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Penelope met him during his Homecoming banquet where they celebrated the Empire’s victory and he was declared the Hero of the Empire. Even from afar, she had thought him handsome but she knew his reputation, it was one that rivalled hers. The nobles toast to him and his many victories but she knows that at least half of them will begin wagging those venomous tongues as soon as his back was turned, it wasn’t something she was unaccustomed too, practically resigned to it.

The Crown Prince’s temper is renowned, as are his sword skills. His time in the battlefield has only enhanced the rumours of his cruelty, of his barbarianism. Objectively speaking though… Penelope knows that he is the most handsome man she’s ever seen, ever. And she had grown up around the likes of her shitty step-brothers and Marquis Winter Verdandi. Penelope is also not crazy, reputation aside, and she has no wish to die.

She’s not survived this long, clung to life in this hell, without having some sense. So after the initial greetings, she moves away, withdraws from the crowd of ‘well wishers’ in an attempt to behave herself, to stop herself from getting punished. She does her best to stop from catching his or anyone’s eyes.

(She doesn’t know she failed.)

She takes a break. Wanders out of the hall and into the empty open air corridor, she enjoys the scent of the flowers that fill the air in this early spring evening. Her eyes turn to the maze, the roses that grow there are beautiful and the hedges neatly trimmed. The evening sky was dotted with stars, thousands of them light up the night sky.

It was a truly peaceful moment and she loses herself in it. She doesn’t hear the quiet steps that approach, isn’t aware that anyone has followed her when it happens. A hand encloses upon her mouth and she’s dragged away.

It’s a terrifying moment as this dark haired man shoves her roughly through a darkened path. Her eyes water as his hands wander. “Go on and scream, My Lady.” The man says with a dark grin. “Scream and ruin yourself, tie yourself to me.”

His grip on her is punishing. “No one will believe you over me anyway.”

She keeps her mouth shut but she fights back, makes him fight her. She scratches at his hands, his face.

And suddenly he’s pulled off of her. She trembles when another hand comes upon her, this one gentle.

She hears him protest and hit someone.

“My, I expected more from you, Lord Maynard.” She knows that voice, deep and silky smooth it’s almost sinful. He drawls. “First you dare to attempt to force yourself on the Daughter of the duke. And now you commit treason above it all by striking the Crown Prince.”

Before he can even say another thing, he’s rendered unconscious. The man beside him has blonde hair, ashy and green eyes hidden by round framed glasses. He’s been the Prince’s shadow this whole evening.

The Prince snaps his fingers and the other man bends down and cuffs the man’s hands.

“Are you alright, Lady Eckhart?” The Prince asks.

She’s momentarily silent, stunned by all the events. She nods wordlessly then gather’s her courage as she looks him in the eye. “Thank you, Your Highness.” She makes sure not to let her voice waver as she bows, forcing herself to look away from those ruby eyes that captured her soul within a moment.

“Leave the rest to me, My Lady.” He said. “I’ll make sure he’s punished without any word or stigma attached to you.”

“You have my deepest gratitude.” She said before he dismissed her.

She walks away in a daze until Winter finds her. “Your brother is looking for you.” He said before he frowned. “Something happened?”

Penelope was the only one in High Society who knew that he was a wizard. She had seen him once as a street child, had received alms from him and he had clearly recognized her after they had met after her adoption.

In truth, she looked up to him as a brother more than she did the two she had.

Winter guides her and instructs her to stop in an alcove. His magic washes over her, it’s gentle, the light subtle enough to blend with the lights of the palace. Penelope feels the aches of Lord Maynard’s grip fade and she knows the bruises have disappeared too. It also fixes whatever little damage to her clothing has been done.

“Thank you, Marquis.” She stepped out of the alcove, and resumed her walk alone. She knows Winter will take the long way around to remove any suspicions.

Penelope wandered around the Capital the next day. The carriage had dropped her off at a modiste and she had dressed quickly, changing into the clothes of the commoner that they kept for her. She hides her hair and enters the slums, a bag of bread in hand.

She meets Winter there and begin their work. He keeps her secret as she does his.

That done, she decides its time to give herself a chance to have some more freedom. Only, she runs into someone she hadn’t been expecting.

The Crown Prince looks just as surprised as she does.

“This is a surprise, My Lady.”

“Penny.” She says immediately. “Call me Penny.”

He raised a brow before he smirked. “Then call me Cal.”

She’s hesitant but she gives in. The Crown Prince will only allow her to remain hidden so long as she doesn’t say anything and abides his wish to be known as a commoner as she does.

“Well then, Miss Penny. Would you care to take a stroll with me around the city?” He holds out his arm and she swallowed the lump in her throat, tentatively taking his arm.

They walk about for a few minutes in silence. “May I ask what you’re doing here, Cal?”

“Learning the lay of the land, so to speak.” He tells her. “I want to know what’s changed in the time I was away, the state of things.”

“Surely you have informants for that.” She stares at him in some disbelief.

“Of course, but it’s better to see for yourself. You never know if the information you’re being fed is false. It’s better to have multiple sources of information.”

She hummed. “And what do you think?”

“It’s worse than I could have imagined.” He said darkly. “The displacement has brought about an influx of people here, far more than what this city was designed for. It’s also created a different type of problem. The fields now lie fallow because there are no farmers or hands to work them. They’re all here.” He gestured around.

“And rather than try to do something, the Imperial family has ignored the problem. The Empress throws feasts and bribes the nobles to her side while pilfering the funds that should have been going to these projects.” He was upset, deeply so.

She knows that the Empress is his Step-mother, has heard of the bad blood between the Barbarian Prince and the rest of the Imperial family. She also knows the incompetence and haughtiness of the Empress and her son. Knows it from her father’s long rants about them.

The Crown Prince’s faction are those composed of families involve in military matters as well as the more honest or straight laced people, not completely, but it was more trustworthy than the Second Prince’s faction who were of Lord Maynard or Gloria Kellen’s ilk. The viperous snakes who were cut from the same cloth as the Empress. And then there’s her father’s faction.

The neutral faction were composed of families who cleaned up the petty dogfights between the two factions and helped keep the Empire running, especially during the war.

“And what about you, Penny?”

Her finger taps the arm she’s holding on to. “I sneak out to give bread and supplies in the slums. They know me there so I’m relatively safe.”

“They know you as Penny or as the other one?”

“Either or both, depending on who was in front of me.”

She shrugs it off. The poor know more about her than her so-called family. There’s no sting to it now. She’s given up and all she wants is to survive.

The Crown Prince stops and turns, leading her deeper into an alley and she realizes that the scent of something delicious wafts through the air. They enter a tavern and guides her to an empty table before instructing her to order whatever she wanted.

“How are you? After the previous night, I realized I didn’t even offer to have a doctor look at you.”

He’s very different from what she’s heard.

She smiled. “I’m well, Cal. No bruises or anything.” She assured him.

“You’ll be pleased to know that Lord Maynard has been executed this morning for daring to strike a member of the Imperial Family.”

She grimaced at the news. “I’m not one for violence.”

“Oh?”

It becomes something of a routine for them. Callisto meets Penelope every so often in the streets and they wander together, enjoying their time and conversing with one another as though there were no distance. It’s refreshing talking to her. She isn’t afraid of him, she speaks to him as equals. He had brushed her off before, having heard so much about her, none of them good, had written her off as a stupid up jumped girl but she was more than that.

She was far smarter than she let on, even if she did have a temper. He kept coming back, unable to stay away from her. He wanted the feeling of normalcy that she brought, the feeling of being able to let his guard down and just be Callisto, not the Crown Prince, nor the barbarian.

During events within high society, the two of them kept their distance but from time to time, their eyes would meet as though they’d been purposefully seeking one another.

Callisto realizes a month and a half in to their ‘friendship’ that he wants something more. She clearly does as well because at one moment of sheer happiness during a game, she turns to him and throws her arms around his neck, pulls him down, and kisses him full on the lips.

She pulled away immediately, horrified by her own actions but Callisto takes that as a sign and draws her in for another.

“I hope you know that I’m not going to let you go now.” He whispered, voice husky.

She blushed. “You’re an awfully confident man, Cal.”

It gives him a thrill every time he sees her. His mind drifting to her at every moment. Cedric has noted because he comments on it just once, in the presence of the Baroness and her son, Leon.

“Daydreaming about Lady Eckhart?”

Callisto’s eyes turned to him. “Yes, in fact. I’m dreaming about my lover.”

Leon spat out his tea, knocking his chess piece over. “Come again, you have a lover?”

“A lover.” He confirmed with a cheeky smile, confirming their relationship with these three.

“Oh my,” The Baroness said with a pleased smile. “I never thought this day would come. But congratulations, Your Highness!”

And then she turned to her son. “Now if only my Leon could find a woman who’d take him.”

Penelope smiled as she glanced around the street and walked over to where Callisto was waiting for her. She reached out a hand to him and he reached back, pulling her close. They were hidden in an alley and they were free. She leaned up and he met her half way until their lips met.

“Hello, Penny.” His thumb caressing her lips once they’ve pulled away.

“I’ve missed you, Cal.” She said by way of greeting, leaning in to his embrace. She felt the same fluttering within her stomach, the racing heart, and the sense of giddy peace within her that she experienced every time she was with him.

They walked around the city, arm in arm, happily talking to one another about anything and everything before entering the pub they’d gone to on that first day.

“Will you be attending the festivities tomorrow night?” He asked her.

She bit into the sandwich that was served to her as he had asked. “Yes, most likely with my eldest brother.”

He knows enough about her, has probably looked into her life, that he knows that she wasn’t particularly fond of her brothers. She had been once, when she was still young and new to the Duchy. In those first few days when she wanted so badly to be loved, even a little bit, by her new family. But that shattered within a matter of days, weeks at most.

And gradually, their scorn and hatred began to chip away at the girl she’d been until she was now numb to them. Why bother hoping? Why bother caring? At the very least, she had Winter and the people of the streets to lean on. And then Callisto came into her life like some force that just kept turning up. He built a place for himself in her heart like an immovable mountain that dwarfed any love she’d ever felt before. Particularly because they were all platonic love, filial in nature, and practically fleeting.

Callisto was, she realized, what she thought of when she thought of what home felt like. It was the warmth and safety, the freedom and happiness she had on the road with her mother, with her family who were now all long dead, leaving her behind to languish in this hellish world without them. Living for them, because they wished it for her, because her mother told her that she had to do it, to live the life that her family never would.

“Do you think you can spare this poor man a few moments of your time tomorrow?” He asked with a mock pleading look.

She laughed. “Of course, I’ll sneak out the first opportunity I can.” She promised him.

Penelope watched as Callisto came in, his form tense and angry as he dragged a limp body about, the man was clearly still alive. She watched from a distance as he taunted his half brother, the smile on his face was cruel, she’d never truly seen this side of him before but she wasn’t afraid, she knew he’d never hurt her.

Their eyes met as he stormed out, his face gentled slightly for a split second before it returned to that cold and malicious look he’d sported the whole time. The noises sprung up as soon as the doors were closed. Penelope watches, giving him time to get a good distance and to stop any rumours about them. A few minutes pass as she impatiently counted the seconds that go by. The Ladies give her a wide berth. She’s the Bitch of Eckhart, her reputation protects her from having to socialize with the ladies when she doesn’t want to.

Then she excuses herself from Derrick’s side, leaving the hall unobtrusively before she made her way to the maze, something in her screaming that he was there.

She walked deeper into the path, illuminated by the little lights strewn about the path.

The tip of the sword stopped her when she entered the very centre of the maze. The sword disappeared immediately as soon as its wielder had seen that it was her. His eyes wide as he hastily put it away. Penelope hadn’t even reacted, confident that he wouldn’t go through with it.

“I’m sorry.” He said immediately but she shook her head.

“Don’t be. It’s natural for you to be vigilant, especially after what just happened.”

He frowned. “Why are you here?”

