Her words made my mouth fall open and my heart drop straight into my stomach.

Oh, that's VERY reassuring!

"How?" I barely managed to choke out, my body and mind frozen with suffocating panic.

"I don't know everything," Alaya admitted sadly. "Six years ago, the watchmen came for Sariya. She was chosen as one of the brides... and she never came back. I don't know what happened to her, but I do know she never became a queen. No one ever did. The king is a sorcerer-he's lived for centuries-and still, there has never been a queen," the woman said gravely.

I stared at her, eyes wide, horror creeping through me.

Wait... a sorcerer?!

So their ruler is some ancient, sick old wizard demanding virgins for wives?!

Oh, that's just wonderful. Now I understand why Manar is so desperate to protect her daughter.

I need to run. Fast.

"Listen," Alaya looked at me with sorrow in her eyes. "You remind me so much of Sariya. I wouldn't wish her fate on you, but escaping from here is truly impossible. Between the roaming lone werewolves and the wild beasts, our valley is surrounded by mountains. There's only one road out through the gorge, and it's guarded. And even if you hide somewhere inside the valley, sooner or later the king's guards will find you."

"Can you read minds?" I asked in surprise-because honestly, at this point, anything seemed possible.

"No," the woman smiled gently. "It's just written all over your face."

"So what am I supposed to do now? Please... tell me everything you know," I pleaded, forgetting even to change my clothes.

"All right," Alaya said firmly. "Get dressed, I'll wait for you in the kitchen. We'll talk."

She stood up and opened the door to leave.

"Alaya!" I called out. She turned to me. "Thank you. And... my name's Isabella. You can just call me Iza."

She gave a faint smile and disappeared down the hall. For a few minutes, I couldn't move, just staring blankly into space. How did I end up here?

I have to learn more about this world-and for that, I'll need someone to trust. Alaya seems like the right person. Maybe I'm a naïve fool for trusting her so easily, but I don't feel any malice or deceit from her. And maybe, because of what happened to her daughter, she'll understand me even more.

Thinking about that made me remember my mother. How worried would she be if I vanished?

But... I did vanish.

Things with my dad had always been a bit tense, but I love them both with all my heart.

I just hope they aren't suffering the way Alaya does.

Maybe... just maybe... there's a way to go home.

Lost in my thoughts, I realized I'd been sitting idle for far too long. Snapping out of it, I quickly dressed in the clothes Alaya had given me and went to the kitchen, where she was already waiting.

"Alaya, please," I begged softly, "tell me everything you know about what awaits me... and about your world."

"I thought as much," Alaya smiled faintly, not the least bit surprised by my request. "You're definitely not from around here. All right, I'll tell you."

From her story, I learned that this world was very different from Earth-yet oddly similar in many ways. It didn't feel like a separate planet, but rather a parallel universe, somehow linked to ours. There were too many uncanny coincidences to ignore.

As we spoke, evening descended outside-or what they called evening. Here, a full day lasts twenty-seven hours, and the nights never turn completely dark. Instead, they glow with a soft twilight, thanks to several moons and a sun that never quite sets.

The brighter celestial light, which fully disappears beyond the horizon, is simply called the Sun. The dimmer one is known as Volar, and it never fully sets-it hovers just above the horizon even at night.

Their planet is also called Earth. The familiar moon we see in the night sky exists here too, but there's another satellite visible both day and night-Latz-larger and shimmering like a jewel in the heavens.

A year still has twelve months, though each month is forty-four days long. Thankfully, hours and seconds match ours perfectly, and the week still consists of seven days with the same names.

It was a strange world indeed, and I felt I had only begun to scratch the surface of it.

"As I told you," Alaya continued, lowering her voice, "our king, Karadeylis, is a great mage."

Now we had reached the part I dreaded most.

"For several centuries he has ruled these lands. Many generations have lived and died under his reign. How he came to power remains shrouded in mystery. Some say he slaughtered the previous royal dynasty and took their throne for himself. Others whisper that he's one of the last descendants of that very bloodline. And then there are those who believe he's cursed-bound to immortality by ancient magic.

"Some even claim he's an alpha werewolf, one of the first and oldest. It's not impossible-some mages here can shift into animal forms and are what we call 'dual-faced.' Whatever the truth is, no one really knows anymore. But one thing is certain: Karadeylis has ruled for centuries, unchallenged."

Alaya sighed, brushing a strand of dark hair from her face. "To be fair, he governs wisely. Our people live well-no poverty, no beggars. He's a strong sorcerer and a proven warrior. Every few decades, foolish invaders from neighboring kingdoms try to attack us... and every time, Karadeylis crushes them. These days, such conflicts have nearly stopped altogether.

"The most remarkable thing," she added, lowering her voice, "is that the king never leaves his castle. Not once. When enemies come, he strikes them down with his magic from the tallest tower. Or he lends his power to his generals so they can fight in his name. For the last hundred years or so, he seems to have grown... bored. And that's when he decided to take a wife."

I sat perfectly still, like a mouse cornered by fate, listening to every word that might help me avoid becoming one of those missing brides.

Lost in my thoughts, I realized I had been sitting idle for far too long. Quickly dressing in the clothes provided to me, I went to the kitchen, where the lady of the house was already waiting.

"Alaya, please," I pleaded softly, "tell me everything you know about my upcoming fate-and... about your world."

"I figured as much-you're definitely not from around here," Alaya smiled faintly, unsurprised by my request. "Alright then, listen carefully."

From her story, I learned that everything here was vastly different from Earth, though there were also surprising similarities. Honestly, I felt this world wasn't exactly another planet, but rather a parallel universe closely tied to ours-too many details matched.

As we spoke, it grew dark outside-or at least as dark as it ever got here. The day here lasted twenty-seven hours, and the nights weren't truly dark, more like twilight. The light came from several moons and a sun that never fully set.

