Chapter 2 01

Ivy Calleya

The pain had faded, along with the voices of the people around me, and all that remained were the memories. They came and went like waves, reminding me of every event, and every mistake I had made.

It was cold-my body felt as though it had been wrapped in winter's snow, in ice... as if I had been asleep for a long time, trapped in a nightmare.

"By the Goddess!... Call the priest... the princess is waking up!" I heard a rough, deep voice. It sounded distant, but still clear enough to catch my attention.

My eyes suddenly opened, and all the darkness that surrounded me vanished. It was as if I was staring directly at the sun, like it was the first time I'd ever seen light.

"Princess?! Are you alright? Can you hear me?!"

Startled and still confused, I turned toward the blurry figure before me. Slowly, the haze lifted, revealing an old man with gray hair, wearing a green robe, standing before me. He looked shocked, astonished, as if witnessing a miracle. I was confused, completely shaken, almost on the edge of panic.

I glanced around, noticing I was in a noble's chamber, a room I had never seen before. The white walls with blue accents left me stunned. This place... it was utterly foreign.

"Alexander?" My mouth opened, and without thinking, my son's name was the first word to slip out. But something was wrong-something felt different in my body. That voice... it wasn't mine.

"Princess... I know everything must be confusing right now, but just listen. You're home, and you've just awakened from a long sleep," the old man said, stepping closer to me. His words caused a tightness in my chest. I extended my hands before my eyes, and what I saw were delicate, pale fingers, like the moon's light. This body... it wasn't mine.

I didn't know this place, these people, or the person who owned this body. The only thing I wanted, the only thing I longed for, was my son.

In a desperate attempt, I tried to rise from the bed to search for him, but I couldn't. I was too weak, too fragile. All I could do was remain paralyzed as tears streamed down my face. Then, someone arrived, forcefully opening the heavy doors, startling everyone as they entered.

"Ivy? My love?!" A man with platinum hair and a purple cloak rushed to me, leaning over the bed and embracing me so tightly I thought I might suffocate.

"Your Majesty! Please...! Be careful, she's just awakened!" The gray-haired man interrupted the embrace, and when the platinum-haired man finally released me, I knew for certain-this wasn't the kingdom of Lyra, and this place wasn't my home.

I stayed silent and listened to everything the old man had to say-the story of this place, of who I was, and what had happened. And then, I was sure. I was in another body, and Camille Larsen was dead. She no longer existed.

If everything he was saying was true, the owner of this body was a young woman named Ivy, a fragile and sickly princess from a distant kingdom, a place with frozen fields and snow that fell all year round, and that man with pearl-white hair and cold eyes was her father, the emperor, the sovereign Victor Calleya.

I had heard rumors about Oracalia, stories from travelers and pilgrims. They said the frozen stones kept forgotten magic sealed, that its wolves were silver, blessed by the moonlight, and unlike any others.

At that time, I didn't believe those tales. I was too busy serving my kingdom, my family, and I couldn't imagine the vast world that surrounded me.

"Ivy? Are you sure you don't remember us?" Victor called me, looking at me with his gray eyes, serious and filled with concern.

"I... I don't remember anything..." I spoke honestly. I had no memory of this body, this place.

Victor sighed, turning his gaze to Javier Urc, the priest, who seemed as distressed as he was.

"Your Majesty, please be patient... The princess has spent many years asleep; her body and mind need time to recover." The words from that old man made Victor come back to me again. He leaned down in front of me, bringing his face close to mine, and stared at me, gently caressing my face with his cold hands. "Don't worry if you can't remember everything. Perhaps the Goddess prefers it this way to spare you from suffering. I know how hard it was for you, how painful it must have been... Just focus on resting. Soon, your body will be healed, and as I promised you when you were still a child, I will do everything I can to find a cure." I didn't understand those words, but my heart warmed, and all I did was nod, smiling softly in response.

After saying goodbye, he left through that enormous carved wooden door, and the healers and priests helped me eat. The servants bathed me, and when I was finally able to see myself in the mirror, I saw how thin and frail that young girl was, how her hair was light, silver, as gray as her father's, her lips slightly pink, her eyes golden like polished amber, and her face beautiful and well-sculpted, worthy of being called a work of art.

Ivy had a beautiful body; all she needed was time to recover, time that I knew she didn't have. That body was on the verge of collapse, which meant I had little time.

I needed to restore this body's health, quickly.

Javier told me details about Ivy's life. Of course, I had told everyone that my memories had completely vanished, and after hearing everything that had happened to this body, I finally understood. This was the chance I had begged the Goddess for, and it would be this fragile and weak body that would help me achieve my justice.

After getting dressed, I asked for a moment alone. I asked everyone to leave so that I could finally breathe, and think. I required a plan. I needed to know what was happening to my kingdom after my death, and most importantly, I needed news of Alexandre.

Lindsey Ingraf's words echoed in my mind at every moment, torturing me, I would not allow her to raise my son, to touch him and poison him with her lies as she had done to me all my life. I was going to kill her, I was going to kill all those who had hurt me and show them that they should never have hurt a Larsen, a bearer of the golden blood.