“We agreed to meet up.” She pointed out.

“That was before I had to deal with an assassin. It’s too dangerous for you to be here right now. You should head back inside.” He tried to convince her to leave but she looked him over in worry.

“Are you alright?” She asked. “You didn’t get hurt?” She ignored his worry in favour of her own. She looked him up and down, and sighed with relief to see that there wasn’t so much as a scratch on him.

She held her arms out and smiled, showing that she wasn’t afraid of him. Whatever tension was left upon her Prince’s face disappeared. She knew him well enough to know that he was worried she’d turn away from him after such a display. Callisto leaned in and wrapped his arms around her as well, his head on her shoulder, relaxing his weight upon her, not fully, she wouldn’t be able to take it, but enough that he was clearly using her as an anchor to calm down.

More than ever, Penelope wanted to let their relationship be known just so she could comfort him out in the light. She was also tired of sneaking about… in fact… she contemplated the idea and thought that this would be a good time to ask him his thoughts.

Something in him eased at the thought that he hadn’t scared her away with the scene he’d put on but he still felt guilty. He hadn’t wanted to show that side of himself to her, hadn’t wanted her to see a scene so brutal, ever. He wanted to protect her from those things.

Penelope smiled at him when he pulled away, knowing that they didn’t have that long before she had to return. “Shall we sit?” She asked him.

Callisto nodded and led her to the fountain, he noted easily enough that this would be a wonderful place to have some other sort of seating, perhaps a table for the two of them?

“Your Highness,” She asked as she leaned her head on his shoulder. “Do you feel better now?”

He nodded. It was a calming thing, her presence was like a drug, addictive and intoxicating, chasing away all of his bitterness and soothing his hard edges.

They sat in silence for a few moments, Callisto leaning in to give her a kiss from time to time.

“Your Highness,” She finally broke the silence. He hummed to show he was listening, even as his hand ran up and down her arm. “What exactly is our relationship?”

“Well, I thought it was obvious, we’re lovers.” He couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face at his own words. “And one day, we’ll be wed.”

“Wed?” She parroted back.

“Yes, wed.” He confirmed.

Callisto couldn’t help the giddy feeling at the thought but her next words brought him out of his stupor. “Your Highness, do you love me?”

He froze and then scoffed, mind going a mile a minute from that dreadful word. “What does love have to do with it? I didn’t take you for someone who would fall for such foolish notions.”

“The word love is in lover.” She pointed out, smile gone as she shifted away from him. “If what we have isn’t love, then what is it?”

“Our relationship? Fun and physical intimacies.” He said, what else had they been doing but slacking off and being physically intimate, not fully, but it was there. “Besides, love is a pointless thing that holds no value in the world. Especially for people of our stations.”

She was quiet as she whispered. “Our stations?”

“Nobility and Royalty. Everything at our level is politics, even our relationship. After all, a Prince and a Princess should wed, should they not? It’s the way the world works. Love is never a factor in such marriages.”

Penelope was quiet, withdrawn, and he knew he had immediately said something wrong, though he had no idea what it was.

Penelope was right when she had said that he’d never hurt her physically. She just didn’t count on him hurting her emotionally. Penelope felt her heart breaking at his words. She thought that… well… it was her mistake wasn’t it? She was too busy seeing their relationship through the eyes of naïve child, too busy falling in love when all of it had been his way of trying to secure the Eckhart’s backing. Something she could never give him, given the tenuous relationship with her family.

It meant that, as soon as he realized it, he would set her aside and break her heart far worse than what she was feeling now. Because if she hadn’t known… if she’d let herself fall further, wandered blindly into this, it would have been far more devastation than what she was currently feeling, than what she could take.

“If that’s what Your Highness believes,” She stood up and turned her back on him. “Then I think we should end this charade.”

“By end it, do you mean, you wish to make it public or…?”

“I wish to end our relationship.” She answered curtly. “It would be best if we don’t seek one another out anymore.”

She felt him grab on to her hand but she pulled away, recoiling from his touch. Why must this man impose himself upon her presence anymore, hadn’t this been enough torment now.

“Why would you wish to end it? Come now, Princess, haven’t I just been speaking the truth?” He asked her, serious with a hint of shock.

He was right, he was merely speaking the truth as he saw it, but it wasn’t the truth in her eyes. “Yes, you were. But it’s not the reality that I wish for. Because of that, please let me go and you’re free to find some other woman to have that marriage of convenience with.”

When he refused, she wrenched her arm free and with not even a second thought, pushed him in to the water and stormed off, suppressing her tears.

Callisto was so surprised by Penelope’s actions that he fell into the fountain, completely drenching him. His last view of her was the tail of her green dress and the tips of her long magenta hair.

What just happened? He thought about following after her but thought better of it, he’d give her some space before meeting up with her, hopefully she’d be a better mood by then.

He sighed before he stormed off into his palace. The servants steered clear of him, with the exception of Leon who did turn around, perhaps to call his mother. He began to strip the moment he reached his room and sat on the sofa in his robe. He heard the knock on the door that signalled that Leon had arrived.

Penelope was waiting outside the door of the hall after she’d calmed down, Winter had been a big help as she quietly ranted to him, telling him about what the Prince had said as he walked her back to the hall. She had apologized and said she wouldn’t be going out for awhile after what had happened but he had been understanding of her plight.

And now here she was, waiting until Derrick came out. She bit her lip, staring out into the maze. This night had started out so well as she eagerly waited for a moment to sneak out, but from the moment Callisto had stormed in with that assassin, things had gone down hill very fast. It was better, wasn’t it, to find out now rather than months down the line?

“There you are!” Her brother was soon looming behind her. “Have you been here the whole time?”

She nodded briefly. “It was a bit too much in there.”

“It was quite an unsightly display, wasn’t it? But I suppose we shouldn’t expect anything more from the barbarian prince.”

Penelope bit back the urge to defend him and reminded herself that it wasn’t her problem anymore. “May I go home now?”

“I’ll go with you. The festivities have practically wrapped up anyway.”

Callisto recounted what had happened, and what had led to his sodden state to the three in his room who were sharing uneasy glances.

“Should we tell him what he did wrong?” Leon asked as his Liege kept on going. He winced at each word that came from his mouth.

Cedric spared him a glance as they continued listening to the disaster of a night that the Prince had just come back from. “I don’t really fault the lady for her decision. Not even for pushing him into the fountain.”

“He deserves it.” The Baroness said coldly. Obviously sympathizing with Lady Eckhart. “Leave him to it, he won’t learn if we give him all of the answers. Besides, she seems to be serious as well, there’s no convincing a woman to change her mind after such words have already been uttered.”

The Crown Prince seemed to be losing his momentum because he dropped to his seat. “Well, I’m not wrong am I? The Princess is just over reacting and she’ll see my way once she’s calmed down.”

Right, the Crown Prince would just have to figure this out on his own.

Penelope caught a fever the next day. She had stayed up the whole night crying silently after Emily had left her. The maid had been more behaved recently, after the rotten food incident but she didn’t trust her.

Why was it that love was always beyond her reach? Was she truly so unloveable that the Prince had merely wanted her for the sake of her name? Was there something wrong with her? There were so many questions within her mind and she couldn’t shut them off.

She woke up with a fever the next day, it was high and lingered, and worried everyone. Though they had merely pinned the blame on the distressing display from the previous night. “The shock of it all,” the Doctor had reasoned, “must have gotten to the Lady and her delicate sensibilities.”

Right culprit, wrong event. Penelope thought through the haze of her feverish mind. Reynold was making a nuisance of himself by being loud, demanding an instant cure for her. She groaned and that silenced everyone. “Too loud.” She whimpered.

“You’re awake!” Reynold yelled, coming towards her.

“With a headache.” She complained. “Too loud, shut up or leave.” She told him.

He sat down quietly beside her. And she turned away, bringing the pillow to her head to cover her eyes from the light streaming from the window.

Father’s voice could be heard. “I think we should leave your sister be for now.” He said it quietly but his tone was an order. “She needs rest and quiet.”

There were footsteps leading to the door. Just before it shut, he heard Reynold demand, “Are you sure nothing else happened to her at the banquet?”

“Positive.” Derrick’s muffled voice drifted in. “She was merely distressed about remaining inside so she spent the majority of the banquet right outside the door, looking into the gardens.”

She feels as though wool was stuffed in her mouth, her throat hurt from how parched it was. She tried to sit up but Emily was immediately by her side. “What do you need, My Lady?”

“Water.” She demanded. Grimacing at how hoarse her voice was. She drank it greedily when Emily held it up to her lips. She didn’t even care if the maid had spiked it, she kept drinking, gladly relishing the cool water that slid down her throat.

She fell asleep right after that and was in and out of consciousness, sometimes it would Reynold sitting beside her when she awoke, other times it was Emily. She sighed softly and decided not to put too much thought into it.

The Duke called for a family lunch after she was better. Penelope grimaced at the thought of the torment she was about to endure right after her recovery and made a mental note to ask Emily to get her some food.

She was right, the maid had persisted in giving her toy cutleries and she watched her ‘family’ eat as though everything was right in the world. She wondered if they would notice this time? They never had before, why should this meal be any different?

“You’ve barely touched your food, Penelope.” Father said, it’s the first time he’s ever spoken to her during a meal in… well, since the necklace incident. The first time he deigns to look at her.

Penelope is quiet and she doesn’t answer. A second later, she knocks her fork off the table, when it happens again and again, she knows the maid has begun to panic.

“What is this?” Father demanded but Penelope has already had enough as she stood up and walked away.

As she passed Pennel, she asked him to have Emily make sandwiches for her.

She somehow finds herself in the attic not even a day later. Pennel has taken the blame for her mistreatment, trying to absolve father of his guilt. Even if she concedes, it doesn’t do much. Penelope’s heart was hardened by their actions. Father might not have instigated it, but he was still guilty of neglect. She truly did regret taking his hand that day.

At least death on the streets would have meant that she had died surrounded by people who at least knew her and could look at her without the scorn that was barely hidden in the eyes of high society and within the staff of the Duchy. At least then, she’d never have met Callisto or experienced this heart wrenching pain.

Maybe she wouldn’t have even died. If she had held on a little longer, perhaps one of the travelling merchants that her family had been friends with would have passed by. Maybe she could have even approached Winter, become an accomplice to his little guild. Anything would be better than this gilded hell.

Reynold’s appearance doesn’t make her mood better, in fact, he makes it worse. The way he taunts her, angrily confronting her about words she’d said as a terrified child.

“Maybe if you’d treated me as a sister, even just once, I’d play along.”

“You!”

She ignores whatever he has to say. “I was a child Reynold. Brought into a world I didn’t even know. I’m sorry I said that about your sister, I’m sorry about what I wished for, but you never once considered what I lost for me to end up here, did you? No sane parent would give up their own child, nor would father be the type to take a child out of their mother’s arms.”

“…” He’s rendered speechless.

She thinks of everything she’s gone through. “I lost my mother here, a few weeks before Father had even found me. I watched her wither away into nothing, I slept beside her corpse, drank water from the rain and the sewer, ate paper just to fill my stomach, begged for alms just so I can pay an undertaker to take Mother’s body to throw her into a mass grave.”

He’s frozen, paralyzed to the spot, his eyes wide but she pays him no mind.

“And before that… I grew up in a family where I was the only child. There were thirty of us in our caravan, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, father, and mother. I lost everyone except for my Mother in a bandit attack. I watched them get cut down, I watched the women get defiled, I tended to my heavily pregnant mother who ended up delivering early and I lost my little brother and sister who never even got to draw a breath. I waited for days by her bedside, eating nothing but the leaves and barks from trees.” Then she clenched her fist and raised her hand up, showing her perfectly manicured nails.

“Have you ever known that horror and helplessness, fearing you’d be alone? Have you ever dug a grave with nothing but your bare hands, going on even after your nails have torn off? Thirty bodies in a mass grave, including my little siblings. And I waited anxiously to see if there would be a thirty first body while I watched my mother hover between life and death, unable to close that grave because of her, I was eight when that happened.”

