Dearest Anonymous, Let Me Be

Chapter 23: ARC 1 - The Lost Princess

"Now who is this lost little girl? Your face looks shockingly unappealing to this great one's eyes." The man's voice was deep and terrifying as his face mirrored his disgust for the girl. "Did I happen to spare you from turning into one of my beautiful creations?"

"No! I-I'm your daughter! It's me, Rosalyn!" the girl can only scream to voice out her refusal to be recognized by her own father. She didn't even mind that her heart was about to come out to her chest due to fright.

The Mad King scoffed, "I don't have a weak daughter." Then, without prior notice, he moved the hand that was holding the girl's chin and slapped her right in the cheekbone, causing the girl to jerk her head along with the slap's direction.

The girl, who just took the blow without preparations, shuddered due to pain and shock. Her eyelids were blinking rapidly and few droplets of tears already fell into the floor as she looked back to the king with dubious eyes.

"B-But...I am your daughter?" Rosalyn gasped to breathe in a lot of air that she needed. Then to further claim her identity, she raised her shaking hand to grab a handful of her hair as a proof of her point to the king. "Look! Look at my hair. It's the same color as my mother's, your wife!"

The Mad King's face was laced with outright contempt as he looked at the weak girl kneeling in front of him. He then cackled loudly, alerting the girl and even the creatures around. Phantom or not, they all trembled in fear. "I don't acknowledge someone weak as my daughter! I have only one, who is much stronger than you that your weak self couldn't even touch her shadow!"

Rosalyn couldn't take it anymore as she crawled towards the man and grabbed his robes. Her knees were already scraped from all her movements but she didn't stop to care. Besides, she can heal them for later. She had better things to do. "Why don't you believe me? I'm your only daughter! I can prove myself, I...I know things, many things that you will surely take advantage of!"

The man paused his manic laughing to look at the girl but as soon as he saw her miserable face, he then laughed again without restraint. "Weakling! What would you know? Do you even know the cause of the fires?"

Rosalyn's hands that were grabbing the man's robes trembled. Does she have to know that? She then shook her head and spoke. "I...that doesn't matter! I know about Obsidian! I have information!"

"I don't care about that shitty place!" the Mad King roared. "I only care about my daughter...my only daughter who I wanted to kill!"

Rosalyn gaped. Who is this daughter that he was talking about? She is his only offspring! There's no other one!

"Who are you talking about—"

But Rosalyn was cut off as the King spread his arms wide as he looked up. "The one who's causing the fires! My only daughter who escaped from me in that damned tower! She has to be my daughter...there's no one else who could fit that role!"

Just like that, Rosalyn felt that a puzzle was suddenly solved without her even knowing that it existed even in the first place. As if everything has finally fallen into their respective positions, Rosalyn's eyes widen both due to surprise and alarm.

So, she was alive? All this time, that girl was alive...and that she suffered five years locked up in her room for nothing?

Not even daring to suppress her emotions,  Rosalyn couldn't stomach her hysterical state anymore so she bellowed with all of her might, "That girl—she is connected to the rebellion!"

After the instant that she said those words, the King's attention finally focused on her. Noticing that the King is now ready to listen to her, she continued with hope in her eyes. "Weren't you confused why that wretched girl didn't touch the rebellion? Because she is with them!"