•Palace Entrance•
[Ovelia's POV]
As we approached the palace entrance, the imposing guards stationed on either side immediately caught my attention. Their stern expressions and polished armor radiated authority, but my focus quickly shifted to the covered wagon waiting in the center. Crafted from sturdy timber, its unpainted finish gave it a rustic charm. The spacious wagon bed promised comfort, resting on strong, iron-rimmed wooden wheels designed to handle rugged terrains. Two powerful horses—a dappled gray and a deep chestnut—stood poised beside each other, their harnesses adorned with intricate leather and metal buckles that gleamed in the sunlight. They exuded strength and grace, ready to carry us on our journey.
"That's the wagon we'll use to really blend in as traveling merchants," Ray said with a teasing grin, his voice light but carrying an undertone of excitement.
"It's beautiful," I breathed, running my gaze over the wagon's sturdy craftsmanship. "It's my first time seeing a wagon like this. I never imagined I'd ride in one." A thrill of adventure stirred in my chest, though beneath it, a small knot of nervousness tightened.
Ace glanced at me, a warm smile spreading across his face. There was something soft in his expression—something that made my heart flutter unexpectedly.
"We can't waste any more time standing around." His voice was firm but not unkind. "Let's get in the wagon."
We followed Ace, with Ray and Ann taking the front seats, responsible for driving the horses.
As I stood beside Ace, he turned to me, a teasing challenge in his eyes. "That wagon's pretty high up. Think you can manage?"
"Yes." I replied though doubt flickered in my mind.
I attempted to climb onto the wagon, but my long skirt impeded my efforts, making it difficult to lift my legs. Frustration began to creep in as I struggled.
Seeing my dilemma, Ace inhaled deeply, then stepped behind me and effortlessly scooped me up. I gasped in surprise as he set me down gently on the wagon.
"If you ever need help," he said, his voice low, "I want you to know I want to give it. Not because it's my duty—but because I don't want to see you struggle alone."
"Thank you," I replied, my cheeks flushing with a mix of embarrassment and gratitude. I watched him climb up next to me, feeling a warmth spread through me at his kindness.
Inside the wagon, I spotted bags and baskets filled with food, and two pigeons confined in a single cage. They cooed softly, their feathers ruffling as they shifted in their enclosure.
"Those are carrier pigeons," Ace explained, a hint of pride in his voice. "They're well-trained. We use them to deliver messages by attaching letters to their legs."
"This is my first time seeing a carrier pigeon!" I leaned closer, my eyes sparkling with fascination. The idea of such clever birds—trusted with messages across great distances—filled me with quiet wonder.
"Lady Ovelia, I also packed some village outfits in the bag so you can change after your bath," Ann added, her voice warm and thoughtful.
"Thank you, Ann." I meant it. I was relieved she had thought ahead—I had been too distracted to prepare my own things.
Ace's voice cut through the quiet, edged with impatience. "Ray, why haven't we left yet? Aren't we in a hurry?"
I turned to Ray. He was gazing up at the palace terrace, his expression unreadable.
"Our father is on the terrace." His voice carried a note of quiet insistence. "Aren't you even going to look at him?"
Ace stepped closer, and I followed. Together, we looked up. Alpha King Raymond stood on the terrace, watching us with a warm smile. He held our gaze for a few long moments, then turned and walked inside.
Ace's smirk flickered. "So that's his way of saying 'take care'?"
I heard Ray stifle a laugh, and caught the guards standing at attention, saluting the King as he disappeared from view.
He snapped the reins, and the horses began to stir. The wagon lurched forward, wheels creaking against the stone courtyard. Ace and I settled onto the wooden floor, the rough planks pressing against my legs through the thin fabric of my dress.
"Wait!!"
A woman's voice cut through the air, sharp and desperate. Before anyone could react, she darted into our path, arms outstretched. The horses reared back with startled whinnies, hooves striking the air as the wagon jolted to a violent halt. The two carrier pigeons in their cage flapped wildly, their coos turning into frantic cries.
Ace moved before I could register what was happening. His left arm locked around my waist, pulling me hard against his chest. His right hand cradled the back of my head, pressing me into the safety of his shoulder. The world blurred—then stilled.
I felt the warmth of his palm against my scalp, the firmness of his hold. My heart hammered against my ribs—not from fear, but from the sheer suddenness of being held so completely.
Fortunately, Ray's steady hands calmed the horses, their panicked snorts softening into uneasy breaths.
