It didn't say not to visit them...
"Why do you think they called you, Luna?" asked my father in a concerned whisper.
"I... don't know," I muttered, looking anywhere but at the scroll.
My mother smiled, "Maybe they decided to actually give you your gift before next year."
But reality was never that good.
My parents pushed me into dressing up in fancy attire before leaving.
I took a carriage to the palace.
The sunlight shone into my eyes and made them burn, and I had to squirm to avoid it.
I looked around at the people walking around happily, feeling a bit jealous of how they had nothing to worry about.
Why did I have to be the one to go through this?
The day was bright, the weather beautiful, but it annoyed me.
Such a good day was going to be my potential imprisonment.
Or worse.
What if they thought I was too evil?
What if they already knew about the letter?
In a while, the carriage stopped. But it felt too soon.
The gates to the palace gleamed majestically, the building towering over everything else in the surroundings.
Slowly, worriedly, I stepped into the castle.
The guards led me to the throne room, where the whole royal family was seated elegantly.
Why all of them?
The room looked grand and elegant. Why did my first time here have to be full of dread and fear?
My arms slightly shook as I walked forward clumsily and hastily greeted them.
"Good Morning, Luna," said the king with a gentle smile, "I have called you here today to make you an offer."
I nodded once.
His eyes gleamed, "We would like to ask you if you want to be the next heir to the throne. We will make you our next queen, and you will rule in glory. But of course, the choice is yours."
I looked at him with apprehension, my thoughts drifting to the letter.
And I knew I couldn't trust this.
Why would they want me to be the queen?
I glanced at the princess on the throne on the edge, but she smiled at me, almost like she knew something I didn't.
Her elegant tiara shone in my direction, reminding me how impossible this offer was.
Were they fooling me?
If I would say yes, would they imprison me because I agreed to claim the spot of the princess?
I decided to trust the letter.
"Thanks for the offer, but, I can't be the queen." I said carefully.
The faces of the whole royal family lit up, each member smiling at me In an eerie way. They all exchanged a look.
What did that mean?
My pulse quickened as I observed their expressions, trying to find a clue about what this was.
The queen grinned casually—almost warmly, as if she weren't royalty.
"Ah, Luna. You have made a wise choice. This was just a test to determine whether you are arrogant. It turns out that you are not. Now, let's get to the important matter. You must be aware that your birthday gift has been postponed.
We wanted to test you— so now that you have proved your loyalty, we will give you your gift. Remember, Luna, trust is not gifted—it has to be earned. So now we grant you this watch. It will allow you to travel through time." He handed me a small watch, and explained how I had to click it to move to a different timeline.
I smiled cheerfully on the ride home.
I knew what the letter meant now.
It wasn't that the royals were doing something wrong—It meant that I had to refuse their offer.
And my gift was awesome.
As a child, I had read books about time travel, feeling fascinated and hoping to experience it myself someday.
That day I grabbed the letter, went to the past with it, and put the letter inside my empty teal gift wrapper.
That incident was a significant part of my life, and I have learned many things from the experience. Now, every time someone doubts my intentions about something, I remember what the queen said,
"Trust is not gifted—it has to be earned."
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