Celestia was stunned by what lay before her very eyes. Her body felt weak, and her breath became ragged. Blood covered the stone floor of the underground dungeon. The metallic stench pierced her nose, making her stomach churn with nausea.
The five men in the cell were motionless. Their bodies were covered in sword gashes. And in the middle of it all... her own sister stood holding a sword stained with thick, dark red blood.
"What have you done, Elowen?" Celestia asked, her voice trembling. Her eyes remained fixed on the blood on the floor. She could not bring herself to believe what she was seeing.
In a dark corner of the room, a small squirrel hid behind an old wooden crate. Its eyes watched Elowen's every move. At the same time, Alice was watching everything through the magic linked to the squirrel.
Elowen looked directly at her sister. Her face was calm. Too calm. "They deserved to be punished because their crimes were very severe."
"To the point that you were willing to kill them?" Celestia asked again, as if still hoping it was all just a misunderstanding.
Elowen was silent for a moment. Then... "Yes." The answer made Celestia's heart feel as though it had stopped for a second. "I killed them."
Elowen threw the sword onto the stone floor. The clang of the steel echoed loudly throughout the prison. Celestia shook her head slowly, her eyes filling with tears of disappointment.
"Elowen... you truly have changed."
Elowen did not answer. She only looked at the lifeless bodies coldly. To her, criminals still had to be punished. But to Celestia, what Elowen had done had crossed the line.
"Elowen," Celestia's voice began to rise, "I order you to leave this palace!"
The atmosphere turned silent after those words were uttered. The torchlight flickered slowly. Elowen looked at her sister for a few seconds. No anger. No shock. It was as if she had expected this to happen.
"Don't worry," Elowen said softly. "I will leave on my own."
Celestia bit her lip. But before Elowen passed by, she glanced subtly to the side. That small gesture made Celestia look as well. Her eyes narrowed slightly; she felt as if something was watching them. However, she saw nothing in the darkness of the room's corner.
"Don't you ever try to snatch the throne from me," Celestia warned coldly.
Elowen carved a small, unreadable smile. "Of course not, Celestia."
Then, Elowen walked toward her sister. As she passed Celestia's side, she gently patted her shoulder. A touch that was once full of love now felt foreign and cold. Without saying anything more, Elowen left the underground dungeon. The sound of her footsteps echoed until they vanished into the dark corridor.
Celestia stood frozen in the cell. Her eyes were still fixed on the blood on the floor. Her heart was a blur of disappointment, anger, and sadness. She didn't know if she had just lost her sister... or lost someone she once considered family.
On that same day, Elowen left the palace with Ashveil. There was no ceremony. No farewell speech. Only a black carriage moving away from Wonderveil as the sun began to set.
Ashveil sat opposite Elowen inside the carriage. He looked at her several times but didn't know what to say. Elowen, meanwhile, only looked out the window. Her face was calm. Too calm for someone who had just been cast out of the palace.
The carriage moved far away from the town area before heading toward a secluded castle hidden in the forest and mountains. The place was silent, far from humanity—as if it were a world isolated from Wonderveil.
Meanwhile, Celestia returned to the palace. Her steps were slow and lifeless. She still remembered Elowen's face in the prison. Unbeknownst to her, the little squirrel followed from a distance.
As soon as Celestia entered the palace, the squirrel ran out toward the forest. It leaped from tree to tree quickly before finally arriving at an abandoned mansion. The mansion door opened on its own, and the squirrel went inside.
In the dark space of the mansion, Alice sat in her chair, staring at the magical display before her. And the moment the squirrel returned, Alice began to laugh softly.
"I didn't expect this..." she said with a wide grin. "Finally, I have what I want." Her eyes shone with total satisfaction. "The people and the nobles need this."
Several animals inside the mansion also smiled. They finally had proof that Princess Elowen was truly dangerous in the eyes of the people. An animal beside Alice spoke softly, "Alice... get rid of Charles as well. I don't like him being with Celestia."
Alice leaned back in her chair. Her smile grew wider. "Of course."
And for the first time... Alice's game was almost perfect.
The news of Elowen killing people spread with terrifying speed throughout Wonderveil. No one knew exactly where the news began, but something even more horrifying started circulating alongside the rumors.
Photographs.
Piece by piece, images were secretly distributed to the citizens and the nobility. These pictures showed the state of the underground dungeon drenched in blood. And most shocking of all... a photo of Elowen holding a blood-stained sword. There were also images of the five men lying lifeless in their cell.
Citizens who saw the photos were instantly struck with terror. Some trembled, some threw the pictures far away, and some even burned them out of fear of keeping them.
"I... I told you Princess Elowen was dangerous..." an old woman said with a shaking voice.
"Y-yes, it's true. I never thought she was capable of doing that..."
"She has murdered people..."
"I hope she gets what she deserves."
Markets, restaurants, and town alleys were filled with fearful whispers about Elowen. No longer did the people praise the princess's bravery as they once had; now, they saw her only as a cruel woman.
The nobility began to panic as well. In the grand halls of their mansions, the nobles gathered to discuss the matter.
"I didn't think Princess Elowen would go that far."
"She is too dangerous."
"I heard she has already left the palace."
"I suspect Princess Elowen will snatch the throne from her sister."
"I feel the same way. I'm terrified."
They spoke in hushed tones, as if the very mention of Elowen's name would bring calamity.
"Furthermore, Princess Elowen has a dragon."
"You know yourself a dragon can burn down the entire city."
"If she attacks Wonderveil, we are finished."
