Heart of Darkness

2 - Lesson after Lesson

However, in the next day, I take care of nothing.

I am still sleeping soundly when I hear a knock at my door. Did I not tell those buffoons I would want to sleep in?! Immediately, I awake in a terrible mood. It does not help when the one opening my chamber’s door is none other than the princess.

“Princess?...” I slightly moan; my voice still hoarse from sleep as she enters my room, pulling the door behind her. I look at her, still confused at her actions as she places a board with a cup of milk and bread on my bedside table.

 “Morning, Lynus” She greets me. “I brought you breakfast” She then proceeds to open the curtains, adding brightness to my discomfort. Why is she smiling? This is terrible!

“So I see…” I manage to mumble, feeling my rage rising dangerously. I try to distract myself looking at the food next to me, constantly reminding myself that I cannot kill this girl who so eloquently barged into my room when I was still sleeping. Not yet anyway…

I take a deep breath and look up at her, noticing she is now snooping around my room, taking in everything around her. The dark room, now turned bright thanks to a snooping princess, has many objects I would much like to keep private. Only Jenna has permission to enter when I am not around. I can see as she touches a few of the many strange objects I have lying over a black chest. I clear my throat to catch her attention and nearly grin in satisfaction when her cheeks flush in embarrassed as she is forced to focus her sight on me, especially taking in my toned bare chest.

“What is this about, princess?” I ask, making sure my voice sounds rough, but not enough to scare her.

 “Well, I was hoping we could go on a tour around the village before I have to start practicing for the ball” Ah, so that is what she wants with all this…

“Princess, we arrived yesterday, there will be plenty of time to go tour the city after the ball” I tell, hoping this will be the end of the conversation.

“No, please! I want to go now before we begin. I know I won’t have the time to go afterwards”

I sit up from my bed and put on my robe before I answer her. When I look back at her, she is looking away. I gaze at her for a moment, taking in her rosy cheeks, her hair pulled up in a ponytail and her dress. I notice in horror her dress is one of a commoner; I shall blame Jenna for this later today. She looks like a farm girl again, despite her clean form.

Focusing more closely on her expression, I notice how her eyebrows furrow and how her lips are sealed in a tight line. Then I notice her clenched fists. She is scared of my reaction towards her behavior. I would even bet she is not expecting an affirmative answer.

 “Alright…” I let the word blurt out before I even realize what I am saying.

“Really?!” She says, suddenly turning to me with a bright smile on her face. My heart clenches and I instantly regret my decision. “Thank you!”

I watch as she jumps in glee, afraid she will suddenly jump at me and hug me.

“I’ll be at the stables waiting for you! Thank you so much! I’ll try really hard from now on, I promise!”

Then she giggles her way out of my room and I am left dumbfounded. What just happened?

That petty girl just managed to convince me to take her on a tour to the village! Right when we have so much work to do before the Ball! How did I let this happen?

I change to my normal attire composed of black garments and strap my long black hair with a lace behind my neck. I turn my head upside down trying to find a way to reverse the situation I got myself into while I get on my way to the stables.

I’m not surprised to find her already riding her horse when I get there. She must be expecting me to change my mind.

 “Hi! Your horse is all ready too! Can we go now?” She tells me and I can see she truly is in a hurry to leave.

I look at her sternly. “Princess, maybe we do not have the time…”

 “Please! It will only take a moment. We can start the practices after lunch…” She pleads to me and I feel a stab in my heart staring into her pleading eyes.

“Alright, but we can’t take too long” I submit.

“Yes! We’ll be back before lunch time” She says with a smile. I drag myself to my own horse wondering what kind of sorcery this girl used to have me do her biting. Just as I am installed, she takes off in her horse, trotting away. I am forced to ride as quickly as she, in order to avoid losing track of her.

“Princess! Do not go so fast! You might fall off!” I shout after her, but she just laughs like a child and ignores my warning.

I don’t know how, but she managed to remove whatever I was thinking yesterday from my head. Whatever happened to the plan I had in mind?