“Penelope…I didn’t, I didn’t know you went through something like that…” He was staring at her with so much horror and sorrow.

“Because you never asked, nor did you even care to find out.” She pointed out. “If you ask a hundred people on the streets, they’ll tell you their own story. I’m sorry for what happened to your sister, I truly am, but you have no idea of the sufferings of others. The Duke has kept you sheltered from the realities of the world, from the horrors that lay beyond these walls. Your sister’s disappearance was a tragedy, and I’m not saying this to diminish the pain or the horror of it, but consider this… at least your sister had people looking for her, at least your family has the resources for a prolonged search. The commoners can only search for a handful of days, praying at night and moving on because they have the choice between starving to death to keep searching, or feeding the rest of their family. My story isn’t the first nor is it the last time such a thing would happen.”

She was tired. She walked out of the door, not even bothering to spare a glance at Derrick who’d been standing behind the door, listening in. The fireworks had long since stopped and it was pointless to stay up there. Nor was she in the mood to.

She just wished it would all be over.

Callisto waited every afternoon in the days leading up to the festival but she didn’t show up. He stalked the paths she would traverse but she wasn’t there delivering bread. He thought that she was still angry but that she’d never miss their date. Well, he decided to try again during the night they’d planned to see each other for the festival but he was disappointed once more. As the fireworks lit the night sky, Penelope never appeared.

It was a bitter curling feeling within him. Fine, if she wouldn’t show up then he’d just show up wherever she was. Or make her go.

“Send out invitations for a banquet next week.” He said as he began drafting a letter to Penelope, an official invitation.

Penelope hadn’t attended. Nor did she reply to his letters. He was getting more and more frustrated. Why must she be so stubborn? She was punishing him for something he hadn’t done!

Penelope didn’t even bother reading Callisto’s letters after the second one, throwing them straight to the fire or tearing them apart first before the flames could eat them in full view of Pennel and Emily who both looked on in horror.

She claimed sickness whenever her brothers tried to get her to go anywhere with them. Finally though, Derrick approached her, asking about a letter from Callisto and she was finally forced to read and reply to it.

Your Highness,

I appreciate the invitations but please stop sending me letters, I meant what I said that night. Furthermore, do stop accusing me of things. I’ve been in convalescence following a particularly nasty bout of the flu and have no energy to spend mingling about with the other ladies. I’ve only just begun to have enough energy to walk about the length of the Duchy from my room to the gardens.

Your pardon if I don’t wish to expend more energy socializing and traipsing about with people that despise me just as much as I despise them.

The rest of her letter followed in the same vein. And she had even sent a letter from the doctor stating just how ill she was.

Callisto read the letter with a raised brow. Worry gnawing within him.

“Was the Princess truly ill?” He asked Cedric who had finished verifying the letter.

And then checked the reports from the men. “Well, they did have doctors come regularly and the Duke had purchased high quantities of medicines that were typically prescribed for the flu. So I’d say that it was true.”

He’s quiet for a moment and decides to forgive her, even if her letter was so utterly pointed to the point that he could feel the metaphorical daggers trying to dig into his skin. “Should I send her something to help her get better?”

“I don’t think that would be a good idea.” Cedric said cautiously. “It won’t be well received by a Lady who has clearly ended things with you.”

“She’s just upset and sick, she’ll come around soon.”

“Somehow, I doubt that.”

Callisto ends up sending her the most expensive medicine from his doctors.

(Penelope, who has gotten better, decides to distribute it on the streets when she finally gets back to her charity work with Winter, not knowing that it’ll cause a large headache later on.)

Penelope has no choice but to go to the next Imperial function, she makes it a point to avoid Callisto at all cost. Her eyes steadfastly refusing to meet his gaze and even when he leaves, sneaking out in a clear sign that he wants to see her, she remains by Derrick’s side, or Reynold’s. None of them are pleased but she stays.

He enters half an hour later, looking upset though he hides it well, she knows him well enough to see it though. Her head turns away when he glances at her direction and she grudgingly engages a Lady from the neutral block in conversation.

When he approaches them, she greets him with a polite and distant smile, when he tries to engage them in conversation, she disengages at the first possible chance and flees to her Father who was talking to Marquis Verdandi.

Hopefully, he’d have gotten the message by now.

He’s at every event she attends. Even the Second Prince’s events. He makes it a point to make a spectacle of himself but she still refuses to talk to him or even look at him. It hurts too much, his words ringing in her ear.

She’ll never be able to look at him the same way, never be able to dream of a life with him. Penelope refuses to marry without love. She refuses to live in another gilded hell without even that for comfort. It isn’t worth the burden that comes with the crown, no matter how handsome his face may be, or how enticing the muscles she could feel under his clothes were.

Penelope is thinner than he remembers, another mark of her recent bout with illness. He wants to talk to her but never once does she seek him out. Even when he so clearly gave her the signal to meet him.

She remains cold to him. Her greetings, polite at first glance, are practically like a winter storm in comparison to how she would once greet him. He wasn’t expecting a kiss or a hug in public, but he did at least expect her to meet his eyes, to smile that pretty and warm smile he adored. Instead, he got one that was so cutting, he’d have been nothing but string had it been a blade.

Fine, if that was how she wanted to play it, then he’d have to get creative and make her come to him.

He smirks as he comes up with a plan. Cedric eyes him warily.

“What are you planning?” He demanded.

“You’ll see.” He said as he glanced at his papers. “Call the Speculators.” He ordered.

Cedric’s shoulders relaxed a little. Callisto glanced at him amusedly as he worked on some papers, catching up on everything he’d missed while he began his campaign of terror…err mischief… whatever, until the Speculators arrived.

The Speculators were his informants, his spies, everything he needed to know, he got from them. Oh yes, they had information guilds under their pay as well, but he knew better than to rely on just one source of information. And the Speculators were also good with one thing… rumours.

He smiled when they entered, ignoring Cedric’s protest, or the wide uncertain eyes of the Speculators, and dismisses everyone.

By the end of the next day, rumours abound about a secret relationship between The Crown Prince and the Lady Penelope Eckhart.

Callisto nodded satisfied, until, just a week later, the rumours change, twisted into other more… vulgar and crass hearsay.

Penelope had been unaware of the rumours, quietly going through the finances of the charities she had been involved with. Winter had managed to slip it into her possession the last time he’d visited Father. She had begun helping at the charity again, finding her footing after the recent bout of illness had left her sidelined. She also took that opportunity to vent her frustrations about Callisto to her poor friend.

Really, he was a great listener. She always felt better after their talks. Well… she talked, he just sort of sat there, nodding along. Even he could understand her frustrations. After all, the Crown Prince’s behaviour had taken a sudden turn towards the more ridiculous side of things.

Father and Derrick had been putting out metaphorical fires all this time after the numerous stunts the Crown Prince had pulled.

Just as she’d finished the ledgers, there was a knock on the door, Emily’s voice breaking through. She bid the maid to come in as she put it all away, clearing her desk and locking the drawer.

“The Duke has asked to see you in his office, My Lady.”

Penelope nodded as she smoothed her skirt from where it had bunched up.

Father wasn’t alone. Derrick and Reynold, otherwise known as the stuffed shirt and the asshole, were also there.

“Sit down, Penelope.” Father motioned to seat in front of him while her two ‘brothers’ sat on opposite chairs. When she was seated, back straight and sipping from the cup of tea her father offered, he finally sighed. “How are you feeling now?”

“Much better.” She said simply, eyeing the awkward way her brothers shifted and the angry looks they kept shooting her. What was wrong now? She hadn’t done anything scandalous recently. Hadn’t cut a woman to shreds with her words or reduced them into inconsolable sobbing messes. Hadn’t emasculated some lordling by lambasting him with her words or embarrassing them by correcting whatever foolish notions they had.

“Good, that’s good.” He said, nodding, though he looked troubled as he cleared his throat. “Penelope…” He hesitated. “Did the Crown Prince ever lay his hands upon you?”

She tilted her head, face blank. “Pardon, lay his hands on me?” She knew of one meaning but that would be absurd. “Do you mean, has he ever struck me? Then no.”

Reynold sighed in frustration. “No, he means has he ever laid with you? Forced himself upon you? Engaged in some torrid romance? Or you know… deflowered you?”

Penelope choked on her tea. “What?” She demanded, wiping her face with the handkerchief Derrick had given her. “Where in the devils would you ever get such a vile idea? No! He’s never laid a hand upon me. Nor have we ever lain together. You can have a doctor come and confirm it, if you wish, I’m still very much a maiden!”

Everybody relaxed upon her indignant words.

“That’s good. Those rumours truly were vile.” Derrick said in relief.

“What rumours?” She said, frosty as she heard it for the first time. Reynold grimaced as he explained them.

“And, we had ignored it the first week or so as someone trying to create a ruckus to drag the Eckharts into the middle of the conflict for the throne. We were content to let it die but then it changed in nature and we needed to know.” Reynold apologized. “Especially after the letter he sent you and the medicines that arrived.”

Penelope was deep in thought, unaware that she was mumbling, her words quiet yet still audible. “But how did they know about the relationship?”

“Pardon?” Father asked, breaking her out of her stupor.

“What?” She asked blankly.

“What?” Her brothers repeated.

Father looked at her in horror. “What relationship?”

“Nothing, what relationship?” Penelope parroted back, her eyes wide in panic as she realized she had unintentionally outed herself.

“Penelope…” Derrick’s tone took on one of warning.

She wilted. “It isn’t a lie to say that I find his Highness to be the most handsome man I’ve ever met.” She began.

“A handsome face alone, does not, a good husband make.” Her Father interrupted.

“I know that.” She said as she looked at her brothers pointedly. She pitied whatever women ended up with them. “But… we did speak a few times, and we did have a very brief, and rather chaste relationship that ended after a fight during the Second Prince’s birthday.”

“That’s why you got sick?” Father asked, leaning forward, his face truly looking upset and deeply troubled.

“Yes, Father. I spent the whole night crying after I ended things with him.”

Derrick cut in. “And by chaste you mean…”

“We held hands, we hugged, and maybe we kissed.”

“Maybe?” Reynold repeated.

“Maybe.” She said firmly, unwilling to go into details. “And no, I won’t be saying anything about why I broke up with him.”

Reynold shook his head. “I wasn’t even going to ask.”

“What I’m curious about is, how did you even manage to have a secret relationship in the first place?”

Penelope remained silent, averting her eyes. Unwilling to let them know about how she snuck out during her shopping trips.

She found temporary salvation when Pennel knocked.

“Your Grace, Marquis Verdandi is here for your meeting.”

Thank the Goddess, Winter was here.

Winter entered the Duke’s office to see the three Eckhart children sitting inside, Lady Penelope refused to look at them, her face averted and lips set into a frown that was closer to a pout.

“Have I come at a bad time?”

The Duke shook his head. “No, it’s nothing. We were just speaking of the… rumours.”

“Ahh.” He said, he’d heard them too and had wanted to warn his young friend about the vile things going on around the capital, having turned the relatively chaste relationship she had once shared with the Crown Prince into one of pure physical intimacies and convenience.

“And get this, Penelope did actually have some sort of a relationship with that man.” Reynold Eckhart said in disgust.

“Reynold!” The Duke said, sharp and stern towards his second son.

Winter blinked. “Oh, have you finally decided to tell your family about your relationship with the Prince?” He asked.

Penelope groaned as three pairs of blue eyes turned to him.

“And how did you know about the relationship?”

Oops. He thought, he felt bad for outing the Lady but also… he’d probably feel worse if she would just leave him out of her relationship problems with the Prince.