The brighter star, the one that completely dipped beyond the horizon, was called the Sun, while the dimmer one was Volar-it didn't disappear entirely, hovering low over the horizon even at night.

This planet, oddly enough, was also called Earth. The satellite seen at night was Luna, while the one visible both day and night in all its glory was Latz. Their year had twelve months too, though each month lasted forty-four days. Hours and seconds, thank heavens, matched ours. The week still had seven days with the same names. What a strange world... I still had so much to learn.

"As I mentioned," Alaya continued, "our king, Karadeylis, is a great mage." Her tone grew more serious. "He has ruled these lands for centuries-many generations of people have lived and died under his reign. How exactly he came to power remains a mystery. Some say he murdered the previous royal family and took their place. Others insist he's one of their secret descendants. And there are those who whisper that dark magic was involved-that he's an ancient alpha werewolf himself. That theory isn't far-fetched-some mages can take on other forms and become dual-natured beings. Whatever the truth, it's long been buried under centuries of rumors. What matters is that Karadeylis has remained the ruler for ages."

"To be fair," she added thoughtfully, "he governs wisely and efficiently. There are no homeless or starving people here. He's a powerful warrior as well as a mage, proven in countless battles. Occasionally, reckless fools from other kingdoms still try to attack us, but Karadeylis always emerges victorious. These days, conflicts are almost nonexistent. What's most curious is that he never leaves his castle. He doesn't need to-he can strike down enemies with his magic from the tallest tower or lend his power to his generals to fight in his stead.

"I suppose, after a hundred years or so of peace, he's grown bored. That's why he decided to take a wife."

I sat quietly, listening to every word, trying to absorb anything that might help me avoid becoming one of the "missing candidates."

"Once a year, throughout the entire kingdom, they gather young beautiful girls for him, hoping that one of them will suit His Majesty as a wife. But no one suits him, and afterward, no one ever knows anything about the girls. For some time they live in the palace, and with time there are fewer and fewer of them, until they disappear completely, every last one. And not all of them even make it to the palace - the road is long and dangerous, full of many threats."

"Strange... seriously, in all this time not a single one caught his eye?" I don't understand, because everyone here is so beautiful. A traveling modeling agency!

"Most likely not," the woman sighs. "If he's a shapeshifter, then he's most likely looking for his mate. Or maybe the king simply wants to find his love, and with his looks... Perhaps when he's angry, he does something to the poor girls." The woman's lip twitched, and her eyes filled with tears.

"And what about his looks?" I ask carefully, freezing inside.

"He looks very... specific," the brunette grimaced. "It's very hard to call him handsome - like, not at all."

"Listen, as I understand it, the king needs virgins for this... candidacy, right?" I ask cautiously, because maybe there's a way to solve my problem. "And I, well, haven't been one for a very, very long time..."

To this, Alaya only laughed bitterly and, scooting closer, lifted my shirt, examining my stomach.

"I don't know what happened to you in your world, but in this one you're still a maiden," the woman stunned me. "The drawings on our bodies are called karpits. They are unique to each person, and the design never repeats. They also show different stages of your growing up and the development of your body and life, so they change throughout your life. What you have on your stomach indicates that you are still untouched."

My eyes go as wide as saucers and move down to my stomach, examining it.

"Your bud hasn't bloomed yet, which means there hasn't been a man there - at least, not in our world."

For fuck's sake! And why the hell do I need this here?!

Alaya lifted her own shirt, and on her flat stomach I saw a beautiful, large, bright, colorful flower in the center, and next to it three smaller flowers and one very dull little bud. No matter how you look at it, it's very beautiful and interesting.

"Holy crap!" My eyes fly up to my forehead. "Why are there so many flowers?"

But Alaya suddenly grew sad and lowered her gaze.

"The central, biggest flower is my maidenhood. And the smaller flowers are my pregnancies and children."

"But... in the house you're alone..." My heart starts to clench as I realize how much grief and sorrow this wonderful woman has had to endure.

"Yes," the brunette whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek. "I had a husband... and besides Sariya, two older sons. After my daughter disappeared, my boys couldn't bear the loss and set off toward the capital to search for her. But they never returned. You see, the road to the capital is long, difficult, and at times deadly. We also have seasons of earthquakes in the mountains, caused by wandering stone giants known as gorts. It was during one of those seasons that my sons were on their way back... when the gorts were nearby. There was a massive rockslide. They all died."

"Alaya..." I whispered, embracing the grieving mother who had lost her entire family. "I'm so sorry."

"And this small bud," she said sadly, touching her stomach, "it represents a pregnancy that never came to bloom-a life that never had the chance to grow." She stood up quietly to prepare some kind of herbal brew for us.

After a few minutes of silence, I finally asked, "Alaya, why are the markings on everyone's bodies colorful, but mine are black?"

"That," she sighed, "I truly don't know. We're all born with colorful carpits. Maybe it's because you're from another world."

More questions, and still no answers...

"Tell me," I asked carefully, "just theoretically-if I were to... sleep with a man, would that mean I'm no longer a suitable candidate?"

"Oh," Alaya smiled faintly, "that won't be an issue here. Manar gave strict orders-no man in this settlement will even dare to look at you that way. And once the king's scouts for brides arrive, they'll either cast a special spell to prevent such things, or watch you very closely. So..."

"I was just asking for reference," I muttered awkwardly, realizing I had no idea who I could even sleep with here-and, honestly, didn't want to with just anyone. But still... better to know my options.

We continued talking for a few more hours until I began to yawn.

"Iza, you should rest," Alaya said gently. "The scouts will arrive any day now-it depends on how long their journey takes. Gather your strength for the trials ahead."