193: Stranded!

Stranded!

Music Recommendation: Heavens, what an afternoon - John Lunn2

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Far away from the Storm Kingdom, and even farther away from Versailles, Princess Niyasa found herself stranded on a deserted island. It was the fourth day since she had been thrown off the ship bound to arrive at the Storm Kingdom. 

She lay sprawled on the sandy shore, not because she was dead, but rather because she possessed the tenacious luck of a cockroach, somehow managing to cling to life. But she wasn't feeling very alive right now.

Niyasa's expensive clothes were torn and covered in dirt. And at this rate, it wouldn't be long before she resembled a primitive woman from the wilderness. 

"Ugh… why is no one coming to rescue me?" Niyasa lamented, adjusting herself beneath the leaves to shield her beautiful face from the sun, as she didn't want to darken her skin. She continued, 

"I am the second princess of Versailles, and it's been four long days. Four days have passed and no one has come for me. Maybe they will arrive tomorrow?" But what if no one ever found her? Panic started to rise in her chest, and tears streamed down her face. "MOTHER! BROTHER!" she cried out. Did no one care about her?! She was a member of the royal family, after all! 

She hoped they would come soon because she was slowly going mad. 

When she heard the distant sound of a ship's horn, hope surged within her, and she leapt to her feet, shouting, "They are here! I AM HERE!" 

Niyasa quickly ran to the shoreline where the water splashed back and forth. She yelled, "I AM HERE!" However, the ship was too far away for anyone to hear her, and it seemed no one cared to pay attention to the isolated island. "LOOK HERE YOU DUMBASS! NO! NO! DON'T GO! PLEASE COME BA—OW! FUCKING HELL!"

A crab scuttling past her unexpectedly pinched her toe when she got near it, causing her to yelp with pain. The shoes she had cherished while aboard the ship had been flung into the water in a fit of anger and had since been carried away by the waves. She regretted it now, as she had nothing to protect her feet!

"What am I going to do?" Niyasa asked herself, her eyes widening as if the scorching heat around the island were casting a hypnotic spell over her. 

"I shouldn't have left Versailles! Lady Sophia was right; the sea is dangerous," Niyasa said to herself, while looking back at the island's dense forest. 

She was thirsty and hungry. 

For a woman like Niyasa, who had never lifted a finger except to punish the servants, she found herself utterly clueless about what to do next. 

During the first two days, she had clung to the stubborn hope that someone would quickly find and rescue her. But on the second night, the harsh reality started to sink in. What if no one would ever come to rescue her from this wretched island? But Lily was not heartless, Niyasa thought to herself. Surely, she would come to get her, right? Surely she would mount a rescue effort, wouldn't she? But then the next question came: What if her sister had fallen into the water and the entire ship had met a tragic fate and hit rock bottom? What if she was the only survivor?! 

She made her way into the forest, her eyes warily looking around her as if something would attack her at any moment. Cautiously, she inched towards the river, where she could find clean water. Gone were the privileged days when she felt parched, and the servants would bring her a refreshingly cold glass without her ever having to move a muscle. Her blue eyes made sure to peer intently into the water, where she caught a glimpse of her horrid reflection. 

Niyasa let out a soft, pained sob upon seeing her reflection. "I look worse than a beggar." Her hair resembled a nest, and one audacious bird had gone so far as to peck at her while she slept. 

​​Bending down closer to the surface, she carefully rubbed her hands together to wash them and then cupped them to scoop up the water. Unable to concern herself with whether it was dirty or clean, she tried not to dwell on it and drank the water as if it were the elixir of life. 

"Tastes so good," Niyasa whispered with happiness. Who knew that something as simple as water could bring such joy into her life? She fought back tears because she knew that the more she cried, the more she would have to return to this river, and this was the last place she wanted to be. 

"If only I had company here," the princess thought out loud. She missed her family, and more than anything, she missed the comforts and luxury that came with being royalty. She was still a princess, but her title didn't matter a bit in this damn place. 

When Niyasa was about to scoop another handful of water with her hands, she leaned forward, and in that moment, she noticed a pair of greenish-yellow eyes opening. A crocodile swiftly swam up to the surface to get to her, while she screamed in sheer hysteria. 

"I didn't ask for your fucking company!" Niyasa yelled, sprinting as fast as her legs could carry her while evading the crocodile that had nearly bitten her leg two days earlier. The crocodile didn't stop chasing her, as though it couldn't wait to take a bite and swallow her whole. "HELP ME!!!" she screamed. "GRANDMOTHER! LILY! WHERE ARE YOU?!" 

Back at the Ruiz estate in the Storm Kingdom, Emily sat in front of Raylen, her hand steady on the horse's mane while she quietly looked at the trees. Unaware of the trouble her sister was currently facing and preoccupied with her thoughts, she asked, 

"How did you manage to create such a massive fire earlier?" 

"When you spend your years in Hell, you learn a trick or two," Raylen replied. His blue eyes shifted to observe the downcast expression on the princess's face, and he said, "Don't sulk. You won't die." At least not right now, he thought to himself. 

"How does it feel to ride with me?" Raylen questioned her, aware that she wasn't particularly excited about sharing a saddle with him. However, that was precisely where his amusement lay. 

Emily's eyebrows furrowed before she muttered, "Never imagined it."

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