A World Without Happiness

Solaria

Victim. It is the ability of a person to neglect his own interests for the sake of others. It’s so simple, it’s embedded somewhere inside, next to such ancient feelings as love and devotion. A mother sacrifices for her children, for each other, and a boy in love for a girl. It’s so easy for them. Well, or it seems so… It always seemed to the Princess of Solaria that she would do it easily if she had to. What’s wrong with that? All you need is to forget about your desires just once and help someone. She had to cope, it was so simple, so natural. Like hell, it’s simple. Like hell, of course. Now, standing in her room and letting the maids prepare her, she felt anything but light. Her eyes burned with suppressed tears, and there were probably nail marks on her palms, so tightly she clenched her fists. Chest ached with resentment. Why should she do it? There was a lot of noise and bustle around. The maids were running around, fussing: one was hemming the hem of the dress, the second was combing the long blond hair of the princess, the third was running around looking for blush — it seems, her cheeks are not pink enough to go to the Valtor palace. The great and terrible Valtor. It’s all because of him. He is the one to thank for what she went through. How the princess hated him, but she would never have dared to resist. The dark magician had already shown his power once by enslaving the once beautiful Domino planet — no one wanted to repeat its fate. “Stella, are you ready yet?” The voice that rang out made the girl tense up. The parents were already here, so the ship was ready, and it was time to leave. There are only a few seconds left, and she will leave her native kingdom forever, forever remain a slave to Valtor. The King and Queen of Solaria entered their daughter’s room. Stella looked at them, trying to memorize every detail. Radius is tall and stately, an ideal ruler. Merciful to the defenseless and unforgiving of the guilty. From him, the girl inherited light brown eyes and a strong character. And next to him stood his wife, Luna, who gave her daughter wonderful blond hair, beauty and kindness in her heart. Her eyes filled with tears again, treacherously, and Stella turned away. The longer you look at your parents, the harder it will be to part with them. And it was already too hard for her. “What have I done to you?”, the princess said resentfully, burning the floor with a frown, “Why are you doing this to me?” “Honey”, Luna said in her heart, quickly approaching her daughter and hugging her. Tears were running down the woman’s cheeks, and her chin was trembling. Stella couldn’t see her mother like this, so she responded to the hug, tightly closing her eyes and inhaling the smell peculiar only to her. “Forgive us, my daughter”, Radius said in a broken voice. He did not approach the girl, did not hug her and did not tell her that everything would be fine, as he did when she had nightmares as a child. No, he just tilted his head, hiding his eyes from her, “We are so sorry for you, my girl. But we have no choice. You know, Solaria can’t survive without our sun, we need it.” Stella nodded obediently, meeting her father’s gaze. He was right, the whole kingdom needed her, so she had to go for it. Let it be hard, she can handle it: her Solaria needs its princess.

