Terror slowly became evident on their faces and they simultaneously ran out of the room, Katie instinctively grabbing Alexander’s hand as the distance between them started to widen. Alexander gripped her hand tightly and they ran as fast as they could, managing to exit the passageway quickly. When they finally shut the bookshelf, they locked eyes, panting… then they burst out laughing.
“Oh… my gods,” Katie muttered between breaths, “I guess I should have expected that with secret passages. I hope I didn’t drag you down.”
Alexander shook his head, his hands on his waist. “I wasn’t planning on leaving you behind.”
“Ugh,” Katie removed her shoes and glanced at Alexander. “I hope you don’t mind, I’m-”
“Perfectly fine,” Alexander shrugged. “You don’t have to apologize for it.”
“Thanks,” Katie turned away, stif
Arden held coffee cups in his hands as he walked toward the library doors and paused to look at it. He knew that Katie was there since her tutor quit. For a few days, he sent Katie gifts to apologize but she was unresponsive whenever they crossed paths. She always looked like she wanted to say something, and he hoped she would talk with him, but she never did go through with what she was going to say.Since the gifts didn’t work, he thought the coffee would be a horrible way to apologize… But he found himself doing the coffee tactic anyway.The library doors threw open and he heard Katie’s excited giggle as she and Alexander walked out of the library. Arden tensed and gripped the coffee cups slightly, but he quickly loosened his grip. He squared his shoulders and summoned all the courage he could muster before approaching Katie. He saw the surprise in her eyes when they were finally face-to-face after a while.“Hi,” he started.
The next day, Katie paced back and forth in the library, her phone pressed to her ear. She had tried calling Arden but he was unavailable. Alexander looked up from the book he was reading.“Any luck?” he asked.Katie shook her head. “I’m not surprised since he almost never answers his phone. I guess he’s recharging.”“Recharging?”“I know, crazy,” Katie chuckled. “He once stayed home for a week after my anointing ceremony. He made sure everything would go smoothly.”“That’s… nice?” Alexander mumbled. “Shall we go without him, then?”After careful consideration, Katie nodded. “We should be careful, still. If it doesn’t bother you, I hope you will do the talking.”Alexander smiled and nodded. “I know. Feel free to speak when you have something to say, though.”With Alexander’s bodyguard
His senses coming back to him, Alexander groaned as he felt his entire body ache. He opened his eyes, and looked around in bewilderment for a second before realizing that he was looking at the car’s wrecked interior. He pushed himself up and saw the unconscious Katie, blood dripping from her temple and the back of her head.“Gods, Katie!” Alexander glanced at the driver, hoping to ask for help but saw him unconscious as well, his large body lying on both the driver seat and passenger’s seat.He dug through his coat pockets and finally found his phone. As he heard his father’s phone continuously ring, he saw a figure approach the car from the windshield. They were quite a ways from the city. Judging by the forest around them, they were probably near the palace… that means the one approaching could be palace staff.He rushed to the cracked window and pounded on it, attracting the person to his side. The person, one of the male
“That’s the Levee manor?” Alexander peered from the tinted car windows. “Its size rivals that of the palace!”“I remember the previous owner of the Levee house wanted to have their own palace so they always renovated it. The current duke and duchess just refurnish everything depending on the occasion,” Katie answered, putting on her olive green trench coat. “Are you ready?”“Why did I agree to this again?” Alexander inquired, buttoning his midnight blue coat. “Your injuries still hurt, don’t they?”“You had the choice to stay, didn’t you?”“I wouldn’t have allowed you to go on your own!”“Exactly!” Katie chuckled. When their car rolled to a stop by the palace entrance, she took a deep, calming breath. “Let’s go.”Upon exiting the car, a tall, tanned man with slick brown hair greeted them warmly
A few days later, Katie sat in front of her study table, singing a song at the top of her lungs. She danced a random choreography while staying seated, but her hand bumped into the papers on her table, causing her small stack of homework to fall to the floor.“Ah, crap!” Katie muttered under her breath, crouching to the floor to pick up her lessons.She heard her bedroom doors open, and a figure crossed the threshold to her bedroom, their hands akimbo. She looked up, only to meet Arden’s brilliant blue eyes. He looked at her with the expression that she usually associated with his 'doctor mode': worry.“What’s up with your expression?” she asked and resumed picking up her papers. “I told you my bruises are no longer visible.”“That’s not why I’m here.”“Why else would you enter my bedroom like it’s your living room?”Arden was taken aback by Katie&rsquo
Can you hear me?“Who's there?”You! Are you the oracle?“What?”You can hear me! You can set me free! Please help me.“I don’t understand.”Please. I was told you already know this place!“You know that's not usually the case. I don’t know where-”Katie’s eyes fluttered open and she found herself hunched over her study table. She felt her stomach growl and realized that she hadn’t eaten breakfast after getting ready to welcome the Pipers’ return.She exited her room and headed towards the kitchen, fanning herself with her hands. Did the palace get warmer?When she reached the kitchen, the lingering aromas from the dishes made her stomach growl louder. She pat her stomach and headed to the table where her breakfast sandwiches were placed.“Princess, you came later than expected to
“Ah, then… Perhaps you should go check on him,” the queen said, giving her niece a small push toward the palace doors. “Alaster and I have much to discuss. Don’t forget to button up your coat.”Katie nodded and walked to the greenhouse, appreciating that time given for her to thik. She wasn’t satisfied with her aunt’s answer but… It was no use pressing her. She knew that her aunt had much to hide. After all, it goes along with her position.What would make aunt start such a club? Does she believe that the descendant of the war god is revealed soon? What significance does the descendant and the relic have in this peaceful era.“Katie!” Alexander ran to her and wrapped her in a tight hug.The prince’s gesture brought Katie back to reality, but what startled her most was the Prince’s demeanor. Was he this cheerful before?“Hello, Prince Alexander&rd
“Feel Alexander…” He remembered his mother’s words before she died. “The gods can be perceived with emotions.”He remembered his mother’s death. It had been… so long... or was it longer than he thought? Was it a year? He was a child… so it was years ago. Before his mother died, he was not the type to believe in things such as magic or deities.His parents did always urge him to acknowledge the unknown… and that was his mother’s final wish for him. For a change, he started to study various mythologies but he never did quite feel anything towards them. He accepted his father’s offer to ally with Aelysia and they were in the Aelysian palace a month later. Before his mother's death, he would have found the idea of marrying someone from a religious country useless but perhaps if he could study Aelysia's rich history, he could find the engagement a fruitful one.At first, the clueless princess