The inn's hearth crackled low as Crown Prince Theodore stepped inside, the familiar scent of roast and pine-scented smoke filling his lungs, and the hearty chuckles and cheers filled his ears.
Jonathan, his closest aide and childhood friend, was his reluctant companion. When the crown prince decided to go on another one of his great adventures, Jonathan had no choice but to go to take care of the mess he would create on his way.
And now here he was following right behind, dust clinging to his boots, exhaustion written all over his face.
"You know," Jonathan muttered as they dropped onto the nearest wooden seat, "this is the fifteenth time. Fifteenth, Your Highness. I swear by the heavens, if I get another blister because of your whimsical escapes, I'll switch to palace gardening instead. At least I can close my eyes for a moment or two to relax."
Theodore looked up at him with a small smirk as he reminded Jonathan,
"I did not ask you to follow me."
Theodore waved a hand at the innkeeper for food, leaning back as if this were just another evening, as he continued, "Rather, I did my best to make sure no one knew I was leaving."
Their meal arrived, stew still steaming, bread torn warm, and Jonathan grumbled under his breath as he dug in, lecturing Theodore on all the possibilities that could happen if he didn't listen to him.
But halfway through his lecture about royal responsibilities and travel-induced saddle pain, he noticed Theodore had gone completely still. His spoon hovered in mid-air.
"Theo?" Jonathan asked, confused. He followed the prince's gaze.
A man at the table nearby spoke in hushed tones, unaware of the ears tuned sharply to him. "They say the Grand Duke and that Charles fellow were both killed the same night. The Duchess must be barely holding on. Poor thing. Her fiancé dies, her guardian assassinated… and she's left to rule alone? The Grand Duke's funeral is tomorrow."
Jonathan's spoon clinked against his bowl. "What…?" he muttered, jaw tightening. He turned to Theodore, who hadn't moved.
But his expression had changed, cool, unreadable, his sharp eyes flickering with thought. Jonathan knew that look far too well.
He sighed deeply, already regretting the journey to come. "Oh no. No, no, no. Whatever that brain of yours is brewing, I want no part of it. We will see this situation, but first we need to-"
Theodore stood up, finishing the last of his ale in one smooth gulp. "I have to go."
Jonathan groaned, tossing a coin on the table. "Of course you do. Because why not dive into another mess while I follow behind cleaning it up?"
They left the inn, the winds of the southern port tousling their hooded cloaks. Coincidentally, this was the very port Regina had visited earlier. As Theodore passed by the merchant boards, he overheard sailors discussing something in heated, passionate voices.
"She did it, she really made the rule official."
"Duchess Regina? It was quite quick too. Seven days she gave that merchant."
Theodore stopped and walked closer to the union's bureau, and his eyes fell on the parchment nailed to the wooden board. His eyes scanned it: a new law, enforcing prepayment and compensation to sailors. So, she acted swiftly. He wasn't surprised. She had always been smart, even when they were kids. And anyone could tell such a disruption even before the grand duke's funeral meant this must've been done by her foes, testing the waters, trying to create unrest. But it had backfired, gloriously.
How long had it been since he last saw her? And why did he feel like suddenly seeing her again?
The last time they met must have been years ago. Around the time when the grand duke had just adopted her and introduced her as the heiress to the duchy.
She had lost her parents in a tragic carriage accident, but she stood strong even when she was just a child.
She didn't talk much to him initially, but as the Grand Duke frequented his visits to the Imperial Palace to take over the Duchy and its affairs, Regina used to come along, and they would study together often.
Not only academic classes, but they also started taking swordsmanship classes together. They would train with swords against one another.
However, as she grew up, she stopped coming, likely as her responsibilities grew and as she started to handle the Duchy whenever the Grand Duke had to be away.
