•Palace Entrance•
[Ovelia's POV]
As we approached the palace entrance, the imposing guards stationed on either side immediately caught my attention. Their stern expressions and polished armor radiated authority, but my focus quickly shifted to the covered wagon waiting in the center. Crafted from sturdy timber, its unpainted finish gave it a rustic charm. The spacious wagon bed promised comfort, resting on strong, iron-rimmed wooden wheels designed to handle rugged terrains. Two powerful horses—a dappled gray and a deep chestnut—stood poised beside each other, their harnesses adorned with intricate leather and metal buckles that gleamed in the sunlight. They exuded strength and grace, ready to carry us on our journey.
"That's the wagon we'll use to really blend in as traveling merchants," Ray said with a teasing grin, his voice light but carrying an undertone of excitement.
"Wow, it's my first time seeing a wagon like this!" I exclaimed, my excitement bubbling over. The sight of it filled me with a sense of adventure, though a small part of me was nervous about what lay ahead.
Ace glanced at me, a warm smile spreading across his face. There was kindness in his expression that made my heart flutter.
"We can't waste any more time standing around. Let's get in the wagon," he urged, his voice firm but not unkind.
We followed Ace, with Ray and Ann taking the front seats, responsible for driving the horses.
As I stood beside Ace, he turned to me, a teasing challenge in his eyes. "That wagon's pretty high up. Think you can manage?"
"Yes!" I replied though doubt flickered in my mind.
I attempted to climb onto the wagon, but my long skirt impeded my efforts, making it difficult to lift my legs. Frustration began to creep in as I struggled.
Seeing my dilemma, Ace inhaled deeply, then stepped behind me and effortlessly scooped me up. I gasped in surprise as he set me down gently on the wagon.
"If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask," he said softly, a hint of concern lacing his tone.
"Thank you," I replied, my cheeks flushing with a mix of embarrassment and gratitude. I watched him climb up next to me, feeling a warmth spread through me at his kindness.
Inside the wagon, I spotted bags, baskets filled with food, and two pigeons confined in a single cage. The pigeons cooed softly, their feathers ruffling as they shifted in their enclosure.
"That pigeon is a carrier pigeon. They're well-trained; we use them to deliver messages by attaching letters to their legs," Ace explained, his voice proud.
"This is my first time seeing a carrier pigeon!" I exclaimed, my eyes sparkling with excitement. The idea of such clever birds fascinated me.
"Lady Ovelia, I also packed some village outfits in the bag so you can change after your bath," Ann chimed in, her voice warm and thoughtful.
"Thank you, Ann," I replied, genuinely grateful. I was relieved she had brought additional clothes, as I had completely forgotten to prepare my own earlier.
"Ray, why haven't we left yet? Aren't we in a hurry?" Ace asked, impatience tinging his voice.
I turned to Ray, who was gazing up at the palace terrace.
"Our father is on the palace terrace. Aren't you even going to look at him?" Ray questioned, a hint of concern in his voice.
Ace and I stepped closer to Ray, our eyes following his gaze. We could see Alpha King Raymond on the terrace, looking down at us with a warm smile. After a few moments, he turned away and walked inside.
"So that's his way of saying 'take care'?" Ace mused, a smirk flickering across his face.
I heard Ray stifle a laugh and noticed the knights standing at attention, saluting the King as he departed.
The horses began to stir, and the wagon moved alongside them. Ace and I sat down on the wagon's wooden floor.
"Wait!!" A woman shouted, suddenly blocking our way. The horse reared back, startled, causing the wagon to jolt violently. Two pigeons in their cage flapped their wings wildly.
In a move too fast for human eyes, Ace pulled me close, his left arm wrapping protectively around my waist while his right hand gently cupped my head, shielding me from a potential collision with the wagon wall.
Fortunately, Ray quickly calmed the horses, easing their panic.
"Princess Eliana! What is the meaning of this?!" Ray's roar was pure, undiluted fury.
"Ovelia, are you okay?" Ace turned to me, his eyes softened with worry.