It was the Lady who answered for him, trying to take control of the narrative to protect them both. “I’ve known the Marquis since my days on the street, he gave Mother and I some money and food once in awhile.” She explained. “And he’s been helping me over the last few years since I entered the duchy, and to repay him, I’ve been sneaking out to help him distribute supplies to the poor. As a result, he’s been privy to all of the rants I’ve had about his Highness.”

“Much to my dismay.” He muttered.

None of the Eckhart men seemed happy by the revelation, the Young Duke turning red as a result. He sighed. He really hated getting caught up in the Eckhart family’s conflicts.

An aggressive strain of flu makes its way around the capital, hitting the slums hard. Penelope had purchased as much of the vials of the medicines as possible. And that was when a thought hit her. Her eyes turned to the high grade medicines that Callisto had sent her recently.

It should still be good.

As she joined Winter on the streets distributing medicines, word had made it back to Callisto that the medicine he’d given her was now circulating the streets. And he’d gone to investigate himself and had seen Penelope speaking freely and easily with Marquis Winter Verdandi, the air of peace and contentment around her was the same way she used to be with him. Callisto’s heart tightened with jealousy, anger and rage burning through his every being but he held himself back and waited, watching them from afar.

Penelope chose a red dress for the opening banquet of the hunting festival. Father had made it clear that she was to attend and that her every move would be scrutinized as a result of the rumours. She had to do her best to remain unaffected by everything and skipping the hunt was not an option because people would take it as an admission of guilt that the rumours were true.

So here she stood, caressing her crossbow and daring the on lookers to utter those words and criticize her. She raised a brow as she stared at the crowd who immediately looked away. She decided to move to their table, sitting down with her back straight and waited for the Emperor to deliver the opening speech… only… only it was Callisto who appeared.

As he spoke, his eyes roamed the crowd, she averted her gaze before their eyes could meet, staring in the same direction but looking down low, to the wall.

She listened idly to his speech, listened to the Marquis question on the whereabouts of his daughter and grandson, and ignored the way he began to creep closer and closer to her table, ever so slightly. She wished he wouldn’t. That he’d just leave her alone to lick her wounds but he was persistent and, as she’d grudgingly come to realize, mad.

“If it isn’t my erstwhile lover.” Callisto said as he sat across from her.

She looked around to try to find her brothers but they were occupied. So far, not that many people had seen him with her and she wished to stand and approach a group as well, but her reputation made it so that it would be unnatural for her to be the one to approach.

Penelope sighed and greeted him. “I greet the Small Sun of the Empire.”

“Come now, no need to be so formal. We’re lovers after all.” He said, goading her on, leaning on his hand as he stared at her with a smile.

Her eye twitched. “I’m sorry Your Highness, but I’ve told you multiple times now, I no longer wish to be in a relationship with you.” And then she took a break. “Furthermore, I wish to pursue a different relationship.”

“A different relationship?” He echoed back, stunned before his face darkened. “So you’re saying you’ve set your eyes on another?”

“No.”

“Tell me who it is, My Lady, and I shall run him through with my sword.”

Penelope stared him down calmly. “I have no one I currently like. What I mean to say is that, I should like to find a man who’d fit my ideal and start a relationship with.”

“And here I thought I was your ideal.” He said sarcastically.

“Well, I’ve seen you fall short on something rather crucial.”

“And that is?”

“If you don’t know, then there’s no point in telling you.” She bit out. Penelope knew Callisto was right when he’d said he was her ideal but the problem was… the one thing, the most important thing that she looked for in a marriage partner was the one thing he lacked. Love. He didn’t believe in it nor did he love her. And that had been what had spelled the end of their relationship.

Derrick arrived not too long after, shielding her from Callisto. She watched them exchange a few words before they were distracted by a scream. The three of them quickly turned to the source to see a… giant pink duckling.

It looked like a cute pink ball of doom. Somehow it reminded her of Reynold. That doesn’t stop her from shooting it when they come for her. By all regards, it was actually quite a pleasurable experience taking out her frustrations and anger towards those monsters. Imagining they were Reynold was another perk to it. Now if only they came in other colours, maybe the same shade as Derrick’s hair? Or even Callisto’s?

There was a hush as everyone stared at her in the aftermath. She sighed. Her eyes sought her brothers and Winter, reassured that they were at least safe before her eyes caught Callisto’s. He was staring at her with wide eyes, his mouth slightly parted and his grip on his sword loose.

So much for not drawing attention onto myself.

Really. The world truly hated him. Just as he’d been able to say more than a few words to Penelope, there had to be a monster attack. He snorted when he pointed out that her brother had abandoned her to save some random girl but she was stoically quiet.

He rushed in to destroy the monsters, finding them easy to strike down, his sword cut through them as though they were paper.

He turned to Penelope to assure himself that she was alright when she screamed. “Your Highness! Behind you!” Glancing behind him, two more monsters loomed over head.

He cursed. Twirling his sword around and slicing them.

“No!” The Princess screamed out. “Every time you cut one down, two more appear!”

“Well what do you want us to do?” He could hear Reynold Eckhart shout back at her.

The Eckharts were right on both account. They did multiply after having been cut, however, they had no other way of defending themselves.

A candle streaked passed his head and struck the monster he was fighting. It quickly caught on fire but it disappeared a moment later, leaving the monster furious and injured but relatively unscathed. That was the most damage it had ever caught.

His eyes turned back to Penelope when he heard her brother scream her name. His heart dropped. She had tossed the candles at all the monsters but now they were converging on her in anger. Too far. He was too far away to do anything.

Suddenly her hand snapped up to grab her crossbow and she strung it, electricity arching from the beads she shot. The monster burst and didn’t reappear when it was struck.

Silence descended upon them until…

“Kill the girl first!” One of the dark priests from the holy nation screamed out.

The monsters sped up their approach, looming over her. How many beads did she have? He thought in worry as she shot each with an accuracy. Everyone moving away from them monsters path. He stood there frozen on the spot as she breathed heavily, sweat beading her face at the exertion until she dropped on to the chair in exhaustion once the monsters had been dealt with.

She looked… intoxicating. Beautiful, powerful, strong.

He turned towards the captured priests, stripping the hood from them.

“Children?” The nobles gasped.

Marquis Verdandi had asked to take custody of them and he had been on his way too reject until Penelope interjected and cited her wish to have this as her reward.

It displeased him that she’d side with another, especially with the Marquis that he’d seen her with a few days ago. “I would’ve given you a more proper reward.” He said softly as they passed open another.

She remained silent. He spared her another glance when he was further away and his blood boiled to see the two speaking so intimately, the Marquis’ hand went to touch her neck and he almost turned around and cut the older man’s hand off.

But he had a job to do.

Penelope fell onto the bed in exhaustion. She looked at the nightstand within her tent and reached for the balm that Reynold had given her. The herbal scent made it’s way to her nose, reminding her of when Emily had rubbed it on the wound upon her neck earlier.

She turned her head and bit her lip to keep from crying.

That asshole. Why did he have to keep coming to her? Why did he keep poking holes at the wounds that had yet to close? Callisto had been acting like a jealous lover, but what did he have to be jealous of? They weren’t together, and he didn’t love her. Did he merely see her as his possession? The key to the throne.

“I’m not going to let you go now.” Callisto’s voice from all those months ago echoed in her mind. The image of that first kiss. She hadn’t wanted him to let her go then, nor did she wish for it in the days that passed. It wasn’t until that night at the maze that everything had fallen apart and his true colours had been revealed.

She willed herself to calm, there was no use crying over him.

In the morning, Penelope stood with a box in her hand as she pondered on what to do with it. She’d gotten it for Callisto before they had broken up. She had given her father one as well, and one to Emily who she’d gotten close too.

Perhaps this could go to Reynold? He was kind to her the night before. She could use this to show that she appreciated his gesture.

A hand reached over and plucked it from her grasp.

“Oh my, a gift for me?” Callisto’s voice rang through. “You shouldn’t have, Dear.”

She spun around and came face to face with his chest. “That wasn’t for you.”

“Isn’t it?” He raised a brow as he stared at it. “It’s in my colours though.”

“It’s a gift meant for another.” She was stubborn, refusing to acknowledge who it was originally intended for.

“Then tell me who it’s for and I shall personally deliver it to him, along with a greeting from my blade.”

She shook her head. “I meant to give it to Reynold.”

He gestured to where her brother was surrounded by women, clearly basking in the attention. “I doubt he’d be interested in receiving a present from his little sister.” He told her dryly. And then he ripped off one of his medals to pin the amulet in its place. “I, however, have no such compunctions. I receive this gift with all thanks. And don’t worry, I won’t forget to hunt a prey worthy of you.”

The arrogant shit then got on his horse and taunted her family with the present. All three Eckhart men, and Winter looked at her and she felt as though she had lost something in their eyes.

Penelope’s mood was already foul when she joined the tea party. She was the only one dressed in a hunting attire. And she had no patience to entertain their petty words.

“Oh, I beg your pardon. Perhaps I should’ve just let that monster eat all of you. After all, you did nothing but shriek and wail, running around in circles.” She pointed out. “If I hadn’t known how to shoot, we’d all have died.”

They all turned red. But Alice, bless her soul, had been earnest and sincere in her awe and desire to see her shoot.

She happily obliged. “Let’s see who’s faster. The guards or my shot?”

“Please, wait!” Gloria Kellen begged as she counted down.

“Bang.” She said as the blue haired woman flinched. “Ladies.” She told them with a dark smile. “It’s not even loaded. It was a joke.”

And as she spun around, she gave Alice a gentle pat. Throwing a cursory glance at Lady Kellen, she couldn’t help her parting shot. “It seems you may need a change of clothes.”

Really, did they forget last year? The flies in the sewage water? Her hand was quick and in a moment of distraction, she had switched her cup with Gloria Kellen’s and sipped the tea with a smile. The amusement on everyone’s faces turned to horror as the other lady shrieked and spat in disgust.

They really should have known to check their cups beforehand. She looked on innocently, feigning worry. Penelope had grown up on the streets. Drinking dirty water, while unpleasant, wasn’t something she hadn’t done before. Nor was her slight of hand something new.

She absently tracked the fox, waiting for the perfect opportunity to shoot when she realized that she had gone in too deep. Noting the change in the ribbon colours, she decided to try to find her way back when she caught sight of a large bear at the same time it noticed her.

She cursed as it began to charge at her. She began to fire continuously, reloading as quickly as she could as she fell back. The bear didn’t even seem fazed by it because it didn’t slow down.

A flash of silver and the bear fell dead at her feet, the head severed and rolling away.

“You…” Callisto said as he breathed a sigh of relief. “You… what are you doing here?” He demanded, he looked completely shaken.

Penelope felt relief flood into her at the sight of him. “I got lost.” She said simply. “And then ran into the bear.”

He rubbed his face as he shook his head and then grabbed her, pressing her close to his body.

She tried to push away. “Your Highness!” She said in surprise, even if she secretly felt happy in his arms. His warmth seeping into her skin and making her feel as though she were safe from the world.

“Just… just for now.” He whispered. “That was too close. So please, let me hold you for now.”

Penelope stopped struggling and let him hold her, her own hands wrapping around his waist.

Eventually the rain began and they pulled away. Penelope’s memories of her time in the streets coming to the fore. She remembered the rain that bloated her mother’s skin, accelerating the decay. She looked up, feeling like the lost and terrified child she had been then.

Callisto immediately threw his cape on her head before he grabbed the bear’s head and strapped it on to the horse. Penelope stared at him as he got on the horse, hand reaching out when he’d offered his own. They really shouldn’t be together… not with the rumours but…

Just as their hands touched, an arrow imbedded itself on to his chest and he fell of the horse.

She screamed. For a moment her world stopped as she stared at him, her mind going into denials and her heart shattering.

He groaned. “You’re too loud.” He said as he got back up. A look of utter fury on his face as he tore off the amulet. “It seems the protection spell on the amulet saved my life.”

