Chapter 15—The Prince's Tapestries
Sleep had dragged me under so completely that when I finally opened my eyes, the morning was already well underway. For a few seconds, I lay still beneath the fur blanket, staring at the tent ceiling. Then reality caught up with me. This wasn't my bedroom. I wasn't Samantha Lindsey anymore. I was Princess Elysia.
I groaned quietly and pulled the blanket over my face. Back in my old life, sleeping late on a weekend had been perfectly normal. I could stay in bed until noon if I had nowhere to be. Nobody would bat an eye.
Here, however, oversleeping felt like some sort of royal offence. Especially when I was supposed to be a princess.
"Your Highness?" The voice came from beside my bedroll.
I lowered the blanket. Lady Evelyn stood there with a basin of warm water, looking as composed as ever. "Good morning."
"Good morning, Your Highness." She smiled. "Did you sleep well?"
"Very well." Too well, apparently.
Evelyn helped me wash and dress, then began working on my hair. I sat in front of the full-length mirror while she divided the strands and started braiding them. For the first time since waking up in this world, I had the opportunity to properly examine the body I'd somehow inherited.
Ash-blond hair fell down my back, catching the morning light whenever I moved. My eyes were blue. My face was softer than the one I remembered seeing in the mirror every morning back home. I leaned closer. Well. Elysia really was beautiful.
Not the kind of beauty that demanded attention. There was something softer about her features—a small nose, an oval face, delicate lips. Even her hair seemed determined to cooperate with whatever ridiculous expectations came with being a princess.
I stared at my reflection. "So this is me now."
Evelyn glanced at me through the mirror but said nothing.
A strange thought crossed my mind. Maybe this was the part where I was supposed to accept everything. Maybe I was supposed to stop thinking of myself as Samantha and simply become Elysia. Live here. Learn the customs. Discover whatever mission this world had prepared for me.
The alternative was to spend every waking moment searching for a way home. And if I did manage to return… What happened to Elysia? What happened to this body, this life, these people? I didn't have an answer.
"Your Highness?"
I realised Evelyn had finished braiding my hair.
I blinked. "Sorry. I was thinking."
She adjusted the end of the braid over my shoulder. "I was wondering where your thoughts had wandered," Evelyn said with a small smile.
I gave her a small smile in return. "Just thinking."
She didn't press.
I looked at myself one last time. Fine. For now, I would play along. But I wasn't ready to give up on finding out why I had been brought here. And if this world really was the world of the novel, then I had another problem. The story had already started changing.
Alexander was different. Ariella was different. And I was here when I shouldn't have existed at all. Mr Narrator had been suspiciously quiet about that. I didn't like it.
By the time I stepped outside, Alexander was already waiting nearby. He turned at the sound of the tent flap opening. His gaze settled on me, and something in his expression changed. Concern.
"You look better."
I resisted the urge to point out that I had only been asleep for several hours. "Good morning, Your Highness."
"Good morning, Princess." His eyes moved briefly over my face. "Did you sleep well?"
I nodded. "Very well, actually. The tea helped."
His shoulders relaxed slightly. "I'm glad."
There was no theatrical prince-like smile. No polished charm. Just genuine relief. That was almost more troublesome. "How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Much better. My ankle still hurts, but I can walk."
"Good." His gaze lingered for a moment before he seemed satisfied. "Then I have something for you."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Breakfast."
I hadn't expected that.
He gestured toward his tent. "Nothing extravagant. I thought you might prefer something simple." I followed him inside.
The tent was surprisingly comfortable. A few tapestries hung along the walls, their colours softened by the morning light. Cushions had been arranged around a low table, and the whole place felt less like a military camp and more like a temporary room someone had actually tried to make livable.
My eyes immediately went to the tapestries. The patterns were intricate. Flowers intertwined with strange mythical creatures, their bodies woven into the designs so carefully that they almost seemed to move whenever the fabric shifted. I knew those tapestries. Or at least, I knew the person who supposedly made them.
Seraphina.
There it was. Another piece of the puzzle. Alexander poured tea into two cups.
"Something caught your attention?"
I looked at the tapestry again. I needed to be careful. If I asked too directly, he might wonder why I knew so much about his life. I pointed toward the wall. "These are beautiful."
Alexander followed my gaze. "They are."
"Who made them?"
His expression softened. "Princess Seraphina." There was something subtle in his voice. I caught it immediately.