Ace's concern for me is becoming a constant. A dangerous, comforting constant. I shook my head, finding my breath. "I'm alright," I managed, offering him a shaky but genuine smile. He nodded, the tension in his jaw easing a fraction, before he turned his attention forward, his posture shifting from protector to prince.
I busied myself straightening the scattered supplies—thankfully, the food baskets had been tied down securely.
"Ace! Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?" Eliana's voice was no longer commanding; it trembled, fraying at the edges with hurt and accusation. She stood in the path of the horses.
"There was no time to seek you out. The orders came, and we had to move," Ace replied. He didn't step down from the wagon. His voice was firm, but I saw the flicker of guilt in the set of his shoulders.
"Take me with you!" The plea was desperate, stripped of royal pretense.
"I cannot." Ace's refusal was absolute. "This is not a pleasure trip. We are on a covert mission, disguised to infiltrate an area crawling with bandits. The Alpha King himself ordered it." He paused, his voice dropping, attempting gentleness. "Eliana, you are the princess of Crimsonheart. Your presence would be a beacon, not a disguise. It is too dangerous. I am sorry."
I leaned against the wagon's side, trying to make myself small. My eyes met Ann's where she sat rigid on the driver's bench. Her expression was a mirror of my own uneasy apprehension.
"It will be alright," she mouthed silently, forcing a small, tight smile. I tried to return it, but the doubt was a cold stone in my gut.
"But you're taking her!" Eliana's cry was sharp, pointing a trembling finger directly at me. The anger was back, hot and blinding, and beneath it, a raw, panicky fear.
"That woman really irritates me. I'm a goddess, but I'm not kind. I can give you the strength to shut her up if you want," Lady Firera's voice echoed in my mind.
"But lady—" I started to respond verbally.
"Don't talk to me out loud. Talk to me using your mind, just like telepathy," Lady Firera interrupted.
"I don't like her, but I don't want to hurt her," I replied mentally. Lady Firera didn't respond, and I could almost feel her irritation radiating through our connection.
"PrincessEliana, we're in a hurry!" Ray responded sharply, frustration bubbling beneath his calm exterior.
Ace placed a restraining hand on his brother's arm. He took a deep, steadying breath, his gaze locked on Eliana. "Eliana," he said, his voice softening into a tone I had never heard him use before—a tone of intimate negotiation. "I give you my word. When this mission is over, when we return, I will come to Crimsonheart Kingdom. I will spend time with you. Just the two of us."
"Sir Ace?!" Ann's gasp of disbelief was audible.
The words were a physical blow. A sharp, twisting pain lanced through the center of my chest, so sudden and intense it stole my breath. I pressed a hand discreetly over my heart, as if I could hide the ache. Why? Why does this feel like a betrayal? We agreed. We are friends. Just friends.
"Really?" Eliana's entire being transformed. The storm cleared from her face, replaced by radiant, triumphant hope. "You promise? Then… take care. All of you." She stepped gracefully aside, smoothing her skirts, her smile now beatific and utterly secure.
Her emotions shift like weather on a mountain, I thought, dazed and unsettled by the sudden calm.
The moment the path was clear, Ray snapped the reins. The wagon jolted forward again, leaving the palace and the smiling princess behind.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Ray exploded, turning to glare at his brother as the horses found their rhythm. "Making a promise like that to her?!"
"It was the only way to get the wheels moving without a scene that would attract every guard in the quadrant," Ace shot back, his own frustration simmering. "We do not have time for a royal tantrum. We're moving now, aren't we?"
Ace turned his back on the argument and sank down beside me again. The mask of the frustrated prince fell away, revealing a weariness and something like regret. "I'm sorry you had to witness that, Ovelia," he said, his voice low. "It was… a tactical necessity. The quickest exit strategy."
"It's okay," I said automatically, the words tasting like ash. "I understand." I offered the practiced, placating smile I had perfected in Timberline.
He turned to face me fully. Before I could react, his hands came up, his palms warm and slightly rough against my cheeks, holding my face with an unsettling gentleness. I gasped, my pulse leaping into a frantic rhythm.
