Searching for Andromeda 70 Esmeralda's Secret Special

A big secret.

It was a secret only she had known. Even her closest friends didn't know about this certain furtive. And it wasn't because Esmeralda did not want to involve anyone in it, it was simply because she preferred her other life—the one all the people outside had known—at bay. Esmeralda regarded freedom as something very important. Her privacy and freedom, to be exact.

She had a Polish mother who was long gone, and a father who didn't really care for anything except grounding her up. Esmeralda's thirst for the things she regarded the same as rare jewels were reflected in her big secret. She didn't want her life as Esmeralda Sanders, the girl who constantly stuttered, that nerd with an awkward short stature—to interfere to who she was in that big secret she made.

The book she was writing.

Under the pen name Scheherazade, Esmeralda had written a huge hit web novel. It harbored so much views and was popular in just several months. It was still on-going with about fifty chapters at most. She was writing in her spare time as an assistant biologist while she writes the novel leisurely.

Scheherazade was a popular author with a million followers in just a few months. Those in the writing community had known both her and her works. Scheherazade was BOTH a fantasy author and a reader. She often gave feedbacks to other books, which had aided her popularity over the course of just a few months.

Esmeralda's work, 'Andromeda: The Lost Princess' was a huge hit online that some publishing companies were emailing her with offers of illustrations, mangas, and even movie adaptations and animes! These certain happenstances made Esmeralda more secretive than before. Her pen name, Scheherazade, must only be exclusive to her and no one more.

She knows how her family would react to such news—and she doesn't want to get started with her father. Esmeralda also did not like the fact that her life will intermingle with that of Scheherazade. She had taken all the precautionary measures in order to hide her identity. Some fans were already digging through her profile to find clues on who she was. And unsurprisingly enough, her fans already got their hunch on where she was. Even her nationality!

Sometimes, people can be creepy.

Esmeralda took the name Scheherazade from a Middle East story character. Esmeralda was fascinated with the story of the girl named Scheherazade from the book One Thousand and One Nights. To have her life spared by the king who was meant to kill her by dawn, she told him a story so exciting that he wasn't able to kill her and instead had urged her to continue. Upon telling numerous exciting stories, which lasted a thousand and one nights, Scheherazade finally succumbed to her fate and die by the king's hands. But this was averted because he already had fallen in-love with her.

The name Scheherazade was deeply engraved with Esmeralda's heart. She wanted to do the same thing as this female protagonist. To tell stories until she finally accepts what will become of her. To unleash her ideas until her final moment. This is why Esmeralda chose such a certain pen name.

Scheherazade was her biggest secret.

Which is why she was so flabbergasted when all of a sudden, her whole cover has been blown.

How in the world did Berthold Wagner find out she was Scheherazade? Her Twitter and Instagram name—right, they were the same and boring 'Esmeralda' but how? Just how did someone easily find her?

Esmeralda wanted to kick herself. She should've just denied it. But she didn't know what to do. The doctor just blurted it out so suddenly when they were in the president's mansion. She didn't know how to handle the pressure.

Esmeralda took a deep breath, and then began to type on her laptop.

Andromeda: The Lost Princess

A sword was pointed to Lancelot, who was now thrown off the ground. Before him was a panting young lady, a grin slowly creeping to her delicate face.

"You lost, Lancelot." Andromeda extends her arm to Lancelot, and then both of them smiled at each other.

"Yes, princess. I did,"

"For the hundredth time, I defeated you. But you're holding back," Andromeda says. "Why is that?"

"Because you're . . ."

"A girl?"

"The princess." Lancelot corrects. "You cannot be doing this. You should be studying, learning music, drawing . . ."

"But I love swords."

"Yes, but . . ."

"And you permitted me to have one,"

"That was because I—"

"You even gave me tips."

"I—"

"Lancelot, it's your fault, you've been spoiling me."

Andromeda laughed heartily. It was the time she was happy, even if no one but Lancelot came to visit her in the lone tower.

. . . several pages ahead written, as Esmeralda stared into her outline.

"I'm meeting father?" Andromeda asks excitedly. "I'm meeting my family now, Lancelot?"

Lancelot nods. "Yes, you're eighteen now. And your debut will just be a matter of time. You won't be staying in this tower anymore."

. . . a few pages ahead

"I'm sorry, Princess."

"Why—" Andromeda covers her face with her bare hands. "Why must my family hate me? Why can't I meet them, Lancelot? Why do they want to keep me in this tower?"

"Princess . . ."

"Ever since I was born, I was stuck in this tower for God knows how long. I was raised here by nursemaids without the sign of my father and mother. Only their picture had been the one I've ever seen their faces. . ." Andromeda sobs. "I only wanted to be with them . . ."

A few pages more . . .

"You—why are you not on your tower?! Lancelot . . .!"

"Father—I—"

"Get out," the king says. "Get her out of here now. Imprison her to that tower! Why are you not doing your job, Lancelot!"

"Im-imprison?" Andromeda repeats. "F-father, it's me, Andromeda—I—I just want to meet you . . ."

"LANCELOT!"

"Understood," Lancelot says, and seizes Andromeda by her waist, and then walked away from the king.

"Andromeda, what did you do?" The knights ask with a slight tremble in his voice; in his hand was a corpse clad in a bloodied, luxurious robe. "You murdered the king!"

"Let him be, Lancelot," Andromeda says coldly. "Let his blood bathe the throne. His rule now ends."

"King Arthur . . . my king!" Lancelot grieves. "Andromeda, how could you . . . how could you do this to your father?"

"Merlin chose the wrong king," Andromeda says. "Guinevere chose the wrong husband,"

"And you, Lancelot," Andromeda points her sword to the grieving knight. "Was wrong to trust me,"

TO BE CONTINUED

"Haaahhh," Esmeralda stretched her back. She had typed nearly three thousand words. She sipped the iced coffee she had bought from her favorite café.

"A big secret should only stay as a secret," Esmeralda muttered, "annnnd . . . publish!"

Chapter end