The wind shifted.
I opened my palm, staring down at the flickering blue spark dancing in the center of it alive, unstable, pulsing with a rhythm that wasn't mine but somehow felt... familiar.
Leonard watched me carefully, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. We stood alone in one of the castle's hidden gardens, surrounded by shadowed hedges and old statues half-swallowed by ivy. The night air smelled like metal and roses.
"Again," he said coldly.
I flinched slightly. He hadn't raised his voice, but there was something sharp in the way he said it, like he expected me to fail.
I clenched my jaw and focused. Breathe in. Breathe out. The memory of fire. Of light. Of escaping that cursed room. Of pain. Of freedom.
The spark in my hand flared.
Leonard stepped closer, his gaze still cold. "Now hold it. Don't let it vanish."
I tried. Spirits knew I tried. But fear crept in, and just like that,the spark vanished into the wind.
"Damn it," I whispered under my breath.
He turned his back. "You're too emotional."
"That's rich coming from you," I snapped before I could stop myself.
His head tilted, slightly amused. "Careful."
I swallowed, but stood my ground. He was still a mystery to me,a strange, dangerous creature who saved me, trained me, but never let me get too close. He was cold, detached. But he was the only one who made me feel like I wasn't insane. And I hated that.
He began walking away, but paused. "Tomorrow again. Don't be late."
With that, he vanished into the shadows of the hedge maze, leaving me alone beneath the moonlight, my hand still tingling from the spark.
—
The next morning, chaos began brewing before I even left my chambers.
Kate helped me dress in a soft cream gown embroidered with tiny silver leaves. My bruises had faded, but my thoughts hadn't. As she tightened the ribbon at my back, Lydia burst into the room, breathless.
"Mi lady, guests have arrived," she said.
"Guests?"
"From House Virellia. And some nobles from Marrosh. There's to be a court gathering in the Great Hall this evening. A party."
"A party? Why?"
Kate bit her lip. "The nobles... they say you've brought unrest to the castle. That you're cursed."
"Cursed?"
Lydia nodded. "They think your presence caused the attack. The witches... Jeremy."
I went quiet.
"They don't understand," Peace added softly, "and... they hate what they fear."
"Will Leonard be there?" I asked.
They all exchanged glances.
"He has to," Kate said. "They're here for him, not you."
—
The Great Hall gleamed that evening, lit by hundreds of floating golden lanterns that shimmered against polished stone. Crystal goblets clinked. Strings of violins played something soft, distant. Every inch of the room screamed wealth and tension.
I walked beside Leonard, who offered me his arm as a formality. He didn't speak. Didn't smile. Didn't even glance at me. Just led me through the crowd like I was something on display.
Noble ladies stared.
Some in curiosity.
Some in disgust.
And one in particular... in challenge.
She walked toward us, a lady in emerald green with sharp cheekbones and a crown of copper curls. She didn't bow. Her eyes landed on Leonard's hand around mine, then on me. She gave a slow, deliberate smirk.
"Your Highness," she said to Leonard. "I must say... this is unexpected. She's nothing like the rumors."
Leonard's face didn't shift. "Lady Yvonne."
I froze. I knew her name. The daughter of the Eastern Duke. A rumored past flame.
She turned to me. "Forgive me, Princess... Lisa, is it? I didn't know they accepted girls so... provincial into the royal court."
My stomach twisted.
Leonard remained silent.
So did I.
But Lady Yvonne wasn't done. "I do hope you're... adjusting. Life at court is not for the faint of heart. Or the faint of blood."
There was laughter around her. Other noble girls joined, whispering behind fans.
I smiled tightly. "Oh, I'm adjusting just fine. Though I must say, for a woman so polished, you seem oddly desperate for attention."
Yvonne's smirk faltered. Only slightly.
Leonard's lips twitched.
Before she could respond, a trumpet rang out. The crowd turned as a tall, dark-haired woman entered through the eastern wing. Her presence sucked the noise from the room.
"Princess Hadley," someone whispered.
Leonard's sister.
She walked straight toward us, her long black gown trailing like smoke. Her red eyes like Leonard's were regal, cold, intelligent.
She stopped before me.
"So," Hadley said, circling me once like a hawk, "this is the girl my brother risked a war to marry."
Leonard spoke then, voice low. "Enough."
Hadley raised a brow but smiled. "She's lovely. Soft. But perhaps... too soft."
"I'm not as soft as I look," I said.
Hadley's smile grew. "Good. We'll see."
And then she walked off.
—
The rest of the night blurred whispers, stares, silks, and shadows. But I held my head high.
I wasn't just a girl anymore.
I was the wife of a prince. The key to something unknown. A girl with a fire in her palm and a destiny I didn't yet understand.
And if this court thought I would break easily—
They were wrong.