"Eight years years ago, Cessalie Aelira Zerane Draevin changed the course of Valkathra's history. She became the first duchess in the kingdom who didn't just tend to children and household duties—she took the reins of the Draevin Duchy of Ferendia herself. Her husband, Serenus Draevin Zerane, followed her lead, a master of shadow sorcery in his own right."
Wow…
Cessalie was Meredia's cousin, and the first woman in Valkathra to make the men of the court bend, not just figuratively, but practically before her authority.
I had picked up a book on women's empowerment today, and it opened with her name. Hundreds of pages celebrating how she shattered traditions, challenged men's egos, and claimed her place at the table.
The most astonishing part? The Crown Prince himself had supported her. When the council, entirely male, resisted her entry, only Kairan, Duke Oberon, and the former High Lunarch stood by her. And of those, Kairan's influence had tipped the scales, ensuring her victory.
The audacity, the brains and the backing of the crown prince… what a power move.
All the rights women were enjoying now were small but significant and all because of that woman and the Crown Prince.
Cessalie sparked the change, and Kairan enforced it.
I rested my cheek on my palm and let out a long sigh. I still couldn't make sense of him.
No psycho, murderous man would break five thousand years of patriarchy… and do it in just eight years.
Sure, women were still considered "lesser" in many ways. I'd seen it firsthand, and even felt it myself but it wasn't nearly as brutal as it could've been.
It was impossible to hate him… and impossible to like him, either. But I couldn't deny being impressed. He had been only thirteen when he'd orchestrated all this alongside Duchess Cessalie. Thirteen and already shaping history.
I shook my head, trying to process it. What even is this man?
"Eri..."
I looked up to see Esther strolling toward me, hands stuffed in his pockets and that smug grin glued to his face.
"You're studying again? I swear, one day that book's going to gain sentience and start lecturing you back."
I rolled my eyes. Somewhere behind me, Kael tried and failed to hold back a laugh, followed by a very satisfying thud. Fenric must've smacked him again. Good man.
I pouted. "What? Can't I even read in peace?"
Esther stopped beside the table and leaned over, pressing two fingers against the page as if the words might bite. He squinted. "Cessalie Aeli—ehh!"
His nose wrinkled.
What now.
He plopped down across from me with a dramatic sigh. "Since when do you like Cessalie?"
I let out a long breath. Damn it.
Digging through Meredia's memories felt like flipping through someone else's messy diary. There wasn't hate for Cessalie, not really...just envy buried under layers of pride. The girl had gone from "ugh" to "maybe she's kinda amazing" somewhere along the way.
I looked up, tone flat. "I'm just reading. I don't have to boycott an entire book because her name's on the cover."
Esther laughed. "Please. You used to flinch at her name."
I reached for my cup of tea, only for him to snatch it first.
"Hey!"
He grinned mid-sip. "Sharing is caring."
I muttered, "So is choking."
He nearly spit the tea back out, coughing between laughs. "You're violent before noon. I'm telling Mother."
I propped my chin on my hand. "Go ahead. Maybe she'll knight you for bravery or stupidity. Hard to tell these days."
Kael snorted again, followed by another smack. Poor guy never learns.
Esther leaned back in his chair, swirling my tea like he owned the place. "So, what's the obsession? You planning to be the next Cessalie or just memorizing her tragic choices in men?"
I shot him a look sharp enough to cut parchment. "It's called studying, not stalking. You should try it sometime, though the concept of reading might scare you."
He pressed a hand to his chest, fake-offended. "Ouch. My fragile intellect."
"Nonexistent intellect," I corrected.
He grinned, unbothered. "Still smarter than your tea—
"Oh, I love a healthy sibling bond."
Oh my god. Please. Just kill me. Right now.
Esther froze like a rat caught mid-chew, then sprang up so fast his chair nearly backflipped. He bowed way too lowand cracked his forehead right against the table.
I shot up too, but I didn't dare turn. Didn't need to. The shift in the air said enough. And then Kairan appeared beside me like some divine punishment for all my sarcasm.
He flicked his hand once. "Sit."
Esther dropped back into his chair like gravity had personally requested it.
Then that gaze shifted to me. "You may sit as well, my lady."
I obeyed, mostly because my legs had stopped functioning. And when he sa the chair looked like a toy under him. The image nearly cracked me. I bit my lip hard, shoulders trembling as I fought the urge to snort.
My hands went up to hide my face, pretending I was being all respectful. In truth, I was seconds away from laughing at a crown prince.