"Princess Eliana!" Ray's roar cut through the air, pure and undiluted fury. "What is the meaning of this?!"
"Ovelia, are you alright?" Ace turned to me, his eyes softened with worry.
His concern was becoming a constant—a dangerous, comforting constant. I shook my head, trying to steady my breath. "I'm alright." My voice came out steadier than I felt, though my hands still trembled as I gripped the wagon's side. I forced a smile, but it cracked on the last syllable.
I busied myself with straightening the scattered supplies, grateful that the food baskets had been tied down securely.
"Ace!" Eliana's voice was no longer commanding—it trembled, frayed at the edges with hurt and accusation. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"
"There was no time to seek you out. The orders came, and we had to move," Ace's voice was firm, but I caught the flicker of guilt in the set of his shoulders. He didn't step down from the wagon.
"Take me with you!" Her voice cracked, the command crumbling into a sob.
"I cannot." The words fell like a door slamming shut. He did not look at her—his gaze fixed on the road ahead, his jaw tight with resolve.
"This is not a pleasure trip. We are on a covert mission—disguised to infiltrate an area crawling with bandits. The Alpha King himself ordered it." He paused, finally turning to face her, his voice softening with forced gentleness. "Eliana, you are the princess of Crimsonheart. Your presence would be a beacon, not a disguise." A beat of silence. "It's too dangerous. I'm sorry."
I leaned against the wagon's side, pressing myself into the corner as if I could disappear into the wood. My eyes found Ann, seated rigidly on the driver's bench beside Ray. Her expression mirrored my own—uneasy, watchful.
She caught my gaze and mouthed silently, "It will be alright." A small, tight smile followed, forced and fragile. I tried to return it, but the doubt lodged in my chest like a cold stone I couldn't swallow.
"But you're taking her!" Eliana's voice cut like glass, sharp and bitter. Her hand clenched at her side, and when she looked at me, her eyes held nothing but naked, raw hatred.
"That woman is a pebble in my shoe." Lady Firera's voice rang through my mind, flat with disdain. "If you wish, I can grind her to dust. The choice is yours."
"But Lady—" I started, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
"Don't talk to me out loud. Talk to me using your mind, just like telepathy," Lady Firera interrupted.
I took a breath and focused inward. "I don't like her. But I don't want to hurt her."
Lady Firera did not respond. Through our connection, I felt her irritation—a sharp, quiet pulse—before it faded into silence.
"Princess Eliana, we're in a hurry!" Ray's voice cut through the tension, sharp and strained.
Ace placed a restraining hand on his brother's arm, then took a steadying breath. When he spoke, his voice dropped—softer, gentler, laced with a tone I had never heard him use before. "Eliana. When this is over, I will come to you. I will sit with you. I will listen. We will have the time I owe you."
"Sir Ace?!" Ann's gasp cut through the air, sharp with disbelief.
The words struck me like a physical blow—a sudden, twisting pain that lanced through the center of my chest. I pressed a hand discreetly over my heart, as if I could hide the ache. Why did it hurt so much? We were friends. Just friends. He had promised her time—not love, not forever. Just time. So why did it feel like he had taken something from me that I hadn't even known I wanted to give?
"Really?" Eliana's entire being transformed. The storm cleared from her face, replaced by radiant, triumphant hope. "You promise? Then… take care. All of you." She stepped gracefully aside, smoothing her skirts, her smile now beatific and utterly secure.
Her emotions shift like weather on a mountain, I thought, dazed and unsettled by the sudden calm.
The moment the path was clear, Ray snapped the reins. The wagon jolted forward again, leaving the palace and the smiling princess behind.
"Do you have any idea what you've just done?" Ray hissed, his voice low enough that the horses wouldn't startle. "That promise—she will use it. She will hold it over you."
"It was the only way to get the wheels moving without a scene that would attract every guard in the quadrant." Ace shot back, frustration simmering beneath his calm. "We don't have time for a royal tantrum. We're moving now, aren't we?"
He turned his back on the argument and sank down beside me. The mask of the frustrated prince fell away, revealing something raw beneath—weariness, regret. "I'm sorry you had to witness that, Ovelia." He ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't enjoy it. But we couldn't have left otherwise."
"It's okay," I said automatically—the words I had learned to say in Timberline, the ones that kept me safe. "I understand." They tasted like the lie they were.
