The King and the Princess Part 2

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Lúcia took one of the cookies and brought it to her mouth; they were crunchy, soft, and quite tasty. She then expressed her appreciation, and the king seemed to smile.

"My servants have reported your restlessness and melancholy. Would you mind informing me about it?" the king asked, his face appearing serious.

"If you desire something, or if something displeases you, you may report it to me directly."

King Esperança's words made Lúcia take a deep breath before speaking.

"I do not wish to be rude, but there are some things bothering me. I would like to count on your sincerity in my next questions," Lúcia said, watching the king's expression.

"Feel free and present your questions. You need not worry about lies or deceit from my side; it is not in my species' nature to speak falsehoods."

In some way, Lúcia could feel that what the king had just said was true, but then she looked at him and asked vigilantly:

"Species? Your Majesty is not human?"

"I am a chimera; my composition is an aggregation of human, spider, and something I can hardly describe."

The king's eyes turned completely black, without a single white part for variation. In the next second, they returned to normal. Lúcia almost jumped back.

When his eyes changed, an overwhelming pressure surrounded her; she felt her existence being devoured. It lasted only an instant, but it was enough to make her soul tremble and sweat run down her forehead.

"Forgive me for frightening you, Princess."

The king handed a handkerchief to Lúcia. She swallowed hard and accepted the handkerchief, very nervous, and merely nodded at the king's words.

"Why am I here? For what purpose has Your Majesty brought me to your residence?"

Lúcia asked, suppressing the trembling in her heart. She would begin with these questions and, based on the response, decide whether to ask more or if it would be better not to poke the wasp's nest.

"Princess, your presence here is justified by the value that the King of Camelot adds to you. How valuable you are, I still need to verify; however, I hope you are valuable enough to serve as a bargaining chip between the two kings."

After these words, the king took a light sip of tea, which refreshed his throat.

"Bargaining chip? What do you wish to exchange with my brother? I do not think he has anything that would interest a Chimera royalty."

Lúcia paused a little before continuing.

"Why does Your Majesty insist that my brother and I belong to some royalty?"

The king set down the cup and answered calmly:

"Even if the princess is unaware of her reign, the irrefutable fact is that Your Majesty Alex is the rightful King of Camelot, the rightful bearer of Excalibur, and also a fully Lucid being."

The words spoken by the king made no sense to Lúcia. She decided, for now, to ignore what confused her and focus on what she could understand.

"What does Your Majesty intend to exchange?"

For Lúcia, it was impossible to guess what this mysterious non-human king wanted from her brother. They didn't even have money, and their father, a renowned hunter, had left nothing for the three of them.

"I wish that the King of Camelot would take me somewhere. As a semi-lucid being, I am not qualified to go to this place by myself, at least not so soon. But for the King of Camelot, it is different."

Once again, Lúcia had difficulty understanding what the king meant.

"My brother is a Lucid being, Your Majesty claims. What does this mean?"

"Lucid beings… I regret that hunters around the world hide such truths. I myself had great difficulty learning about this; there is no information in the hunters' system, and world governments suppress everything related to it."

Lúcia seemed attentive to the words the king conveyed to her.

"A Lucid being is many things, but what you should know for now is that someone designated as such by the system has the legitimacy to leave the god's dream and visit the land of 3025."

As the king explained things, Lúcia seemed increasingly confused, and the king noticed this. He then decided to go slowly with his explanations.

"Princess, do you know the difference between a hunter and a primitive being, do you?" the king asked, to which Lúcia nodded affirmatively.

"Could you clarify for me?"

Lúcia pondered for a moment before responding:

"Primitive beings are ordinary people, those who have no connection to the system. Hunters, in turn, are awakened beings connected to the system and possess skills, classes, and authorities."

Lúcia said this while looking at the king, who nodded in agreement with her words.

"You are correct, Princess. Adding to your words, a hunter can be strong or weak, with variations in their class, general level, and stellar level, am I right?"

Lúcia said yes.

"Besides primitive beings and hunters, there is a third type of being: a Lucid being that is, your brother, the King of Camelot, and perhaps your father, although I need confirmation for the latter point."

"My father? He is also a Lucid being?"

"For those who know your father, they associate him with the word miraculous, or ridiculously strong and misunderstood by many common characteristics of a Lucid being."

"If my father is indeed a Lucid being, then he is alive on the land of 3025," the king said, crushing a cookie between his fingers and savoring the powder in his mouth.

"Do you really think I could be alive?" Lúcia lost her composure and shouted at the king, tears streaming down her eyes, asking the same question repeatedly.

"Alive or not is questionable, but I am almost certain that he is alive. If my general level were high enough, I would be able to locate him, just as I found you using the blood of the King of Camelot."

The king thought for a moment, seeing the emotions floating in the princess's eyes. He then smiled and decided to take advantage of the situation.

"Princess, there is a way to know whether your father is alive or not. If you are willing to pay a price, I can locate him for you."

At first, Lúcia felt euphoric, but when she heard that there would be a price to pay, she hesitated and stepped back.

"A price. What could it be?"

"The princess need not worry; it is not as if I would ask for something beyond your scope. All that needs to be done on your part is to convince the King of Camelot to take me to the land of 3025, and I will take care of the rest."

"Is that all I have to do?" Lúcia asked vigilantly.

"Of course, Princess. You can trust the words of a king."

"What would it take for my brother to take Your Majesty to this place? Surely Alex will not face any danger in doing so?" Her eyes expressed concern.

The king thought for a moment before answering honestly:

"There will be dangers, but nothing that the King of Camelot and I cannot handle, so your concerns may be set aside."

"I'm sorry, but I cannot make a decision without first speaking to my brother," Lúcia said, looking at the king apologetically.

"Very well," said the king, a gleam passing through his eyes.

"Your Majesty, the King of Camelot, is currently on a mission by the Hunters' Association, although I believe for him it is personal rather than a proper mission. When he is available, I will contact you."

Before he could say anything else, the king stood up, making an unusual expression.

"Princess, I'm afraid I must take my leave for now. Excuse me."

The king did not wait for a response from Lúcia; he withdrew as soon as his words reached her ears.

Lúcia simply stood there, watching the broad back of the king as he walked away briskly, yet maintaining a dignified and imposing posture.

She was alone in the vast room with a beautiful view before her. A pile of books was arranged on a shelf next to the piano.

All the books were thick and contained countless instructions on how to play the piano. Lúcia sat down and began to read one of them. The books were expensive, and she, a mere nurse, could not afford them.

Quickly, Lúcia grew tired of reading. She sat at the piano and began to play. First, she struck each note to familiarize herself with the instrument.

After that, she began to play following the sheet music the king had been playing. Unfortunately, she was forced to stop.

Clear tears slowly ran down her face. She remembered what she had endured when she was kidnapped, and even now, he was still not safe.

She not only worried about herself but also about the people who were important to her her brother, mother, father, and her friend, who she hoped were taking care of her mother.

Lúcia also worried about the girls who had been with her in that dark room, most of them lost and hopeless, subjected to inhumane treatments.

She sincerely hoped, from the bottom of her heart, that they would be saved as soon as possible.

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