1 BIRTHDAY OR DEATHDAY (1)

"Where is she?" The brightly lit bedroom was full of maids who were scurrying from one area to another, grumbling and murmuring in fear, when a regal woman who appeared to be in her early thirties screamed out and entered.

It was impossible to overlook the luxurious decorations, and the fireplace that was situated where cushions and a huge table were set, as well as the large bookshelf that was situated in the room's corner close to the king-sized bed that gave the space a cozier appearance. It seemed like entering heaven, yet there was no sign of the heaven's master.

The woman tightened her teeth, anger and frustration flashing in her blue eyes. "My head aches all because of this child." As a maid walked up to her, she moaned, rubbing her forehead.

"We still can't find her, your majesty," The maid reported anxiously.

"There's no evidence of her leaving the castle, so she must be someplace inside." The queen muttered, pushing her golden hair away from her face. She was unsure of how to balance her worry and rage. Her beloved daughter had a knack for giving her a heart attack.

"Is there any trace of Eleanor, Arlette?" Arlette turned to look in the direction where the voice came from to see her husband enter. He appeared to be as anxious as she was, and when she shook her head negatively, he sighed and buried his fingers into his nicely coiffed white blonde hair.

"If she is still inside the castle, where could she be? We have searched everywhere she could be hiding." Arlette whined as she approached her husband, who put his hand on her shoulder to sooth her.

"Even if it means searching every nook and cranny of Enebelle, we will find her." Edward mumbled, encouraging his frightened wife.

Although they were accustomed to their daughter's rebellious behavior, they never anticipated that she would vanish on the day of her birthday. And because she was gone the entire day up until the evening of her birthday supper with the entire Dankworth family, Edward and Arlette began to regret not locking her up in the room. It was only because she turned eighteen today that they gave her the freedom to roam around the castle.

Enebelle was a thriving home for phoenixes, however, no one but the Dankworth royal family was aware that the king and queen had given birth. Rumors spread throughout the entire kingdom that the king and queen lacked an heir to carry on the family's legacy, but unbeknownst to the populace, the Dankworths had imprisoned her ever since she was born, forbidding her to interact with anyone outside of her immediate family.

While the entire castle was being searched by maids and soldiers who were all in a panic, a certain golden-haired princess was in her bathing room dozing in a bubble-filled tub. Her face was covered with cream from a pastry, her lips sporadically curled into a trembling smile, and with a long sleepy yawn, her deep ocean blue eyes fluttered open.

"Sugar rush." Eleanor sighed and retreated from the tub's rough surface, gliding slowly through the water. 

"What time is it?" She massaged her eyes with her palms, yawned once more, and pushed herself out of the bathtub.

Dressed in a completely damp white ball gown that clung to her petite form, she was still able to pull her legs towards the door and force it open, revealing servants running here and there.

"What's going on?" groggily, she inquired.

The maids all froze, turning to face her stiffly and keeping their expressions of shock. "Your Majesty!" they called in unison.

"Oh?" Eleanor questioned with wide eyes.

"Oh my!" Upon entering the room, her mistress, who appeared to be in her late forties, cried out. She stared at Eleanor with dread from head to toe and grimaced when she noticed water flowing out of her clothes like a torrent.

"You were there the entire time? Look at you!" Reprimanding her, her mistress sprinted over and grabbed her by the shoulders. 

Eleanor giggled apprehensively as she realized what was happening. She had disturbed Greta, her mistress, hours earlier, before dusk, for sugary pastries, citing her birthday as an easy ticket. And because she wasn't permitted to consume sweet foods as they always had strange effects on her body she hid in the bathing room, gorged herself on food to her heart's delight, and passed out in the tub.

"I was sleepy." She said slowly and Greta gently tugged her by the ear.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" She squeaked even though Greta's grip wasn't hard one bit.

"Come here, it's almost time for your birthday dinner." Greta said, pulling Eleanor over to the center of the room.

Greta released Eleanor's ear, maids gathered around her and dressed once more for her birthday dinner with her family.

Once they were finished, Eleanor was dressed in a different outfit, this time one in a deep ocean blue hue that complemented her eyes well. After quickly tending to her hair, they escorted her out of her room and into the castle's dining room, where her entire family, including her great grandmother, was seated.

"You..." Arlette sprang up, wanting to chastise her daughter, but Edward stopped her by holding her hand.

Eleanor hesitantly said, "I'm sorry, mother," clutching her dress.

Arlette let out a long sigh. "Eleanor."

When Edward noticed that his wife was calmer, he let go of her hand, and Arlette hurried over to her daughter to give her a bear hug.

"My baby, I was worried to death." She mumbled, tenderly stroking Eleanor's hair.

Eleanor laughed in response to her mother's embrace. "I'm craving that cake, mother."

Everyone laughed.

"I believe she already ate a lot of pastries today." Her great grandmother teased.

Eleanor pursed her lips and forced a frown. "I didn't."

Separating from her daughter, Arlette took her by the hand and escorted her to a seat next to her. She let out a contented sigh without attempting to break free of Eleanor's grip. 

Eleanor smiled, accustomed to her mother's tendency to be overly protective of her. She was used to her family treating her like an egg that must never crack, even though sometimes it was entirely needless.

"Let's all dig in." Duke Hudson, her uncle chuckled.

As soon as Eleanor reached for her fork, a guard charged in, drenched in blood, panting heavily. "Sire... Sire... We are... We..." And he fell down dead.