The truth not known to Theodore was how the nobles had started to talk about them becoming friends. And Margret did not want to risk anything again, she wanted to make sure that when the time comes, Regina has no one to help her, no one she could turn to, but them. She wanted Regina to depend on their approval and support, so she wouldn't know any other way to survive without them once the Grand Duke was out of their way. And this was not just anyone, but the crown prince, possibly becoming one of her people. The future of the empire. That was a support they couldn't ever match.
So she did everything possible to stop Regina from going to the Imperial Palace, whether it was offering advice on her studies, her etiquette lessons in the name of preparing her as the heir of the Duchy, and also didn't miss to complain about how she didn't need to learn swordsmanship and waste her time. She also went as far as to instill the fear in the Duke's heart that people would judge her harshly if she took on such a manly hobby for herself.
The Duke agreed not because he thought the same, but because he knew it was better to teach her in secret than make her learn in public, where she would have to face various criticisms.
Margaret thought she had finally done everything to hold her off from visiting the imperial palace; she filled Regina's ear about her duty towards the Grand Duchy, the previous Duke's promise to her, the Godwin family, and how it was her responsibility to marry Charles to keep those words. Regina, who was just a child, knew her uncle would not marry just so her right to the Grand Duchy wouldn't be threatened, felt like she owed it to keep the promise, so she kept those words in her heart.
Theodore went to the stable nearby to get a horse. If she were here moments ago, she wouldn't have travelled back late at night. She would be in the nearby town's noble inn, surely.
He didn't know why he wanted to see her; maybe it was just curiosity. But mostly… something unspoken.
He didn't wait for Jonathan, who arrived a few minutes later, already out of breath. "Couldn't you stay still for once in your damn life-"
But Theodore was gone.
He rode silently, cloak trailing behind, face wrapped in a black mask, covering all of him but his red eyes. The night had deepened. Lanterns flickered outside the inn. He went to the back courtyard where he knew the highest noble class resided.
Just in front of it was a worn brick building. He climbed quietly, reaching its slanted roof where he crouched, eyes narrowed on the windows in front of him, to see any hint of her presence.
He didn't see her first, but two men covered in black cloaks, holding swords. In his heart, he knew who they must be targeting. He gripped his sword, ready to jump in, but paused when he finally saw her.
There she was. The woman he finally saw after years.
Lit only by the ghostly light of the moon, Regina stood, draped in a flowing white nightgown that brushed the floor like whispers. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back.
In one hand, she gripped a bloodied sword. At her feet lay a corpse. Two more attackers rushed her, and in a flash of movement so sharp and fluid it almost looked choreographed, she brought them down with precision. Her gown, once pale as snow, bloomed with crimson. She stood calm, blade still gleaming red.
It was horrific, and Theodore, it was breathtaking.
For a moment, he was completely lost. He couldn't see her face completely, but he saw how her hands gripped the swords firmly as if that was not the first time she had killed.
And then he saw her other hand moving to grip a dagger, when there was no one else in the room but just her, which meant...
His instincts kicked in. He turned his head sharply to the right, just as the dagger embedded itself into the wooden beam beside him. Clean throw. Deadly accurate. His eyes now turned back to stare at the woman who threw it at him, and he saw the most breathtaking scene.
Emerald green eyes, furious and calculating. She looked like she could leap through the window and slice him in half if she had to.
Regina. She grew stronger
And then after years, he heard her voice, not a greeting but a provocation,
She stepped closer, sword glinting. Her voice rang out like a blade unsheathing. "I hope you're not a coward. If you decided to watch instead of running away, at least have the spine to fight."
She was lovely
He smiled, but he said nothing as the uncertainty in his heart was filled with relief. She is still fine. Maybe this was why he wanted to see her, because she was back again in his life.
He stood slowly, plucked the dagger from the wall, and turned it over in his hand. He didn't want to return it, and he wouldn't return it. It was a greeting. One he would keep.
He met her eyes one last time and gave her a slow, amused smile, one she couldn't see. And then he melted into the shadows.
He would see her again. Because now, everything made sense.