Finally we reach the village and she jumps out of her horse, completely destroying the vision of the fragile princess.

I hop out of mine elegantly and head to her, ready to scold her on her bold behavior that is absolutely not proper for a lady but am completely cut off when she suddenly flees to the village. I clench my fists. This girl… I sigh, knowing that getting angry now will only destroy what I have accomplished so far. I follow after her into the village.

When I reach her I am sure I will never be able to contain her booming energy. I simply walk after her like a shadow would as I explain to her everything she sees. I illustrate how the village works as a community, defining each detail on the villagers’ lives and works, and answering her every question. Truth is I do have admiration toward this village. Everything functions perfectly here; there be a perfect balance. Everyone works hard and helps each other. Nothing is missing; the villagers have all they want, and consequently so do their monarchs and nobles.

The prosperity of this kingdom is one of the many reasons it gets attacked often. Other lords and Kings want to get their hands on this fertile soil. The attacks on our kingdom have terribly increased since the King got ill, which was to be expected. A land without a King is assumed to be available to get taken…

Had not been for the princess and this land would surely be taken by a power hungry land lord. Instead, it is going to get taken by me. I smirk in spite of myself.

When I decide it is more than enough, I warn the princess it is time to return to the castle. She looks disappointed but does not protest, obediently following me back.

Throughout the short tour, it was impossible not to notice the displeased looks the village people throw at me. My reputation precedes me. They know I am a wizard, who despite being stripped of his powers, wishes to take over their precious little kingdom. For them, I am no different from the ones responsible for all the attacks on the village, only I have managed to make a whole lot more progress.

Once we reach the castle, I allow the princess to go change into more proper attire for her training session. While I wait, I give a few instructions to Jenna as to how things are to proceed for the preparation to the Ball. Then I go wait for her at the Ball room for her first lesson. I intend on instructing her not only on the art of dancing, but also on how to behave like a proper lady. Obviously I have much work to do.

I never liked this room much, but I did hear the king and his late queen used to dance here quite often, even if there were no ball events to be held. I grimace at the thought. Why would anyone dance in such a big room just for the simple pleasure of it? Thankfully this room is also used as a Court room, adding a lot more utility to such large space.

Finally, she arrives and once again my heart aches looking at her. This time, she wears a simple, yet appropriate for dancing, orange dress, having her hair pulled up in an inappropriate bun. She must have been to one to arrange it... I understand she prefers light colors to more dark ones, such as me.

She looks rather nervous when she finally approaches me. I repress the urge to scold her on her hair arrangement noticing how scared she is, so I just raise my hand for her to take.

“So… How are we supposed to start this?” She says as she takes my hand hesitantly.

“It is quite simple, my princess. Give me your other hand” I command her gently and she complies. I ignore the tingle now persisting in both of my hands.

“We shall start with a simple move, stepping forwards and backwards. Can you do that?”

She nods softly and slowly, we start moving, my eyes never leaving hers. I hold her hands more closely. As I thought, the tingling is gone; it is only a matter of getting used to it.

“Very well, princess” I say to her when I start guiding her through the room, always in the same simple step.

“I’m dancing… I’m dancing, Lynus!” She smiles up at me and it is so contaminating I know I am smiling too. I am also surprised the clench in my heart is not present anymore.

During the rest of the morning, I teach her the simplest steps in the current noble dance. She is a quick learner for someone who has never danced before. At lunch time, we take a break and go eat silently at the dinner table. She must really be tired for she does not utter a word while she eats. Not that that bothers me in any way.

After lunch, I decide to teach her how to walk properly instead of just dancing. She has more difficulty in this, constantly tripping in her skirt when I tell her to keep her chin up. I am forced to constantly hold her hand while she trains her stance. I do notice with some delight that her cheeks flourish red whenever she trips and I am forced to hold her more closely. It would seem my good looks are taking their effect. Winning this girl’s heart will be easier than I thought.

