The Sea Hides Callides' Calls

There was a time after the Great Suppression of the Empire of Adlenea where peace had finally settled in the land hidden deep under the water. 

However, with the peace came the seeming end of the Siren Queen’s blessing, bestowed on one individual in every generation of the Imperial Family.

Why, you ask?

Firstly, the sign of the blessing, which lay in blonde hair streaked with the sea’s blue, appeared once in every generation of the Imperial Family. The blessing was inexplicable. The heirs it has chosen have never once brought the Empire to ruin, but have instead helped the Empire flourish to what it is today. However, there were some cases where heirs were chosen due to conflict.

For example, take the current Emperor, Thodoris Adlenea the Second, the last known bearer of the blessing. He was the one who helped Adlenea prosper underwater despite the Great Suppression. It’s the same blessing that allows us to live underwater, dry while being able to do what we did on land.

Of course, the blessing itself does not signify war and death. The blessing really just appears when it wishes to, but it has always appeared every generation. But what other explanation could there be, except its final disappearance, for out of the Emperor’s six daughters, none of them received the blessing.

That is, until the Imperial Family was blessed with yet another child. The Empress was already in her late 40s, and wrinkles were starting to appear on her beautiful face. Maybe that’s the reason why when her child was born with the Siren Queen’s blessing, she remained unconscious for a month, before eventually passing on.

The Emperor had brought in all the physicians he could find, and was with the Empress in her last moments. He left the palace more frequently than an Emperor should, investing a fortune into research to help his wife last. But it was too late. The life-saving research couldn’t save his late wife anymore.

The Emperor fell into despair, and the six princesses, well, to each their own. But what bonded them was their love for their mother, and the sudden shock at her passing. So sudden that they forgot. Forget their seventh sister.

Well, what happened to this seventh sister, you ask?

A blessing that people normally sought suddenly became a curse. A cursed baby that had taken her mother’s life.

That princess never cried, smiled, or really did anything a baby would. It was as if she understood what had happened, and she even believed that she didn’t have family.

That was until one day that baby was greeted by a kind looking woman. The best sort, wouldn’t you say? She was the late Empress’ Head Lady-in-waiting, and cousin, who voluntarily took care of the princess. The nanny would whisper words into the baby’s ears every day, every night.

“Oh, my dear princess, don’t be stubborn, come on, eat your porridge. As the only one who cares for you, it pains me to see you starve yourself,” she would say with a look of concern, wiping away an alligator tear, trying to feed the baby porridge that looked more like tar. “One would think I’m starving you, dear. You shall never let the Emperor think that, alright dear?”

The baby was young, but old enough to realise something was off. But this was how the baby lived for the first four years of her life.

As soon as she could walk and talk, her nanny grew angrier. If the baby didn’t observe perfect etiquette during mealtimes, her sparse meal would immediately be taken away.

Her nanny would also bring in tutors renowned for their strictness, those that genuinely believed in discipline. Despite believing in punishment and discipline, their faces would always turn pale and green, and they never caught the child’s eye when she was being hit, slapped, kicked. It was as if they wanted to avoid something. But to avoid what, the child couldn’t answer. For her heart had long been taught to bottle her emotions.

To the child, the nanny was simply there, guiding her. But she had no real idea why her nanny was so desperate. The child was simply a fool for trusting her nanny. A fool for believing such discipline was normal. And maybe also a fool for even having the tiniest silver of hope that one day she would meet her family.

And that was me, Spiros Adlenea. The neglected princess of Adlenea.

My life as my nanny’s perfect doll didn’t last very long though.

It all started when I met the First Princess. I was 5 and she was 18. For some strange reason, that night, she walked into the dusty study, right as my nanny was caning me for missing two steps in my waltz.

The First Princess was like an angel, wearing a light green shift with her brown hair flowing down from both sides. Honestly, I’m not sure how I thought she was an angel from that one look, but at least I guessed right. The First Princess is renowned to be one of the most beautiful women in the Empire.

The First Princess’s face had paled at the sight, before turning away, leaving behind my nanny before she could even wish to explain herself.

I met the First Princess a few more times after that. I wished that she would talk to me. Why would she come see me so many times, yet hate me so fervently? I could never understand that.

Now that I think about it, maybe my sister felt guilty eventually. Because one day she didn’t come alone. She came with soldiers from the Royal Guard… and they grabbed my nanny by both arms and dragged her out. Her shrieks and wails for me to save her still ring in my ears. The soldiers witnessing the scene tried to be expressionless, but some still whispered amongst themselves. “Why is the Seventh Princess being abused?” “Why is her nanny like this?” “Why is the First Princess suddenly stepping in?”

