It took a second for Faustina to return to her conscious. The smell of herbs and medicine lingering her nose as usual was no longer there. She wondered why her bed, which was supposedly made with straws, was so soft.

She heard the splash of cold seawater into the rocks upon the sh.o.r.e. And then her eyes fluttered open, eyeing the spectacle. A large Victorian window hung like a portrait in the arctic white wall, as gigantic ceilings of luxurious gold glistened across the whole room. The bed she was in was ma.s.sive, with feathery comfort of white sheets and the faint smell of lavender.

If she's not mistaken, she is in a place where she never dreamed to be.

The castle walls.

Faustina searched for her duffel, perhaps to drink an anti-hypnotic medicine her late master created. Maybe all those mayhem she caused last night were a dream, maybe this was not real, MAYBE she's just hallucinating.

"Leaving so soon?"

Faustina sat still, and turned to her side slowly.

A topless, handsome man with a platinum blond hair flashed a smile kindred to the sunset; warm and mellow. Their gaze locked and then at that moment she realized he was lying next to her, like a beautiful sculpture made by a skilled artisan. His chiseled body glistened from the sun's rays coming from the window. His eyes were an unusual pair of gold and blue, the color of the sea and the comforting sun.

"K-king Alexander!" Faustina bowed immediately, knowing who the man was. And then that was also the time she realized she was naked in the King's chambers. She covered her body immediately, wrapping a blanket around her as she bowed once more.

"Raise your head, my doctor," He said, chuckling softly. "You do not need to bow yourself before me. You are a savior of the king, the savior of the nation."

"Yes." Faustina says, even if she did not agree with such heavy statements.

Right now there are just too many things going to her mind. She faked a smile, trying to mask her frustration. Waking up next to him made her even question her decisions that led to complicated circ.u.mstances. The reasons behind the events that kept on appearing; things that were all befallen and connected to her.

Faustina's magic, her own ident.i.ty—who she really is. What did her master concealed for years? She still wondered if she did the right thing that night— a pact which will be in her bearing for her whole life.

Her hazy memories and her bemus.e.m.e.nt were slowly fading away as flashbacks of her master's death flooded her entire system. She wanted to scream in frustration, but unable to do so. She promised herself to be strong - especially in front of the king.

She stared at Alexander's golden eye, and then to the mirror at the front of the mattress. She stared at herself. Their eyes matched peculiarly; a proof of the completion of the ritual.

The contract has been made.

The contract to sustain the king's life.