When I am decently pleased with her current posture we move on to language. This is another big flaw of hers. Having grown isolated in a farm, having for friends the animals, her language is quite rude. Thankfully enough, she does not swear often like I have seen other farmers do. Her caretakers took good care of that at least…

We struggle with her speech the rest of the evening and I end up giving her a pile of books for her to read until night falls. I leave her to the books and go care for my duties as a proper councilor.

It is quite late into the night when I finally finish sending all the invitations to the Ball. Wizards do not need to sleep much, but the boredom inflicted by my late activity made feel quite tired. I head towards my room when I notice there is still light coming from the library. I am quite surprised to find the princess there, head buried in the book she must have been reading, sleeping soundly. She must have fallen asleep while reading one of the many books I gave her. I thought she had gone to bed long ago…

Looking more closely, I notice she collected a lot more books from the many shelves the small library of the castle has, each of them with a more intricate language than the other. She truly is working hard…

I sigh and slowly collect her in my arms. Sleeping here will do her no good. I carry her to her room and place her atop her bed. I look up at her peaceful expression. She truly is a sight to be taken, with round like features and firm and full lips, having a rose pink color to them. Her apple cheeks always have that lightly pinkish color, making me remember how that color turns darker whenever I hold her closely.

I exit her room in a hurry as unwanted thoughts rush through my mind. I push them aside realizing I no longer feel tired, so I just head outside and wander through the castle grounds until dawn arrives.

At early morning I am rewarded with the arrival of my trusted ward, Elias. He had been on a journey to the east part of the kingdom to gather information on the intentions the local land lord has, and perhaps try to strike a deal with them.

Unfortunately, according to Elias he is not interested in a deal and was constantly questioning Elias on the state of the King. I feel thankful I instructed Elias never to reveal the king is currently bedridden. It is one more lord I know is trying to get their hands on the throne. I certainly hope the princess’s introduction will take that idea out of their minds. I silently curse my inability to use my powers within this cursed barrier. If I could use them, I would have managed to take this kingdom on my own solely during the night.

While I am talking to Elias about our current situation, including the recent arrival of the princess, she appears in front of us, looking flushed and… Is that dirt in her dress?

I look at her, suddenly maddened.

“Sorry I’m late, Lynus. I met the dogs when I was on the kitchen and…”

“No” I simply say and she looks at me confused. “No man will want to dance with you in that state. And it is Sir Lynus. Familiarity is not something nobility is acquainted with. And what has happened with that hair? Did I not tell you yesterday Jenna is the one to help you prepare? You must not indulge in arranging yourself if you will do a mediocre job!”

I see as she flinches before me and I realize what I have done. Before I can even react, she runs away. I nearly curse myself. There it is. I have now ruined all progress I have done so far…

Elias simply stands there next to me as I brood on what to do next. Apologize? No, I will never do that; it is her fault for showing before me in that dreadful state. I could always go and force her to train for the ball and from that moment on force her to do whatever I want.

Somehow that last thought no longer seems viable.

“My lord?” Elias brings me back to reality. He has a somewhat worried look on his face. “The princess seems troubled. Should I ask Jenna to go to her and help her prepare?”

I sigh, suddenly not feeling in the mood to educate the princess.

“Yes, go call Jenna, but don’t tell her to prepare the princess… Today’s lesson is cancelled”

With that remark, I retreat to my study, where I pass the rest of the day, not even caring to come out for food. Elias could bring some for me, but after years of retrieving plates filled with food from my table, he has long since given up on trying feed me. Instead, he delivers the king’s evening tea in my stead.

Elias is a good respectable man. He used to be an Erudite, but after his clan discovered he had fallen in love with a woman, they banished him to oblivion and murdered the woman he cared about. I found him wondering through the woods a few years before I infiltrated the castle. It was a lucky strike for I had been searching for an aid to help me through the preparation to take over this kingdom.

I let my thoughts wonder as I bury myself in paperwork. There is much to do for the ball preparation. I am filling out forms on how the castle is to be prepared by the workers, when I hear a knock at my door. Expecting for it to be some worker to present some questions regarding the preparations, I allow them inside.