Domino

Wild annoying pains in her head made the red-haired girl stop, lean her hand against the wall. Temples throbbed, pounding like a hammer; goosebumps ran over skin. “Flies” danced in front of eyes — had to close eyes and tilt head to get rid of them. Unclenching her fists, into which her palms instinctively clenched, she took a slow deep breath, then straightened up. She couldn’t let the servants see her weakness. Their master’s right hand couldn’t be weak. “Weakness is the last thing you have to show, Bloom,” Valtor used to say, “Show it just once, then you will prove your power all your life.” The magician took her to himself in infancy, when the Magical Dimension was still in chaos — at a time when he had not yet controlled it by restoring order. Her parents were warriors fighting for this very chaos, and of course they fell. Her parents were weak. They set the wrong priorities and paid for it. The girl vowed never to repeat their mistakes. After hitting the tree three times, she opened the doors to her master’s chambers. She went inside, took a quick look at the man in a purple jacket and trousers and a white shirt in a medieval style, and then, as usual, bowed her head, showing her submission and complete submission. A fringe of red hair fell over her eyes. “You’re late”, the wizard said sternly, getting up from the table. He approached the ward with a quiet graceful gait. “I’m sorry”, she said, her voice trembling slightly. Disappointing him was the last thing Bloom ever wanted. He’s done so much for her, turned her into who she is now. He gave her power, taught her to resist this world, to survive in it. He is the most important person in her life, “There are difficulties with the rebels.” “Don’t make excuses. I didn’t teach you that”, Valtor said in a deep voice. He touched her cheek with the back of his hand, stroked her as gently as possible. Holding her breath, the girl raised her blue eyes to him, met his gaze with dignity, to which the magician nodded approvingly, “Good.” After saying the last word, he walked away from Bloom and returned to his desk. He picked up a small square piece of paper. The redhead watched him curiously. He handed her a photo of a young girl about her age. The photo was clearly taken for some magazine. The girl on it was smiling. Her hair was piled up in an elaborate hairstyle, and the look in her brown eyes spoke of royal descent. “This is Stella, the princess of Solaria”, Valtor remarked when the girl looked up at him again, “Today she was supposed to enter the kitchen at the palace, but the carriage had an accident, and while the guards were repairing it, she managed to escape. Find her, Bloom, and bring her back to the palace.” “It will be done, master. No one knows Domino better than me — she can’t get away.”

The Domino Forest

Thicket of bushes and trees seemed impenetrable, endless. There was no beginning or end in sight. It didn’t really bother. Only one repetitive word was spinning in head. To run. Quickly, as far away as possible, without turning around. Run wherever you want. You don’t have to know where to go — the main thing is to run. Perhaps then will be able to escape. The Princess of Solaria has never run so much and so fast. Her blond hair was disheveled. The shoes have long been lost somewhere among the grass and branches. The hem of the rich dress was smeared in the mud of the forest and tore — which did not befit a princess at all. Mascara smeared on her cheeks along with tears running from fear: although, mind who, she will say that all this is from the wind blowing right into her eyes. The cheeks under the black tracks were flushed with a beautiful natural blush from the same wind. Her breathing had been lost for a long time, and now she was running with the last of her strength, taking a breath every second. But it was impossible to stop: she managed to escape with such difficulty. But what will happen to the Solaria now? She wondered as she continued to race through the dark Domino Forest — once the most beautiful place. It was impossible to escape, her people would pay for it. The sun of the Solaria will go out forever, and only she will be to blame for this. Yes, it was wrong. But as soon as she got the chance, she didn’t even think about it. It’s a shame to admit, but she didn’t care about Solaria or its inhabitants. All she could think about was the fear of Valtor and how she, the Crown Princess, would serve him. Well, no, please… Loud barking resounded throughout the forest. Enchanted dogs! — flashed through the girl’s mind before she turned around in fear, tripped over something and fell to the ground. Ankle hurt. Pressing her palm to her mouth, smeared with the black remains of rotten plants and dirt, she lifted the hem. It’s only been two minutes since the fall, and the place is already swollen and red. Screams, sobs and curses burst from her mouth, but the princess suppressed them. She pulled herself together. Overcoming herself, she got to her feet. The pain intensified, tears sprang from her eyes, but she continued to run. Be patient, Stella, and run! She kept repeating to herself. Falling into the hands of the enemy is even scarier. The barking was getting closer. Footsteps began to be heard. It seemed like another second and she would be caught. Forgetting everything, Stella screamed. They’re catching up! She couldn’t speed up, but she wasn’t going to stop either: she kept running, even though it became obvious that she couldn’t get rid of the pursuit. It was impossible to determine exactly where the chase was now: the echo carried the dog’s barking everywhere — it felt like they were approaching from all sides at once, surrounding her. But, of course, it wasn’t like that, just a figment of the imagination. A guy came out of nowhere and looked out from behind a large tree, completely blocking her path and scaring her gray hair. Realizing quickly that he had screwed up, and reacting just as quickly, he covered her mouth with a palm clad in black fingerless gloves. The girl didn’t even have time to squeak. His dark brown eyes met hers, large amber ones, as he raised his index finger to his lips. After making sure that the girl was not going to make a fuss, he smiled and nodded towards the darkest part of the forest, which the princess had so diligently avoided since her escape. Raising her thin eyebrows and making her eyes even bigger, she slowly but confidently shook her head. “Trust me”, the guy whispered, removing his hand from her mouth. He quickly looked around, with one nod removed the bangs of brown hair from his eyes, took her by the hand and led her in the direction indicated earlier. And Stella went, amazed at herself. This day was getting weirder and weirder. She escaped from Valtor, the most powerful wizard in the Dimension, for a moment. She was holding the arm of a completely unfamiliar guy who met her for the first time, completely trusting him. And she went with him into the Black Forest. The same forest where the trees are always dry and bare, almost dead. The one over which the clouds always stood, complemented by the terrifying sign of Valtor. The one from which all the animals escaped a long time ago. The one where eighteen years ago a dark magician killed the Ancestral Witches, and the energy from this betrayal cursed him forever, destroying all life and beauty that was in this once magical place.

