He fell silent for a moment, as if reviewing his memories.

"About three knights were spies and followed me. The rest, who were from the empire, went in another direction. Maybe they're still wandering around the forest looking for me."

The girl asked, "Brother, how far is it to the palace?"

The boy replied in a tired tone, "About three days."

The girl, with a weary and slightly disappointed look, said, "Oh... that's so far."

But the girl's mind was racing. Maybe they could create a teleport to the palace, but that would require a lot of power. She got up from the wooden floor and started pacing around the cabin. Now more than ever, she needed Sura, but she didn't know how to find her.

Ilirian, with a confused expression, followed her gaze. "What are you doing?"

The girl muttered, "Honestly... I don't know." And then she suddenly fell silent.

Before they could understand anything, the entire cabin was filled with a brilliant light. A huge portal appeared right in the middle of the cabin.

The girl whispered with an open mouth, "Wow... this portal..."

Ilirian, who was still in shock, said, "This is the royal palace portal—the largest portal in Paradise."

The girl said, confused, "But... why is it here?"

The boy shrugged. "Maybe... I don't know. But what's important is that it's here now. We just have to go through it."

He moved towards the portal, but before entering, he stopped and waited for the girl. His gaze said that he couldn't tolerate the girl's doubts any longer.

"Well, what's wrong? Didn't you want to come?"

The girl said softly, "I wanted to, but if I go... maybe..."

Ilirian said in a calm but decisive tone, "Don't worry. Everything will be alright."

The girl took a few steps towards the portal. This moment was her first step towards changing her destiny. But there was a strange fear in her heart; what if everything was different from what she thought? Again, she muttered, "Okay..."

She had no choice. If she stayed in the forest, there would be no hope for rescue. So she stepped into the portal. It felt like she was walking on air; she felt like her soul was tearing apart, and the intense light was hurting her eyes. But after a few moments, she found herself in a huge hall.

Several servants rushed towards Ilirian. "Your Highness... are you alright?"

The girl quickly hid behind Ilirian and clung to him tightly. Ilirian said in a confident voice, "I'm fine. Thank you for your concern."

Then, he gently turned to the girl and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry. I'll take care of you."

These words changed something in the girl's heart. No one, except her mother, had ever said such a thing to her. It was a strange feeling. Maybe something like trust? But she still didn't know how to react. All she knew was that she was completely lost in that moment.

The servants were surrounding Ilirian and checking on him with concern. There were so many of them that everything had turned into complete chaos. Their scattered whispers echoed in the hall, increasing the anxiety.

But suddenly, the sound of calm and regular footsteps, coming from the staircase on the upper floor of the hall, brought a heavy and breathtaking silence to the hall. When the man entered the hall, all eyes were fixed on him. His presence undeniably cast a weight of authority over the space. A servant, with a bowed head and a tone mixed with respect, said, "Your Majesty, my lord..." These words added a weight of seriousness to the atmosphere.

The man glanced towards Ilirian. His cold ruby eyes, with a silent authority, remained fixed on his son, and his voice, devoid of any emotion, asked, "Are you alright?"

Ilirian replied with a forced smile, as if he wanted to dispel any worry. "Yes, Father."

His father's, the current king, gaze did not convey any warmth or concern. His lifeless tone continued, "I will summon the royal physician to make sure you are completely well."

Ilirian nodded and said politely, "Yes, Father. Thank you."

Behind Ilirian, the little girl stood motionless. Even her breathing was barely perceptible. The man's gaze, now turned towards her, was silent and penetrating; as if he wanted to discover every hidden secret. His short and emotionless look revived any doubts in the girl's heart. But contrary to expectations, he said nothing, and a heavy silence enveloped everything.

Then, the king only said, "This child needs to rest."

This short sentence was the end of the conversation. Without another word, he headed towards his office. His behavior had drawn an invisible line of distance between himself and others that no one dared to cross.

After the king left, Ilirian turned to the girl. His gaze was calm and reassuring. He said in a soft voice, "It's better to go with one of the servants and get some rest. You saw that my father ordered it."

The girl, still in shock, gave no answer. She stood and looked around uncertainly. Ilirian, seeing her like this, moved a little closer. His tone, more confident than before, reached her ears: "Don't worry. None of the servants would dare to harm you."

At the same time, he gave a warning look to the servants. His ruby eyes acted like a silent warning. The servants hurriedly bowed, and one of them, who seemed to be their leader, stepped forward. He said respectfully, "Please come with us. We will prepare you for supper."

One of the servants added, "This was His Majesty's order."

The girl, with widened eyes, whispered, "Supper?"

But she said nothing. She just followed the servants with hesitant and cautious steps. Her mind was occupied with the question: **Was this just a plan?**

****

The servants led the young girl to a magnificent room; a room whose boundless beauty took her breath away. Silk curtains hung on the walls, and the sunlight passing through them created a warm and pleasant atmosphere. The servants asked her to prepare for the royal supper ceremony. When she looked at herself, she realized that her face was hidden under a layer of dirt and grime. Her hair, once shiny, was now tangled and gave her a disheveled appearance.

Bathing seemed endless to her. Every time the warm water and fragrant soap touched her skin, it was like she was leaving behind a layer of her old self. The servants each had a task; one prepared beautiful and luxurious clothes for her, another brought delicious food, and another gently and carefully dried her hair with a towel. A towel that moved with slow and gentle movements on her head, as if it wanted to soothe a wound in her soul.

After drying her hair, it was time to comb it. This stage was painful at first; years of neglect had caused deep knots to form in her hair. But gradually, the pain gave way to relaxation. A soft, silver comb gently moved over her light brown strands. One of the servants, with a smile on her face, said:

"Your hair is amazing; it's so soft and silky that I think I have spiderwebs in my hands. You should take better care of it. I've never seen hair like this."

The girl, touched by these words, gave a weak smile and replied in a soft voice, "Thank you."

Moments later, another servant entered. She had special tools for braiding hair. She carefully placed the tools on the table and then ordered the other servants in an authoritative tone:

"Braid her hair quickly and put the clothes in the closet. The rest of you go back to your other duties."

Her tone and posture made it clear that she was the head servant of the palace. She gave the girl a short and sharp look and said:

"And you, young girl, His Majesty has ordered that after lunch, you have supper in the royal hall with the Crown Prince and him."

The girl, impressed by the power and authority of this woman, replied in a trembling voice, "Thank you, ma'am."

The head servant gave a short smile, a smile that quickly faded and had no emotion behind it. After leaving the room, she said nothing more.

The girl slowly went to the mirror. The face seen in the mirror seemed strange to her. A clean and tidy face that was completely different from her previous appearance. Here, in this luxurious room, she seemed to have become someone else. But one thing hadn't changed: her eyes. They were still the same old eyes, full of doubt and heavy memories of the past.

"Haha... I always wished I could dress like this and have my own brown hair when I was a kid."

The bitter memories of the past came to life in her mind. That old man... he had cursed the girl; he had taken away the natural color of her hair, just so he could have complete control over her life. In that man's eyes, this girl was just a reminder of the hatred her mother had for him. He didn't even care that the girl was just a child.

But now, for this brief moment, the girl could touch her dream. Here, in this palace, for the first time, she felt that she was something beyond her past. Something she never thought she could be.