I am astonished when the princess lies in front of me with a determined look on her face.

“I am prepared for my lesson, Sir Lynus” She says to me.

I look at her form and confirm she is indeed trimmed and perfectly arranged; no doubt helped by Jenna.

“Today’s lesson has been cancelled” I simply declare.

“Yes, but…” She seems to hesitate. “There is still much for me to learn about the noble ways. I do not wish to waste a day before the Ball. I need to be perfectly capable of behaving myself until then”

I look up at her, noticing how she has forced her speech to come out refined. I do not like it. It does not suit her. I get up from my chair.

“Very well… If that is what you wish”

She smiles brightly and I get even more surprised when she bows at me.

“Also, I am sorry for my earlier behavior. It was not suitable for a lady”

I never even considered her to be a lady! I was such a fool!

Looking at her once again, I can see her full beauty. She is a lady, and quite a fine one at that. However, there are still much polishing to do before she can be regarded as a noble Lady, and a princess at that. I gulp, suddenly realizing something. Once I introduce her to nobility, I will not be the only one wanting her hand in marriage; and many will not only wish to marry her solely because she is the princess. She is… a simple beauty indeed…

I bow back at her, letting my thoughts wonder. She raises her hand for me to take and I notice that for the first time, I hesitate in taking it. I did not hesitate to take her hand when such act made my heart cringe, so why do I hesitate now?

I ignore these thoughts and take her hand, leading her to the Ball room.

This time, it is I who is reluctant to start this dance lesson. We start with the simple movements we performed yesterday, with me constantly trying to keep my distance from her, but soon enough we have to move on to something more complex. After all, time is running short and she is quite a fast learner…

I slowly take her in my arms, not noticing how we both hold our breaths in the process, holding her left hand and placing my other hand around her waist. We start again with a simple move, but I push her to perform a complete dance around the room. She follows my steps exactly.

Doing this act so many times, having prepared endlessly before I arrived at the castle, I find it hard to concentrate on the movements I exact. Instead, I concentrate on her. How she looks so focused when I slightly push her to do another step; how she looks so content when I make her swirl; how her lovely brown eyes sparkle throughout the entire dance as if stars are lighting them; how her smile lightens up the room as if it was the moon itself…

Before I notice it, the dance we were performing comes to an end and she looks up at me with that heartwarming smile. Heartwarming?

I instantly let go of her.

“Very well, my princess. It would seem you are nearly prepared for the upcoming dance. Tomorrow we shall continue with the actual dance we shall be performing at the Ball. The other dances include these same steps, so if you can perfect them, you shall be ready”

She nods looking more concentrated, but still having that smile stamped on her face. Feeling terribly uncomfortable and suddenly noticing how horribly my heart is paining me, I decide to simply teach basic etiquette matters through the rest of the day. I am glad to see that by lunch time, her smile is gone, getting replaced by a totally focused look, and the aching in my heart has soothed.

Glad for the process of today, I dispense her just before evening, allowing her to be the one to serve the tea to the king. I am positively surprised to find she spends the entire evening with him while I continue to tend to the affairs of preparing the Ball.

Thankfully, there are no other incidents the next day. The usual dance lesson occurs with the usual heart cringe, though it is nothing compared to yesterday. I do notice she looks more tired. I did not see when she went to sleep yesterday, being too busy with the Ball arrangements. Perhaps she stayed up late?

It does not bother me much, for it allows me to teach her without feeling slaughtered. When I do let her go, she looks exhausted so I advice her to go straight to bed.

 That night, I take some time to gather my thoughts. The plan of seducing the princess and marrying her seems to be stagnant as of the moment. The pain she causes my heart has proved too much for me to bear, but I am not a man to give up so easily. Tomorrow I shall return to my old ways. I shall win her heart and I shall propose to her right after the Ball.

The sooner this matter is done with, the better.

