LUNA: The Invisible Princess
Chapter 22: Laikan Kingdom

[Luna]

"Cathy, Claire—I have something to tell you..."

"What is it?" they both asked.

"I don't know how to say this, but I have to say it now before it’s too late..."

"Luna, what do you want to tell us?" Claire asked and squeezed my hand.

"I know you've felt a connection earlier, am I right?" they nodded at the same time.

"That's because... you two are blood-related." Their eyes widened.

"W-What?!" Cathy stammered while Claire was surprised and became tense while looking at me questioningly.

Claire looked at Cathy.

"Are you telling the truth, Luna?" Claire said incredulously. I nodded my head.

"I can see the past, Claire. You know that. First of all, I know you two have a connection and I'm not mistaken there." Cathy furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"How did that happen? Mother said nothing about it. Didn't you grow up in Sumo Palace?" she asked Claire.

Claire and I both let out a sigh and looked at each other.

"Cathy—the truth is… Claire isn't from Sumo Palace and I'm not Zachary's real cousin either..." I said and I saw her expression change.

"You lied to me!? How dare you?!"

"Cathy! Let me explain!"

"What?! To deceive me again?" Cathy said with gritted teeth.

"No!" Claire and I spoke at the same time.

"Please listen to us! We will explain everything!" I said. She let out a sigh and nodded. I sigh in relief.

"Okay, first of all, we don't intend to lie to you or everyone. This is Headmaster and Zach's plan because we don't want everyone in the Laikan World to know that we came from another world."

"Another world? Do you mean? You're not from here?" her eyes widened.

I nodded. "Yes, I'm from the Moondrous World and I've been to different worlds, including the mortal world where I met Claire..." she frowned.

"Mortal World? World of powerless living beings?" I nodded. Claire sighed.

"Yes, I'm from the mortal world. I lived there without knowing that I have a hidden power. I thought I was just a normal human, but I wasn't." Cathy looked at Claire in surprise.

"But if you have power, how do you end up in the mortal world?" she wondered. Claire shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. But Luna knows because she saw my past and she knew I came from this world." Claire replied.

"Yes, Cathy. I saw her world of origin and how she ended up in the mortal world."

"How?" they both asked. Claire did not know because I didn’t tell her yet.

"Because of someone who hates your family, Cathy..."

"Huh?"

"After Claire was born, someone took her and brought her to the mortal world. That person did everything so that Claire's power wouldn’t come out. They put a spell on her. So that mortals wouldn’t know that Claire had power." I explained.

“How did they bring Claire to the mortal world when the portal was closed?”

“Someone helped that person. A very powerful magic user that came from another dimension.” I answered.

Cathy nodded and let out a sigh. "But how did you know Claire had power? If that person put a spell on her?" Cathy question.

I smiled. "Because of me."

"Huh? What do you mean?" they asked.

"I can break a spell no matter how strong it is." they nodded. "The spell broke since I was always by Claire's side. One night, her power awakened." Cathy momentarily lost deep in thoughts.

"What do you mean about Claire and I being blood-related?" she blurted out.

I nodded my head. "Yes, you two are blood-related. The blood of a Laikan runs all over your body. The blood of a princess." Their eyes widened.

"Blood of a princess? How? I didn't know I had a sister because I was the only child of the king and queen." Cathy said. "I am the only princess of the Laikan Kingdom."

Claire and I looked at each other. So, Cathy didn’t know she had a sibling and her parents didn’t tell her.

"Why don't we go to the Laikan Kingdom so we can find out the truth?" She stared at me and went silent.

Silence enveloped the room, and only our breathing resounded. Until Cathy spoke, that made me smile.

"Okay, we will go there."

"Right now?" I ask. She nodded.

"Yeah, we shouldn't be wasting time, and one more thing: I want an answer to the questions I had on my mind. Because I don't understand why they hid that I have a sister," she said with tears welling up in her eyes and looked at Claire. She approached Claire and held her hand. "Claire, if you're really my sister, I'm glad to meet you. I've wanted to have a sister for a long time and I'm happy to know that I have a sister." She smiled and hugged Claire. Claire hugged back with tears in her eyes.

I smiled at what I saw. But my heart also ached when I remembered Leena. I miss her so much. I sighed and wiped the tears from my cheeks.

"Luna, are you okay?" Claire frowned.

"Don't worry about me. I just remember my twin sister." I smiled sadly. Claire pulled me over and hugged me. Cathy also hugged me, so I laughed as I wiped the tears that streamed down my cheek.