She swallowed as she allowed him to pull her up and they made the mad dash through the forest. She gripped his shirt tightly so as not to fall, one of his hands crossed behind her, holding her to him while it held the reins. The other had begun fending off the arrows with his sword, torso slightly turned.

He told her to keep her head down but she knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to let him do all the work. He could get injured, they both could. And then they’d be killed. So she made a decision.

“Let me handle the assassins. Focus on where we’re going.” She told him.

“Princess…”

“No, trust me.” She said it forcefully, her words strong and confident.

“Alright.”

Penelope pulled away from him, crossbow in hand and she began to fire. She watched as they fell, one by one.

“It’s a dead end. We have to get off!” Callisto told her just a few moments before he stopped the horse and jumped off, pulling her down after that. Penelope was still wrapped in his cape.

The remainder of the assassins fell to their attacks. And just as she’d begun to relax, one bead already loaded, an assassin came from her side, a dagger in hand. Marquis Ellen’s mark on it and the dagger held a token made of a familiar shade of blue string.

Callisto had seen it as well because he was suddenly in between them. His arms wrapped around her body as the dagger dug deep into his shoulder and they fell. She quickly pulled the trigger and watch as it struck the assassin.

The wind rushed by as Callisto apologized before he turned their bodies. They hit the water and Penelope fell unconscious from the impact.

Callisto dragged them out of the water, swimming through the currents until they hit the banks. The Princess was uninjured but she was also unconscious, so he carried her, slung across his shoulder as he navigated the forest in search of some form of shelter.

Stumbling upon a cave, he breathed a sigh of relief as he quickly entered and lay her down gently. Penelope slept on, her soft breaths showing him that she was still alive. The water dripped on to the dirty cave floor as he walked in deeper to look for any signs of habitation but there was none. He nodded to himself before he moved to get Penelope and to bring her deeper within before he went out again. He used his sword to cut some wood, not ideal but he could have it fixed later or replaced all together.

A split second of hesitation hit him when he realized Penelope was shivering before he swallowed it down, doing his best to avert his eyes as he disrobed her, leaving only her underwear. His face felt hot but he refused to act on it, knowing how much angrier she’d be with him. And then he wrapped her in the cape again to keep her warm.

When he finally lit the fire, he went out to get some more. Staying close to the cave. His mind returned to Penelope and her face when it began to rain. She had gone painfully blank, her eyes distant and clearly lost in some haunting memory that still tormented her. He wanted to get her out of there immediately, not just because of how recently she’d recovered but also because he wanted that expression to be gone from her face. Never wanted to see such a look cross her face again.

Penelope stirred as he returned. He saw her sit up, blinking blearily at the unfamiliar surroundings before the cape fell off of her and she realized that she was half naked. She shrieked, immediately clutching the cape to her. Her eyes widened as she glimpsed him. Hands immediately covering her face, though there were gaps between her fingers from where she peeked at him.

Callisto couldn’t help it. He laughed, hard. She was so fucking adorable. He swallowed the temptation to devour her whole right now. An image of her a writhing mess, moaning his name came into his mind but he squashed it thoroughly. He would be lying if he didn’t say that he’d never thought or dreamt of it, but it had gotten so much worse after the rumours became twisted and the things he’d learned from the soldiers and their tales of conquests of a different sort had entered his mind.

He quickly turned away from her, even as he continued to tease her. He heard her huff and lay down to return to her sleep. And that was when he finally turned to her, watching as her breathing evened out. One hand on his sword as he strained his ear to listen to any footsteps.

He heard her breath hitch, growing more ragged as the seconds passed before she finally sprung up, panting, hands shaking and terror in her eyes. Her lips quivered and her eyes were moist with unshed tears. He couldn’t help it, he defied common sense and propriety to go to her side and then he picked her up and took her back to his spot. His hold on her tight.

“Wh…what?” She asked, her speech slightly slurred. She was shaking.

“Warming you up, you’re going in to shock.”

Her hand lay on his bare chest, head leaning on it, ear pressed over top of his heart. His hand stroked her hair, feeling her slowly calm and drift off in his arms. He could stay like this forever, would happily die in this position, with her in his arms, just the two of them. Callisto held her tight, knowing that he may never get another opportunity like this again.

Before her eyes fluttered shut, she asked him a question. “Are you alright, Callisto?” And then sleep pulled her under before he could respond. That was the first time he’d heard her call his name in weeks. Just the sound of his name falling from her lips was enough to make him smile.

When she startled awake again, he decided to tell her a story. His words twisting to weave the tale of his first hunt.

Only… she didn’t react the way he’d expected to. The way his men had, weeping like babies.

All she did was stare at him. “It was difficult and probably traumatic for you, it’s a wound that’s scarred your heart. But you survived and you proved them wrong. Now continue turning it into your triumph.”

Hah. She was always surprising him. He nodded his head.

“Will you tell me… what did you like about me?”

Penelope was quiet. This whole day was so confusing and exhausting, emotionally and mentally. Her mind was abuzz, clouded by the warmth and comfort of his arms. The feel and sight of his bare chest… well… his bare torso that almost had her mouth watering. The way he immediately sought to protect and comfort her. She felt her heart melting, swaying, but she reminded herself of his words. Reminded herself that he didn’t love her, and that was all it took to harden her heart against him. Even if she had begun to forgive him slightly for the pain she felt.

After all, his reasoning and belief that the world of the nobility operated solely on marriages of convenience wasn’t wrong. And maybe if she’d been born and raised in this world, she wouldn’t even blink. But she wasn’t born into it, she wasn’t an Eckhart in true. And she’d accepted that. She’d accepted that he’d leave her when he realized how little standing she truly had within her family. So here she was, here they stood with a relationship that had long since been destroyed by that realization.

“You may as well tell me what you liked about me.”

“The first time I saw you, at your homecoming banquet, the night we met… I took one look at you and I knew that you were the most handsome man I’d ever laid my eyes upon. Your hair reflected the candlelight and it was like a thousand flecks of gold dust flickering around, your eyes like rubies set upon your handsome face.” She confessed. “But I had no desire to get to know you. Your reputation was frightening.”

She looked away. “But then you came to my rescue, and you were kind. You didn’t stop being kind to me. For someone like me who’s had to beg for scraps of affection from my family, it was a novelty.”

“Then why did you end it? What did I do wrong?” He asked in frustration.

She was quiet before she looked at him. “I think… no, I know that you understood what went wrong, what you did and said. You just don’t want to admit to it because it means acknowledging that we’re over for good.”

“…” He bit his tongue and conceded that he did know what he’d done but that he didn’t want to give up.

“You told me about the bear, shall I share one of my own?” She asked but he knew it wasn’t really a question. “I was born to travelling merchants. I was the youngest in my family. The only child my parents had at the time, though mother was pregnant. And there were many of us. It was a happy time until one day, the music stopped. In a single day, I lost everyone but my pregnant mother.”

Her hands clenched tight on the cape. “The memory of it is still within my mind, it will forever be there. How I survived only because I hid under my father’s body. How the women were defiled before they were killed. My mother survived but the events of the day caused her to lose the twins.”

She turned to look at him. “As brief as my time with my family was, as short as their marriage was and as tragic as its end was… I knew that I wanted a marriage like my parents. A marriage filled with love and warmth. I want a kind man who would love and treasure me. I don’t want a marriage of convenience. As kind as you are to me, if you can’t love me, I can’t be with you, because I will never compromise on that. So please stop trying to win me back, there’s no future for us. ”

Then she stood up and walked to the other side of the fire. “I’m tired, I think I’ll go back to sleep now. Good night, Your Highness.”

Callisto stared at her sleeping form, teeth clenched as he contemplated her words, his heart felt like it was being torn apart as her words echoed in his mind. Why? Why was love so important to her? He could give her a good life without it!

He hissed as the sensation of burning spread across his body sapping him of his strength as he struggled to stay awake.

When Penelope awoke, she immediately knew something was wrong. Callisto didn’t stir when she tapped his shoulder. She pressed her ear to his chest, hearing the erratic beats of his heart. His breath was shallow and he was cold and terribly pale. Beside him, the dagger that the assassin used lay gleaming wickedly in the dim light.

“Forgive me, Your Highness.” She said before she began to slap him, calling him to rouse him.

When he groaned, she stood back.

“Princess, did you just slap me?” He blinked awake, his cheek red.

“Pardon? Yes, I did.” She told him. “You wouldn’t awaken.”

“You truly are an impudent woman.”

She rolled her eyes. “So I’ve been told.” Then she glanced at the tunnel that led deeper into the cave. “There’s a breeze coming from in there.”

His face darkened. And somehow, Penelope found herself walking behind him in search of the rogue mage.

Only… only they found a corpse of a long dead cultist. Something in Penelope shivered, rejecting the body in front of her.

“If it’s too gory for you, then you can return to the tunnel.” Callisto told her, reassuring.

She stared at the corpse with a frown. “It’s not that. This isn’t anything I’m unused too.” She waited for him to destroy the magic circle with a swift stab from his sword. The wind rushed about and she felt, for a moment, magic flow through her. An odd memory resurfaced, still half buried.

Her Father smiled and uttered a word, wind picked up and created a small whirlwind that swept up the leaves on his palm. And then Mother shook her head. Picked up a seed and held it out, she uttered a different word, just as foreign but one she instinctively knew. Her Mother had ordered the seed to grow and it did. It turned into a sapling then a bud, before finally blooming into a carnation that she had placed on Penelope’s hair.

They laughed when Penelope had tried it and failed.

“You’ll get there, Little Hummingbird.” Grandmother said with a pat on the head. She hadn’t ever been able to use her magic but they all said she was the most attuned to it, that she had the greatest power among them.

They died the next day, and mother followed along a few years later.

Penelope gasped as the memory hit her. Callisto immediately came to her side but she shook her head. “It’s nothing, just an old memory.”

She then glanced at the corpse again, walking closer to it. She bent down to inspect it, waving him away when he tried to just cut the corpse to get the scrolls. “Stand over there.” She pointed to the side after he’d protested her cutting her hair.

Penelope remembered doing this as a child. Her family had looked for artifacts and relics, relocating them somewhere she couldn’t remember now. These long buried memories now explained her different fascinations, particularly in archaeology.

Penelope turned to Callisto, pushing past the jealousy she’d felt at the knowledge that he’d kept another woman’s handkerchief. They weren’t together anymore. She had no right to be upset.

She presented the scrolls to him on the handkerchief. “Here you go.” He opened it unceremoniously, the feel of magic resonating from both.

“This is… a map of balta.” He breathed out in surprise. She leaned in closer. She had heard of it from Winter a few times.

“This can never get out.” He told her seriously, his words practically an order.

She understood why, though. “I understand. My lips are sealed.”

The next was a moving map. She stared at it in fascination, her eyes tracing the lines of magic, the threads it now wove to create it. This was… she’d never done this before.

“If only I knew the word for it.” Callisto muttered.

She placed a hand on his arm. “Will you let me try?”

“You know the ancient language?” He asked, curious.

Penelope thought back to her family and she nodded. “I do. My grandmother used to curse in it. She was quite creative.”

He snorted and handed it to her. “Well, you should give it a go then.”

It worked. Penelope looked around in surprise as she recognized the small games area.

But her awe was cut short when Callisto had collapsed upon receiving the scrolls.

“Go get help. And send someone for me.” He said before he passed out.

She felt… terrified. Not for herself. She was so scared and had almost broken down but she decided to follow his commands.

And was arrested for her trouble.

Penelope was left to stew in the cell she’d been placed in. She wasn’t even surprised when Derrick didn’t believe her, she had learned long ago not to hope. She took no offence to it.

“I’m innocent. And I’ll prove it by myself if I have to.” She told him as he made to exit. He froze but didn’t look back.

“I look forward to it then.”

She looked down at the dagger she’d taken out of her pocket. A wicked smile made its way on to her face as she examined it again. The fool had truly used his lover’s token on the dagger he’d been given for assassinations.