So, as planned, the next day we proceed with our usual dance lesson, but this time I hold her closer to me than necessary, ignoring the shouting pain my heart is giving me. I notice she holds her breath when I do so and smirk in spite of myself. This will be easy.

I lock my eyes with hers, trying to fill my head with manuscripts rather than the fact that her eyes seem to pierce through my soul. I guide her through the dance floor, as we spin in a simple dance, never letting go or loosing my grip on her. I have to admit it feels quite good to hold her so closely. She has a fine sweet scent, of flowers and… honey?

The pain in my heart brings me back and I do everything in my power to block her scent. Her cheeks flourish with a light red as we stare into each other’s eyes as we dance. Suddenly, I forget who I am. I pull her closer to me, and lose my focus, stopping the dance, as we remain in our embrace and locked eyes.

For a moment, I allow myself to submit to her; to her eyes, to her gentle look, to her sweet scent, to how her small body feels under my hands, to how badly I want for us to be closer…

“Sir Lynus”

Suddenly, I snap out of my daze and immediately let go of her to look at whoever has called for me.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, sir Lynus, but you have an unwanted visitor at the castle entrance” It’s that arrogant captain boy, Jack. I do notice how he seems to avoid revealing who exactly is the unwanted visitor.

“Ah, I see…” I look back at the princess, who is still quite flushed from our dance. “We shall resume our training tomorrow, princess. If you’ll excuse me…”

I leave her behind and follow Jack to the main entrance, trying not to run away from the dance room. Whatever happened back there was too dangerous.

“Who is this intruder you speak of?” I ask, trying hard to forget about the previous moments.

“Our old friend, Sir Voltair. He has heard the rumors of the princess” Jack simply states and I can detect the hate in his voice.

I try to remain calm and collected as I hear that name. Voltair has been a nuisance ever since I came to this castle. For everyone else, he is supposedly a powerful lord from the nearby lands next to this kingdom who wishes to get his hands on this land as well. What no one else knows is that he is my father and the most powerful wizard in the land.

It’s only good none of our powers function in this kingdom. He never took pride in allowing me to venture out of his place and into this wizard forsaken kingdom, probably because he has always wanted to be the one to conquer it.

We reach the main gate and there he is, his same ulterior stance, as if he is on top of the world. We have never had a good relationship, not since my mother passed away. He was always cold and always away, leaving me to decide what to do with my life on my own, never even once trying to teach me the wizard ways. Never bother; I did quite well on my own, being taught by a local old wizard. He was the one who told me about this kingdom and about the legend involving it.

“Voltair” I simply say, once we reach him. Jack stands closely behind me, eyeing Voltair with a hateful look.

Voltair looks at Jack and then his look turns to me. He has the same yellow eyes I have; only he doesn’t even make an effort to conceal them. Ever since I came to this castle, I disguised my yellow eyes with a powerful spell which could last even in this kingdom, even though I have to recast it every month. You see, yellow eyes are a unique characteristic us wizards and witches have. Thankfully, not everyone knows about this, but I am fairly sure Jack does by the way he looks at the old man.

“Ah, Sir Lynus, it is good to see you again” His eyes twinkle with deviousness as he looks at me up to bottom. I try to hide how furious that makes me, keeping my calm and lean posture.

“What brings you here?” I simply question, including a slight threat in my tone of voice. Were he to reveal he is my father and my entire plan to take over this kingdom would come crawling down.

“Well, I consider that to be obvious. I have come to meet the newly found princess. The future Queen of this kingdom, of course”

The nerve of him…

“You are not to meet her” I state, in a cold voice.

“Oh, and why is that so?” He seems amused by my protective reaction. He knows the princess is the key to conquering this kingdom.

“The princess is busy as of now. You shall have the chance to meet her at the introduction ball”

“Ah, does that mean I am invited?” He actually smirks while saying this.

I grimace at him. I had no intention of inviting him, but this leaves me no choice. I decide not to answer directly.