After the little drama, we decided to go to the Laikan Kingdom. We bid goodbye to the group and headmaster before we left the school.

Cathay led us to a hill just a few meters away from school when we walked out of the gate. Suddenly, Cathy stopped and faced us with a smile.

"Why did we stop?" I wondered.

Cathy just smiled and whistled with her hand. I was amazed when three white pegasuses flew toward us and a few minutes later; they landed in front of us.

"Wow!" Claire uttered in awe. "Will we ride that thing?" she said with eyes sparkled in excitement. Cathy and I laughed.

When the three of us got on the pegasus, it quickly flew upward. Now we can see the entire area below. The view is fantastic up here, which puts a smile on my face.

"This is so cool!" said Claire. It was her first time riding a pegasus. I was amused.

We traveled for two hours until we reached a vast city. The Laikan Kingdom. Before we could enter the place, the knight on guard asked for our identity. Since we were with the princess, we could get in easily. I noticed the very thick barrier surrounding the entire Laikan Kingdom. Zach and Caleb were right when they said that no one could enter the Laikan Kingdom freely. Their security is tight.

When we entered the big gate, I saw an enormous palace on the top of the entire city that was painted purple and blue. The designs of the houses are also colorful and I can see the cheerful faces of the people living here.

Moments later, the pegasus we were riding landed in front of the big gate towards the palace. The pegasus flew away immediately after we got off, which made Claire sad a little because she seemed to enjoy riding the pegasus.

Well, since Cathy was with us, we could get in easily without questioning, but before that, the knight examined us if we brought a weapon. When they found nothing, they let us ride a chariot toward the entrance of the palace.

We immediately walked in when we jumped out of the chariot. I couldn’t help but be amazed at the view. The flowers, plants, and trees look so amazing. I saw maidservants cleaning the whole yard.

"Welcome back to the palace, Princess Catherine!" greeted the maidservants and smiled widely. Cathy smiled at them and responded. The maidservants also greeted us with a smile, and we reciprocated them with a smile.

At the entrance, knights in red uniforms with swords on each side line up in the wide hallway. Before they let us pass, they examined us first. Cathy just sighed. The maidservants in the hallway greeted us while they were busy cleaning. Cathy immediately pulled us into a huge room. The throne room.

When the big door opened, we caught everyone’s attention. Sᴇaʀch Thᴇ Find_Nøvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Catherine?! You're home!" a woman with a crown beamed. She’s the Queen of the Laikan Kingdom and next to her is the King, while smiling at Cathy. Cathy approached her parents and kissed their cheeks while Claire and I just watched them. Nervousness, longingness, and anxiety are written all over Claire’s face upon seeing the royal couple with Cathy.

"Father, mother, I want to introduce you to someone." I heard Cathy say, and they turned their attention to us. Even the maidservants and knights looked our way.

The Queen smiled at us while the King remained emotionless. The King’s expression is similar to Claire's. The resemblance is uncanny. Claire and I paid our respects to them.

"I'm Luna Syesha McCleen." I introduce myself.

"I'm Claire Roque," Claire said while staring blankly at them. Her expression exactly mirrored the King's. Wow!

"What can we do for you?" the King asked. And he stares at Claire intently. The Queen stared at Claire as well while blinking her eyes multiple times. I guess they could feel the connection between them.

I cleared my throat to get their full attention. "We're here for a very important matter. But before I begin, may I request for the King and Queen's presence only?" I said as I glanced at the maidservants and the knights.

The King’s forehead creased in confusion. Silence enveloped us as we waited for their approval.

"Father, mother, we have something important to say, so please grant their request," Cathy said while glancing at us.

The King sighed and then nodded. "Everyone please leave us and wait for my signal to come back." The King commanded the maidservants and knights. They immediately obeyed and left the hall.

When I made sure the maidservants and the knights left, I immediately put up a barrier throughout the throne room. It baffled the King and Queen.

"Is it necessary to put a barrier?" the King asked skeptically.

"Yes. It’s all for your protection. There could be spies lingering around here. So it’s better to be safe." I answered, and they were all just looking at me. We couldn't make sure no one would spy on us, so I had to put up a barrier. I don’t want to risk Claire’s safety.

"What do you mean?" the Queen frowned.

"Father, mother, I know there's something you're not telling me..." Cathy began. The King and Queen were stunned.

"What do you mean, Catherine?" the King furrowed his eyebrows.

