Chapter 4. Blue Moon

“The door is open, Celene. Make your choice.”

These were the last words of the dark knight before he left me in that dark room. His voice was calm—cold but welcoming. Although his presence sent chills down my spine, it was as if his voice and the look in his marble-black eyes washed away all the pain I felt at that very moment. He left the key at the door and made sure to get rid of all the guards in the passages so I could easily escape.

My body was drained of strength and my eyes were heavy, but I couldn’t let the opportunity slip out of my grasps. I struggled my way to my feet and walked slowly out of the room; my goal now was to avenge my father’s death and take my kingdom back.

Hiding in the dark places of the mansion, avoiding my step mothers preying eyes, I plotted my revenge against her. I watched as she and her maids made wedding plans and sent out invites to guests who would attend. I snuck around the mansion, preparing my trap—the trap that would end Sylvania's life.

~The night of the blue moon~

The night of my stepmother’s wedding finally arrived. She had no idea I had escaped from the room because it was still locked when she and her maids came to check. The room had only one key, and since the soldiers she assigned to keep me locked here were missing, she had no way of accessing it.

As for the soldiers, who were killed by the dark knight, King Japhet was too focused on his goals to care about them. I was sure he had so many soldiers that he didn’t even know their names.

Masked maids were scattered across the front yard of the mansion, attending to important guests that came to the wedding. Both Valtorian and Andreian soldiers were positioned at different locations in the gardens, waiting to see if anyone would try to disrupt the wedding proceedings.

Everyone wore masks of different shapes and colors, as it was a tradition to hide the face under the blue moon so that all would be equal beneath the throne of the goddess. This was especially convenient for me as I could easily carry out my plan and escape without being seen.

The only ones who were allowed to keep their faces revealed were the celebrants—the king and queen.

From the dark corner I sat, all I could hear were murmurs about how sudden the wedding was and how the queen was a traitor for marrying the king of an enemy kingdom. Some of these guests knew her past and weren’t at all surprised by my stepmother’s bold move. Many of them wanted to stand up and speak against it, but just like I once was, they were afraid.

I wore a black mask and a large black dress and sat quietly at a safe distance from the party, waiting for the right time to make my move.

Andreian weddings were always the same for common folk; it usually involved a priestess, wedding vows, rings, and flowers, but for royalty, there was an added factor that made it a lot more special: the elixir of truth.

The purpose of this sacred drink was to ensure that both groom and bride kept their vows. Whoever broke the vows made after taking the elixir paid with their life. But even I stopped believing this the very moment I found out that my stepmother murdered my father.

The goblet that held the elixir was kept on a platform at the center of the garden and wouldn’t be touched by anyone until the blue moon was at its highest point. A special maid was chosen to bring the elixir to the queen when the time was right, and she was meant to wear a long white dress and white feather mask.

After the priestess had given her blessings, chosen by the goddess herself, the maiden would emerge from the crowd and present the drink to the queen first and then the king.

The party went on for hours, guests dancing around to the tune of the violin and harp. The smell of red wine and alcohol stained the atmosphere, and at a certain point I started to wonder if this was even still a holy night.

My stepmother sat on her throne before all the guests, staring at them with a blank expression on her face, and the king of Valtoria, king Japhet, and his band of knights walked around the party, greeting the guests.

I scanned through the group of knights that walked behind him, but the dark knight who saved me from that room was nowhere to be found; could it just have been my imagination? Was the dark knight even a real person?

As much as I wanted to see him again, that was the least of my worries. I had already made all the necessary preparations, so I was sure my plan wouldn’t have any hitches.

A few more hours passed, and the moon had almost reached its highest point. The priestess walked through the crowed with a white robe and a silver staff in her right hand. A crescent moon was carved onto the top of the staff, and below it was a small silver ball. Six little girls holding flower baskets followed behind her, throwing blue rose petals at every point her bare feet touched.

The priestess was a very young woman who had remained in that position for decades; it was almost as if she were immortal. The position of priest wasn’t one that was exclusive to females, and the only criteria was that the candidate had to have the purest heart in the entire kingdom of Andreia.

“Welcome, Priestess of Andreia,” Sylvania said, getting up from her seat immediately. Her lips curled into a smile and she stretched her palms forward to receive the priestess’s greeting. The priestess’s facial expression didn’t change one bit on seeing my stepmother. If anything, she got even angrier than she was when she walked in.

“I’m only here because the goddess asked me to come. She believes something great is going to begin tonight and wishes that I witness it firsthand,” the priestess said with a cold tone, staring directly into my stepmother's eyes. She turned to King Japhet and then slowly returned her gaze to Sylvania.

“I know of your crimes, but it is not in my hands to decide your punishment. Just know that today is not going to be a happy one. Not for you and certainly not for your groom,” she declared, then turned to the crowd.

“The wedding shall proceed as it usually does, but whatever happens after is your cross to bear,” she announced to everyone. I just watched the priestess silently from my seat, waiting.

The priestess began speaking the goddess language, sharing her blessings between the two couples. I could see in my mother's eyes and could tell from her smile that she was still very confident even after the priestesses warning, possibly because nothing happened to her after my father's death. She was confident that she could get away with her crime and live happily with her lover.

After thirty minutes of blessing Sylvania and Japhet, the moon shone brightly on the silver goblet that held the elixir.

“It is time,” the priestess announced, and everyone went silent, waiting for the maiden who would present the elixir to the queen to appear.

I knew for a fact that the person they were waiting for would never come because a wedding between an Andreian and a Valtorian was nothing if not invalid. Mother also knew this, so she had arranged a fake maiden who would pose as the goddess sent. What she didn’t know was that I was one very dangerous step ahead of her.

I got up from my seat and walked through the crowd, my long black dress sweeping the ground and my high heels clicking with every step I took.

“A black dress?” Sylvania said, shocked by my arrival. The color of my dress was the first thing everyone noticed because the maiden was supposed to be in white. I did this because I wanted Sylvania to know that her end had come.

I picked up the metal cup with both of my palms and walked with it to where my stepmother, the priestess, and King Japhet stood.

“Present the queen with the drink,” the priestess said, and I moved the cup toward Sylvania. My stepmother moved her hand toward the goblet and wrapped her palms around it. I could see that that confident look in her eyes had started to wither, and her hands had begun to shake.

The rule was that the queen was not allowed to take the cup from the maiden, but to hold it with her and take only a sip—that was all I needed.

Sylvania stared at the drink hesitantly.

“What are you waiting for? Take a sip,” the priestess urged. “If you do not take it now, you will be struck dead,” she warned.

“But, isn't this all a little strange? The maiden’s dress isn't supposed to be black. How can you tell she is not a fake?” Sylvania argued.

“I am the priestess of the goddess, and I see with blessed eyes. She is the maiden the goddess has sent, and you cannot refuse the offer of the elixir from her.” The priestess assured.

“Look at it this way; this just means that your wedding is valid before the goddess, and the black dress is possibly because the bride and groom are from different kingdoms,” she continued.

“Possibly?” Sylvania asked with worry in her voice, then turned back to me. She stared at me for a moment, then turned back to the drink. She couldn’t refuse the drink now because if she tried to run, she would be struck dead instantly. My plan had fallen into place perfectly.

I was confused by the priestess’s words though. I hadn't had any previous discussion with her, yet she lied to everyone that I was really the sent maiden and that the wedding was actually valid, but this didn’t matter to me too much because it worked well in my favor.

After a moment of hesitation, Sylvania leaned in and took a sip.