Rebel Hideout

Daphne’s office

She was once a fairy, was a nymph protecting the entire Magical Dimension. She was the guardian of her home planet. The one who had to protect Domino and its inhabitants, who was ready to lay down his life on the altar of security and prosperity of his world. Except she couldn’t do it. She had failed Domino, and with it the entire dimension, by putting it in the hands of a tyrant. And who was she now? A princess without a throne, a lonely woman without a family, a fairy without wings, an assistant to the head of the rebels without the opportunity to find the one person she wanted. There are too many roles for one person. A thin hand ran through her blond hair, which was tightly pulled into a ponytail. Her lips were more like a barely noticeable line, they were so tightly pursed. Restless brown eyes stared at the young girl sitting in the chair opposite the desk. Impotence — was the name of that unpleasant scratching feeling in the chest that was born every time someone visited this office to request provisions or medicines, which cost them too much to get. “I’m sorry”, Daphne said, dropping her hands on the table and shaking her head in frustration. All this time, the girl, who was fiddling with the hem of her pink dress, looked up at her with green eyes full of sympathy and sadness — she understood perfectly well what Daphne was going through, each time denying her additional medications, but she could not help but ask about them. Flora was surprisingly understanding and sympathetic with everything that had happened to her in the past. She gracefully tilted her head to the right, habitually covering the left side of her neck and shoulder with caramel-colored hair. Everyone in the shelter already knew about the four scars, which in no way disfigured the beautiful dark skin of their owner, but she still preferred to hide them. I don’t like it when people stare”, she said simply, shrugging her shoulders. “There won’t be any medicine, right?”, the girl whispered. All Daphne could do was shake her head. The convoy delivering medicines and provisions was attacked by Valtor’s monsters — poor innocent magical animals that the dark magician enslaved with his terrible vile sign, turning into nightmarish creatures that completely obey him and crave only one thing — blood. Only one rebel survived. All wounded in blood, he returned only to tell about the attack at headquarters. No one in the shelter could do anything to help him. If only Daphne still had the power of the Dragon, she would have healed him with the power of life contained in her, but she put the greatest magic in the Dimension, the only thing that could defeat Valtor, into her tiny sister, whom she has been trying to find ever since. Every day she called out to her, prayed that Bloom would hear, but all she achieved was to cause herself a headache, and most likely she did too, if of course the girl felt it at all through all these magical layers. “Then let me go upstairs”, Flora said quickly before Daphne could say anything. The light of hope shone brightly in the eyes the color of young leaves, “Please. I need to upgrade my herb stocks if I don’t get medicine for another month.” Daphne nodded. It was a wise thought. Without medicines, they had to be treated with something, and the ointments and tinctures coming out of Flora’s hands were almost a work of art. This fantastic talent had been saving them for months, they would have had a thousand times more difficult if not for what their healer did so well. “Okay”, Daphne nodded, clasping her fingers on the table, “As soon as we remove the high—danger mode, you can get up, just take one of the group leaders with you.” The girl frowned, began to shake her head and already opened her mouth to object, but Daphne cut her off: “I’m asking you, please. We have every person on our account, and we need a doctor more than ever. I know you don’t want to distract guys with “such a small thing” as you call it, but your life is too important.” It’s true, Flora hated to cause trouble to anyone. She had always been like this, ever since she was a child, from the moment Daphne saw her: a tiny, blood-stained girl lying in Codatorta’s huge arms. She never took care of herself, devoting herself to those who needed her. Daphne just hated this trait of hers, but she also adored it in her. Flora did not answer anything: she just nodded slowly, looking at the fairy with sad eyes, after which she got to her feet, ran her fragile thin palms along the hem of her dress, straightening it, and headed for the exit. As soon as the small figure disappeared through the doors, Daphne took a long breath and lowered her head onto her folded hands on the table. How tired she was of all this. She was tired of refusing her people, tired of