Her thoughts then turned to the memories now flowing freely. It seemed that mentioning them to Callisto had been like a dam that unearthed all that she had tried to forget, even the good days. The memories of things that didn’t quite fit into the normal scope of the world. She’d have to talk to Winter later on about it.

Penelope had managed to claim the bear as her own, or rather, she staked her claim on it. The marks left by the beads were distinctive and she had full confidence that the investigator would see it too. In the meantime, she settled for causing some sort of chaos.

“There were some truth to the rumours.” Penelope said, head held high. “His Highness and I were in a relationship, but it never went very far, not even beyond simple platitudes. Despite having feelings for one another, we found ourselves to have too much of a difference in philosophies and parted ways. He asked that we speak to one another that day to have some sort of closure.” She announced. And then she wove a tale that was well within the realms of possibility and was very somewhat close to the truth.

Winter coming in to testify on her behalf was just the icing on the cake. She watched Gloria Kellen beg and plead her innocence but it all died away as their eyes met. They truly had underestimated her based on her conduct during her first year in the Duchy, but Penelope had grown and learned from her mistakes. She had honed herself into the fearsome title she now held as the Bitch of the Duchy.

She ignored Derrick for the moment, conveying her personal gratitude to Marquis Verdandi for his help, making note of the eyes still on her. And then she subtly signalled that she wished to talk to him. Penelope’s mind went back to those memories, to the magic that she had used. Yes, this was a necessary talk.

Penelope somehow found herself in Callisto’s palace. Even though her Father was disgruntled, he acknowledged that Penelope had angered a lot of people with her acquittal. They had thought that they’d found the perfect scapegoat within the false daughter, but then she’d completely turned the case on it’s head, successfully and single-handedly winning the trial. And now there were quite a few nobles who had been extended the curtesy of the Imperial Dungeons.

So Penelope found herself on board an Imperial carriage and later within the very halls of her former lover’s palace. The staff all whispered as she passed but she kept her eyes looking forward as she followed Sir Porter and Baroness Markham, the head maid of Callisto’s palace. Behind them was Sir Leon Markham, the Baroness’ son, and a member of Callisto’s elite soldiers.

“Please know that we are completely in support of your decision with regards to the Crown Prince.” The Baroness said sympathetically. “What he said was really, well, he isn’t the brightest light when it comes to interpersonal things, particularly when it comes to women and the affairs of the heart.”

The other two with her had been nodding along. Throwing in their own agreements. And she had to laugh. At the very least, she was assured that she wasn’t the villain in their eyes.

Penelope thanked them before she entered the room she’d been given. Sir Markham standing guard right outside her door, ready to lead her wherever she wanted to go as well.

For the last three days, Penelope had been coming to Callisto’s room to sit at his bedside, waiting for him to wake up. She sat, reading a book on archaeology and history. There were books here that she’d never even heard off, but that was the beauty of an Imperial Library, wasn’t it? There were books that could be found easily, feeding into the different libraries within the palaces. Though, from her understanding, each library was catered towards the taste of the Imperial family member living within that palace.

She raised a brow at the fact that Callisto’s tastes were more on the scholarly side. The Second Prince’s Library, as well as the Empress’, were barely touched. While the Emperor consumed books as though he was a man thirsty for water and had miraculously found an oasis.

Penelope stood when she finished her book and spun around, making to leave when a large, familiar, calloused hand closed on her wrist. She spun around to see Callisto’s eyes opening. “Your Highness!” She exclaimed as she placed her book on her seat and helped him sit up.

“You know, I expected that you’d at least cry a little. Three days in and all you had done was sit there quietly. No holding my hand, begging me to wake up as you cried tearfully, confessing the fact that you still had feelings for me.” His face was pale and there was clearly some discomfort very well hidden within his voice. He was still in pain, still suffering from the poison.

“The fact that you know that means that you’ve been conscious for awhile.” She rolled her eyes. “I told you, we’re through.” But she still smoothed his hair, her fingers brushing against the skin of his face and then helped him drink the water. “Besides, I’m angry at you for not telling me about the poison.”

“What difference would it have made?” He asked. It was said with the same self assured tone he’d had when he once told her that the Emperor needed to be perfect.

He was right that it wouldn’t have changed anything. But Penelope also knew that she was upset because of how frightened she’d been for him after he’d collapsed. Unable to understand what was happening, she had let her mind circle around self-flagellation and terror for him.

She took a moment to think of the best way to phrase it. “I would at least have been prepared and I wouldn’t have been so confused and terrified when the Guards caught me. I may have been able to explain everything then and would have most likely avoided a night in the jail cell. Though that was doubtful.”

“You were where?” He asked in shock and anger.

“In jail. They even dragged me up and accused me of trying to assassinate you and of attacking the nobles that had ‘tried to aid’ you. Funny enough, they were the ones who claimed that I struck them with the beads.”

Callisto’s face was dark and Penelope felt a bit vindictive as she thought of what he’d do to them. Though she knew her mind could never conjure anything close to what he was capable of. “I’ll make sure they’re punished.” He vowed darkly.

“How many days has it been?”

The question took her by surprise. “This is the sixth day of the hunt.”

“Then tomorrow is the closing celebration.” He sighed. “I’ll deal with them the day after tomorrow.”

She thought back to all of the rumours. She had spent a long time contemplating where the rumours had come from and she could only come up with one person. “Did you release those rumours?” She asked quietly.

The way he paled even more told her everything. “Penelope… I…” He stammered.

“Just because I broke up with you, you chose to truly thrash my reputation and implied that I was a loose woman?” She asked, hurt.

“That wasn’t my intention, and those vile rumours weren’t my doing. Yes. I started it, but I only released the fact that we were in a relationship.” He said, trying to explain.

Penelope merely nodded, unsure of what she could say, she was… well, not angry, more like hurt and disappointed in him. “Sir Porter is waiting outside. I’ll let him in and have one of the guards call for a doctor.” She stood up and avoided his hand when he tried to pull her back, throwing him a small brittle smile as she walked away. “I’ll see you later, Your Highness.”

Penelope won the hunting festival, placing first and after some prompting, Callisto had told her that the bear was the real prize of the hunt, the most difficult and ferocious of animals. And then of course, Callisto and Winter both dedicated their hunts to her, and that led to some speculations now. Callisto stared at Winter with a fierce glare. Whispers abounding that she had left the Prince for the Marquis.

(She didn’t know that Callisto had heard that Winter had been there when the bear was about to strike her down, nor that he’d testified on her behalf. And certainly not that he’d caught them distributing alms together. Callisto’s men had investigated him thoroughly but had come up with nothing to use to destroy him, what they did find was that they’d known each other while she was a street child, and had continued the acquaintance because of the close ties between the Duchy and the Marquisate.)

“Are you sure nothing happened between You and the Crown Prince?” Reynold asked again as he sat at the edge of her bed.

Penelope turned to him with a glare. “No, nothing happened.” She snapped. She wanted to continue playing with her new shiny gold coins and he was stopping her.

“Fine.” He huffed and then he paused. “And you’re not angry about us not dedicating the hunt to you? Because you know the rules about…”

“I’m not angry.” Penelope said immediately. She really wasn’t because she hadn’t expected anything from them. Nor was she particularly interested in what they had to offer.

“Then why don’t you pick something from my hunt. Any animal.” He offered her. Really, he was quite pesky wasn’t he.

She thought back to all of the animals she’d seen and could only think of one thing. “Bunnies. I want to see them hopping around the Duchy.”

Reynold grinned at her as he stood. “Alright, I’ll tell Pennel to release them.” As he walked to the door, he turned back to her one last time. “And Father wants us all to have dinner tonight.”

Penelope waved him off. Her focus going back to her pretty shiny coins. She hugged a pile of them, feeling the cold metal on her skin after the warm day. Her mind suddenly flashed to Callisto and his hair before she closed her eyes and shook her head.

No. She refused to think of him. She was supposed to be moving on, she was supposed to be forgetting about him and all that he’d done to hurt her. She still fell asleep a few minutes later thinking of him. He invaded her dreams too.

Winter suddenly found himself buried under quite a lot of work sent his way from the Crown Prince’s palace. He was also being trailed by the Crown Prince’s men, though he never let on that he knew. He sighed, wondering what he’d done to anger the Crown Prince.

“Master, is it true that you and big sis are a couple and that the two of you are going to get married and have babies?” Raon asked wide eyed.

He coughed out and turned to Raon and the other children who were watching him with eager eyes, clearly relishing the idea of Penelope being his wife. He shuddered at the thought. She was far too much of a handful. And, he’d known her as a child, still sometimes saw her as one.

“No! And where did you hear those rumours?” He asked.

“Aww.” The children all said in unison, their voices showed the disappointment they felt.

Raon pouted. “They said that Big sis left the Crown Prince for you because the two of you were in love.”

Great Goddess Althea, give him patience please. Dear Golden Dragon, please rein in your descendant. Now he understood why the Prince was furious with him. If these tales had made their way to him, he’d have him killed. And he believed it was only because the Lady would be upset that he’d been spared.

He couldn’t be caught with her in private, not with those rumours floating around. The Prince truly would skewer him for that. So he sent her a rabbit as a summons.

Magic flared and she arrived within half an hour, as he’d expected.

Dressed in a simple outfit, easily blending in with the masses. A hood covered her distinctive magenta hair, face hidden by a half mask.

He led her into the inner rooms immediately. Penelope greeted each of the children and spoke with them happily for a few minutes before they were finally able to get into his office.

“What did you need to talk about?” He offered her some tea, lavender honey, her favourite.

Penelope’s finger touched the rim of the cup. She was silent for a moment, her face solemn and serious. “I used magic during the hunting festival.” She confessed.

His brow raised immediately. “But you don’t have a drop of mana on you.”

“But I’ve always been able to feel magic.” She pointed out. “And… and the memories I forced myself to forget about my family… they all had magic and they told me that I had the most magic, the most powerful, and the purest.”

He looked at her again, his eyes scanned her in interest. “Your family?” She’d never mentioned them before. He had been acquainted with her mother, distantly, from his charity work, but he also knew that she’d lost them early in life to an act of brutality. “They all had magic and they said yours was the most powerful?”

She nodded. “And… and I’m pretty sure they spoke the ancient language fluently.”

He remembered that Penelope had been barely literate when she’d entered the Duchy. He stood up, a theory forming in his mind even as excitement and hope grew in his heart.

He took out a scroll written completely in the ancient language. He only had fragments of it translated, the language lost to time and there were no real scholars of the language. He gave it to her. “Can you try to read it?” He requested.

She opened the scroll hesitantly. “On the last day of the autumnal festival, the Goddess Althea walked among her people, the Dragon Sapphira at her side, delivering blessings upon her people. To the family of Evander, she gave the childless couple a blessing of fertility. To Maximillian and his men, a blessing of protection before the battle with the neighbouring kingdom.”

He inhaled sharply. She read it with ease as though she were reading a text in standard Eorkan. There was one more thing he needed to know, needed to confirm. A relic lay pride of place within his collection. An indestructible relic passed down from each generation that had once belonged to the Ancient mages, and before that, to the Goddess.

An ancient mage would be able to wear it, but not anyone else. The High Priests and Priestesses of the Goddess were bequeathed with her belongings upon her entrance into the long sleep. This had fallen into his many times great grandfather’s hands, entrusted to him after the hunt for the Ancient Mages began before the death of his friend.

He held the bracelet out to her. She took it on, the bracelet practically flying to her until it clung on tight. The bronze and pearl bracelet sat pride of place, the emerald in the middle glowed brilliantly. And he was breathless.

“An Ancient Mage.” He whispered, elation building in him.

Penelope’s face was one of shock and terror. The complete opposite of what Winter felt.

“What… what does that mean?”

Winter’s eyes blazed with a fire. “It means that we have hope that we’ll win against the Leila. But we need to get you ready.”