"That's true..."
Fear began to grip all of Wonderveil. And it all happened exactly as Alice wanted.
Meanwhile... inside the main palace of Wonderveil, the atmosphere turned gloomy and tense. Princess Celestia sat in a large chair in her private chambers. Her hands were on her head. Her eyes clearly showed she hadn't slept soundly for days. On the table before her lay several of the photos of Elowen. She looked at them with an unreadable expression—disappointment, anger, and sadness.
An old priest who had been managing the royal coronation stood before her.
"Your Highness..." the priest said softly.
Celestia lifted her head. "I want to postpone my coronation day."
The priest was shocked. "Your Highness?"
"I am declaring a cold war against my sister."
The room went silent. The old priest looked at Celestia as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"But Your Highness... the people and the nobility want the coronation to be moved up."
Celestia clenched her fists tightly. "How can I hold a coronation if I let a criminal go free?" Her tone turned cold. "I will make her kneel..." Her eyes filled with resolve. "...and have her head beheaded."
The priest bowed his head in fear. "V-very well, Your Highness."
Celestia leaned back slowly in her chair. But deep in her heart, she was still wounded. Because the person now considered an enemy by all of Wonderveil... was her own sister.
After that incident, the relationship between Elowen and Celestia was truly shattered. No more meetings. No more conversations. No more sisterly love in the eyes of the public.
Wonderveil began to split into two factions. Most of the citizens and nobles chose to stand by Celestia, believing she could be a gentle and fair Queen. Meanwhile, Elowen was left alone, accompanied only by Ashveil in her secluded castle.
Before long, borders began to be established. Large stone walls were erected to separate Celestia's sphere of influence from the areas still under Elowen's supervision. Guards stood watch at every entrance. No one was allowed to cross the border without permission.
The once peaceful Wonderveil was slowly transforming into a nation filled with fear and hostility. And behind all this chaos, Alice only smiled, seeing everything proceed exactly according to her plan.
Celestia had become increasingly withdrawn since the incident. She no longer spoke as much as she used to. The gentle smile that always graced her face while walking through the palace corridors was gone, and her cheerful voice no longer greeted the workers or the animals by her side.
Now... Celestia's face always appeared cold and exhausted.
This change caused Nyx, Silas, Liy, and the twins Axe and Aver to grow worried. They knew Celestia as a kind-hearted, soft, and easily smiling girl. But now... she seemed to have transformed into someone else.
Inside the palace's main chamber, Celestia sat in a large chair near the window, her hand supporting her head. Her eyes stared blankly out at the palace grounds. The sunlight filtering through the curtains did not soften her icy expression in the slightest.
The door opened slowly. Nyx, Silas, Liy, Axe, and Aver entered the room. Each of them fell silent for a moment upon seeing Celestia's state. The atmosphere in the room felt heavy.
"Princess Celestia..." Axe's voice was soft. "Are you alright?"
Celestia shifted her gaze toward them. "Of course." Her answer was brief. No smile. No emotion.
Axe and Aver exchanged glances. They weren't used to seeing Celestia like this. Usually, she would welcome them with a smile or ask how they were first. But now... she seemed to have built a wall between herself and everyone else.
Nyx stepped forward slightly. "If you are feeling pressured—"
Before Nyx could finish his sentence, the door opened once more. Charles entered the room holding several documents in his hand. All eyes turned toward him.
"Princess Celestia," Charles said softly. "I have something to tell you."
Celestia's expression changed slightly. For the first time since they entered, her eyes showed a flicker of reaction. she stood up immediately from her chair. "Very well," she said quietly. "But not here."
Charles nodded. The two of them then walked out of the room together. The door closed slowly behind them.
Nyx could only watch them with a look of dissatisfaction. For a few seconds, the room was silent. Then—
"Is that clown not aware of his place?" Nyx grumbled cynically.
Liy immediately looked at Nyx. "Nyx, he's not a clown. He's a jester. Furthermore, it's not right to speak that way."
Nyx snorted. "What's the difference? They both make jokes."
Axe suppressed a small laugh while Aver merely shook his head at Nyx's behavior. Silas, however, remained as calm as ever. The rabbit stepped slowly into the center of the room.
"Enough, Nyx," Silas said gently. "Now is not the time for us to question why the jester is close to Princess Celestia."
Nyx turned his face away, but he still listened to Silas's words.
"We must give Princess Celestia space and time," Silas continued. "She looks very stressed right now."
Aver nodded in agreement. "What Silas says is true. She might still be in shock over her own sister's actions. That's why we need to give her a chance to calm down."
Nyx sighed softly. He actually knew all of that. He just didn't like seeing Celestia so close to Charles. In his mind... Celestia deserved someone of higher standing.
"I didn't expect her to be willing to postpone her coronation just for a cold war with her sister," Nyx said quietly.
Liy leaned against the wall, crossing her arms. "I don't mind that. Whatever Princess Celestia decided is right. She can't just let someone who committed such a crime get away."
Axe chimed in. "Yeah, that's true. But I'm still puzzled... why does it have to go as far as a cold war?"
The question made everyone fall silent for a moment. No one truly knew what was going on in Celestia's mind, or what Elowen was actually feeling.
Silas closed his eyes briefly before speaking. "Just leave them be. We have chosen Princess Celestia. Our task now is to support and help her."
Nyx finally nodded slowly. Although his heart was still full of doubt... he knew one thing. Celestia was carrying a burden far too heavy for one person to bear alone. And they all needed to stay by the princess's side before everything grew even worse.