When the day comes that temptation is too strong, secrets will be revealed.

-------------------

When the day comes that the world turns to greatness, the true leader shall usher forth the beginning of a better future.

-------------------

It shall be then, when lilies turn to fire, the true leader shall come.

-------------------

As the day is celebrated, an heir shall mark the start of peace in the kingdom.

The king lay dead on the cold marble floor.

Hundreds of villagers hovered around the pale, lifeless man.

“ What are we going to do now? “ A woman sighed, placing her palm on her forehead. 

The crowd murmured in reply. Suddenly, all the villagers made way for a tall man who wore a sleek black tailcoat, a gold pair of monocles and silk gloves.

 “ It’s the King's advisor… “ One villager whispered to another.

The man began to speak. 

“ We are now at a time of despair. Please stand back and head back to your villages immediately as we figure out this situation. “ He announced loudly.

Everyone, except for the man, hurried out like mice to the massive door.

One year later…

“ How will we ever get rid of that ridiculous garden Alastor had?” A wealthy woman, draped in gorgeous white pearls gagged in disgust. 

“ Mmm. It has not been in its best shape. Is that so, Queen Eleanor? Maybe you should hire someone to take care of it? We cannot keep on asking the maids to do it for you, your majesty. It is, in fact, the

best option you have.” The advisor assured calmly with no expression at all.

“It sounds like you want to keep the hideous garden.” The queen accused, crossing her arms. 

“My queen, the garden contains many of the most exotic plants in the world. The king spent millions of gold maintaining the garden. It will be a huge waste if we lose them, to you and the castle.” The advisor explained.

 “Who would even want to work there? “ She laughed hysterically at the advisor.

 “ Trust me, I know what to do.“

The queen immediately stopped laughing. “Fine. But make it quick.“ Eleanor snapped.

“ Alright. I will make the word now. “

Part 1

A Beginning

A sliver of sunlight filtered through the space of the window and the curtains of my room as I woke up. I yawned and got up, causing the bedsheets to scramble down the polished oak floor. I groan and lift the sheets. The new job today, I sigh. “ Oh Lilith! I'm so excited for you! Working for the garden castle! “ I remember my mother gushing. She'd always wanted me to have some sort of job so I could support myself; my mother couldn't earn enough money to support herself, let alone me.

I head downstairs into the kitchen and hear my mother humming her favorite tune while cooking the most delicious-smelling eggs. Her curly, chocolate-brown hair was tied up in an incredibly messy bun, using a vast black hair tie.

 I've always lived in a small cottage in Heatherville. Heatherville was a tiny village that shadowed the Everly Castle. 

Everly Castle was a colossal building that had the most luxurious sights of the whole kingdom. The castle wasn't even half the size of the grounds. The castle owned a beautiful garden; one of the king’s greatest works. Anything, a theatre, a ballroom. Anything you could name would be inside this castle. Only pure royalty lived there.

I sit down on the cold, hardwood chair as my mother places my fried egg on the table; sunny side up, my favorite. I gulp down my breakfast in delight, grab my tattered messenger bag from the wooden coat rack and head out the door. 

The fresh air greets me as I start walking towards the castle.

The Castle

The castle is even bigger than I think it is. The gates were made of rough, grey stone. The crevices in between the stones were filled with damp moss. There, in the middle was an enormous iron gate, with spikes pointing at the end of each bar. The iron was incredibly rusty, but stiff. On one bar, the numbers imprinted on it were 1847. It was probably made back then, I think to myself. There, on the other side of the gate, was a metal keypad with a clear screen; on top of the buttons of numbers below. I unpack my messenger bag and take out the crumpled note that I got in the mail from the castle. I re-read it again.

Dear Miss Lilith Aria Hazel,

I am grateful to welcome you as the new garden keeper. You will receive keys when inputting the correct code on the keypad. The garden is serious work and I do not tolerate ridiculous manners. The queen has given you a set of rules and tasks you absolutely must follow.

1 . Do not touch or water the Lilies of the Valley.

2 . The plants that need to be watered must be done so by 5 o'clock

sharp.

3 . All the hedges must be trimmed perfectly at a 90 degree angle in a precise cube shape.

4 . All the Fire Nepenthes Pitcher Plants must be fed, and if you are not willing to do so, the pitchers will explode into blazing flames.

5 . All the weeds must be picked out

6 . Disobeying any of these rules will result in execution.

The code you will need to input into the keypad is

12761168

Return the key by entering in the code and placing it back inside.

Keep this code confidential.

Sincerely, Artemis the Queen’s Advisor.

I stare at the paper. 12761168. I input the code into the keypad, with every button 

I press makes an annoying “ beep “ sound. As I press the number 8, a compartment opens underneath the keypad, cradling a key attached to a string with an emerald charm, resembling the shape of a leaf. I

grab the key out of the compartment slowly as it closes and locks itself. I jiggle the key around in the padlock chained to one of the gate bars and slowly manage to open the rusting gate. 

“ Here I go.” I mutter, pushing the gate open.

Chapter 3

The Greenhouse

Once inside the ground, the brick below be split into two paths. One led to the huge castle, the other to a turquoise ocean-colored door, surrounded by bushes and vines. The entrance was difficult, as the bushes and vines above me dragged onto the ground, as well as sticking to my hair. The door was old and unstable as some of the wood was splitting out, acting as huge splinters. The turquoise paint was already fading, revealing coffee colored wood. Again, this door was locked with chains. 

I insert the key into the lock and it automatically opens. The first thing I see when 

I enter the garden is a pearl white fountain. Surrounding the fountain was a ring-shaped daisy patch with stone brick lined across the edge. On the fountain rim was a gold-plated piece of metal with the words engraved : 

“ In memory of King Alastor Everly

May he rest in peace under the Lilies of the Valley “ 

I only can remember how much my mother cried in despair after the king's death. 

I wince sadly and turn to the glass greenhouse. The sun shines on the clear glass, creating a beautiful flare that could be seen from miles away. I walk along the gorgeous marble stone path, along all the venust flowers. Countless flowers, of all colors and shades, were all perfectly bunched together like an enormous bouquet. The countless many flower fragrances blend into a sweet, harmonious

smell. The sedative greenhouse was the place I loved the most, as it reminded me of the kings’ legacy. The garden was once public, a place for explorers, villagers, and anyone to visit. My mother brought me there all the time when I was young. It is nothing like it was before. Although it still looks the same, it feels like something is missing from it. 

I sigh and ignore my thoughts.

Even though the sun was still shining bright, unexpectedly, the greenhouse was still nice and cool. The refreshing air could make anyone feel calm and relaxed. The sage green ivy hangs from the trellis on the ceiling, dropping down, covering the sunlight and creating a shadow.

I start to water the Fire Nepenthes Pitcher Plants, which are contained in a colossal terracotta pot, as their marigold-colored pitcher cup swallows the flies in the room gracefully. The Lilies of the Valley shone brightly, like gorgeous white snow. I look closely. Some of the bells were… dead. A strange feeling came over me. I stare at one crumpled bell. I couldn't dare touch it. I'll see if I can do anything later, I think.

One down, 3 more tasks to go.