He turned to face me fully. Before I could react, his hands came up, warm and slightly rough against my cheeks, cradling my face with unsettling gentleness. I gasped, my pulse leaping into a frantic rhythm.
He held my gaze for a long, searching moment. Then, very softly, he said, "Don't say 'it's okay' when it's not." His thumb brushed my cheek, and I realized I was trembling. "Your eyes tell me everything you try to hide."
Heat flooded my face—a scorching blush I had no hope of hiding. I tried to look away, but his hold, though gentle, was firm. I was trapped in his gaze, flustered and painfully seen.
Finally, he released me. I turned quickly, pretending to be engrossed in the passing scenery—shops opening, merchants calling out their wares, people laughing and talking. Life, normal and bustling, flowed around us.
Then, we passed under the great gatehouse, and the world opened up.
Before us stretched an immense, rolling plain, a vast tapestry of green and gold under the immense bowl of the sky. Herds of sheep dotted the landscape like slow-moving clouds, their bleats carried on a breeze that was cleaner, wilder, than any within palace walls. I had seen it once at night, a place of shadow and fear. Now, in the pure morning light, it was breathtaking.
"Your face," Ace said, a smile tugging at his lips, "is like a storybook I've never read. Every chapter is new. I can tell you've never seen this before."
I turned back to the passing scenery, the breeze catching my hair. "I've read about it in books," I admitted, "but seeing it in person is entirely different. The breeze feels wonderful here." Joy bubbled up from somewhere deep, light and unexpected.
"Lucky I brought you along, then." He glanced at me, then at the others. "Is everyone hungry?"
I realized I hadn't eaten breakfast. But surprisingly, hunger was the last thing on my mind. Ray and Ann echoed my sentiment with a shake of their heads and quiet smiles.
Ace unfolded the map and laid it flat with a sense of urgency, his finger tracing a deliberate line across the parchment. "We can't make Thunoa Village in a single day's travel. Our objective for today is to reach Meadowlark by nightfall. We rest there." The softness from moments ago had vanished—his voice was all business now. "We must be under cover before dark."
We nodded in unison, the weight of the journey settling around us like a cloak.
"Seven days until the Lantern Festival," Ray called back from the front, his voice carrying a quiet gravity. "We need to resolve this bandit situation and be back within the kingdom walls before then."
I wanted to ask about the festival—what it meant, why the deadline felt so tight—but the atmosphere was too focused, too tense for casual questions.
"I hope we won't have trouble locating the werewolf bandits' hideout," Ace added, his gaze drifting toward the dense trees pressing in on both sides of the road.
I felt a watchful presence and looked up to find Ann studying me, her brow lightly furrowed. "Lady Ovelia, are you well? Is the ride too rough?" Her concern was warm, tangible.
"I'm perfectly fine, Ann. Truly," I assured her, and this time my smile felt a little more real. Her answering nod was relieved.
"Sir Ray, if you need to rest your arms, I am capable with the reins," Ann offered, her voice bright with competence.
"I appreciate it, Ann, but I'm well. Caught a bit of sleep while you were all preparing," Ray's tone was friendly, but his focus never left the road ahead.
The forest enveloped us. The sunlight fractured into dancing motes through the dense canopy. The air grew cooler, damp, and rich with the scent of pine resin and decaying leaves. The sound of the wheels was muffled by the soft earth, replaced by the constant, whispering rustle of the trees.
"Ovelia, if you're tired, you can rest," Ace's shoulder brushed against mine, his voice quiet. "I don't mind."
"Thank you," I murmured, the offer itself was a comfort.
Then, a strong gust of wind swept through the trees—not natural, but deliberate. A voice threaded through the leaves, low and urgent. "Be careful. Enemies are near."
"Wind?!" I gasped, startled.
Ace's eyes widened with realization. "That voice—it's the one that helped us find you in the forest. We saved you from the werewolves because of it. Wind is its name—it's who you wanted to speak to earlier."
"That's just his nickname," I clarified, the air around us growing taut.
A sudden rustle came from the underbrush. Ray halted the horses, and I saw Ace's hand instinctively move to his sword, his body coiling like a spring.
"Lady Ovelia." Ann's voice dropped to a low, commanding register I had never heard before. She didn't look back at me, but her posture had shifted entirely—no longer a maid on a bench, but a sentinel, poised and lethal.
My heart hammered against my ribs. We had only just begun our journey, and already danger loomed ahead.