sending them to certain death, tired of losing them, tired of explaining to their families that their loved ones had fallen for a good cause, and she was no longer so sure that this was such a good cause. There was nothing she could do to help all these people who were ready to follow her to hell, she couldn’t make their fate any easier, she couldn’t even promise that they would definitely win. And this made her feel so powerless, she felt so weak, so worthless that she wanted to cry. If she were still the same eighteen-year-old girl who used to be able to afford to cry on her father’s reliable shoulder, she would have done so. But now she wasn’t. Now she was a thirty-five-year-old adult woman, a rebel commander who had to stay strong if only for the sake of his soldiers. There was a knock on the door: strong, loud, short — just one blow. Guessing who was standing behind the door, Daphne straightened up, pulled herself together. Now was not the time to fall apart at all: she still had an important meeting scheduled. Just one quiet “Come in.”, and a tall young man had already crossed the threshold, in whom one could recognize the leader of group B — the attack group — Brandon. He entered in an easy, free manner peculiar only to him, immediately standing at “Attention.” as soon as his dark brown eyes found the commander. Such an abrupt transition was not at all surprising: he was a soldier after all. The girl who had been talked about at headquarters for the past few weeks peeked over his shoulder: could she be trusted, was it stupid to invite her to their secret place of residence, would she agree to help them, would her hatred of Valtor overcome her fear of him? This went on indefinitely, until Saladin slowly stood in front of everyone, leaning heavily on his staff, and calmly, with a pleasant severity characteristic only of him, declared that they should take the risk that such a chance might not come again. Everyone listened to him. He was always listened to. Stella was by no means modest: this could be understood both from her interviews and from recordings from royal receptions, where she walked with her head held high and a condescending look, proudly wearing her title. But there was something desperate about the way the Princess of Solaria peeked over the rebel’s shoulder, tightly clutching his black jacket with thin, well-groomed, but somehow stained fingers. It was as if she feared for her life, swimming in a vast sea of enemies and betrayal, and he, Brandon, was her only bulwark of safety. The princess looked, to put it mildly, shabby. Her long blond curls were tangled, and several black rotten leaves were stuck in them. Of course, once a beautiful pale peach dress was torn and stained along the hem. Her face and hands are covered with smeared mascara, dirt, rotted grass, and only the Dragon knows what else. The thin strap was torn off — it must have been left somewhere in the forest: the light honey skin of the shoulder was left bare. Peering at the girl’s appearance, Daphne winced slightly, briefly imagining all the trials that she had to go through on the way to safety precisely because of her, Daphne, fault. But the commander quickly took control of these emotions: it is not good to give slack in front of subordinates — respect is a rather fragile thing, it is difficult to earn, but it is even more difficult to return. The plan was insanely simple and certainly shouldn’t have caused any harm. Everything was worked out in great detail personally by her and the sabotage group R. Speed and ease of execution — that’s what they were betting on. It was only necessary to arrange a carriage accident (which went great) and steal the princess, making everything look like an escape. It’s as simple as that. What they didn’t take into account was that she would really escape before they came for her, and they would have to look for her, carefully prowling through the forest and bypassing Valtor’s guards. Although, to be completely honest, Daphne was very pleased with this act of the girl: the presence of a fighting spirit and a certain core could not but please. “Thank you, Brandon”, Daphne said deliberately coldly, and the soldier knew that this was her way of saying “Free.” to him. It’s always like this with her: it’s not the words that matter, but the tone in which she uttered them. No matter what was going on inside her, she preferred to always remain calm and wise, as befits a nymph, even a former one. As if sensing that the guy had just been released, Stella wrapped her hands tighter around his shoulder, pressed his hand to her chest. His dark brown eyes met her amber for just a second, but they seemed to find everything they were looking for, because he looked back at Daphne and said: “With all due respect, ma’am, but I’d like