"Your… Your Highness, I thought you left," Esther blurted, voice climbing two octaves like he'd just hit puberty again.
Oh, he totally idolizes him. Cute.
Kairan's tone was calm, clipped. "I had. But I found other matters to discuss with the Duke."
"I hope it went all well," Esther jumped in, voice just a little too cheerful.
Kairan gave a brief nod, then turned his head toward me.
I immediately looked anywhere else....the sky, the grass, the tragic state of my tea, just not at him. My eyes darted to Esther, silently begging for rescue, but the traitor had that starstruck glimmer that screamed royal fanboy mode activated.
I clenched my jaw so hard I could hear it.
"Lady..."
The way he said it stole the air right out of my lungs.
I turned slightly, pasting on what I hoped was a polite smile. "Yes, Your Highness?"
He studied me for a moment, as if trying to read the secrets under my skin. His gaze moved slowly...first to my face, then my hair.
A soft, barely audible scoff left him.
"Your hair has grown lighter," he said finally. Then, after a pause, his voice dropped a note, quieter. "And your eyes... they catch the light differently now. As though they've learned to hold the moon."
I froze mid-breath. Did he just...notice something?
I ducked my head slightly, gripping the edge of my skirt like it could anchor me to reality. My pulse was jackhammering, part panic, part absurd curiosity at the way he'd said it.
"Y-Your Highness…" I started, voice trembling. "I… I don't know what you mean."
He leaned back, fingers steepled, gaze fixed on me in that impossible calm way. My stomach twisted.
"I mean exactly what I said," he murmured, soft but sharp enough to make the air taut. "They shine differently… not just with light. There's… something."
My chest tightened. Does he know? Can he see me? I swallowed hard, curling my fingers into my lap. No, no, he can't.
Then he blinked, almost casually, and shook his head as if dismissing the thought. "But of course… that's nothing to worry about. Perhaps the light just plays tricks on tired eyes."
I exhaled shakily, relief washing over me in a rush, though my heart still stuttered. That was just his imagination. Nothing more.
He straightened slowly, like a predator pacing rather than a guest leaving.
"Very well," he said, voice low, just soft enough that it made air tighter. "Do not keep your studies waiting too long, Lady Meredia. Knowledge… is a dangerous thing to waste."
I blinked, caught somewhere between relief and panic at his words.
Esther cleared his throat nervously, straightening beside me. "Y-Yes, Your Highness. Safe travels," he stammered, like he'd just realized he was standing next to someone terrifyingly precise.
I managed a stiff nod, trying not to shiver, my hands clenched so tightly I thought I might leave dents in my skirt.
He inclined his head, eyes flicking toward mine for the barest fraction of a second longer than politeness demanded then turned and walked away.
Esther exhaled audibly behind me. "Isn't he so amazing?! I want to be like him."
I rolled my eyes, muttering under my breath, "Yeah… just terrifyingly perfect."
I sagged back in my chair, my legs were trembling I rubbed my temples while Esther practically vibrated with excitement beside me.
"You know," he gushed, waving his hands like a bard retelling a legend, "he's not just strong. he's smart! He remembers every treaty, every border dispute, every—"
"Esther," I groaned, cutting him off before he could spiral into the full list of Kairan's achievements. "Please. My brain can only survive so much adoration at once."
Esther leaned back, unfazed, eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "I just want to… be like him! Imagine knowing everything, being unstoppable, respected by everyone…"
I let out a dramatic groan, flopping forward onto the table.
I just hoped Father's meetings would end soon...maybe then the Crown Prince would finally stop showing up like some beautifully dressed nightmare.
Meredia had been the one in love with him. She'd chased him, not me. I hadn't even looked at him properly since the day he slit my wrist.
And yet here he was, hovering in my orbit like I'd done something to summon him.
What does he even want from me?
"Lady…?"
I glanced up. One of Duchess's attendants, Romana, stood in front of me, posture straight, expression as unreadable as stone.
"Yes, Romana?" I rose, brushing the wrinkles from my skirt. The woman had always made my spine stiffen. She used to watch Meredia like a hawk for the Duchess, and that habit clearly hadn't died.
"The Duchess requests your presence in her chambers," she said, adjusting her glasses with that same unnerving precision.
"I just met her before coming here," I said, frowning. "Is something wrong?"
"I am not permitted to say."
And just like that, she turned on her heel and left with no curtsy.
I stared after her. Best manners in the Duchy, Duchess always claimed. Honestly, the woman's spine was straighter than her sense of courtesy.