Penelope looked down. “Okay.” She said. “If it means that you and the children will be safe… I’m… I’m going to learn magic from you.”

There was a sharp nod from him. There was precious little known about the Ancient Mages but… Penelope’s innate ability to read the ancient language, and speak it, as well as her ability to use magic, probably meant that she either knew the spells but they were buried within the painful memories, or that they had the knowledge engraved into their minds.

The handful of spells that Winter knew were nothing close to the vast knowledge and compendium her people probably knew.

Penelope spent her time helping Winter with the alms and practicing the spells he’d hand her, meeting him whenever he sent one of the magic rabbits to her. As was par for the course for her, she had no idea about the rumours going around about a relationship between them, nor about the mounting jealousy within the Crown Prince who received regular updates about their charity works.

Neither the Duke nor his sons had told her about the rumours because they favoured Winter far more than the Prince. And it also improved her reputation. The fact that Penelope no longer felt the need to hide her charity work meant that she was being noted by the nobles as well. And those nobles who did bother to look into it had discovered that she’d been doing it for years before any rumours had actually come out about her and the Crown Prince or the Marquis.

But the new, very public appearances meant that she was now assigned a guard or that Reynold would come and escort her around the Capital.

On another news, her magic practice had actually paid off. By channeling the emotions she’d felt at the loss of her family, she was able to unlock her magic in full. And had also discovered that the spells were engraved into her very soul.

Still, Winter was never able to feel any mana from her until she actually used it, and when she did, he said it dwarfed any spell he’d ever be capable of producing. It was hot like the sun, burning and melting everything, an inferno that would devour you if left unchecked.

Callisto sat in the carriage as he made his way to the Duchy. Penelope had gone back to ignoring his letters and had instead been flaunting her acquaintance with the Marquis. His teeth clenched as he held on to the scroll he wanted to give her. The memory of Penelope’s eyes shining as she rambled on about archaeological procedures made him happy because she looked so alive, so passionate whenever she spoke.

Unfortunately, she’d gone back to ignoring his letters. Though he also suspected that the Duchy had a part to play in this. His reputation hadn’t been the best to begin with but then he’d made a nuisance out of himself over the last few weeks, so much so that it was only their firm knowledge that his half-brother was completely useless and wasn’t against the most underhanded techniques (and the less said about his followers the better) that kept them from siding with him.

Among his followers, or rather his faction, was the house of Kellen which he’d struck from the nobles register. The two members of the house hadn’t been executed. Count Kellen had been enslaved rather than beheaded because there was a lack of evidence that he’d actually taken part in trying to assassinate him, but there was enough evidence that he’d been party to planning the assassination.

And Gloria Kellen had borne false witness against Penelope during the trial. Not to mention… she’d been tormenting her for the last five years and, under threat of torture, she’d enumerated everything. Her fate was to be cast out of high society, a commoner taken to the most desolate place in the Empire where villages were sparse without a single coin to her name, she was exiled into those parts and had been warned that she wasn’t to leave the region under threat of death. She was dropped off at the poorest village to make of herself what she would.

She disdained Penelope for her commoner origins and all of the things she knew how to do as a commoner, all of the things the commoner Gloria now lacked knowledge of. Penelope could survive if she was cast out, she could cook, clean, and look after herself. She was enterprising enough to look for work, to haggle and trade until she came out on top. Smart enough to establish herself doing clerical work or doing the books at some establishment. And she had the survival skills honed from her years travelling in a caravan of merchants. Her crossbow skills were proof of that.

He stood outside the Duchy’s gates. The Duke had met him there, a stern look on his face as he greeted him politely, albeit a bit tense. “May I know what brings you here, Your Highness?”

“Come now, no need for such formalities. We may be in-laws soon after all.” He said with a grin.

The Duke tensed. “Please don’t say such things. I was informed that Penelope herself had ended things. And I will always take my daughter’s happiness and opinions into account.”

“Well, perhaps I’d like to speak to her and hear her say those words in person.”

“Hasn’t she already said it?”

“She may have.” Callisto said with another smile as he began to walk forward, ushering the Duke on as he went past the gates. His eyes turned dark briefly as he caught sight of the Verdandi Marquisate’s carriage but he hid it quite well.

He was eventually directed to wait for Penelope out in the gardens. His gaze scanned the immaculately kept lawn and the trimmed hedges and bushes. He strained his ear and heard her voice, as well as the Marquis. They were talking about budgets and supplies, likely for their charity. Their tones were polite and friendly but very businesslike so he relaxed. He knew what she sounded like when she was speaking with a man she was interested in, and that wasn’t it. Though that didn’t rule out the possibility that this was merely how she was when she was working.

He was made to wait for nearly ten minutes before he heard the soft and light footsteps that he knew so well.

She greeted him politely, her clothing was pretty but plain. “How may I help the Crown Prince today?”

“You haven’t been replying to my letters.” He noted. “I grew worried that you’d fallen ill again and came here. Aren’t I such a good lover?”

“Your Highness…” Penelope said tiredly. “And now that you’ve seen that I’m well? Will you leave?”

“No. Not yet.” He said as he approached her. She stood her ground, even as he reached into his pocket. “Hold out your hands.” He told her.

She did as he asked and he placed the scroll in her hands. She stared at it in shock. “This is…”

“The scroll that you expertly excavated.” He said. “I had a copy made for the Imperial palace but I figured you deserve this reminder of your first archaeological dig.” He looked at her with a considering gaze. “But it’s surprising that the Duke didn’t know about your interest in archaeology.”

Penelope looked down. “Well… the interest was fostered by my birth family. I learned a lot about it from them, sometimes we’d wander into caves and discover things, small things like bones or artifacts of ancient cultures. And when I got here, I just read what I could find, keeping up to date with the archaeological news.”

“There’s still time to apply at the University. I could write a recommendation letter for you, you clearly have a talent for it.” He offered. And at least she’d be away from Marquis Verdandi who he’d bury in work.

“No, there’s no need.” She shook her head.

“In truth though, I’m also here to apologize. Marquis Ellen has managed to slip my grasp for now. So I’d advise you to be careful. That man is as slippery as an eel and as dangerous as a viper, despite only being a butterfly. I’ll get him one day soon, my net just needs to catch a few more little moths before it gets to him.”

He came close to her, noting the bags under her eyes that were hidden by her makeup. He cupped her cheeks and frowned, it was clear she wasn’t sleeping well, nor was she taking care of herself. (He had no way of knowing that she was busy learning magical theory, well, he would one day.)

“You should take care of yourself, saving you that day would have been for nothing if you fall ill.” He said and placed a kiss on her forehead before he turned around and walked away. “I’ll see you soon, Princess.”

Penelope saw Callisto standing tall and healthy. None of the discomfort he hid during the hunting festival was present which told her he’d completely healed from the poison. When he gave her the scroll, acknowledged her talents, and even went as far as to offer to write her a recommendation letter to enter the University… her heart felt soft and buttery. Had they still been together, she’d damn propriety and would have kissed him then and there.

She didn’t know how to feel about him. Even time away from him hadn’t helped because he just kept showing up, still as sweet as he always was. And he always remembered and noticed the little things about her. Her heart wavered again and she struggled to keep her walls up.

He doesn’t love you. He doesn’t believe in love. There is no future there. She repeated in her mind over and over, even as it faltered and disappeared when he stepped close to her, cupping her face in between his hands, saying such sweet words, and even kissing her forehead. She practically melted then and there from just that contact, which was funny because they’d kissed far more passionately than that before.

She stood there in a daze as she watched him walk away. And she was still up in the air when she suddenly found herself back in her study with Winter, not knowing how she even got there.

“You walked here.” He said wryly, making her realize she’d been talking to herself. “Goodness, the Prince is going to give me hell again after today. I should probably expect more paperwork to come my way since he knows I’m here.”

“Sorry. I could talk to him next time if you want?” She felt so guilty over this.

He waved it off. “You try to intercede on my behalf, specifically, he’s just going to retaliate in a different way that would be much more gruelling. No, let’s just get back to the budget for the day we give food to Tratan.”

“I was thinking…” Penelope began. “What if, instead of just giving them food, we could find a way for them to also make their own out of the resources they have.”

“What do you mean? Surely they’d have used all the resources immediately.”

Penelope shook her head. “No… well… remember those scrolls that I was reading? They were recipes. And ones I’d recognized from my own family’s cooking. It was said that the goddess had introduced these dishes and it was probably passed down in my family for countless generations, spanning back to the days when the old religion were at its height.”

“Okay…” She could see that Winter looked curious but dubious.

“Seaweed, some raw fish, and rice.”

“Rice needs fresh water though.” He pointed out. But Penelope smiled, producing a bag filled with rice seeds.

“These are special rice seeds called sea rice that I was able to procure, I remember my family was able to find jars of these in a cave once and I asked Father to send some men to get it. These are old, no ancient, but I was able to make some sprout with some magic. With any luck, if I infuse magic into the seeds, they’d be able to sprout.”

Winter sat there stunned. But Penelope wasn’t finished yet. “There are fermented bean recipes to make sauces, a few other recipes that we can probably teach them. And there were even some farming techniques listed and some medicinal recipes as well.”

She handed him her plans and he read it, wide eyed. A smile breaking out on his face. “We can try it in Tratan first. Maybe make them the test for these cuisines…”

“So we’ll try it? Along with distributing bread, of course.”

“Yes, yes. We can try it.”

Penelope grinned at him and Winter grinned back.

They were in Tratan delivering bread after having snuck out of the Duchy. Penelope had demonstrated a few recipes for them to try before they began to look for a good place to set up a rice paddy. When she’d handed them a detailed plan for farming it, she asked for a few volunteers to be in charge of the paddy and to tend to it. A few women stepped up. Their husbands were fishermen and would often be out for long hours but they also needed to have some incomes or at least a secure source of food.

When she was done with that task, she excused herself and left the rest to Winter and the other adults while she watched over the children. Unfortunately, in a moment of distraction, Penelope had lost sight of the children and as she rushed out to find them, the moon high in the night sky… she found them on the beach. Only they weren’t alone.

She screamed out as she saw the dark robed figures. “RAON!”

Penelope yelled out a spell that came into her mind and suddenly, lightning flashed and she was able to reach him but the other children were still in danger. She hugged her friend to her and when the cultists delivered their own attack, she tried to shield him with her body a deflection spell on the tip of her tongue when Raon uttered his own and they all disappeared. Her arms empty. She fell to the ground in despair.

No. Not another one. Not my friend. Her mind kept repeating, even as Winter rushed towards her.

“What happened?” He demanded, eyes scanning the horizon.

“They were… the Laila… they took the children.” There were tears in her eyes. “They took Raon.”

Raon was an image of how she’d been as a child. Of the person she could have remained if she’d never taken the Duke’s hand. Of her notions that she’d perhaps have joined Winter’s guild if she hadn’t been the Duke’s adopted daughter.

“Don’t blame yourself.” He told her firmly. “There was nothing you could have done.”

“Nothing? I’m the last of the Ancient Mages. I should’ve been able to do something!”

“And yet, you’ve only known about your magic for a handful of weeks, had barely begun learning to control it.” He held out his hand. “I’ll take you back home and go after him myself. It’s far too dangerous for you to be here.”

“How?” She asked. “How are you going to track them?”

Winter was quiet. “All the children in the guild have tracking spells on them just in case something like this happen. They’re well aware that the Laila was targeting people like us so we all took precautions.” He admitted.

“Was he… was he here as bait?”

“No.” He said immediately. Penelope believed him. He was rather vehement in his denial.

“I’m going with you.” She decided. “And you’re not going to talk me out of this.”

Penelope appeared on an island, near the mouth of a cave. She looked around, seeing Tratan on the other side of the water. Then this place was… she thought of the map she’d had to learn from and decided that they were most likely in Soleil.

She walked forward, following along after Winter. Their steps are light and hushed as they trek cautiously through the dark cavern. She was terrified of what they would encounter but unwilling to leave her friend and the other children in danger. She’d lost too many people already, she didn’t want to lose someone else.

