The Crown and The Rose Chapter 6: The Forest

The Crown

Morning is different here. Very different from the palace. I can't see the sun rising because of the dense forest surrounding the cottage. This cottage is quite slly too. And other than that the cottage is so old and worn that the sunlight barely cos inside. The palace was quite the opposite.

The palace was always dazzling no matter what ti it was in the day. On the other hand, this cottage is in the midst of the Skotadi forest, where normal folks are afraid to co in the dayti, let alone the night. That's because dark beasts that lurk around here can kill a person without so much as blinking.

But Edward and I are quite safe here since I am a light magic user and he is a green magic user. Light magics are considered holy, so dark and poison magic wouldn't work on . My magic will protect from them and dark beasts contain a very considerable dark magic and so poison magic, so I don't have to worry about them.

On the other hand, green magic can communicate with its surrounding natural green magic and manipulate them. In simple words, green magic can control the greenery around them. So, Edward can communicate with his surrounding greenery and avoid encountering any kind of danger.

We arrived very late in the cottage last evening and were very tired so we had gone off to bed earlier. We didn't notice the layout of the cottage. And now we do, I feel like I am in another world and I like it much better than the palace but still I miss the warmth of the palace and the smiles and giggling of my sisters, the enthusiastic greetings from the servants and all. It's make my heart heavy.

This cottage not too small or too big. Just perfect for two banished birds to stay here. Yes, it is a bit too worn and slly but if we wash it properly then it should be just fine.

It's not like I hate my palace but there are too many rules there. It's sotis tiring to follow them all. And it is not like I am very much reluctant to sit on the throne. It's just I am scared, that I might ss up sothing and ruin the country my ancestors put so much effort into building. That's all. I am not running away from my duties. I am just taking my ti to make them mine.

"Lush!" Edward calls from downstairs. "I made breakfast, co here and have so."

I jolt and hurriedly say, "I am coming!" as I haphazardly try to fix my clothes. I have been trying to put them on for half an hour now and this shit isn't shitting properly.

How do people even wear this?

I thought wearing normal clothes would be easier than royal clothes but it doesn't seem so. Should I call Edward? He will chew up alive. And other than that I'm still getting used to him calling "Lush". I might sotis tell him to call "His Highness". It will at least put in so ntal peace.

"You are late," Edward says stonily.

"I couldn't figure out how to wear these." I splay out my arms to show him my ssed-up clothes.

Edward sighs and walks down to from the kitchen floorboards which are squawking beneath his boots, "Your H-Lush, you should now learn how to wear these clothes. We are not in the palace anymore." He starts to fix my clothes and I stand here with my hands on my sides at my shoulder level, letting him fix my clothes properly.

"I know," I counter, "And you can call 'Your Highness' if it's more comfortable to you."

Edward's eyes light up, "Thank you, Your Highness. I thought I was going to suffocate if I kept calling you by your na."

"You are being dramatic now," I comnt.

"Anyway, please have so breakfast." He beckons to the table.

Edward is my best chief. I only like and eat his food aside from mine. Of course, who doesn't like his own cooking? I learned cooking because I can't eat anything that is not made by Edward. So basically to learn how to survive without him, I learned to cook.

"What did you cook today?" I swipe my eyes over the unknown dishes labeled on the table before .

"We don't have anything on standby. If we want to eat sothing we need to buy it." Edward starts, "We didn't buy anything on our way here so, I picked so herbs and cooked them."

I gasp in horror, "You did what? You picked up wild herbs? What if they are poisonous?"

"They are not. I checked." Edward replies blandly.

"How?" I arch a brow.

"I ate them and am still standing." He replies nonchalantly.

"You did what?!" My eyes widen as I grab his throat, "Spit it out, spit it out!" I start to jerk him and he looks like he will vomit any mont now.

"Your Highness, please calm down!" He gasps, "I will be fine. I can heal myself!"

"Oh yeah, that's right." I abruptly let go and he staggers a little, coughing before gaining his footing again.

"Even if the herbs don't kill Your Highness sure will." His voice wobbled and hoarse.

I laugh nervously, "But it's not my fault." I say in my defense, "Whether we can heal ourselves or not it doesn't an we will willingly eat so random herbs." I reach for a money pouch hidden beneath my clothes and give it to him, "Go to the nearby town and buy sothing eatable for us to eat"

"But Your Highness," He takes the pouch from my hand, "Will you be fine all alone?"

"I will be." I assure him, "Just be back before the nightti. It's dangerous out there."

"Okay, Your Highness." He acknowledges and then leaves with his horse.

I spend the rest of the day cleaning the interior of the worn-out house. It looks much cleaner now. Could anyone ever imagine that the Royal Crown Prince of the Blade Empire is doing house cleaning? At least I couldn't. Wish my parents and siblings could see like this. They would get a heart attack from the sight. I chuckle as I paint the picture in my mind.

But it is late. Why hasn't Edward returned yet? The sky is black. It's about to rain. I should have brought two magic communication stones with from the palace.

Magic communication stones are used to communicate with the other stone's owner. In other words, you can communicate with whover you want if they have magic flowing in their veins and have the communication stone's other half that you are using.

But it's no use thinking about it now. I should go and look for him. I leave the cottage and start to walk in the direction we ca from yesterday. But after a few good minutes, I realize that I have made a mistake.

This forest is a magic forest and its layout changes every twelve hours to prevent normal folks from entering here. The map that my mother gave was magical too. It was made by her space magic. The map's layout changed with the forest's layout. And I didn't bring the map with .

I am cooked now for sure.

I don't recognize this part of the forest. It ans I didn't cross this path yesterday with Edward. And this part's trees and sky look a bit too different from the other part of this forest too. They are a bit too big and monstrous. Like they are staring through . They are sending storm after storm of shivers down my spine and making my stomach twist. Sothing about this area of the forest does not feel right.

The shades of the trees are a bit too darker than normal trees and they barely have any leaves on their branches. And even if so of them have so, they are entirely different from what actual leaves look like. And over that, I don't recognize any of the trees surrounding . They are so thick and their branches are so overbearing that I can hardly see through them. This thing is making even more uncomfortable. There is no sound around aside from the cracking of dry brunches beneath my foot and my footsteps. I have a feeling that I shouldn't be here. Like I don't belong here.

I have spent almost all my life learning about various kinds of creatures, trees, herbs, and the history of three realms and different kinds of battle arts, martial arts, magic arts, and various types of magics and the spells their user uses through them.

I almost know everything about demons, Gods, and humans' history and present. I know particularly everything about the trees that exist in the Human realm. But I have never seen these kinds of trees and the sky looks weird too. It's so cloudy that it's almost undetectable whether it is day or night.

Wait. Wait a damn minute. I don't recognize the trees and the sky looks weird just like...just like how it was described in the history books related to the history books of the Demon realm. Now don't tell that I am fucking standing at the borders of the Demon realm!

Oh God...did Edward sohow... No, no. He has green magic. His magic guides him where he is supposed to go. So seemingly, He didn't co here.

As much as our kingdom has several blessings. It has so curses too. And one of them is the Demon realm. The borders of the Demon realm are located on the southern side of our Empire. It is connected like the two sides of the sa coin. And worse the part of the Demon realm that is connected to our Empire is the southern lands of the Demon realm. And the overlord who has been dominating the southern part of the most resourceful and powerful part of the Demon realm is Vermilion.