Chapter Ten: Ignite Its Fuse Like Dynamite

Night fell heavily over Evercrest Castle. The hunt ended early. Rumours spread even faster than the royal procession returned. An unfortunate riding accident, the court officially declared. Few seemed entirely convinced.

Jeremy sat carefully upon the edge of a narrow bed inside the servants' quarters while Martha fussed angrily over his injuries.

"You could've broken your neck."

"I didn't."

"Wonderful. Shall we celebrate your survival by throwing you from another cliff tomorrow?"

Jeremy winced as she tightened a bandage.

Across the room, Oliver looked horrified enough for everyone. "You saved the prince."

Jeremy groaned softly. "Please stop saying it like that."

"But you did."

"And now the entire castle knows." That was the problem.

Long after Martha and Oliver finally left, Jeremy remained awake. Moonlight spilled faintly across the room. His shoulder throbbed relentlessly. Sleep felt impossible. Then came a soft knock at the door.

Jeremy frowned. "At this hour?"

Slowly, he crossed the room and opened it.

Prince Kelvin stood outside. Alone.

Jeremy stared.

They exchanged silence for one stunned heartbeat. Then Kelvin stepped inside quickly before anyone could see. The room suddenly felt far too small.

"You should not be here," Jeremy whispered.

"I know."

Yet the prince had come anyway. Moonlight silvered the exhaustion across his face. And behind it was something Jeremy had never seen there before. Fear. Real fear.

Kelvin looked towards the bandages around Jeremy's shoulder. His jaw tightened. "You could have died." The words sounded rough. Unsteady.

Jeremy attempted a faint smile. "But I didn't."

Kelvin stared at him for a very long time. Then finally spoke. Quietly. Almost helplessly. "Why did you do it?" But beneath it lingered everything he truly wanted to ask. Why did you risk your life? Why did you jump after me? Why do you matter this much to me?

Jeremy looked down at the floor for several long seconds. Then answered honestly. "Because it was you."

*

The morning after the Crown Hunt felt unnaturally quiet. Evercrest Castle seemed to breathe differently, as though the walls themselves had overheard something they were never meant to hear.

Servants whispered in corners before falling silent whenever footsteps approached. Noble guests lingered longer than necessary in the corridors. Even the air inside the grand halls felt heavier, burdened by curiosity too risky to voice openly.

Jeremy observed the moment he entered the kitchens, conversation stopped. Not entirely. A few servants glanced towards the bandages wrapped under his shirt before quickly looking away again. Others watched him with open fascination. He suddenly regretted leaving his room.

Oliver, unfortunately, looked delighted by the chaos. "You've become famous."

Jeremy groaned softly. "No. Don't say that."

"You nearly died saving the future king. That's absolutely the sort of thing people become famous for."

Martha smacked Oliver sharply with a wooden spoon as she passed. "Stop tormenting the poor boy."

"I'm not tormenting him. I'm admiring his heroic stupidity."

Jeremy leaned against the kitchen counter with a sigh. His shoulder still ached fiercely under the bandages. Every movement sent pain radiating down his arm.

Oliver lowered his voice slightly. "They're talking about the prince."

Jeremy stiffened. Of course they were. "What are they saying?"

The stable boy hesitated. "That he looked ready to throw himself off the cliff after you."

He looked away at once. Heat crawled uncomfortably into his chest.

Martha's expression softened slightly. "You should eat before you start working."

"I'm fine."

"You nearly fell down a mountain yesterday. Sit."

Reluctantly, Jeremy obeyed. Yet even while eating, he could feel it. The attention. The shift. People noticed him now. And inside royal courts, visibility was hazardous.

*

Across the castle, Prince Kelvin endured breakfast in silence.

The royal dining hall glittered with polished silver and morning sunlight pouring through towering windows. Noble guests spoke politely around the enormous table while servants moved gracefully between them carrying wine and fresh bread.

Normally, Kelvin tolerated these gatherings easily. Today, he wanted to leave. Every conversation felt loaded. Every glance lingered too long. He could practically hear the whispers hiding behind their courtesy.

The prince shouted for him; He carried the servant himself; Did you see his face?

Kelvin barely touched his food.

