109 Don't You Know?

Vy stood up from her seat and walked over to check on Lycster and Elette. She gave each of them a kiss on their cheeks before leaving the room. Just in case, Vy left them a short note in case they woke up and could not find her. As she was about to leave, Vy realised Dotty still sat on the book that she had been reading.

-Are you not coming with me?-

Dotty looked up, but she quickly darted her eyes away. This was the first time she avoided Vy's eyes.

\u003cI think it is best if I stayed here.\u003e

-You can do that?-

Dotty nodded.

Vy did not know what to make of it, but she did not question any further as Hazel called out to her. You cannot be late for an audience with the King. As Vy continued to think about Dotty's words, she realised that they were still linked telepathically. That brought Vy some comfort.

-I can still hear you in my mind.-

\u003cHe he, yes that's right.\u003e

-Can you see what I see?-

\u003cYes, I can hear what others say to you as well.\u003e

Thinking nothing more of it, she caught up to Hazel. The castle had multiple wings, each serving a different purpose. The room provided for Vy and her companions was located in the Guest Wing, where all guests who visited the Arkwing Castle were housed.

As they walked through the corridors, they did not exchange any words. But the deafening silence made Vy uncomfortable, so she struck up a conversation with Hazel as they walked.

"Have you worked in the castle for long?"

Hazel was surprised by Vy's sudden question. Usually, the guests she had served don't ask a maid like her any questions. It was always instructions, a task to be done. At the very most, she would get a word of thanks.

"Not very long, about two years," Hazel replied.

"Do you like working here?" Vy continued.

Like? Hazel thought to herself. She grew up in a village located at the fringe of the Capital City. When she turned sixteen, she needed to find work to support her siblings and her mother. A neighbour recommended her to become a maid in the castle, and the rest was history.

"It was tough in the beginning, but with some help, I am where I am now," Hazel said with confidence.

Talking about this made Hazel curious, what was Vy's story?

"If you don't mind me asking, miss. How did you end up here?"

Vy did not expect that question, but she was more than happy to answer.

"It's a long story. The short version is, I did a favour for King Olwin. One of my requests in return was to meet his daughter."

"To meet Princess Viviana?"

Vy nodded.

Hazel led her into an open garden somewhere in the castle. Primroses of different colours scattered all across the garden, next to trimmed bushes and other plant life. Moonlight shone through the cloud covered sky, lighting up the garden.

In the middle of it, was a white wood gazebo. Vy could see King Olwin standing in the gazebo, next to a girl who was seated. The girl had blonde curls and brown eyes. She wore a beautiful dress that had laces and embroidered flowers all over.

Hazel led Vy all the way to the gazebo. After climbing up the steps, Vy bowed in respect to them, while Hazel knelt on the ground.

"Ah, Vyrena, you're here," King Olwin said with a smile.

Hazel took her leave, leaving Vy with them.

"Thank you for your invitation, King Olwin. This is a lovely home you have," Vy thanked King Olwin for his hospitality.

King Olwin nodded in acknowledgement of Vy's kind words.

He turned to the girl who was seated and introduced her, "Vyrena, I would like you to meet my daughter, Princess Viviana. All thanks to your contribution, she is feeling a lot better now."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Blackfire. You've come a long way," Viviana greeted.

"It's good to see that you are well, Princess," Vy replied.

Vy did not know what else to say. What could she say to break the ice and ask the questions that had been on her mind? Princess Viviana seemed to notice the awkwardness in the air.

"Miss Blackfire, my father informed me that you were keen on meeting me. Might I know why?" she asked.

The princess's voice rang clear through the silence.

"Ah yes. I hope you don't mind me being too straightforward. Do you happen to recall anything from your life before this?"

The princess grinned, Vy was straight to the point, just as she had expected. But what sort of question was Vy asking? Does she not know anything about this world?

"You certainly have an interesting way of saying it. You do know that this is nothing more than a game, right?" Princess Viviana said nonchalantly.

There was no waver in her voice, no hesitation. She said it with 100% belief that it was real.

"A game?" Vy asked in shock.

King Olwin looked uncomfortable at that moment. His expression said everything.

"Please pardon my daughter, Miss Vyrena. She thinks she is in an RPG game. Viviana, we've talked about this, you know that's not true."