I looked around the corridor, the walls and also the floors have these circles invisibly engraved on them.
’Jack, please try and memorize their position and analyze them for now. We might need to break in here in the near future.’ I said.
Jack made a sigh and smiled. ’Haha you are surely brave princess. I will see what I can do.’
I am determined to get that other half of the pendant no matter what it takes.
After some walking and a few left and right turns along the corridor, we arrived and stood in front of a hue double door. Judging by the size of the door and also the guards standing outside, the room inside must be huge and it stores important or valuable things.
“Greetings to the moon of Jennovia..” The guards bend down on one knee in the presence of the queen. “All hail your majesty the queen.”
“At ease.” Aunt Patricia said with a calm voice. “Only I and my niece, Princess Alicia may enter. All of you will wait for us here.” She announced.
With this, the guards will let me through and go inside the room with my aunt. The guards saluted and resumed their stance in guarding the door.
“Alicia, let’s go inside.” Aunt Patricia looked at me with a warm smile. She opened the double doors just enough for the two of us to enter and led me inside the room.
Once inside my eyes were blinded for a short time. The room was filled with shining objects such as gold and silver. There are also jewelries of different kinds made with valuable stones such as rubies, sapphires, diamonds and the likes. This room is more like a treasure room.
“Are you amazed by the treasures here?” Aunt Patricia stopped beside me. “These treasures are the ones that the previous king of Jennovia got after the war. It was what they called it ’the spoils of war’.” I can see my aunt was fuming in anger.
“Spoils of war?” I repeated the phrase “Then these treasures are…” I was about to say Atlantia’s.
“Yes. These treasures came from our own treasury in Atlantia.” My aunt said with gritted teeth. I can see her fists in a tight grip. “They weren’t satisfied with purging our country they even stole our own treasures from us.”
My aunt’s hatred really is big. No wonder she was dead set on getting revenge. I pity her but I can’t understand her need for revenge. Even if she gets the revenge she is hoping for and the satisfaction brought by it, she can never get back the lives lost especially her most precious person who is my uncle and Gladiolus’ father.
“But you were able to retrieve these treasures after exacting your revenge towards the previous king of Jennovia.” I said.
“But it is not enough. They all have to pay for what they have done to us. They stole everything from us and I want them to feel the same way we Atlantians did when we were left with nothing.” My aunt’s expression was so fierce. I know since back then that I cannot persuade her to drop her plans on revenge. Her hatred was etched to the bones. I just wish that none of my loved ones will be harmed in her pursuit of vengeance.
“Then your other half of the pendant is here?” I asked acting uninterested. I wouldn’t want my aunt doubting me.
“Yes, I also have stored my half of the pendant here in safe keeping.” My aunt replied. “Come, follow me.”
My aunt led me to the stairs and ascended it. This treasure room is quite big, even having a second floor to it. I looked around the second floor and saw familiar looking stones.
’Magic stones.’ I thought in surprise.
The second floor was lined with many magic stones of different colors. It was more than the amount of what we saw in the library. Many different colors only mean different kinds of magic attributes.
’Like I thought, there are still other sites where they store the stones embedded with magic.’ I thought. ’Are there sites other than here and the library where they make as storage area?’
This will be bad if they have many of these stones manufactured. The war can tip on their side and it will be bad for Regaleon.
After pondering with the problem about the magic stones, aunt stopped in front of wall. This seems to be a dead end, why would we be here?
At the right side of the wall was a candle holder holding one candle stick that was lit. My aunt carefully held the candle holder and turned slightly like a knob. After that I heard a rumbling at the wall we were facing and not long it opened sideways.
’A hidden door.’ I thought to myself.
The treasure room of this palace was secured on the outside but still had a hidden room on the inside. The security here is really that tight.
“Follow me.” My aunt said.
Inside, the passage was dimly lit with candle lights on both side.
“Be careful not to stray away from me. This place is magically protected.” My aunt said.
I was surprised than even the passage way was magically enforced. I concentrated and saw the magic circles embedded on the walls like the ones on the outside.
“Magically protected? I thought we cannot use magic inside the palace?” I asked. Actually I have felt my magic powers upon entering the west wing. I have a hint that there are no janetite rocks in the vicinity.
“Yes, there are no janetite rocks here to nullify our magic powers.” My aunt said. “When I took the throne and become the ruling monarch after the death of the previous king, I have ordered to build this west wing without any janetite rocks. Therefore any Atlantias can use their magic here.”
I nodded with my aunt’s words. So the whole west wing is janetite free. Maybe my aunt and Gladiolus reside mostly here because of this while my mother and I were at the area where janetite rocks are placed. We may be free to roam the palace, but we are not free to use our magic.
There is only one passageway leading forward. At the end of the passageway was a spiral staircase going down. My aunt lead us down the spiraling stairs and I felt it took forever going down. At the bottom was another passage way leading to a round room. It was lit more brightly that the passageways.
I looked around and the room was empty except for a small table at the center with a beautiful red jewelry box on top. The room had no windows and there is only one passageway leading and exiting here.
’Are we underground?’ I thought. Judging by the long winding staircase down, it felt we were long way underground.
Once I stepped inside the room, I felt my body became heavier.
’Thump thump’ my heart beat began to race frantically.
’What is this? Why am I feeling that something is pressing my body hard?’ I thought.
My body succumb to the gravity and I slumped down nearly falling to the ground. But before my knees met the floor, my aunt held my arms and instantly the heavy feeling went away.
I looked at my aunt confused but she just smiled to me not saying anything.
“Come my niece. I will show you my own treasure, the other half of the pendant.” My aunt lead me by hand towards the table where the jewelry box was placed.
