By the time breakfast was over, I had made a decision. I needed clothes. Not pretty clothes. Not another gown with enough fabric to furnish a small tent. Practical clothes. Trousers. Shirts. A proper pair of boots. Maybe a cloak that wouldn't get caught on every branch I walked past. My current wardrobe was completely useless for the journey ahead.
I found Alexander near the entrance of the inn, speaking quietly with Gabriel while Liam stood nearby checking the horses. Alexander glanced in my direction when I approached. His expression changed almost imperceptibly, the easy conversation with Gabriel giving way to the guarded attention he always seemed to reserve for me.
I stopped a few steps away. "I need to go shopping."
Gabriel's mouth twitched.
Alexander looked at me for a moment, then at the gown I was wearing. His eyes travelled briefly over the trailing hem. "I can see why."
I looked down at myself. The dress was lovely. It was also completely impractical. "Exactly. I can't go hunting monsters dressed like this."
"You're not hunting anything." His tone was calm, but there was something underneath it that made me narrow my eyes.
"We've already had this conversation."
"Indeed."
"And yet you still haven't accepted that I can make my own decisions."
"I've accepted that you make them whether I approve or not."
I stared at him. He almost smiled. Almost.
For a moment, Alexander seemed to consider saying something else. His gaze lingered on me, and there was a strange hesitation in it that hadn't been there before. He had become increasingly difficult to read. That was one of the things that bothered me most about him.
The Alexander from the novel had always been predictable. Charming when the story required charm. Protective when the plot demanded it. Ruthless when the narrative needed a prince to be ruthless.
This Alexander paused. He reconsidered. He watched. He chose. And sometimes I had the uncomfortable feeling that he was thinking about me long after I had left the room. "Fine," he said at last. "Go."
I blinked. "That's it?"
"You wanted permission."
"I expected an argument."
"You'll have Liam with you."
My shoulders dropped. "Of course."
"Liam and Lady Evelyn."
I turned towards Liam. He gave me an apologetic look that suggested he already knew he had been volunteered for something.
Alexander folded his arms. "Evergrove is crowded. Stay with them."
"I know how to behave in a market."
"I wasn't questioning your ability to behave."
"Then what are you questioning?"
He held my gaze for a second longer than necessary. "Your habit of wandering."
That shut me up. Unfortunately, he was right. I sighed. "Fine." As I turned away, I caught Alexander watching me again.
He looked away first. He didn't understand why he'd done it. That irritated him. Since Elysia had entered his life, Alexander had discovered an unpleasant truth: his attention no longer belonged entirely to him. Before her arrival, he had known exactly what he wanted. Power. Stability. The protection of Eldoria. A future he had already spent years preparing for.
Then she had appeared, kidnapped by a beast, with a strange ability, stranger questions, and an irritating refusal to behave as though the world revolved around him. She had disrupted more than his plans. She had disrupted the quiet certainty inside his own head. Alexander watched her disappear through the inn's doors. He should have been thinking about Aetheron. Instead, he found himself wondering what she would choose to wear.
He frowned at himself. Ridiculous. He turned back to Gabriel. "Where were we?"
Gabriel raised an eyebrow. "You were explaining why you weren't concerned about her."
Alexander gave him a flat look. "I never said I wasn't concerned."
"That may be the problem."
Alexander ignored him. But the thought followed him anyway.
***
Evergrove's morning market was already crowded.Merchants called out from their stalls. Fresh bread filled the air with the smell of butter and sugar. Someone nearby was selling spiced fruit pastries, and a group of children ran between the stalls while their mother shouted after them.
For once, I didn't mind being surrounded by people. There was something comforting about a market. It felt ordinary. Normal. The kind of place where nobody expected me to save a kingdom, communicate with monsters, or somehow prevent two princesses from destroying each other over a man. I pulled my hood back slightly.
"Clothes first," I announced.
Lady Evelyn laughed. "You sound as though you've been waiting your entire life to say that."
"I have."
Liam walked behind us, carrying the expression of a man who had accepted that his morning was no longer his own.
The tailor's shop was tucked between a bakery and a small store selling enchanted household objects. Bells chimed above the door when we entered.
