She wore something unlike anything I had ever seen in Valkathra. It wasn't the heavy, modest layers typical of the court. Instead, it revealed more of her than any noblewoman dared. My breath hitched at how unreal she looked.
Her eyes weren't on me. They were fixed behind me, on Kairan, and it made my chest tighten in a way I didn't understand.
She was breathtaking, like light made flesh.
Her blouse was cropped and off the shoulder, soft sheer ruffles brushing her arms, leaving her midriff exposed. Her skirt was long and asymmetrical, layered and flowing, brushing her strappy brown heeled sandals with every step.
Her hair fell like a frozen waterfall, pure white silk cascading to her hips in shimmering waves.
A small section from each temple was pulled back loosely, delicate layers framing her long face, while thin silver vines wound through the top layer of her hair. Purple blooms seemed to grow from the strands themselves, not merely resting on them.
She rushed toward me, and I straightened instantly, brushing dirt from my clothes and hair, yet I could barely focus. Every detail of her pulled me in....
Her skin was pale and cool, as though moonlight had settled on her. Her lips were thin, wide, rosy, and her eyes were the color of those vine like dangling flowers—like wisteria.
I couldn't stop staring at her.
A golden waistband cinched her waist, the hemline of her skirt shorter in front and flowing behind, the outer pink layer embroidered in gold, beneath it layers of cream fabric moving like water.
Jewels caught the light with every step. A heavy gold choker, a tear-drop pendant resting against her neck, bangles circling her wrists, and delicate anklets that tinkled faintly as she moved.
I could hear her voice, but it was as though it were coming from far away. All I could do was stare. There was a pull toward her I could not name, a thread of familiarity I could not place, yet my chest ached as though I had always known her.
She was Princess Artemisia of Norville, Meredia's closest friend, even though she was three years older.
Her cool, gentle hands wrapped around my dirt-stained ones immediately. "Eri! You've started training? That's… that's a miracle! I'm so happy!"
Her voice was light, almost bubbling, and I couldn't help but smile. She was the same girl who'd spent countless hours in the garden with Meredia as a child. They had been inseparable.
But then a memory surfaced, and my chest tightened. She had loved Kairan since she was eight.
"Eri, say something!" she shook my hands, bright eyes sparkling with concern. "Are you… not well? Do you need herbs? Medicine?"
I shook my head slowly, a strange flutter in my chest making me feel both uneasy and light, though I couldn't explain why.
"I… Princess… I'm… dirty right now," I muttered, pulling back my hands. "Let me wash first."
She frowned, her lips quirking in that sassy, grumpy way from memories. "Are you joking? I was always covered in mud, and you think I'd call you dirty?"
I forced a small smile. She had always loved gardening and she had taught Meredia too.
"Tell me more about all these changes in your life, Eri. I'm dying of curiosity!"
"Princess… I—"
"Call me Misa like you do," she cut in, tossing her head lightly. "Why are you still saying 'Princess'?"
"Just because I didn't come to your debutante you're going to be all formal with me?!"
I shook my head. "No, it's not that. I'm just… surprised you're here."
"Oh! You didn't know?" she said, putting a finger on her chin and letting out a little melodic hum. "I did send word, but I like… just came anyway."
"Yes, I knew you were coming, but I didn't think you'd just… show up like this. I thought the Royal Family would…"
She rolled her eyes so hard it was almost comical, but in that soft, teasing way. "Uh, no. I don't like them. They are too stiff, too proper, too… everything."
Her violet eyes flicked behind me for a moment. I followed her gaze and saw Kairan sitting under the shade of the tree again, watching silently.
I pressed my lips together, a little tense, then turned back to her.
"Prin—Misa, wait here. I'll first speak to His Highness."
I didn't know what I even wanted to talk to him. But something in me just told me to go to him.
She beamed, eyes sparkling like she was plotting mischief. "Yes, sure! I'll be right here. Don't take too long, okay?"
Her voice carried a playful lilt, light and musical.
I turned away from her and walked straight toward Kairan.
I stopped in front of him, and for the first time, I noticed something in his expression....faint lines at the corners of his eyes, a subtle strain he couldn't quite hide.
Memories had never shown me him feeling anything toward the princess. So why did it make my chest tighten, seeing him like that?
His emerald eyes flicked to me, then behind me, and back again.
He drew a deep breath and raised a brow. "What?"
"Your Highness… is training over?" I asked, my voice uncertain.
"Has your brain shrunk to the size of a rat again?" He jabbed the tip of his wooden sword into the ground, shaking his head.
Yes. My brain clearly wasn't functioning. I didn't even know why I was standing here talking to him, even though I always tried to avoid him.
"So… will you come tonight?"
"Why would you ask that, Sia!?" the angelic side of me panicked.
"Because she wants to see her man," my demon side smirked.
Shut up, both of you.
"For what reason should I come? I told you, I do not enjoy seeing your back," he said, his lips curling in that teasing calm smile. "I am not a lustful man."
My face heated, and I glared up at him. "So what does that mean, hmm? I… I… am a lustful woman?"
He shrugged, uncaring. "I did not say that."
Then, before I could react, he towered over me and flicked my forehead with a fingertip.
"I will come when I decide when to start training you."
With that, he walked past me like I barely existed.