Later on, I found out the reason my nanny did all this. It was because she wanted the Emperor’s attention. My nanny believed that if she was like an angel, descending from heaven to help the poor child her dear cousin left behind, the Emperor would take her in as her wife. Quite a delusional old woman, don’t you think?

After my nanny was forcefully dragged out, my sister gave me an apologetic smile, her eyes brimming with tears. “I’m Xenia, it’s nice to meet you, Spiros. Your nanny was a bad bad woman trying to take the throne. Could you come with me?”My life suddenly felt confusing. What is this treatment? Did I do something good? Why is this doctor helping me? The last doctor told me I was a waste of medicine and time, am I wasting this doctor’s time? The scariest thought I had at that time was, “Is she going to hit me?”

That was the first time I ever experienced kindness, but I simply couldn’t recognise it. Because to be honest, I was a coward and a kid. Xenia seemed to recognise that after she tried to pat me one time, only for me to raise my hands in defence, thinking she was going to hit me.

My sister would come every night, reading a fairy tale aloud. I simply looked at her in question, wondering why she was reading aloud. And such an unrealistic book too? Why would a child be so miraculously saved from a wolf’s belly? How does one suddenly meet a fairy and have huge pumpkin carriages? But the stories were almost comforting, as in telling me to replace those memories with these instead. As if I had met a fairy. And the light kiss on my forehead as I fell asleep each night always blessed me with a pleasant dream.

Then I slowly turned 7. I think it was the first time I ever held a conversation with Xenia.

Out of curiosity, I asked my sister what her childhood was like over dinner. It couldn’t have been like mine, right? Her eyes had widened in surprise, but she didn’t answer, merely giving a bittersweet smile.

That night, she told me this story of a little girl and her childhood friend. They were introduced to each other when they were just babies, but because of their parents’ busy schedules, they were left together most of the time. At first, they didn’t really like each other. They fought and fought, until one day, they simply started laughing at their fights.

They then became best friends, inseparable. As the girl grew older, she became more aware of her identity. Of her friend’s identity. The girl had more duties, and so did her good friend. However, they still met whenever they could, and slowly the girl’s feelings changed.

In fact, he was the girl’s first love. One year when she was an impulsive 13 year old, she bought her friend a present for his 14th birthday. He never came to the birthday party she worked so hard to prepare for him. And he never contacted her again. It was as if he disappeared from the face of the world. And while the girl was angry, she simply came to accept that maybe their lives were just too different.

The story was clearly about her, and she seemed so sad at that time that I just never asked her again. And the end! My life was peaceful with just my sister, and everyone was happy.

Haha, did you actually think that was the case? Nope. Now, it’s time to tell the story from the present. Starting with how my estranged father was having an argument with my sister.

“Xenia Adlenea! You know we can’t refuse him. I promised him a reward for defeating the bandits in the Shallow Forest! I can’t turn on my promise now after he asks to marry you!” A man with almost bright yellow hair yelled at my sister. His face was a deep scowl, creased with wrinkles from his old age. So this is my father, I guess. Who else would be speaking to my sister and promising rewards to war heroes?

“Then at least let me take Spiros with me! I won’t let you use her as a pawn to reclaim stupid treasures!” My sister protested, sighing. “Let’s take this somewhere where Spiros won’t hear.”

“No. Xenia Adlenea, you will marry Duke Callides in half a year, and I will take my daughter with me.”

“Ha!” my sister scoffed. “So now she’s your daughter? This is the first time you have seen her in 10 years!”

The Emperor didn’t even flinch at that. He instead grabbed me by my wrist and dragged me out of my sister’s chambers by force.

“Thank you, Xenia. I wish you a happy marriage.” I forced a smile on my face. I mean, I guess I always knew this life couldn’t last. That was the last time I talked to her.

That night, I felt more daring than usual. In a slight sarcastic tone, I asked, “Could I see my sister’s wedding and at least visit her from time to time?”

His face was unreadable, but he didn’t address my rudeness. “You will become the perfect heir to the throne and dispel any rumours of you being a curse. Your lessons with your new teachers start tomorrow. Do not disappoint me and I may let you see your sister’s wedding and occasionally visit your sister.”

He walked out of the door, shutting the door with a resounding thud.