By the time we reached the outpost located between the Silver Mountains and the woods of Elowen Vale, the sun had completely set. The journey was a long one; what we thought would take just a few days stretched into weeks, but we finally reached our destination. However, as we took each step farther from Callistan, a rage burned within me. I could still hear my mother's last words vividly in my ears: "You must leave tonight, Lyriana. You must be out of this kingdom before morning. This is the only way to protect you." I didn't even argue with her or ask questions. She handed a sealed scroll to me while kissing my forehead, looking at me in a way that communicated more than words could say. Her eyes were filled with grief, yet also hope. Now I found myself in a kingdom I knew nothing about, filled with pines and men I didn't know. "My Princess," one of the guards accompanying me said. He was older, with gray beard and a husky voice that made him seem annoying. "We are going to rest
The garden was supposed to be where I could let go of myself in the gentle rustle of leaves and the sweet fragrance of roses. But tonight’s air felt thick, heavy with an energy that is questionable. The dusk painted everything in violet and gold, but there was still uneasiness in my chest as I walked about.There have been a lot of changes in the past few days.I used my shawl to cover my shoulders, though the fabric couldn't completely chase away the chill that had nothing to do with the weather. Alaric has not said much words to me since the involvement of him with Lyriana unfolds. There has been a distance between us even though we sleep on the same bed.Even the coded messages I'd once cherished felt different now. Less like riddles and more like walls he was building between us.I stayed briefly beside the rose Arbor, as my fingers brushed through the velvet petals of a place pink bloom. “Get a hold of yourself, Elowen,” I said silently to myself.But the garden was unlike before
As I held the note in my hand, my fingers trembled. “Check her bracelet.” The words re-echoed in my ears. My heart skipped.“Elowen,” Alaric said again as he moved closer to me. “What's the problem?*“Lyriana was wearing a bracelet on that night.” I said softly. “And it wasn't just an ornament.”“What are you implying?” He asked as his eyes widened.I looked into his eyes. “The bracelet was a tracker, or rather, a transmitter. It shows that someone took track of all that happened.”He turned his face away from me. “So they wanted it recorded?”“That is exactly what it looks like. But then, the official footage was erased. And it was deleted immediately. They got what they needed.”He said gently. “The bracelet was on her wrist the entire night and I even complimented it. She also told me it was a gift.”"A gift from whom?" I asked.He shook his head. "She said it was from her friend who was also with her that night"My heart beat faster. I needed answers.“Do you know her whereabouts
I remained in my seat gently with my fingers positioned at the edge of the window, and I started mindlessly into the night, my heart pounded fastly.The same room. Not only the same hotel. Not only the same floor Why would they even be in the same room? Do they not know the consequences of it?“My Lady?” My thoughts were interrupted by Lissa’s voice. “You haven't said anything since I showed you the hotel footage.”I looked at her. She was standing beside the heart as she toyed with the threads on her shawl. She had understood how I had felt seeing that footage of Alaric intimacy with Lyriana.“Does anyone else know about this?” I asked“We are the only people that know about this, my Lady. Since the hotel transaction was wiped off the next morning, I had to get the video from a backup cloud. As we are talking, there are no guest logs, no camera timestamps, Isn't that suspicious?”I rested my back against the window, the room painted by the firelight. My heartbeat increased but I str
The sun was gentle and was slowly fading. I stood beside the windows of my chambers, placed my hands on each other as I looked intensely outside as if it could somehow provide me answers.But I was wrong. I got no answersThe video clip kept replaying in my mind over and over again.It was Alaric and her.Princess Lyriana.Which wasn't me.They were too close with their bodies touching each other, they laughed silently but it was full of flirting, and they locked their dips intentionally.As I remembered this things, I shut my eyes because it really burned in my mind, it taunted me, unfolding everything that I believed about my fiancé Then a knock interrupted the silence.A maid called from behind the door. “My lady, there is a message for you and it has the signature of Lord Gareth on it.“Send it in.” My heart skipped a bit.The door opened gently and the maid stepped in as she gave me the letter with a bow. I collected it from her as I signalled for her to leave.I opened the enve
I sat gently at the small garden as I sipped a cup of jasmine tea while Alaric sat beside me, lost in thought. “I noticed that you have been overly quiet and all by yourself today, is there a problem you would want to share?”. I said softly as I continue to study his face.As if it was my voice that interrupted his thoughts. He startled and looked up with his face full of something unreadable. “ I am just tired, my darling. Endless meetings and council duties have been a lot on me.I placed my hand on his shoulders softly. “Alaric, I don't know why you should be keeping to yourself when you have me. We are partners in everything.”He nodded as he let out a grin. He still felt so distant even as I held his hands. This has been the order of the day recently. We felt distant even when we are together and unreachable even when close.Few moments later, we were served our lunch by one of staffs. It was grilled pheasant, buttered carrots, and soft Ardonia bread. In as much as I tried to co