I turned on my heel and followed him, "And when will you decide that?"
"The day you make the sword fall from my hand," he replied without looking back.
I clenched my fists and swung them behind him in the air. "Ugh, very well, Your Highness."
He disappeared through the gate, leaving me standing there, fists still clenched, heart racing, and brain completely useless.
I stood there for a few seconds, staring at the empty space where he had vanished, before finally turning back.
The princess was still there. I almost forgot about her.
I straightened and walked toward her, forcing a smile. She looked… off...just for a moment. Then it was gone, replaced by that gentle curve of her lips.
"So," she said lightly, tilting her head, "you and Kairan are on decent terms now?"
I nodded. "Yes. Kirill asked him to train me, so we're… tolerating each other."
She let out a soft hum, half-amused. "That's progress. You two always existed like sworn enemies sharing the same air."
I almost laughed.
It wasn't wrong. Kairan had a talent for getting under one's skin, for pressing exactly where it hurt. If I weren't an impostor in this body, if I didn't know how dangerous it was for him to learn too much about me, I probably would have fought him every single day too.
I couldn't blame Meredia for hating him.
I glanced at the princess again. Up close, that strange pull returned, a quiet tug in my chest I couldn't explain.
She noticed my stare and smiled wider, bumping her shoulder lightly against mine. "Come on. You look like you've been through a battle already. Training with him is exhausting, isn't it?"
I exhaled, some of the tension easing. "That's one word for it."
Her laugh was soft and bright, bubbling up without restraint. And for a moment, standing beside her, I felt oddly grounded, like something fractured inside me had briefly aligned.
As we stepped into the corridor, two very large men fell into step behind us. Both of them were built like moving walls, broad shoulders, long strides, the same overwhelming size Kairan carried.
"What the—" I started.
She glanced back casually, as if this were the most normal thing in the world. "Shalon and Caros," she said. "My father appointed them for my protection. You know how King Thaddeus is always scheming."
I didn't know anything of king. It… wasn't in Meredia's memories.
The only thing I knew was that when Artemisia was fifteen, she was taken back to Norville after King Thaddeus demanded military support from her father in exchange for her. King Andreus had refused outright, and she'd been returned immediately.
"I'm sorry I couldn't attend your debutante," she added suddenly, softer now. "My father was unwell."
I shook my head. "You don't need to apologize for that."
She gave a small nod, then looked ahead again. "That's why he thinks he doesn't have much time left. He wants to see me settled and happy."
"Aren't you happy?" I asked.
She hesitated. "I am. I mean… I want to be. I want to do what I truly wish for." Her lips curved faintly. "To have a family."
"Oh." I blinked. "Wait. Does that mean he wants you to get married?"
She nodded. "Yes. Out of the four of us, I'm the only one without a clear path. Arzhel has taken on responsibility far too early. Avyanna is joining the ministry."
She exhaled slowly. "Adratus has even started walking on his own again, all thanks to his new nurse. He'll be ready to take the throne soon."
Her fingers fidgeted with the sheer fabric of her skirt. "And then there's me. The one who still doesn't know what she's meant to do."
Something tightened in my chest. The feeling was too familiar, too close to my own. Meredia had felt the same way, standing in the shadow of capable brothers, unsure where she belonged.
I placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, Sia. You don't need a grand purpose to justify your existence. Do what makes you happy."
She looked at me, eyes brightening, then nodded. "I am."
There was a pause.
"I'm getting married in three months."
She didn't look happy or excited when she said it. That unsettled me the most.
Could it be… because she still loved Kairan?
The thought slid in uninvited. I swallowed it back immediately. I had no place to ask that. . It wasn't my story to pry into.
I turned my face away.
Then why do I feel so strange about it?
After a breath, I looked at her again. "Misa… who are you getting married to?"
"Lord Nevan," she said, looking ahead, Chin high. "One of the kingdom's ministers. He's intelligent and strong." A small smile followed. "And good-looking too."
"Hm." I studied her face. "Is he your type?"
She shot me a playful glare. "Of course he is. I'm getting married to him."
I nudged her lightly with my elbow without thinking. The familiarity came too naturally, like muscle memory that didn't belong to this life alone.
"So," I said teasingly, "I thought your type was tall, intimidating men who scare people just by existing. And who drink tea."
She snorted. "That was when I was a foolish girl in puberty. I don't like men like that anymore."
Something about her tone rang false.
"Now," she continued, softer, "I think I like Nevan."
I didn't know how I knew. Maybe it was instinct or maybe it was Meredia's memories stirring. But she was lying. Not fully, perhaps, buut not telling the whole truth either.
"Nevan rules the northern mountain ranges," she went on, eyes lighting up just a little. "You know snow is my favorite. In our city, it barely ever gets cold. Snowfall is nonexistent."
That part was true. Norville's geography was strange. A hot kingdom, save for a small mountain region where snow appeared for barely a week each year. That was why their clothing was lighter, more revealing. Honestly, I found it very attractive.
"But Nevan said he'd build a cottage in the mountains," she said, smiling now, a real one. "Just for me. We could stay there for days, surrounded by snow."
Valkathra would also see winter eventually. Artemisia had loved it here too.
I watched her smile and wondered which part of her heart that cottage was really meant to protect.