“Well, if you no longer have any more business here, I suggest you leave. You must have more important affairs to deal with, and so do we” I look at Jack and nod, wanting to have him far away from here as fast as possible.

Jack steps forward, ready to escort Lord Voltair outside the gate and back to his carriage- I know Jack would not be afraid to use brute force if he has to. Voltair never comes with an escort. He simply brings a coachman and I know it is only to keep appearances. He could very well magically make the horses ride on their own or simply fly to wherever he wants to go.

“Ah, I see. I shall be looking forward to meeting the princess at the ball then” He smirks and I can see the evil in his eyes, something I inherited.

Jack eagerly escorts him out and I stay behind watching him leave. Then suddenly I hear laughs. A very familiar laugh at that.

No… What is she doing here?!

Voltair looks to his right, where the laughs come from.

“Silas! Ah! Silas, that tickles!” The princess is playing with the castle guard dogs, as they run after her and jump at her. She is playing with them as if she is a child.

Voltair eyes her and I know he realizes who she is, even though she is dirty and her dress is torn, nothing like a princess at all.

As if sensing him, the princess stops her playing and looks up at him. The dogs also have the same reaction, growling at the strange man.

I can see a smirk coming to Voltair’s face and my skin crawls. Thankfully, Jack hurries him to leave the castle. I hurry to the princess and hurry her to get up and get inside the castle, starting to feel angry at her. Had I not told her she is to act like a princess?!

“Who was him?” She innocently asks, not understanding what is going on.

“None of your concern, princess” I state, not managing to hide my anger and nervousness. Now that Voltair has seen her, he knows she is a pure of heart and what that implies.

She looks up at me, understanding I am in a foul mood and stays quiet as I lead her back inside by her shoulders. I am glad she decided to keep quiet as I lead her to my office, where I can calm down in private. I have no idea why I didn’t just ditch her along the way. She looks at me as I let go of her shoulders and close the door behind us.

“Lynus…” She starts but doesn’t continue, probably because I turn my back on her. I suppose she is trying to apologize for her behavior, but it does not matter now. He has seen her, and I have seen him. I have no doubt he will try to take this glory from me. He will try to take her for himself and destroy all my hard work to get this far.

I walk towards the window and stare outside silently, trying to appear calm when actually my insides are revolting. Seeing my father has always only brought sorrow and anger, reminding me of my terrible childhood and how I had to work so hard to reach everything I own now.

I don’t know why I allow her to stay there with me. I don’t know why I let her see me in this fragile state, but suddenly I understand why when I feel her embrace me from behind. Unconsciously, I want her to comfort me. I need her to comfort me. She is the only one who can. Unable to step away or push her away, I stay there, starting to relent on her warm embrace. I slowly turn around to face her and without noticing I utter her name.

She smiles up at me brightly. I feel my cheeks burn.

“You called me by my name” She says, keeping her bright smile as I look at her stunned.

For the first time in my life, I am at a loss of words. Suddenly I feel awfully aware of her arms around my chest and I notice in terror, my own arms are around her waist. I let go of her immediately.

“I have to go take care of some business outside the castle for the time being. We shall resume our training tomorrow. Do not expect me for dinner”

And with that, I leave the room as quickly as I can, wishing I could just fly away from there, not even daring to look back at her. My heart aches. It aches as it never ached before.

I hurry to the stables and grab my horse, ridding outside the castle and into the forest reaching the border of the barrier protecting the kingdom, feeling terror coursing through me. Fear that I might actually lose my powers if I continue this plan. Fear that I might lose everything I ever considered worth it. Her image plagues my mind again.

Am I afraid of losing her too?!

Once I am outside the barrier, I can feel my powers returning. I start using them on nearby trees, destroying everything in my path, allowing my anger, my fear and my sorrow to destroy everything else I’m feeling.

What is this I’m feeling? For a moment there, I felt so drawn to her I would have kissed her right then. That is not part of my plan. I am supposed to make her fall for ME, not the other way around!