Queen Vivienne noticed immediately. Mothers always did. "You look exhausted."

Kelvin forced composure into his expression. "I slept poorly."

"Mm." The queen studied him carefully over the rim of her glass.

Elaine sat nearby, elegant as ever in pale lavender silk, though faint tiredness lingered behind her eyes too. For a brief moment, Kelvin wondered how much she understood already. The thought unsettled him.

Before he could speak again, Lord Cedric Ravaryn entered the hall.

Conversation shifted subtly around him. Cedric moved with effortless confidence, dressed in dark embroidered formalwear that made him appear more shadow than man under the morning light.

He bowed smoothly towards the royal table. "Her Majesty. Your Highness."

Kelvin nodded politely. "Lord Ravaryn."

Cedric's expression remained perfectly composed, yet something cold lingered underneath his smile. "I trust your injuries from yesterday were minor." The question sounded harmless.

It wasn't. Kelvin felt it immediately. The subtle probing shrouded by the politeness. "My injuries?"

He tilted his head slightly. "The shock, then."

Silence flickered briefly across the table. Elaine's gaze sharpened almost imperceptibly.

Cedric smiled faintly. "One can hardly blame the court for discussing such a dramatic rescue."

Kelvin's jaw tightened.

The nobleman continued calmly, "Compassion is admirable in a future king." Then, after the slightest pause, "So long as it does not become distraction."

The meaning landed heavily. Kelvin understood the warning hidden between the words. And somehow, he suspected Elaine did too.

*

Jeremy spent most of the afternoon attempting unsuccessfully to avoid attention. Little did he know Evercrest Castle had no interest in allowing him peace. By midday, three different servants had asked whether the prince truly carried him back himself.

Lara cornered him outside the laundry wing looking scandalously excited. "Did he?"

Jeremy nearly walked straight past her. "I'm not discussing this with you."

"So he did."

"Lara."

"Oh, this is wonderful."

"It really isn't."

She lowered her voice immediately. The amusement faded from her expression. "Be careful."

The sudden seriousness surprised him.

Lara glanced around the corridor cautiously. "Nobles gossip for entertainment. But powerful nobles…" She hesitated. "They gossip like soldiers igniting dynamites."

A chill moved through Jeremy despite himself. Before he could ask further, Lara disappeared down the hallway carrying folded linens, leaving unease behind her.

*

Later that evening, Jeremy received an unexpected summons. One of Elaine's attendants escorted him quietly towards the western gardens where the future queen waited beside the fountains underneath the fading gold of sunset.

Jeremy approached carefully. "My lady."

Elaine turned towards him slowly. The breeze stirred loose strands of dark hair around her face while evening light shimmered across the pale blue silk of her gown. For once, she looked tired enough to seem almost ordinary.

"I wanted to see how you were recovering."

"I'm alright."

Elaine's gaze flicked briefly towards his injured shoulder. "You nearly died."

Jeremy lowered his eyes.

Silence settled between them alongside the sound of running water. Then Elaine spoke quietly. "Thank you."

He looked up, startled.

"For saving him."

Jeremy struggled for words. The sincerity in her voice hurt unexpectedly. Anyone else would've been easier. Anger would've been easier. Jealousy would've been easier. But Elaine looked genuinely grateful, and heartbreakingly sad. "I didn't think," he admitted softly.

"I know."

The fountain water shimmered silver under the darkening sky.

Elaine watched it quietly for several moments before speaking again. "He looks for you when you're not in the room."

The words struck Jeremy harder than the fall ever had. His breath caught painfully.

Elaine smiled faintly, though sadness lingered. "I noticed it before he did, I think."

Jeremy looked away immediately. "My lady—"

"You don't need to explain anything to me."

But that only made everything worse.

Elaine exhaled slowly. "I've known Kelvin most of my life." Her voice softened. "He has spent years pretending not to feel things too deeply." A pause. "But yesterday…" She swallowed faintly. "I've never seen him frightened like that."

Jeremy's chest tightened unbearably as silence enveloped them for a moment.

Then Elaine straightened gently, reclaiming pieces of her composure. "Whatever happens next," she said quietly, "be careful."