version about me and others like me.”
His hand slid across the map, as if re-delineating cities, and pointed to an empty, gray spot, completely inconspicuous among the motley lines and signs.
“It’s over,” Edwin sighed. “And time cannot be turned back. Now I’m a famous villain to the whole world.”
“But your coat of arms is on these lands,” Rose pointed to the emerald borders of the empire. “What kind of people settled here?”
Edwin chuckled cheerfully, almost humanly.
“Those whom people called evil,” he replied. “And, in my opinion, they are a stronger, unreachable race. In fact, this is not a people, but a whole element and only one and only creature – the dragon – can keep it in obedience. Only the dragon agree to obey these proud and powerful creatures.”
Rose gave him a curious, suspicious look and said nothing. His appearance alone was beyond doubt. In front of her, indeed, stood an inhuman creature enveloped in a solar halo, in which all the attractiveness and all the evil of the magic world were combined.
“Until tonight I knew nothing about you or your domain.”
“How could you find out about this?” interrupted her reasoning Edwin. “Even the small information that was obtained by courageous people at the cost of numerous losses was hidden from you. Since you stepped on the middle road, I have welcomed you to my domain. Remember the absence of a snowstorm on this road, about the dense ice on the lake, which so successfully broke just under your enemies. Snow never melts in these forests, and inevitable death awaits aliens here. The valley and the castle are an obstacle on the way to a magic kingdom invisible to mortals.”
“Is it interesting there? Tell me how they live there.” Rose pointed to the forbidden borders.
“That’s what,” Edwin decided. “It’s your birthday at the end of the month. In honor of the name day, I will fulfill your wish and take you there so that you can see everything yourself. Such an adventure will be much more exciting than my story.”
He was much kinder than he seemed. But how could he explain to this mortal girl that he too was overtaken by the cruel sentence of fate. No, you shouldn’t explain anything to her. She won’t understand anything. She is just a beautiful doll – a new decoration for this deserted, gloomy castle.
“Wait, did you say what the gray spot on the map means?” Rose protested as Edwin led her out of the library.
“Once there was a rich, prosperous state, but now there are only ruins and dry, barren land, where no one wants to live.”
Edwin took Rose by the hand and pulled her along.
“Don’t be afraid of me,” he said suddenly. “I’m not a leper, and you don’t have to tremble like that at my approach. If the hunchback’s curse begins to work again, then without my help you will not live even a couple of days. By the way, on occasion I will remove this glass from your hand.”
He pointed to a ring with an extinct stone.
“Thank you,” Rose said. She had no doubt that Edwin was capable of removing the evil trinket from her finger. Now she wondered if she could get rid of the ring and cast off the Curse of the Swan at the same time.
The next evening, the dragon’s castle no longer seemed to Rose as gloomy as it had been when the verdict was pronounced. Yes, she is sentenced to stay forever in this mansion. It’s not that bad here. Snow glistens outside the window, her room is full of trinkets, and there are always a few books available from the library.
Someone knocked softly on the door.
“Come in!” Rose shouted without hesitation.
The door slowly opened, and a small, round face with brightly painted lips and eyelashes peeped into the room. In surprise, Rose dropped the brush with which she was combing her hair when several living puppets entered the room one after another. They moved independently, pushed and talked. Rose was so overwhelmed that she could not even answer the greetings.
Finally, the most elegant puppet stepped forward and announced with an air of importance:
“Our master has ordered us to serve your highness.”
“What can you do?” Rose asked immediately. She really could not understand how these fragile, small dolls could be useful, except to serve as toys.
You have to be a fool to entrust such weak, cute babies with some kind of work.
However, the puppets turned out to be very agile and neat maids. They worked together and cheerfully. Rose couldn’t get enough of the tiny people scurrying about the room. The puppets played the role of both maids and maids-in-waiting at the same time. In a quarter of an hour, the room was shining clean.
The puppets helped the princess put on a purple festive dress and strung small diamonds on her hair.
“The master is already waiting for you,” one of the puppets reported in her thin, melodic voice.
Edwin, indeed, was already at the front staircase. This elegant young man was nothing like a wicked monster hiding in the shadow of looted treasures. His cold beauty emanated not only twilight evil, but also wisdom and knowledge that only immortals possess.
The walls of the castle are also endowed with inexhaustible strength, the ability to prolong youth and heal. Rose felt it when, in just a night in the castle, all her wounds and scratches healed and covered with new transparent skin.
Rose was accompanied by two puppets. One minced ahead, pointing the way through the corridors, and the other carried her train.
“Where did you find them?” Rose dared to ask, when timid, agile dolls, seeing Edwin, hurried into the shadow of the nearest column.
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