The shopkeeper looked up. "Welcome."
Lady Evelyn immediately became interested in everything. I mean everything.
She moved from one rack to another with quiet efficiency, running her fingers over the fabrics, checking the stitching, examining the colours and cuts. There was nothing hurried about her movements. She looked at each garment with the concentration of someone who had spent years understanding exactly what was appropriate for a princess—and what was not.
I held up a pair of dark trousers. "These."
Lady Evelyn glanced at them. She considered the trousers for a moment before looking at me. "They are rather plain, Your Highness."
"They're trousers." The answer slipped out before I could stop myself.
Lady Evelyn's expression remained composed. She took the trousers from my hands and held them up, inspecting the cut. "That is precisely why the cut matters," she said. "You will be travelling through forests and unfamiliar terrain. You need something practical, but there is no reason for you to look as though you have simply borrowed a stable boy's clothes."
I looked at the trousers again. She had a point. Still, I wasn't entirely convinced.
Lady Evelyn selected another pair from the rack and placed it beside the first. "Try these."
I stared at them. They looked almost identical. "What is the difference?"
"The cut," she replied, as though the answer were obvious.
I looked at Liam, hoping he might offer some support.
He glanced at both pairs, then at Lady Evelyn. "I'm afraid I'm not qualified to answer that."
I gave him an accusing look.He wisely said nothing more.
Lady Evelyn continued examining the garments, apparently satisfied that the matter had been settled. There was no triumph in her expression, only the quiet confidence of someone accustomed to making these decisions and knowing that she would eventually have to deal with the consequences if she made the wrong one.
By the time we left the shop, I had several pairs of trousers, shirts, a sturdy jacket, gloves and boots that actually looked capable of surviving a forest.
It felt absurdly satisfying.I was beginning to understand why Elysia had always liked shopping. Not because of the clothes. Because buying something for yourself could feel like taking back a small piece of control.
Lady Evelyn, however, had apparently decided that our shopping was not yet finished. "There is a jewellery shop nearby," she said.
I stopped walking. Lady Evelyn took another step before noticing that I was no longer beside her. She turned back, one eyebrow lifting slightly.
I narrowed my eyes at her. "No."
Her lips curved into a small, knowing smile. "You did not even allow me to finish."
"I know that look."
She regarded me calmly. "What look?"
"The look that says we're about to spend another hour inside a shop."
Lady Evelyn's smile deepened, but she did not argue. Instead, she approached me and gently adjusted the edge of my cloak where it had fallen unevenly over my shoulder. "Perhaps," she said, "you should allow me to explain before deciding whether you object."
I sighed. That was exactly the sort of answer I had expected from her.
Lady Evelyn had mastered the art of disagreeing with me without ever making it sound like she was challenging me. Lady Evelyn linked her arm through mine with the elegance of someone who always gets her way. "Come."
I glanced at Liam, hoping for backup. He raised his hands in surrender.
"I've learned not to interfere."
Traitor.
And so I marched forward, dragged by Evelyn's determination, already rehearsing the speech I'd give myself later about resisting temptation. Spoiler: I wouldn't.
The jewellery shop was smaller than I expected. Its front windows displayed rings, necklaces and bracelets arranged over dark velvet. Inside, the light was softer, filtered through coloured glass hanging near the ceiling. Lady Evelyn immediately went to speak with the young woman behind the counter.
I wandered. A tall window stood at the opposite end of the room. I drifted towards it and looked outside. There they were again. Pomegranate trees. Their branches were heavy with ripe red fruit, the colour almost startling against the green leaves. Beyond them stood the same kind of majestic oak tree I had noticed earlier.
I rested my fingertips against the window frame. There was something strangely familiar about them. Not the trees themselves. The combination. Pomegranate and oak. I had never seen them growing together like that back home.
"Lovely, isn't it?" The voice came from behind a curtain.
I turned.
A man stepped into view. He wasn't dressed ostentatiously, but everything about him suggested wealth. His dark clothes were perfectly fitted, his movements controlled without being stiff. Wavy black hair framed a face with a sharp jaw and carefully restrained expression.
