(Elara's POV)
My name is Elara.
I am the daughter of King Ivan of Vesperia.
Not the queen's daughter.
That title belongs to my brother.
Crown Prince Luis.
He is the rightful heir of the kingdom.
Luis was raised very differently from me.
Since he was young, he studied politics, war, diplomacy—everything related to ruling a kingdom.
I, on the other hand, had a different life.
Perhaps because I was not expected to rule.
I was given more freedom.
I liked flowers.
Plants.
Rare herbs.
Anything related to nature and science.
At the age of nineteen, I was already studying in the royal university of Vesperia.
My studies focused on anatomy, herbs, and natural sciences.
I spent most of my days in libraries or gardens.
One day, while walking through the university grounds, I overheard some students talking.
They were whispering excitedly about something.
"A rare flower," one of them said.
"A velvet flower."
They said it could only be found in a place called the Web Forest.
Naturally, my curiosity grew.
I began researching it.
That was when I discovered something interesting.
The Web Forest was not inside Vesperia.
It was far away.
Near the borders of Kazunaga.
That made the flower even more fascinating.
A rare flower that grows in a dangerous forest between kingdoms.
Of course, I wanted to see it.
My father tried to stop me.
The Web Forest had a reputation.
Bandits.
Wild beasts.
Dangerous terrain.
But people often say one thing about me.
When I decide to do something—
no one can stop me.
So my father finally gave in.
He sent several royal guards with me.
Three carriages were prepared for the journey.
Even with the guards, I could feel the excitement growing as we approached the forest.
The deeper we went, the darker it became.
The trees grew thicker.
The air colder.
At some point during the journey, one of the carriages broke.
The road had become rough.
Only one carriage remained usable.
The guards decided we should stop for a while to repair the others.
While they worked, I grew bored.
"I will just walk nearby," I told them.
They thought I meant only a short distance.
So they allowed it.
But the forest was deeper than I expected.
And I walked farther than I should have.
I had received some basic training in self-defense, so I was not completely helpless.
Still, after some time, I realized something.
I had wandered too far.
The forest had become quiet.
Too quiet.
So I drew my sword, just in case.
Then I heard something.
Water.
The sound of falling water.
A waterfall.
Curious, I followed the sound.
As I walked deeper, I noticed something beautiful.
Fireflies.
Dozens of them glowing softly in the night air.
I followed them until the forest suddenly opened into a clearing.
And there—
I saw the most breathtaking lake.
The water reflected the moon like a mirror.
The waterfall crashed into the lake behind it.
For a moment, I forgot about the flower.
The place itself was already incredible.
My heart began beating faster.
Was the velvet flower somewhere here?
I stepped forward slowly.
Then I saw something else.
Someone else.
A girl stood beneath the waterfall.
Her clothes were thin and soaked with water.
Her back was facing me.
Long blonde hair flowed down her back, glowing under the moonlight.
For a moment, I froze.
She looked unreal.
Like a spirit of the forest.
A fairy.
A water spirit.
Something not meant for human eyes.
Slowly, I took another step.
She must have heard the movement.
Because she suddenly stopped.
Then—
very slowly—
she turned.
Our eyes met.
Blue eyes.
Sharp.
Cold.
For a second, I was completely stunned.
She was beautiful.
So beautiful that my mind struggled to understand what I was seeing.
I thought—
Is she a fairy?
But before I could even speak—
She moved the moment she saw me.
No warning.
No hesitation.
Her sword flashed under the moonlight as she rushed toward me.
I barely had time to pull my blade from its sheath.
Clang.
Steel crashed against steel.
The force of her strike shocked me.
She was fast.
Another strike followed immediately.
I stepped back, raising my sword just in time to block again.
The sound of metal echoed across the lake while the waterfall roared behind us.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
Her voice was cold.
Sharp.
I said nothing.
I focused on defending.
She attacked again.
And again.
Each strike stronger than the last.
"You entered the Forbidden Forest," she said while circling me.
"No one comes here."
I blocked another strike.
My arms were starting to feel the weight of her attacks.
This woman fought like a trained warrior.
Not like a bandit.
Not like a traveler.
"You are not from here," she continued.
Her eyes studied me carefully.
"Foreign."
Still, I did not answer.
Instead, I kept defending.
Step by step.
The lake behind me was getting closer.
Suddenly her blade twisted under mine.
Before I could react—
my sword flew from my hand.
It landed several steps away.
In the next second her blade was already at my throat.
Cold steel resting against my skin.
The waterfall thundered behind us.
Her blue eyes watched me carefully.
"Now," she said calmly.
"Answer me."
"Why are you here?"
"My name is Elara," I said.
My breathing was slightly uneven now.
"I came here for a flower."
Her expression did not change.
"A flower?"
"Yes."
"The velvet flower."
For a moment, she looked at me like I had just said something ridiculous.
Then I noticed something.
Her clothes.
She had been standing under the waterfall when I arrived.
The fabric she wore was thin and completely soaked.
It clung to her body from the water.
Without thinking, my eyes moved for a second.
Then I quickly looked away.
Gods…
Why did I notice that now?
My face suddenly felt warm.
She noticed.
Of course she did.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
The blade pressed a little closer to my throat.
"You are looking somewhere strange," she said coldly.
"I—"
I stopped.
That explanation was not going to help me.
For a moment, the only sound between us was the waterfall.
Then she spoke again.
"You crossed half the forest," she said slowly.
"Risked bandits and beasts."
"For a flower?"
"Yes."
I swallowed carefully.
"Is that really so hard to believe?"
Her eyes stayed on me.
Studying.
Measuring.
Like she was deciding whether I was stupid—
or dangerous.
And at that moment, I realized something else.
This woman was not just some stranger in the forest.
She moved like someone who belonged to danger.
And somehow—
I had just walked straight into her territory.