Heart, which had just calmed down after meeting the count, began to pound again with a new, chilling force.
The engagement to the third princess.
In the book, this marriage was a pure political move, a screen behind which Ellian continued his games, and the princess quietly faded away in the shadow of his arrogance. She was a pawn given to the Mellouer family.
The queen knew that the third princess did not have the ability to stand up for herself in the upcoming battle for the throne, she was the weakest of all, her death would be the first among the royal heirs.
The queen did not want her to die, she sincerely loved her daughter, so she married her off to one of the most influential houses in the kingdom. When engaged, the third princess adopted the surname Mellouer, she automatically withdrew from the battle for the throne and became part of the Mellouer family.
I don't know why the Queen chose Ellian out of all the heirs. Perhaps because of its enormous combat potential. Maybe she was confident that Ellian would be able to protect the princess.
In the book, she died due to a congenital disease of her core, sometime in the first half of the semester.
How did Ellian react? He didn't care, even though she was trying to win his appreciation, he didn't see anything useful in her. She couldn't give him anything.
No one knew about her illness, she carefully hid it, she knew that nothing in this world could help her. But she still had hope.…
Alyssia, that was the name of the third infamous princess.
My body, obeying my muscle memory, led me into a huge garden. Another world reigned here, moist, warm, filled with the rich aromas of unprecedented plants. The air was heavy and stuffy after the sterile coolness of the office.
A woman was sitting by a small fountain among a thicket with bizarre leaves and bright, poisonous-looking flowers.
Countess Eleanor de Mellouer was a living contrast to the whole house. Her blue hair was styled in a soft, informal hairstyle, and the soft lavender dress seemed an irregular but cozy spot here.
She smiled at the sight of me, but the smile did not reach her eyes, there was a familiar, deep sadness in them.
"Ellian, my boy, go here" she put down the book and motioned for him to sit on a stone bench next to her, "Your father... did he talk to you about the importance of the road ahead?"
"Yes, he was brief"
"He's always brief, but that doesn't mean he doesn't think about the future. Our future" she sighed, her fingers nervously plucking at the silk sleeve of her dress, "The Queen summoned me to her palace. We were... talking about you. And about Princess Alicia"
My perfect cold mask was still sitting on my face- "I'm listening"
Sighing, the Countess continued: "There will be no official announcement yet, but agreements have been reached. It's... it's a great honor for our house, Ellian," there was a false note in her voice that only she seemed to be listening to... and maybe me. - "The princess is a fragile flower, she needs protection, support. The Queen sees this support in you"
"I understand my responsibilities" I said in the same lifeless tone as in my father's office. In this body, it worked out by itself.
Eleanor looked at me, and her sadness seemed to thicken. She was looking for something in my eyes, a spark, a protest, a joy. But I found only polished silver.
"She's afraid, you know" the Countess said softly, averting her gaze to the fountain, "Not only of the enemies outside the walls, but of everything, the courtyard, her own family. This engagement is like an exile to an alien, cold fortress for her. Be... be lenient, Ellian. At least outwardly"
It was not a mother's request to her son, but to one cornered soul to another. The Countess, being herself an instrument in Dackville's political games, tried to reach out to the instrument that was her son.
"The manners of our house are impeccable" I replied. It was Ellian's answer, cold, precise, leaving no room for argument.
Eleanor sighed again, resigned. "Yes, of course, forgive my sentimentality. You have to get ready to leave, you only have a week"
I nodded and got up, the conversation was over. After giving a formal bow, I turned around and headed away from this stuffy, living world, back to the sterile, predictable corridors of the fortress.
_____________________________
The doors to my chambers closed behind me with a perfect click. I leaned against the cold, wooden surface, closing my eyes, trying to muffle the voice of instinct, which demanded to straighten up, be on my guard, even alone with myself.
"Damn bastard, stop messing with my brain, you won't get out" I whispered into the silence of the room.
The princess will arrive in two days, I need to at least not scare her off with my grimace.
"There will be no end like in the book, I will not let her die" - The Princess walked next to Ellian until the last step, such a broken and loyal person does not deserve such a cruel death.