Then I noticed his eyes. Blue. Not the bright blue of the sky. Something deeper. Sapphire. He stopped several feet away and inclined his head. "Forgive me for being so bold as to interrupt Her Highness's thoughts."
Her Highness. My stomach tightened. How did he know?
"I'm Lord Killian Ravenscroft," he continued. "Welcome to my humble establishment."
I gave him a small curtsy rather than accepting the hand he had extended. "I'm Elysia."
His eyes flicked briefly towards my hand, then returned to my face. "I know."
That made me pause. "How?"
His expression softened with amusement. "I overheard your lady-in-waiting speaking to the shopkeeper."
I glanced towards Lady Evelyn. She was still distracted by a tray of gemstones. I couldn't remember her mentioning my identity loudly enough for anyone else to hear.
Killian seemed to notice the uncertainty in my face. "Please don't worry. I wasn't deliberately listening." He lowered his hand. "The shop is small. Conversations tend to travel."
That was a reasonable explanation. Probably.
I turned back towards the window. "The trees caught my attention."
"They would." Killian came to stand beside me, though he left enough space between us to avoid crowding me. His gaze followed mine. "Pomegranates are surprisingly adaptable. They tolerate a great deal of heat and can survive in difficult conditions."
I glanced at him. "You're talking about plants."
"Usually."
"And you sell jewellery."
"Among other things." There was the faintest smile at the corner of his mouth.
I looked outside again. "What about the oak?"
"Hardy. Adaptable. It prefers well-drained acidic loamy soil."
I frowned. "Pomegranates prefer deep, fertile soil with moderate moisture. Slightly acidic, usually."
Killian looked at me. I looked back at him. For a moment, neither of us spoke. This was possibly the strangest conversation I'd ever had inside a jewellery shop.
He continued, apparently unaware that I was wondering whether someone had accidentally transported a botanist into a fantasy novel.
"The two can coexist," he said. "Given the right conditions. Warm temperatures. Plenty of sunlight. Good drainage."
I stared at the trees. "That's interesting."
"Am I boring you?"
"No." The answer came more quickly than I expected. I smiled despite myself.
"Actually, I was wondering about them too." Killian's expression changed. Only slightly.
But I noticed. "Why?" I hesitated. "Because where I came from, I had never seen those trees planted on the same soil." The sentence escaped before I could stop it.
Killian didn't immediately respond. His gaze rested on me, thoughtful rather than suspicious. "Astoria's soil is not naturally suited to either of them," he said eventually. "The conditions here have been altered by enchantment over generations."
I blinked. Of course. Magic. When in doubt, blame magic. "How did you know that?"
He looked towards the window. "I've travelled."
There was something in the way he said it that made the answer feel incomplete. I decided not to press. At least I hadn't completely embarrassed myself with the botanical explanation.
Killian seemed to realise that too. A quiet amusement settled in his eyes. "I apologise. I seem to have turned your visit into a lecture about soil."
"I enjoyed it."
That surprised him. I could tell. His eyebrows lifted slightly before he recovered. "Most people prefer gemstones."
"I know absolutely nothing about gemstones." The confession felt strangely easy. Maybe because Killian hadn't looked at me like I was supposed to know. Maybe because he hadn't laughed. I had spent so much time pretending to be Princess Elysia that admitting ignorance felt almost like taking off a mask.
Killian noticed the change. There was no embarrassment in my expression, only curiosity. "You don't wear much jewellery," he observed.
I looked down at myself. "Not really."
"Gold?"
"Mostly."
"Because you prefer it?"
I shrugged. "Because it's what I know."
His eyes lingered on me for a moment. Then he turned towards one of the display cases. "Then perhaps I should show you something less familiar." He unlocked the case and removed a bracelet. It was simple compared with some of the elaborate pieces Lady Evelyn had been admiring. A narrow band of silver held several small stones set into the metal.
I leaned closer. "What are those?"
"Moonstone."
I glanced up. "I thought moonstone was white."
"Usually." He turned the bracelet slightly beneath the light. The stone changed. Not dramatically. Just enough to reveal another colour beneath the surface. "Gemstones are rarely as simple as their names suggest."
