Love Hurts ((ON HOLD))

Chapter XVI

Malisa awoke with a jolt, sitting up in the plush bed as the light of the dawn-colored sky shone through the windows of her room. She was still wearing the rose-colored dress she had put on the night before, but had no memory of being brought back to her room, or what had happened at the end of dinner that brought her there in the first place. Her temple pounded slightly, most likely from the wine, but otherwise she felt fine, which was both a relief and disturbing.

A small platter of food- fruit and pastries- paired with a caraf of tea sat waiting for her on the small table in front of the window. She did not hear anyone enter to deliver it, which again had her on high alert.

She nibbled on a patry and sipped on some tea as she freshened up and got ready for the day. If Eros was true to his words the night before, she needed to be ready for whatever he was going to do to her to test her worthiness as his daughter.

The thought still put her into a sense of unease.

For her entire life she thought of Boreas as her father, as uncaring and unwanting as he was. There were times in her early years that his coldness had her wishing he wasn't her father at all, knowing well there was no way it could be possible.

And now, here she was. As far away from Boreas as she could possibly be, in the home of a god who her mother claimed was her father. And now that god expects to test her to deem her worthy to remove the curse he put on her mother in the first place.

Demetra would never have believed her, even with all of her studying. And Ander could never come up with such a story despite his constant daydreaming.

She let out a breath as she finished dressing in a simple dress of grass green and calf-high golden sandals. She wove a golden comb into her hair before she opened the door to her bedroom— she wasn't going to spend another day in this room when there was clearly so much going on out around her, and if she was going to have any idea as to what she could do to prove to Eros she belonged here as much as he did, it wasn't going to be behind a closed door.

She half expected Otho, Mero or both of them to be waiting outside of the door but neither were there. The hallways were quiet as she looked up and down, each side just as brightly lit and inviting for exploration. No wanting to delay and further, she took a step out, only to hear the crunch of parchment under her shoe.

Lifting her foot to discover the source, a now-crumpled envelope with her name elegantly penned was lying on the ground just outside of the threshold of the door. Picking it up and looking it over, it was sealed with a white wax seal depicting wings and three arrows. She broke it and quickly opened the letter:

Malisa,

Your testing begins today.

Meet Otho in the stables and he will take you to your first challenge.

Do not be late.

"Don't be late for what?" she murmured as she crumpled the note and tossed it behind her into her room before she closed the door. It was hard to determine time when no one woke you up and there was no sun to determine the time of day.

It took some time, but she was eventually able to find her way through the hallways, down the stairwells and out one of the many entrances onto the back yard of the domain. The wind was warm as she stepped onto the grass, shielding her eyes from the non-existent rays as she took in the sights spread out beyond.

Though the castle was built into a mountainside and seemed like it was floating on the clouds, the area behind it was lush and green and expansive. Much like what she had seen as she flew in with Otho and Mero, vineyards lined the rolling hillside bordered by lush green forest and waterfalls crashing into pools surrounded by moss-covered rocks and sandy shores.