It has been years since the Lord of the Nobles heard of the story of the "Crimson Princess", yet now it seemed as though it became quite the popular bedtime story for children.

Although he didn't believe in it at first, recently there have been multiple occasions on which the so called Crimson Princess has made an appearance.

"Raizel, I want to to investigate this. It is important that you find the truth underneath this story." The platinum blonde man told the Noblesse.

Nodding, the raven haired Noblesse preceded to leave, his presence gone, engulfing the Lord and his right hand man in silence.

"Lord. Do you truly believe this story?" The white haired Noble asked.

"Don't deny it, Gejutel!" The Lord chirped. "Aren't you at least curious to know?"

"Curious? Not exactly, yet I do believe every story as a middle of truth behind it."

⊱⋅ ──────────── ⋅⊰

Walking through the forest, Raizel found himself following the mysterious presence in the middle of the woods.

Suddenly, he stopped. Scanning the area, his eyebrows knitted together in confusion as of why was there no one there whereas the presence seemed to be everywhere.

Crack!

Looking up, Raizel was surprised to see something that looked similar to a house, yet it was suspended in the air by multiple branches.

The sound came from a squirrel that fell off a thin branch that was growing from the side of the tree.

Leaping to the tree house, he landed in front of a sheet hanging from what seemed to be the frame of a door. Pulling it aside, his red pools looked over every detail of the house - it was clean and tidy, makeshift shelves on one wall, holding what seemed to be spices and ingredients, a few utensils such as pots and bowls on a chair and a small trunk in the corner - until his eyes landed on a sleeping figure on the floor.

On a simple mattress, slept a girl with hair much darker than his, hugging a small pillow to her chest, she was covered with a blanket that seemed to be made out of different types of materials, all of them carefully sewed together.

At the strange presence of the Noblesse, the girl stirred in her sleep, her eyes slowly opening, revealing a pair of perfect amber molds.

Sitting up, she didn't even flinch at the sight of Raizel staring her down.

"Have you come to kill me?"

She finally asked, her golden eyes holding no fear in them, but rather curiosity and a tingle of hope.

Slightly surprised by her nonchalant attitude, Raizel ignored her question and asked "Are you the Crimson Princess?"

Huffing in amusement, she threw the blanket off of her and got out of her 'bed'. "Crimson Princess? Is that what they've been calling me lately?" She slightly smiled. "Returning to my question, are you here to kill me?"

Again, that spark of hope appeared in her eyes, making Raizel ask himself 'Who is this girl?'

Nodding his head half-heartedly, her eyes shined brighter with. . .joy?

Closing her eyes, she smiled sadly. "Then, please, go ahead. I won't do anything to stop you."

His lips slightly parted at her sentence. "Why do you desire to die?"

Her smile fell, eyes opening to simply glare at the wooden floor beneath her feet. "Why? I have been alive for almost fifty years, yet I look the same as I did on my twentieth birthday. Unable to age and deemed to hurt others when my emotions get in a mix. That is why."

Raizel's mind was a mess. Confusion, curiosity and pity swarmed within his eyes.

'Why is she in this state?'

"You seem as though you aren't that bent on killing me." Her calm voice brought him back from the question he asked himself.

Shaking his head, the girl sighed and looked to the side at a small window in the wall. "Then why are you here, truly? To spy on me, or rather, to investigate me?" Looking back at his face, the girl noticed the change in his eyes at the mention of the word 'investigate'. "I'll presume it is the latter, then."

Raizel was quiet. Not sure of what to say or what to do.

This girl, to him, she was a mystery - expressed no emotion whatsoever and lived in a tree in the middle of the forest, away from any other human being.

He was curious as to what possessed the Lord to send him on such an absurd and wild goose chase, but at the same time, did not wish to know what flew through that man's head - it could be dangerous, for all he knew.

"If you aren't here to kill me, and are tasked to investigate my person, you may stick around, but don't get in my way. Got it?" She threatened in joke-like manner.

She wasn't serious about him snooping around, right?

Apparently, yes, she was.

As the day passed, the girl revealed no information to the noble, not even when he clumsily made her bucked of water fall onto the ground and obliged her go and take another.

Night, the time Raizel hoped he'll get something out of this girl.

Now, sitting in front of a fireplace at the roots of her 'tree house' - as she called it, Raizel watched uninterested the girl as she cooked her meal.

"What is your name?" She suddenly asked, making the Noble arch his brow in confusion at her sudden question.

"Hey! You've been tailing me all day, might as well." She pointed her finder at him in a way a mother would when scolding her child.

"Cadis Etrama Di Raizel." He finally said after a long silence.

"That's a long name you've got." She huffed, surprised. "So, what should I call you? Raizel? Does that sound good to you?"

'Raizel...' He thought, starting at her golden eyes.

Nod

"Raizel it is then." She smiled, the first real one he has seen from her.

Another pause followed by more silence until it started to feel uncomfortable to the raven haired girl.

"My name. . ." she slowly started off, earning Raizel's attention "is Annalise. Nightingale Annalise." She blushed in embarrassment. "P-pleased to meet y-you!"

He couldn't help it. He really couldn't stop the smile forming on his lips at the sight of her flustered figure.

Another pause, yet this felt much more normal than the other, to Annalise, at least.

"Why do they call you 'cursed'?" The red eyed man asked, looking at her face as it slowly darkened, blending in with the night's shadows.

"Because, there always seem to be two people in control of this body." She closed her eyes and exhaled, letting out all of her negative emotions. "They call me cursed based on what they already know about me, about my biggest mistake from fifty years ago, the day that I lost my first battle to the newfound evil side of me."

Raizel's lips parted again, this was the most information he got out of her in ten minutes than he could this entire day.

"Do you. . .ever wish life would be different?"

"Hmm?" She crooked her head to the side. "Not really, but I do want to change some aspects of the past. . ."

Looking up at the sky, her eyes seemed to glow brighter as they reflected the light of the stars.

"The darker parts, that is. . ."

Yet against, Raizel found himself at an impasse. She seemed to be well taught, reserved and polite, as he deduced from her way of speech, but her words - always coming out as a double edged sword, as if they had a hidden meaning behind those letters she spoke.

'Just who is this girl?'

To be continued. . .