Chapter Text
By now, I knew well that whenever Mamá called me for one of her talks, I’d leave it a tad less alive than I was before. Today was no exception. She caught me heading out of the castle, sketchbook in hand, right as I made the last turn to the large doorway that led to the gardens. Maybe she’d realized that I went out at this time every day. Maybe she’d found out the truth. Maybe—
“A word, Miguel?” she asked with a comforting smile. Cliché as it was for her to hide her true intentions behind it, it soothed the turbulence in my stomach a little.
“I have the vague feeling I already know what this is about,” I replied.
Her smile was still there, but more polite than anything else. Practiced. “It may not seem clear yet, but war is coming. I’m not sure the tensions with Phinia will be healed before the time comes. So what I’m saying is, you need to start thinking about--”
“Unlocking my heartblade. I know. I just… True love isn’t exactly easy to find,” I swallowed. At least it was this same old discussion instead of what I was actually dreading before. “You and my sister just got lucky.”
“I know it can be scary at first, but our family actually has it easier than most once you think about it. Destiny has a tendency to point us to the right people.” She ran a hand through my brown curls, disrupting the neatness I’d combed them into to my mild annoyance. “It wasn’t any different when I met your father. Our first kiss was nothing special, but I felt it deep in my heart. And when I looked down, there it was, blooming from inside my chest like a flower—my very own heartblade. That’s when I knew he was the right person for me. Hasn’t proved me wrong so far, has it?”
“I can’t just go around kissing every person in the world one by one.”
“I know, but I doubt it will be long until we have more beautiful girls visiting from all over the kingdom. I’m sure they’ll find themselves very lucky to spend a night with a prince as handsome and charming as you,” she smiled, poking my nose.
I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the heat in my cheeks. “Mamá, please.”
“Keep an open mind. You may not fight in the war if you choose so, but it would be a great boost of morale for our troops if they knew you had their back.”
Even if I did keep an open mind , it’d be fruitless. There was a reason the foreign princesses and duchesses that visited always left disappointed. Why our kisses always felt nothing but awkward and wet, and why none of them ever got more than one.
There was a reason I went out every day at the same time with my sketchbook.
That very same reason was right there behind her, marching into the castle leading his fellow guardsmen. His name was Hugo Acero, and ever since I first saw him, I knew that life had dealt me the worst possible set of cards.
Maybe, just maybe, I would become the first person in the entire Marglorian royal lineage to never unlock my heartblade.
But somehow, the thought wasn’t as scary as the prospect of talking to Hugo.