to stay. Obviously, she feels calmer in my presence.” Daphne nodded silently, knowing full well that the guy would never leave the girl if he felt that she needed him. That was Brandon. Raised at the royal court, he simply could not pass by the defenseless who needed him, especially if they were members of royal families: it was as if he had developed a reflex from childhood to defend the crown. Daphne did not know the reason, she did not pry into the past of her subordinates — and she did not want to know, everyone had the right to secrets. Very carefully freeing his hand and gently grabbing Stella by the shoulders, he led her to a chair opposite the table and, whispering something like “Sit down, princess”, sat her down in it. The girl herself did not object a word, following his words. Daphne took a deep breath. Was she mistaken in her, and was there much more fear in this princess than anger and courage? Had just one run through the dark forest already broken her spirit? And did their plan turn out to be so flimsy? “Stella, what if I told you that we would give you back to Valtor after this conversation?”, fairy asked, wanting to check the girl’s reaction and hoping very much that she was right about her: after all, she was her last hope to find her sister. Brandon, standing behind Stella, tensed, his eyebrows raised, disappearing under a fringe of brown hair. But no matter how surprised he was by the words of his commander, the rebel remained standing in place without uttering a word against. “Will you give me back?”, the girl whispered, clutching the fabric of the dress in her fists and looking up at Daphne. A whole storm of emotions raged in amber eyes: starting with light grains of fear and ending with a lump of indignation. But most of all there was anger in them: pure, uncovered, burning brightly. In just a second, her eyes flashed with resentment and rage, so strong that it was literally physically felt, “Then why save it if you throw it away anyway? Why give hope? It’s more cruel than just standing there and watching them catch up with me.” Expressing silent support, Brandon put his hand on the girl’s slender shoulder. It was a subtle gesture, but it worked on her: the evil tremor did not shake her body. It’s amazing how easily these two found common ground in just one meeting. Daphne achieved what she wanted, made sure that the Princess of Solaria had the light so necessary for this operation. This was what she had been looking for for so long. Now, if the girl agrees, she will get a whole step closer to her sister. It was the only thing she had been striving for all these years, it was the only thing she was obsessed with, and it was the only thing that kept her going. She could not bring her parents back, but she would definitely return her sister and the kingdom, no matter what it cost her. “You’re right, it’s cruel”, she said softly, peering into the frowning face of a young girl, very young, no older than her own sister, “But we’re at war, Stella. And now I’m going to ask you, do you agree to participate in it? Is she ready to join us against Valtor? Which is more in you: fear of him or anger?” Stella was silent for ten long minutes, looking at the fairy’s face and thinking about something in her head. Her gaze did not shift for a second, her body was taut as a string, and her breathing was quiet and rare. Behind her, Brandon continued to squeeze the fragile shoulder in support, running his thumb over the delicate skin. He did it more mechanically than consciously, because he also concentrated on Stella, waiting for her answer. “What is required of me?”, she finally said. Daphne let out a relieved sigh–she didn’t even notice that she was holding her breath. At the same moment, Brandon did the same. Stella raised her eyebrows, looking at them both in turn, “And you didn’t believe in me at all, did you?” “It’s hard to believe in anything nowadays, princess”, Brandon said softly, meeting her gaze. The girl did not lower her head, continuing to lift it up and peer into the tense face of the rebel. Meanwhile, her own face remained extremely serious. Perhaps it seemed to Daphne, but they seemed to understand each other without words, which undoubtedly touched and confused her at the same time. Wow, they made her feel superfluous in her own office! Holding herself as confidently as ever, Stella lowered her head, concentrating on the commander. “What should I do?”, she asked in a monarchical diplomatic tone, which both endeared the interlocutors to herself and showed exactly who they were talking to. Daphne knew that tone perfectly well — she had used it more than once when she was a princess. “You’re still her”, said a firm, stern voice somewhere inside, “You’re still Domino’s princess and his rightful heir. Do not forget.” Stella