I continue destroying the trees around me in my rampant rage. It is good to realize my powers have not diminished. I don’t know for how long I do this, but when I calm down a little, it is already nightfall.

“Destroying trees will not make you stronger”

“Go away!” I shout in my rage and strike the place where the voice came from feeling proud I nearly hit the man who talked to me.

He had always made me feel inferior to him, because of his powers, but now I am as powerful as he is and one day I shall become even more powerful.

“Now now, Lynus. That is no way to greet your father” He steps out of the shadows.

“You are my father no longer. I told you so the moment I left”

“Yes, and it would seem you meant it, since you never came back. But I am filled with pride, knowing my son will soon become king an impenetrable kingdom for wizards until now. However, my pride for you is not what brings me here today”

I glare at him, knowing full well he never felt pride for me and never will.

“A pure at heart… She is a danger to us all. You know that”

“She will never be able to deceive me”

“Ah, as stubborn as always. Unable to see the inevitable”

I turn to him and another blast of power nearly strikes him.

“Though your powers have not weakened, they will not be enough. I already sense a spark of light deep within your heart. The girl’s work, no doubt”

“You speak nonsense” I bark at him, but deep down I know he speaks the truth. I can feel my heart change ever since I first met the girl.

“Surely, you feel it already; the way you are drawn to her. Tell me, why don’t you just kill her and the king and proclaim the kingdom for yourself? You are in the position to do it already”

“It is far too soon for that. I need to gain more of their trust”

He is right though. I, myself have had the same thoughts. He smirks knowing he found my weak point.

“It is because of the girl, a pure heart. No matter how dark your heart is, if you stay near her long enough she will turn your heart to light”

“Enough! I will not submit to a nonsensical legend!”

“Then I warn you. Beware of the girl, before it is too late” He raises his hand and I feel a sharp pain in my heart.

“W-What have you done?”

“I placed a seal on your heart. That way it will be harder for her to reach you. But beware, Lynus, not even my seal will keep her from you. If you don’t finish this soon, there will be no turning back for you and you will lose your powers forever”

I glare at him. He laughs.

“I promise you this, my son. If you so much as fall into her trap, I shall personally come to you and end your misery”

“There will be no need for that… father…”

“We shall see…” He smirks and vanishes.

He has no faith in me. He never had. However, this seal he placed on my heart might be to my advantage.

On the next day, I resume my regular routine. I am talking to castle workers on how to arrange the rooms to receive the many guests for the Ball, when I see Mika running past a corridor. Knowing she is up to no good, running around like that, I call her. She approaches me with a guilty look on her face. I scowl when I see she has dirt on her face and how she is using a villager’s garments, all torn and dirty.

“Have you been playing with the dogs again, princess?” I ask, keeping my voice leveled, even though I am already boiling with anger, remembering yesterday’s events.

She looks down, knowing I am lecturing her.

 “Do not play with the dogs again. It’s not proper of a princess. Go cleanse yourself. Ask Jenna for help. We meet at the Ball room in twenty minutes”

“Y-Yes… I’m sorry…” She stutters and rushes out of my presence.

Though I am not as reprehensive to her now as I was the other day, she seems to be put down by my statement. She must have noticed my coldness towards her. I am pleased to know the seal is working quite well. Her effect on me is not as strong as before.

Twenty minutes later, we meet at the Ball room and we start our regular lesson. This time, I am careful to keep her at a safe distance while we dance. She looks utterly disappointed. I have decided to keep my courting at a halt until the day of the Ball. Right now, I must focus on having her prepared to impress the noble people, and destroy any chance for a war to take place.

After all, Mika was born to be a princess. I do have to admit elegance and gentleness are natural to her and I am certain everyone at the ball will love her, even the most hateful of noblemen. Sad to say, it is just impossible to hate this girl.

After a full and satisfying day of training, I release her to go rest, noticing how exhausted she is.

When everyone is already asleep, I sneak past the guards and head to the border of the barrier to test my powers.

I repeat this routine every day until the day of the ball arrives.