon usage.

Elaine brought Cecil along as a precaution. As Gerard's legitimate daughter, he granted her several dozen guardsmen to escort. But Gerard had many enemies, and she was uncertain of her safety once she ventured outside.

Elaine stepped into the carriage and noticed Cecil's hand still held onto her. "Sir Ascania?"

"Please forgive my rudeness, milady." Cecil jerked back his hand, surprised at his own actions. He then bobbed a bow and quickly returned to his station.

Strange guy.

Elaine chuckled. Despite the usual lack of emotion, Cecil sometimes displayed his innocent side. She continued inside and tapped on the door. "You may depart."

"Yes, milady." The coachman complied and steered the carriage outside the estate toward the faerie forest, Orion.

The Crea continent encompassed seven great forests, each named after a dominant species within its domain. Humankind boasted the highest population and occupied two forests, while the remaining five belonged to other creatures. The magic association handled most communication between species and built a satellite tower in each forest.

In normal circumstances, a journey to the capital from Geris would reach up to ten days. Luckily, the dukedom position was next to a great forest, and for a hefty fee, the magicians would open their portal, slashing the travel time to minutes.

A hefty fee only to commoners and lesser nobles, but for Gerard, the duke of Geris, who controlled the largest spirit gems production in Étoile, the price paid for time saved was negligible.

The carriage ride to Orion took about thirty minutes. Unlike other dukedoms beset by towns and cities, centuries of perpetual warfare made the Croix's ancestors exceptionally cautious. They built their estate facing Orion, creating an escape route in case of enemies' blockade. During the battle of Geris, however, the path became a death trap. Gerard and Estella did not expect the faeries, notorious for their distrustful nature, would cooperate with the Étoilian army to capture a few humans.

"We have arrived, milady." The coachman alerted Elaine to her destination. She opened the curtain and peeked outside.

Rays of golden sunlight penetrated through the verdurous canopy, casting dancing shadows of vibrant, kaleidoscopic foliage on the ground. Ancient trees stretched toward the sky with their arms embracing each other, forming continuous webs of knotted branches. The brisk air carried fresh earthly scents, invigorating those who inhaled it. Many forest inhabitants continued their day, oblivious to the intruders infiltrating their sanctuary. Bounded by a sacred agreement, humans cannot commit carnage against other species within Orion's vicinity.

The fae hid their home under an illusory spell, and a human could wander through the entire forest without ever stumbling upon their adobe. They reserved the magnificent sight for those lucky few invited to their court. Even the Étoile emperor, head of a mighty empire, had only been to the fae's royal court four times.

"Welcome, lady Estella. We have been expecting you." Two men dressed in dark blue cloaks greeted Elaine. Dark hoods covered their faces, and they embedded an emblem of two golden dragons on their chests.

Behind them stood a tower of lapis lazuli. Its sturdy base rose from the ground, with its spire surpassing the canopy. Twin staircases weaved around its outer walls and tied together in a helix-shaped loop. Waves of blazing incandescent light of scarlet and gold contorted the air, forming a menacing aura around the tower.

Elaine opened the carriage door to step out before she got stopped by one of the cloaked men. "No need for you to move, milady. Please accept this crystal and wait for the portal to open." He handed her a transparent, hexagon-shaped crystal. "This crystal contains a drop of my blood. If an unexpected event arises while crossing the portal, it will inform us of your location."

"What if something happens and I lose the crystal?" She inquired.

"That would be the worst-case scenario, milady. If we cannot find you, you will forever wander inside the portal."

"So I will die?" Elaine twisted her hands on her dress.

"Not exactly. The portal exists in a fourth sphere and does not know the concept of time. Therefore, you will not age as long as you are within it. Even if it might be an eternity." He explained.

The magician's words reminded Elaine of a minor detail from the book. The Étoilian army sometimes went through the magicians' portal to speed up the expedition and counted its men after each crossing. Elaine always thought it was a strange procedure, considering the travel time only took a few minutes.

As I suspected, this world is too dangerous. Elaine cursed in her head. Even a piece of trivial information could be deadly.

She observed the crystal, then glanced at the entourage behind her. "What about my escorts?"

"This is a rare magical item that requires hundreds of hours to craft by a skilled magician. Resulting in each crystal value costing up to a small fortune. For this journey, the duke only paid for your crystal, lady Estella." The magician smiled.