sighed when there was no answer due to the fairy’s inner torment. She leaned closer to the table and whispered, “What’s your plan? Tell me you have it…” For the first time in a long time Daphne smiled. “Yes”, she said, seeing how the girl immediately relaxed, “It’s simple. We need a spy. Everyone in the palace is loyal to Valtor, even those who don’t wear his badge. We need our own man there. Someone insignificant, whom he would not suspect, because he invited himself”, Daphne looked into the princess’s eyes with an extremely serious look, the smile fell from her face, “You’re going to be that spy and try to find my sister there.” Stella frowned. The fairy knew what she was thinking. Everyone knows that the entire family of the Domino rulers died eighteen years ago during the siege of the palace by Valtor and the Ancestral Witches, including the eight-month-old princess. This is a publicly available fact, conveyed to the entire Magical Dimension (if it can still be considered “magical”, since magic is forbidden!). “My sister did not die, Stella”, said Daphne, carefully naming the girl’s name, “I know that for sure.” “Why are you so sure?”, she asked in response, squeezing the fabric of the dress again. She did not tilt her head or hide her eyes, steadfastly holding the gaze of the rebel commander, making her unwittingly proud of her. No, this girl definitely has a core… “She contains the power of Dragon Fire — the greatest power in the Dimension, the only power that can match the might of Valtor. The magician is smart, he knows that if he kill my sister, this very power will pass to the only living heir of Domino, to me. He wouldn’t take that risk. It is more convenient for him to keep her alive, somewhere close by in the palace, so that she definitely does not pose a threat. You have to find her: it is unknown in what terrible conditions she is being held there. Bloom is our last hope, Stella. Only she can destroy Valtor once and for all.” The silence that fell on the room made all the nerves of the former nymph stretch like strings. The tension floating in the air could be felt physically. The rebels were silent, waiting for what the princess would say. But she didn’t say a word either, obviously digesting the information. “So”, she said after a while, “The fate of our world depends on a kidnapped, possibly crazy princess with super-strong magic?” “When you say that, it seems like we’re in complete shit”, Brandon grinned, almost tenderly looking at the girl. She folded her arms across her chest and looked at him with amber eyes. “Isn’t that right?”, she smiled, but with a slightly bitter smile, “I’m going to spy on the strongest magician in the Dimension, risking my life just to find and rescue the long—lost princess of the darkest kingdom of Magix, whose mental state we don’t know anything about. It’s suicide.” “Only if you get caught, princess”, the guy shrugged, grinning, which made the girl laugh softly a little fatally. Daphne tilted her head: a feeling of guilt pricked her heart, after all, she was the one who sent her to this suicide. Amber eyes turned to Daphne. “How can I contact you if I find out something?” “No one knows about you except the leadership of the headquarters and Brandon and me”, the fairy said seriously, “Let it stay that way. Only Brandon will contact you, and neither I nor any other rebel will ever do that. Know this if you are suspected and someone is sent on behalf of the rebels. Is that clear?”, Stella nodded immediately, “As for meetings, everything is a little more complicated. You will be watched, you will not be able to get out of the castle, as well as meet in the corridor or in one of the rooms — there are cameras everywhere, even in Valtor’s private chambers. They are not present in only one room — the employee meeting room. It was the idea of one of the magician’s confidants, so that the servants would be given a chance to meet with their families once a month. You will also make such a request, and that’s how we will transmit the information.” “Will you pretend to be my boyfriend, big guy?”, Stella asked in a cheerful voice, apparently having completely got rid of fear and suspicion, becoming again who she always was. “No”, Daphne said sternly, seeing how Brandon grinned. The only thing she don’t needed here was flirting. “You are a princess, an unknown guy who has not flashed anywhere will arouse too many suspicions. We made a deal with someone else. He has been cooperating with us for a long time. This man is famous, which explains why you hid the relationship, and the affair between him and the Princess of Solaria will not arouse suspicion, perhaps only a little condemnation, but I think you can handle it.” “Who?”, was all the girl asked, straining. “Sky, the young king of Eraklyon.”