"About my missing sister..." Cathy said without hesitation. It surprised the Queen and King.

"H-How did you find out about that?!" the Queen panicked a little.

"Why did you keep it a secret from me about my sister, mother? Father?" Cathy's voice sounded disappointed. I saw tears well up from the Queen's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Catherine. We have to keep it a secret from you. We plan to tell you when we find your sister. Because until now we are still looking for her. It devastates us when we lose her and we can't accept the truth..." the Queen cried and the King comforted her.

"Now I know the reason why there are days when you look so sad, mother… Sometimes, I saw you cry but I remained silent about it." Cathy also cried and then wiped the tears on her cheeks with her fingers.

"But how did you find out about it, Catherine?" the King asked.

I cleared my throat. "Because of me..." I said, and they turned their attention to me.

"You? How did you find out?" they asked in confusion.

I looked at Claire with tears streaming down her cheeks unconsciously and I looked back up at the King and Queen. I held Claire’s hand and squeezed it gently to give her courage.

"One of my abilities is to see someone's past." I began. "I'm a magic-user who came from the Moondrous World traveling into different dimensions—"

"You came from Moondrous?! Impossible! All the portals to another world have been closed for a long time!" they said incredulously. The way they said the word Moondrous seems peculiar. It’s like they know something. That’s what I’ll find out later.

"Yes, I know that. But I accidentally entered a portal and was taken to another dimension. I found myself in the mortal world on my journey, and I met Claire." I said and looked at Claire with a smile. They all looked at Claire and gasped. They wondered why she was crying but immediately turned their attention to me.

"I thought Claire was just an ordinary human, but she was also a magic-user when her power suddenly awakened. I think it’s because of me."

They looked tense and looked at Claire again. "How did you stumble to the mortal world, hija?" the Queen asked Claire. Her expression softened while staring at Claire.

"I have no idea how because all my life I am unaware of the hidden power within me. I have been thinking about it since my power awakened," she said. Catherine remained silent and listened to the conversation since she already knew this.

"Yes, she doesn't know. Because she was just a baby when she stumbled into the mortal world..." I blurted out.

They gasped and looked at Claire with sympathy.

"Father! Mother! Claire is my missing sister!" Cathy interrupts. Her revelation shocked the King and Queen.

"W-What?!" they uttered unbelievably. The Queen suddenly burst into tears.

"H-How can we be sure she's our real daughter?" said the King, still baffled.

"There's only one way for us to know that she's our missing child, Arturo!" said the Queen. She looked at Claire with longing in her eyes. The King nodded at what the Queen said. And they both stood up and walked towards us–I mean, to Claire.

The Queen smiled at Claire softly and seemed to restrain herself from hugging Claire. Her eyes reflected the longing for her long-lost child.

"A symbol. If you are the real princess, you have the mark of a crown with a dragon and eagle surrounding it. Only the princess of the Laikan Kingdom owns that mark because we are the only ones who saw the mark when our princess was born." said the King and stared at Claire.

"Mark?" Claire wondered. Claire looked at me nervously. I just smiled.

"On the back of Claire's shoulder, on the right side, she has a mark. I didn't quite see it clearly when her power awakened because I only saw it glow brightly." I said, and Claire looked surprised. It's because she’s not aware of the mark. She can't see it.

The Queen immediately pulled Claire and slowly looked at Claire’s right shoulder where the birthmark was. The Queen stared at the birthmark in awe. The King and Catherine also looked at the birthmark. I also stared because I hadn’t seen the birthmark clearly before. It's beautiful.

The Queen sobbed and suddenly hugged Claire tightly in happiness. The King also cries.

"M-My child! My child! Thank God and we finally see you..." the Queen muttered while crying. Meanwhile, the King was weeping as he looked at the mother and daughter’s reunion.

Claire also burst into tears. Because for the first time, she felt the love of a mother. Because her foster parents deprived the love she deserved when they found her.

I’m happy for Claire because she finally found her real family.

The King immediately hugged Claire after she pulled away from the Queen. He cried with joy at seeing their youngest child again for a very long time.

Moments later, the Queen and Catherine joined the hug. They hugged happily while crying. If I only had a cellular phone now that the mortals used, I would have taken a picture of them. They have a beautiful family. It feels nice watching them.

I inhaled sharply. Well, I miss my mama and papa, too, especially Leena, my twin sister.

Maybe it's time for me to go home to Moondrous World.

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