"Don't," he murmured, his silver eyes searching mine intently. "Don't say 'it's okay' when it clearly is not. Your eyes give you away."
Heat flooded my face, a scorching blush I had no hope of hiding. I tried to look away, but his hold, though gentle, was firm. I was trapped in his gaze, flustered and painfully seen.
Finally, he released me. I turned quickly, pretending to be engrossed in the passing scenery as we rolled through the kingdom's main thoroughfare. Shops were opening, merchants called out their wares, people laughed and talked. Life, normal and bustling, flowed around us.
Then, we passed under the great gatehouse, and the world opened up.
Before us stretched an immense, rolling plain, a vast tapestry of green and gold under the immense bowl of the sky. Herds of sheep dotted the landscape like slow-moving clouds, their bleats carried on a breeze that was cleaner, wilder, than any within palace walls. I had seen it once at night, a place of shadow and fear. Now, in the pure morning light, it was breathtaking.
"Your face is a storybook," Ace commented, a genuine amusement lightening his tone. "I can tell you've never seen this before."
"I've read about it in books, but seeing it in person is entirely different! The breeze feels wonderful here," I replied, joy bubbling within me.
"Lucky I brought you along. Is everyone hungry?" Ace asked, glancing at me.
I realized I hadn't eaten breakfast, but surprisingly, hunger was the last thing on my mind. Ray and Ann echoed my feelings, shaking their heads with a smile.
Ace unfolded the map and laid it down with a sense of urgency.
His finger traced a route. "We cannot make Thunoa Village in a single day's travel. Our objective for today is to reach Meadowlark by nightfall. We rest there." His voice was all business now, the earlier softness gone. "We must be under cover before dark."
We all nodded, the reality of the journey solidifying around us.
"Seven days until the Lantern Festival," Ray stated from the front, his voice carrying back to us. "We need to resolve this bandit situation and be back within the kingdom walls before then." The gravity in his tone was unmistakable. I longed to ask about the festival—what it meant, why the deadline was so strict—but the atmosphere was too focused, too tense for casual questions.
"I hope we won't have trouble locating the werewolf bandits' hideout," Ace added, his gaze drifting toward the dense trees surrounding us.
I felt a watchful presence and looked up to find Ann studying me, her brow lightly furrowed. "Lady Ovelia, are you well? Is the ride too rough?" Her concern was a tangible warmth.
"I'm perfectly fine, Ann. Truly," I assured her, and this time my smile felt a little more real. Her answering nod was relieved.
"Sir Ray, if you need to rest your arms, I am capable with the reins," Ann offered, her voice bright with competence.
"I appreciate it, Ann, but I'm well. Caught a bit of sleep while you were all preparing," Ray replied, his tone friendly but his focus never leaving the road ahead.
The forest enveloped us. The sunlight fractured into dancing motes through the dense canopy. The air grew cooler, damp, and rich with the scent of pine resin and decaying leaves. The sound of the wheels was muffled by the soft earth, replaced by the constant, whispering rustle of the trees.
"Ovelia, if you're tired, you can rest," Ace said quietly, his shoulder brushing mine. "I don't mind."
"Thank you," I murmured, the offer itself a comfort.
Just then, a strong gust of wind swept through, carrying a warning. "Be careful, enemies are near!"
"Wind?!" I gasped, startled.
"That voice—it's the one that helped us find you in the forest. We saved you from the werewolves because of it! Wind is its name; it's who you wanted to speak to earlier," Ace explained, his eyes wide with realization.
"That's just his nickname," I clarified, feeling the atmosphere tense.
Then, a sudden movement rustled the underbrush. Ray halted the horses, instinctively Ace gripping his sword, ready for action.
"Lady Ovelia," Ann said, her voice dropping to a low, commanding register I had never heard before. She didn't look back at me, but her posture had changed—no longer a maid on a bench, but a sentinel, poised and lethal.
My heart raced. We had only just started our journey, yet danger loomed ominously ahead.