A feeling of guilt enveloped me as I held on to my sister's hand, escaping from the hall. I blamed myself for forgetting something so important, even though it was the system's fault.

" To the council room! " The king ordered, and the soldiers did as commanded.

[Follow them] Hearing the system's voice made me wish it was human and I could punch it's face. I tailed behind the soldiers, making sure they didn't notice my presence.

The council room was a small one, with a seat a large table and a wooden chair at the centre, meant for the King.  Seats surrounded the long table, but the soldiers dared not sit with the king. There was tangible tension, as they waited for the King to break the silence with his orders.

" They are obviously here for the gemstone, and I have been preparing since their last visit.  I have an easy, perfect plan. But this plan must be executed carefully so before I continue, I would like some of the soldiers to leave, remaining only the general, Darian and Draven. " The king spoke.

The soldiers left the council room as told, some noticeably jealous of the most trusted by the King, who was about to share a very crucial plan. The door was shut after they had left and I had to lean on the locked door to hear their conversation.

" The plan is to simply switch the gemstone with the fake one– crafted perfectly to resemble the original ruby. Then we would hand it over to them. " The King said after making sure those soldiers had left.

He signaled to the present soldiers, allowing them to sit on the chairs opposite him.

" What if they discover it's fake? " Draven asked, tapping his finger on the table.

" This is the best way to save our kingdom, we have to take the risks. Besides, the decoy is almost as perfect. " King Valeric assured.

" Where is the decoy? And has the original gemstone been removed from the demolished hall? " Darian probed.

" The decoy and the original gemstone have been hidden in a secret vault. " The king replied Darian.

" I have a feeling someone is listening in on us. " The general said, walking towards the door. Before I could escape, the door had been opened.

" What are you doing here? And how long have you stood here? " A furious Draven questioned.

I was short of words, not knowing the exact way to respond to them.

[ Try convincing them that you can help. It's your fault you were caught eavesdropping, at least learn how to be stealthy]

" I know I wasn't meant to hear this but now that I have, I can help. They would be shocked to see the princess give the ruby to them, and would be tricked to believing it's the real one. I want to help save our kingdom before it's too late. " I tried persuading them.

" She has a point, " Darian supported me.

" But we can't just trust anyone. This is really important for the sake of Sylverna" Draven on the other hand, wasn't swayed by my words.

" The king's daughter isn't just anyone, " Darian shot a deadly glare at the other soldier, wanting to defend me.

" Keep quiet! Let's hear the king's opinion on allowing her to partake in the plan. " The general raised his voice, forcing them to bow their heads in shame.

" Very well, " the king commented, after several moments of pondering. " But if you make a mistake, the consequences will be dire. "

" You'll go to the vault on the second floor of the castle. The password is 3785. The original gem is a darker shade of red than the fake one, so that makes it easier for you to identify it. " The king whispered.

" Thanks for allowing me. " I thanked the King, and was let into the council room. Draven was still unsure of me joining in, but couldn't go against the King's wish.

" Now let's..." The king's words were cut off by a noise from someone hitting the door continuously.

" Who's that?! " Draven stood up to open the door. It was a servant who was breathing heavily, sweat soaking his shirt. He was asked to explain what happened.

" T-the, they... " He couldn't complete his sentence.

" Calm down, and tell us what happened quickly. " Draven said.

" The kings of the three different kingdoms asked for the king. They said they were going to burn this place to the ground if he fails to come out." He finally spoke.

King Valeric immediately stood up from his seat, and walked straight out of the palace to meet them.

The other two kings were from Orinthia and Drakmor- the neighboring kingdoms who teamed up with Vireluna. They stood in front of their combined armies, directly in front of the palace. Valeric walked towards them, ready to hear what they had to say. 

" It's very easy, just hand over the ruby and we are going to leave your people alone. " King Caelus said with a mischievous grin.

" It's not as easy as you think. It is very precious to us. " King Valeric feigned defiance to stall till I brought the ruby.

I hurried to the second floor of the castle as I was told, and saw the vault at the end of the corridor. I entered the password and it opened, revealing the two rubies.

I quickly identified the fake one, with the different shades of red. As I was about to pick the decoy, I heard the system's voice.

[ Give the original one to them. Failure to comply, will bring you severe punishment ]

I froze for a while before regaining my composure. I couldn't believe what I just heard. Making me forget about what Valen told me was a little problem, but this was too much. I had to decline, this kingdom was in trouble, I couldn't betray them.

" I refuse. " I was ready to see the system at it's worst.

I was returned to the pitch-black void without any further interaction from the system.

" Hello! Get me out of here!! " I shouted on top of my voice, getting no response from the system. The place was deaf silent and I couldn't move a single muscle in my body.

After a lot of yelling, I eventually gave up.  I had spent more than ten minutes there, and still got no response from the system.

Pain surged through my limbs like wildlife, it felt as though my muscles were being stretched beyond their limit. My head throbbed violently, as if it was being pounded. I couldn't bear the pain, and screamed in agony on top my voice. I spent more than an hour in pain, and what made it worse was that I couldn't die.

Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this torment? Perhaps this is a punishment for something I had done.

I tried to resist the urge to beg for release, but couldn't handle it anymore.

" Please! I'll do whatever you say,  just get me out of here! " I pleaded, tears streaming from my eyes.

" Good, " was the system's response. I was returned to the position I was earlier– in front of the vault.

I didn't need to be told what I had to do this time. My body was still trembling from the trauma the system made me go through.

Why did I have to be stuck in a stupid dream and be tormented by the system?

Why me? I thought, as I picked the original ruby and closed the vault.

I hurried down the stairs to meet the Kings. King Caelus couldn't hide his disbelief when he saw me bringing the gemstone. The Sylvernians in the vicinity were shocked and disappointed at their King.

I felt guilty. I was selfish and untrustworthy. I presented the ruby to King Caelus, who happily collected it.

" You have fulfilled your part of the deal, and as promised we won't destroy Sylverna. " King Caelus said, bowing his head in agreement. The ruby was placed in one of their chariots, and they turned to leave.

Joy was written all over Valeric's face, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. The Sylvernians– who were unaware of the King's plan, wailed in despair.

For a moment, Draven stared at the ruby that was taken, his expression in disbelief. His mouth quivered as if he wanted to say something, but couldn't let it out properly. He clenched his fists by his side, his teeth gritting.

" T-the ruby! It's the original! " He screamed. He was only understood by Darian, the general and the King. He looked mad to the others.

The King noticed the darker shade of red of the ruby that was taken by the enemy. He averted his gaze to mine, and our eyes met. The expression in his eyes, was filled with disappointment, grief and anger.

Suddenly, the Virelunian chariots stopped to turn at us, as if they had a change of mind. The sapphire gemstone of Orinthia was pointed at us. Then in slow motion, a golden beam came out from the sapphire, ready to envelope us all. We were doomed.

Just as the beam was about to hit us, an ice shield appeared from nowhere, instantly blocked the enemy's attack. Everyone's attention averted to the eight-year-old girl, who had singlehandedly saved us.

Mira, her body glowing brightly, swiftly created a tall earth-made wall over the enemies, which caged them completely. They tried to break free, but the cage seemed indestructible.

" Why did you decide to attack after we fulfilled our end of the deal?! "The king demanded, but no answer came, only the deafening sounds of Mira's power filled the air.

A/N

Hey, amazing readers!

I know it’s been a while since the last update, and I truly appreciate your patience. 🥰 I'll update the book again tomorrow. Also, I’ll be back to a more consistent schedule, so stay tuned for more updates.

Thank you all for your love and support—it means the world to me! 💕

Until then, happy reading! 📚✨