"She's talented."
"Very." He looked at the tapestry for another moment. "She made them herself and gave them to me."
Of course she did. I picked up my cup, pretending to be more interested in the tea than the answer I'd just received. "So you're close?"
Alexander glanced at me.
"Yes."
That was almost exactly what he had said about Ariella. My fingers tightened around the cup. Last night, Ariella had been a dear friend. Someone he had known for a long time. Someone with whom he shared a strong bond.
Now Seraphina was someone important. Someone with whom he had a special bond. How many special bonds did this man have? I took a careful sip. Maybe I had been too quick to assume that Alexander was simply the charming prince from the novel. Maybe he really was exactly what the novel had described.
A heartbreaker.
I set the cup down. "Is there something more between you two?"
His eyebrows drew together. "More?"
I immediately regretted asking. Too direct. I forced myself to shrug. "I mean..." I searched for a less suspicious way to phrase it. "Are you romantically involved?"
For a moment, he simply stared at me. Then he laughed. Not loudly. More like he couldn't quite believe the question. "No."
"Just no?"
"Just no."
I studied his face. He didn't look offended. If anything, he looked amused. "Seraphina and I are close friends," he continued. "That's all."
I waited.
"There's never been anything romantic between us."
I stared at him. This man. If he and I had met in the real world, I might already have kicked him across the room for making me suspicious in the first place. But apparently, my current situation required diplomacy. "I see." I picked up my cup again.
Alexander watched me for a moment. "You don't believe me."
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to."
I looked at him over the rim of the cup.
He was smiling. Not smugly. That somehow made it worse.
"I suppose I misunderstood," I said.
"Perhaps."
There was a pause. Then he reached across the table and lightly touched the back of my hand. The gesture caught me completely off guard. I looked down at his fingers. He withdrew them almost immediately, but not before I felt the warmth of his hand.
"Seraphina is important to me," he said. "But not in the way you're thinking."
I swallowed. "Right." I forced a smile. "Of course." Inside, however, my thoughts were running in the opposite direction.
Ariella. Seraphina. Two princesses. Two "special bonds." And Alexander stood there looking completely innocent. I had read the novel. I knew where those relationships were supposed to lead. Except… Were they?
The Alexander in front of me didn't seem to be following the script. That should have relieved me. Instead, it made me more nervous.
He leaned back slightly. "Are you all right?"
"Fine."
"You've gone quiet."
"I'm thinking."
"About?"
I hesitated. "About getting back to Astoria." That was true. At least partly.
Alexander nodded. "We should be able to leave soon."
I looked at him. "You're coming with us?"
"Of course."
"Why?"
His expression suggested the question was obvious. "I won't let you travel through the enchanted woods alone."
I almost laughed. That was precisely what I didn't need. What I needed was a little privacy. Especially if I wanted to find out why I could communicate with monsters. Still, I couldn't exactly tell him that.
"Thank you," I said.
He smiled. "It's my pleasure."
I lowered my gaze to my breakfast. Having Alexander beside me might make the journey safer. It would also make one particular problem considerably harder. Monsters.
Last night, Tumblefluff had spoken to me as naturally as any human. That shouldn't have been possible. Unless it was. I had no idea whether this ability belonged to Elysia, whether it had something to do with her bloodline, or whether my arrival had somehow changed something inside her. There had to be an explanation.
I glanced toward the tent entrance. Perhaps I should ask Evelyn. Or Sir Gregory. They had both known Elysia long before I arrived in this body. If anyone knew something about her abilities, it would be them. But asking too many questions could expose me. I had to be careful.
Across the table, Alexander was watching me again. "What are you thinking about?"
I quickly looked back at him. "Nothing important."
His eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't press.
I exhaled quietly. One problem at a time. First, Astoria. Then the monsters. And Alexander… I would keep my distance. Whatever else had changed in this world, one thing hadn't. I knew the story. And I knew what happened to women who fell for Prince Alexander. Or at least, I thought I did.
Mr Narrator's voice suddenly seemed to echo in the back of my mind.And so, the prince and princess continued their journey together, unaware of the fate that awaited them...
I nearly choked on my tea. Oh, please. I didn't need someone narrating my life. Especially when the narration was usually followed by disaster. I put down my cup and looked at Alexander.
He smiled at me. I narrowed my eyes. Don't fall for him, Samantha. Whatever happens, don't fall for him.