There was something about the way he said it that made me look at him instead of the bracelet. His expression was unreadable. Almost.
I reached for the piece. He offered it to me. Our fingers touched. A sharp jolt travelled through my hand. I pulled back instinctively. Killian's fingers stopped in midair.
For the first time since he had approached me, his composure cracked. Only for a heartbeat. His eyes dropped to his hand. Then to mine. He had felt it too.
"What was that?" I asked.
Killian looked at the bracelet. "I don't know." That answer sounded honest. He turned the piece over, examining the metal as though it might explain what had just happened. "It hasn't done that before."
"That's reassuring."
A quiet laugh escaped him. "Perhaps not." I looked at the bracelet again. There was something oddly warm beneath the metal now.
I couldn't decide whether I wanted to put it on or give it back. Killian seemed to sense the uncertainty. "You don't have to buy it."
I looked at him. "Good."
He smiled. "But you could."
I glanced down at the bracelet again, turning it slightly between my fingers. The stones caught the light as I moved, but my attention kept drifting back to him. There was something disarming about the way he spoke to me. He didn't seem particularly concerned with impressing me, and somehow that made me more curious about him. I caught myself studying his face. How long had I been doing that? I quickly looked away.
I barely knew the man. Yet there I was, standing in a jewellery shop, wondering what kind of person he was beyond the polished manners and carefully chosen words. That was strange enough.
Alexander filled a room without trying. He carried authority like armour, and even when he was silent, there was always something sharp beneath the surface.
Killian was different. Quieter. He listened. He noticed things. And when he spoke, it felt as though he had already considered three possible answers before choosing the one he wanted me to hear. That should have made me wary. Instead, I found myself wanting to know more.
Behind his calm expression, Killian was asking himself a different question. Why did the bracelet react to her? He had owned it for years. He had handled it countless times. Nothing. Not once. Yet the moment her fingers touched it, warmth had spread through the metal. He looked at Elysia again.
She was trying to decide whether to trust what she had felt. There was caution in her posture, but curiosity kept drawing her back towards the bracelet. She was not reacting like someone who believed in destiny. That interested him more than the reaction itself. Most people wanted mysterious things to mean something. She seemed determined to prove that they didn't. Killian almost smiled. Perhaps that was why he found himself wanting to test the boundaries of her certainty. Not manipulate her. But simply understand her. "Elysia."
She looked up. "Yes?"
He held the bracelet out again. "Try it again."
She hesitated. Then took it. This time, nothing happened. She frowned.
Killian watched her closely. The disappointment that crossed her face was so brief she probably thought he hadn't noticed. He had.
Neither of them commented on it. Across the room, Lady Evelyn called her name. "Lady Elysia, come look at these!"
She turned towards her lady-in-waiting. Then back at Killian. "I should go."
"Of course."
She placed the bracelet back in his palm. Their fingers almost touched again. Killian closed his hand around the jewellery after she stepped away. He watched her walk towards Lady Evelyn, listening as the older woman began enthusiastically explaining the virtues of some elaborate necklace.
Elysia laughed. The sound carried across the shop.
Killian looked down at the bracelet. He had no explanation for what had happened. But he had the uncomfortable feeling that the encounter would not end here.
***
Outside, I stepped into the market again with Lady Evelyn talking beside me. I barely heard her. My mind was still on the bracelet. And Killian. Mostly Killian. That was annoying. The invisible narrator in my head had already begun its usual nonsense.
Mysterious stranger. Unexpected encounter. A spark between two souls. A meeting arranged by fate.
I could practically hear the dramatic music. I rolled my eyes. Yeah. Yeah. I guess I was going to have to get used to the narratives playing over and over again in my head, acting like some overenthusiastic storyteller.
But there was one thing the narrator didn't know. This story had already gone wrong. Alexander wasn't behaving like the man I remembered. The monsters weren't following the rules. And now I had met a jeweller who could apparently hold a conversation about soil, trees and gemstones while making me forget, for a few uncomfortable seconds, that I was supposed to be suspicious of everyone.
I sighed. Wonderful. Another complication. Exactly what I needed.