The week that followed was strangely peaceful.
No assassins.
No confrontation with nobles.
No dark magic lurking behind shadows.
Yet the calm felt… unnatural.
Like the world was holding its breath.
⸻
Princess Lyria found it impossible to focus.
Every time she tried to read, her mind wandered.
Every time she attended lessons, she caught herself staring out the window—wondering what Riven was doing.
More concerning…
her heart reacted in ways she couldn't control.
Warmth.
A racing pulse.
A strange fluttering in her stomach whenever she replayed the memory of Raven sleeping peacefully, sunlight touching her skin.
"What is wrong with me?" Lyria whispered to herself one morning, pacing inside her room.
Every time she thought about Riven's smile—
even that fake one—
her chest tightened in a way she didn't understand.
"It's not… it can't be that," she muttered, shaking her head violently. "She's just… a friend. A close friend. Someone I want to protect. That's all."
But her face was already red.
⸻
Despite trying to resist…
She went to the orphanage again the next morning.
Kara gave her a knowing smirk when she asked to come along.
Neither of them mentioned why Lyria insisted on visiting every day.
Sister Marie welcomed them with her usual warmth.
"Oh my, the princess again!" she said happily. "Raven is outside training."
Lyria's heart gave a small jump.
She walked toward the backyard—
steps quickening unconsciously.
And there she was.
Riven stood beneath a tree, practicing slow, controlled movements of her blade.
The early sun painted silver highlights over her black hair.
Calm. Focused. Graceful.
Lyria found herself unable to move for a moment.
Why does she always look so…
so impossible to ignore?
Kara nudged her.
"Are you going or will you just stare at her all day?"
Lyria nearly tripped over her own feet.
Raven noticed them approaching and lowered her blade.
"You're here again?" she asked, voice soft but carrying the faintest note of surprise.
Lyria fought the urge to blush.
"I just wanted to see if you were doing well."
Raven gave a slight nod.
" I'm Fine. Nothing unusual."
Kara crossed her arms. "You say that like nothing matters. You do realize people are still trying to kill you, right?"
Raven shrugged.
"That's later. This is now."
and They are welcome to try .
Her calmness made both Kara and Lyria exhale in frustration.
But there was something comforting about it, too-
like no matter what happened, Raven would stand steady.
Lyria sat beside her under the tree.
The breeze was gentle, carrying the scent of morning dew.
For a while…
they simply talked.
About small things.
Training.
Childhood stories.
Nothing serious.
But the peace of it seeped into Lyria's chest, warming her heart in a way she didn't want to examine too closely.
Raven rarely smiled genuinely—
but when Lyria said something accidentally silly and she laughed softly, even for a second…
Lyria felt her heart melt completely.
But outside this peaceful bubble, danger was tightening like a noose.
In a hidden chamber deep beneath the city, noble conspirators gathered.
Lord Cassian stood at the center of the room, fingers tapping anxiously.
"She knows," he muttered. "That girl—Raven —she saw it in my eyes. She knows I cursed the princess."
The other nobles exchanged worried glances.
"If she grows any closer to the royal family, our influence will crumble."
"We must act before she exposes us."
"She must be eliminated."
Cassian's eyes darkened.
"The next attempt will not fail."
Back at the Orphanage
Unaware of the plotting, Lyria found herself staring at Raven again as she finished training.
She quickly looked away.
"No," she told herself. "I don't feel that way. I don't."
But her heart refused to listen.
And Raven—quiet, unreadable, unknowingly dangerous—
sat in the grass beside her, unaware of the storm beginning to form in more ways than one.