Domino

The moon shone brightly, penetrating through the transparent curtains, with which a warm breeze gently played, slipping into the room through the slightly open doors of the balcony. Only this moonlight served as illumination for the young girl sitting in front of the mirror, turning the light tone of her skin into almost white, just matching the color of the nightgown she was wearing. Although it hardly mattered to her. His pointed chin was proudly raised, his fiery red hair was loose and thrown over one shoulder, a thin but strong hand slowly brushed it with a brush while his blue eyes were focused on the picture attached to the mirror. The young couple depicted on it were smiling with happy smiles, hugging a little girl of about five years old. How much Bloom hated those smiles, she just couldn’t stand it, but for some reason she continued to look at the photo, looking for at least something in common between herself and these three people, something saying that they were her real family, but she couldn’t find anything. Whoever these people were, she didn’t feel anything for them. “Do you still keep the picture? What is it?”, asked a quiet, soulful voice that Bloom would have recognized anywhere. Its owner was her true family, and he appeared in time to remind her of that. She didn’t need the people who abandoned her. No, just him. A man who spared a small, stupid creature, although it was more convenient for him to get rid of her too. The man who took care of her taught her everything she knows. The man who was everything to her. With a quiet step, Valtor entered the room and stood behind her. He had obviously already finished all his business, as he was wearing only a loose white shirt and trousers, having thrown off his raincoat and gloves somewhere. She met his gaze in the mirror. The magician did not even look at the photo, all his attention was focused on her. “You gave it to me”, she said, putting down the brush, while not breaking eye contact with her master. Valtor smiled, pleased with her bravery. That’s what he taught her, not to hide her eyes out of respect for him. He considered it a weakness, and the magician simply hated weakness. Continuing to smile with this eternally slightly strained smile, the man put a red bottle on the table in front of her, while touching her back with his chest and sending a herd of goosebumps over her skin. Bloom froze, her breath caught in her throat. The ice-blue eyes continued to roam over her reflection, penetrating deep into her soul. “Your medicine”, he whispered in her ear. The low, hoarse voice turned something inside her over, “Do you still have headaches?” All she could do was shake her head, because the gift of speech had suddenly disappeared somewhere. She looked down at the bottle. She had long despaired of getting rid of these pains, but she stopped reporting it to the master. Whenever she mentioned it, he became cold and detached, even angry — she didn’t like him that way at all. It was obvious that Valtor did not believe her little lie, but he did not say anything about it. He just straightened up and took a step back from her. Having lost him from her personal space, Bloom once again felt the emptiness and coldness that haunted her every time she was alone. She turned around on her chair, looked at the magician, waiting for him to voice the reason for his arrival. Don’t think he came in just to give her the potion. “I want you to contact Sky tomorrow, check out this girl’s story, and if it’s true, make an appointment for them”, he said. Frowning, Bloom folded her arms across her chest. Now it wasn’t just cold, it was a block of ice lying on her heart. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat and sighed, not wanting to show her true emotions to her master. If he hadn’t seen through her yet… “That is, I did my job”, she said in a flat voice, hoping that he wouldn’t hear the irritation or anger in him. “And since when do you forgive an escape attempt so easily? You ordered the previous fugitive to be tracked down and killed. And you not only spared this girl, but also decided to reward her! Unprecedented generosity”, she knew her voice was full of sarcasm and resentment, but she couldn’t help herself anymore. “You’re not pining for that worthless blond anymore, are you?”, the magician asked, folding his arms over his chest. There was a smile on his face, saying that he saw the reason for her anger and enjoyed her audacity, so rare and unusual, “If I remember correctly, he is married, and even now he is dating our maid.” Bloom knew this perfectly well, but she also knew who was to blame for it. If a person is unhappy, he will seek this happiness on the side, even though she despised King Eraklyon for this weakness. If you have already taken an oath to be faithful to one woman, follow her, do not look for pleasure on the side. How Bloom was sick of it. “If I remember correctly, it was you who forced him to marry”, she remarked, defiantly lifting her chin and looking into his eyes, continuing to look up at him. “It was a good match for Eraklyon, you must admit. Bloom,”, the magician said, shrugging his shoulders, “it had nothing to do with your so—called childish feelings.” “Yes, the party was really incredibly profitable,” she nodded in agreement, clenching her hands into fists and trying not to show that she was in any way offended by his neglect, “But it also had to do with me.” “That boy wasn’t worthy of you. You deserve better.” “You’re right, I really deserve better. In any case, it’s better than some coward repeating the fate of his father, and now cheating on his wife. Disgusting.” She sighed and got to her feet, tilting her head. Her hair, still lying on one side, fell over her face. Valtor studied her for a while, then stepped closer. He didn’t touch her, didn’t hug her, and didn’t say a word, but somehow, in an unimaginable way, she felt his support, felt that he was there. He is always by her side, the only support in this world. “I’m sorry”, she whispered, looking up at him with her blue eyes, “I shouldn’t have been rude to you, master.” “That was interesting”, he said, touching the back of his hand to her cheek. The warmth of his hand was so pleasant that Bloom involuntarily clung closer to her. But no matter how soft his voice was, she was not deceived: the look in his eyes remained cold. “But don’t ever do that again.” After saying the last words, he headed for the door of her room, again leaving the girl in the cold and emptiness. Loneliness pressed on his chest, forcing his heart to shrink into a small barely noticeable lump until Valtor melted it again with one light weightless touch. And when it clogs up and blooms again, it will pour cold over her again, bringing everything back. Bloom knew this would happen, because this wasn’t the first time he’d pulled her out of the cold and loneliness just to plunge her back into this abyss. “Speaking of Stella”, the magician added already at the door, “Keep an eye on her for now. I don’t need any surprises.” “Why?”, Bloom chuckled, folding her arms over her chest. She was glad to have the opportunity to talk about someone more pathetic than herself. No matter what she claimed, no matter how much she hated weakness and insignificance, she couldn’t get rid of it, “What can an ordinary girl do?” Valtor let go of the door handle and turned to her, riveting her to the spot with his ice-blue eyes. He didn’t budge, but Bloom could sense his displeasure even from this distance. “Don’t underestimate your enemy”, he often told her, “Study it first, and then declare that you can handle it.“ “She escaped from the Guards in the woods, didn’t she?” I see potential in her.” “She just got a good chance,” Bloom calmly shook her head. “Today, my dear Bloom. And if tomorrow she “gets a chance” to kill you?” “She will never get such a chance. I won’t let.” “And that’s what I like in you. You always achieve your goal”, he looked into her eyes, making her drown in the depths of his gaze. The annoying goosebumps ran through his body again when he added in his velvety voice, “You are my secret weapon, Bloom. Don’t forget that.”