As they went deeper into the cave, things began to get worse as they were separated. “My Lady, I’ll get to you soon!” He called out before his voice was cut off.

Monsters began appearing right after. Penelope inwardly cursed but she steeled herself. She could do this!

As she fired different spells and incinerated the monsters, she began to relax until the ground shook with the steps of an even larger monster appeared. She froze in fright, even as she tried to will herself to move when she heard it.

“Penelope!” Callisto’s voice rang through the cave, loud and authoritative with not a small amount of fear and concern in his voice. “Get back, now!”

Like a brilliant streak of gold and white, he rushed past her. And just like that, she felt infinitely better. As though things were going to be alright.

“Use that spell again!” He called out. Penelope did as she was told and watched as the monster fell to the combined might of his sword and her spell.

She stood there, staring, frozen in shock. Somehow, the relief almost made her want to fall to the ground.

“Why are you just standing there?” Callisto asked as he approached her. “Are you hurt? Why aren’t you speaking? Did it hit you in the mouth?” He came close to her face. His hands hovering over her shoulder as he looked her up and down before he hugged her.

“You…” She finally said. “You’re hurt.” She took out a handkerchief and tied it around the wound the same way she’d learned to do on the road.

Callisto had tried to pass it off at first but she didn’t listen to him, her mind going back to the cave and the poison. He’d already shown her that he wouldn’t tell her when he was hurt or poisoned so she couldn’t trust his word when it came to his health. ‘The perfect Emperor.’ He always told her, those words became so irritating when he’d brush off his own well being. Perfect shouldn’t mean ignoring his own hurts.

They were silent for awhile and Penelope knew she was in danger. Not from the Laila, well from them too… but this was a different kind of danger. Her heart had never stopped loving him and every time he came to her, every time he was kind and he came to save her… her heart couldn’t help but fall further, even when she tried to build a wall against him. He came crashing through it.

She’d once said that he was an immovable mountain in her heart. But he was more like a fiery volcano, destructive in its ways against all the boundaries and walls she’d put up. His very touch setting her heart aflame.

Penelope closed her eyes and bowed her head. Just a little more and she thought she might concede defeat. But she didn’t have the time to worry about that now.

“What are you doing here? How did you find me?” She asked as the thought entered her mind.

“This is the base of the Laila.”

“I know.”

“And after the hunting festival. We refocused our sights on them.” He explained. “We’ve been staking out the island ever since. Ready with ships and everything.”

Penelope nodded as though it made sense… only… “And knowing I was here? Where are your men?”

“That’s an Imperial Secret.” He told her, looking away. “If I told you I’d have to kill you.”

“Your Highness…” She didn’t even need to complete her words because he immediately backtracked.

“I got separated from them and then I heard your voice.”

Penelope stared him down. “That’s complete and utter bull. There were no ships around the island when I arrived.”

“Well…” He fumbled for an excuse. “They dropped us off.”

“Then should we go look for your men or are they going to come soon?” She asked sarcastically. She didn’t have the time. “It would be extraordinarily helpful to have them.”

Callisto was silent. She raised a brow, arms crossed and feet tapping. He eventually lowered his head. “The map that I gave you acknowledged you as its owner. It showed me that you were here and I knew what this place was so I rushed here as soon as I could.” He finally confessed.

Her hands dropped. And she blurted out the first thing that came into my mind. “So there was some truth to the stalking rumours! You pervert!”

“That… that’s not true!”

Callisto had started the day as normal. Paperwork, training, and finally a meeting for the expedition to Soleil. The magic map had come in handy, the ability to zoom in gave them the lay of the land but there was no telling what went on underneath the surface.

It was only luck that Porter had drawn his attention to the anomaly. “What’s that red dot on the map that had suddenly appeared.”

His gaze followed the finger that pointed to the dot that began to move. He instantly knew what it was and he was frightened. He knew what the Laila did to mages. Had heard tales of it, and the Princess, despite the lack of observable mana, was clearly a mage. Had she been kidnapped? Her relationship with her adoptive family was strained so they may not have even noticed she was missing.

He rushed out of the meeting immediately without even telling anyone where he was going as he went to the Mages. “Take me to Soleil, now!” He demanded.

“Your Highness!” They gasped in surprise as he’d thrown the doors open.

“I have no time for pleasantries. Send me to Soleil or I’ll end you here and now.”

They scrambled to do as they were told and he was suddenly engulfed in a brilliant light that faded, leaving him alone on the sandy shore of the small isle. He found the cave entrance immediately and rushed forth, his heart pounding, anxious to get to her. There was a tugging in his gut that he followed, as though he were being drawn somewhere. And soon enough he heard her voice, screaming out spells, explosions rocking the path, and monster’s roars being cut off.

But there was a roar louder than any other and he heard her scream before it was cut off. Fearing the worst, he pushed himself to run faster than he’d ever run before until he saw her standing frozen as a monster reared it’s head back.

So he yelled for her, drew her out of her stupor and ran past her with his sword drawn. The monster was able to graze his arm but he paid it no mind, adrenaline and experience dulled the pain. He refused to falter and fail because she was behind him, and if he didn’t defeat this monster, Penelope would die.

He gave out an order, loathed as he was to order her around as though she were one of his men, but he did it for her sake. And soon, her spell joined his sword and the monster lay dead at his feet.

He worried at first that was hurt. Penelope seemed unresponsive for those first few moments before he’d hugged her. Her body seemed to relax, sagging and leaning on him before she pulled away and fussed over him in return.

A smile found its way on his face, lips quirking up as she returned, momentarily, to the woman that had been his lover. Shedding her persona as the Bitch of Eckhart.

Then of course, she noticed something he’d tried not to make obvious. And he found himself being interrogated effectively until he’d confessed to everything. He denied her accusations of stalking and of being a pervert and tried to divert her attention.

“And what are you doing here then?”

She didn’t seem as though she’d been kidnapped. She wasn’t panicking in the way of one looking for a way out, which meant that she was here on purpose.

“I was in Tratan, handing out bread and watching the children when I lost sight of them. When I finally found them, they were being kidnapped by the Holy Kingdom. So I followed them here.”

He wished she’d stop putting herself in danger. She was a civilian, untrained and, despite having magic, was untrained in it. He bit his tongue though, not wanting to fight with her and having her storm off or try to go off alone in such a dangerous place.

“Have you a clue on where you’re going?”

She nodded. “I can kind of feel the magic and it’s going down that path.” She confessed to him.

He grabbed her hand and he helped her up the monster’s corpse, helping her balance and catching her when she nearly fell, stumbling straight into his arms, face pressed against his chest. When she pulled away, her face was flushed red and she couldn’t meet his eyes. He raised a brow then smirked as he understood what had embarrassed her. How utterly adorable.

“Aren’t you going to ask?” She whispered quietly.

“About what?”

“My magic. Aren’t you going to accuse me of being one of the Holy Kingdom’s followers?”

“No.” He said firmly. “You don’t fit the profile. Everyone that I’ve ever met who had been one of the cultists, had dead eyes. You’re far too expressive. You have a respect for the dead which they unequivocally lack. And they take care of the monsters as though they were precious babies, the very same monsters that you destroyed without a thought.”

She was quiet, looking at him with wide eyes.

“Besides, you should give me some credit. I’m a logical person. I’ve studied my enemies for so long. And beyond that… I know you. I know that you care for the people of the streets far more than you do for the people in halls. I know that you flinch at needless violence but understand the necessity to defend and protect yourself and those around you. I know that you’re a truly kind person, Penelope Eckhart.”

And then he leaned back a bit. “But if you were truly a member of the Laila’s followers, than I’d help you burn down this Empire. I’d execute the nobles and distribute their wealthy to the poor, topple the throne from the ground up and start a war that would consume the entire continent. And from the ashes, we’d raise up a new civilization.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m not one then.”

“Truly a pity.”

Penelope was oddly touched by Callisto’s proclamations of his belief in her. Her heart giving way completely. She could no longer deny it. She still well and truly loved this man and the time apart hadn’t changed that. Could she do it, though? Could she be with him when he’d hurt her so much? When he couldn’t love her?

She was afraid to give him her all when he wasn’t even willing to give her what she so desperately craved. Terror filled her at the thought that he’d one day toss her away and she’d be left with nothing but memories of what was and a heart full of resentment.

“I’m the last of the Ancient Mages.” She confessed, her words rushed. She was so very afraid. The hatred that people had towards mages stemmed from the curse on the Ancient Mages. The last of the Laila had cursed her people so that they’d never be believed. Turning them from beloved figures to reviled traitors in the eyes of the people.

“Alright, I believe you.” He said easily.

Penelope blinked. “That’s it?”

“Yes.” He was calm as he said this. “Being an Ancient Mage explains a lot of things but it also doesn’t change anything. You’re still Penelope. And Eckhart by birth or not, you were never a fake. Now we just add the Ancient Mage to your title as Lady Penelope Eckhart.”

She felt… soft and as though the biggest burden was relieved from her. Only now did she realize how tense she’d been with trying to keep her new found lineage a secret from everyone, fearing the reception she’d get. Especially Callisto’s reaction. His rejection and disgust was the most difficult and most painful thing for her to even imagine. She could take it from everybody else, but not from him. She gave up. It was time for another talk after this.

Just then, the sound of footsteps could be heard. Callisto immediately put himself in front of her and drew his sword, but she had him put it down when she saw Winter come in.

“My Lady!” He called out in relief before his eyes widened from behind the mask. “And the…”

“Winston!” She called out, changing the name midway. From behind her, she could feel an ominous and fiery presence and she suddenly had the feeling that it would be a bad idea if Callisto discovered she was here on the island, alone, with Winter.

Callisto raised a brow at the suspicious magician in the rabbit mask. The very same ‘foreign’ magician that had been teaching the Princess to use magic, and had foolishly brought her out to such a dangerous place. “Isn’t he already mad? Or perhaps just possessed by those evil spirits.” He said in a ‘whisper’ as he leaned down next to her ear, making sure his voice carried.

She sighed loudly and followed along after the mage, ignoring his comment. There was something familiar about the ‘foreigner’ but in the dim light of the cave, he couldn’t tell quite what it was. Regardless, Callisto followed the two, his hand holding hers, guiding her through the dark path, catching her during the few times she stumbled.

And then they came upon a clearing. Callisto watched in disgusted horror as the so called ‘Goddess’ kissed a struggling, bound and blindfolded man. The telltale mana emanating from him. With a kiss, the man turned to dust.

The Princess’ grasp tightened and he heard her gasp loudly.

The magic that made them invisible protected them from the Laila’s sight.

And then a line of children were brought out. A boy in a lion mask was put up first. The Laila took out shards of a glowing mirror that began to float.

“Raon.” She called out softly, in fear and shock. So, this was a child Penelope knew personally, perhaps one of her street friends. Then that meant that… His eyes turned to the magician and figured it out instantly. She was here with Marquis Verdandi who was secretly a mage. After all, who else would she be distributing alms with? Who else would she trust with her secret of being a mage? Jealousy bloomed in his heart again but now wasn’t the time to get distracted.

The Marquis rushed forward, magic gathering at his call.

Callisto cursed and, loathe as he was to leave her there, ran after the mage.

As they made their way deeper down the path, she heard the two men with her comment on the journey. There was something familiar about this place. Like a memory of a dream. Coming upon an ancient temple, she knew that it wasn’t the Laila who had built this, nor was it new.

Vines crept up the ancient columns inscribed with runes and glyphs from the ancient language. Penelope suddenly saw this place filled with people, a glimmering and colourful temple. A golden dragon sat sleeping in this very halls once. And a dark haired woman flittered about followed by attendants. Power radiated from every inch of her being.

And then it was cut off as she watched the Laila devour a man’s very life force and something inside her screamed at the sheer affront and desecration happening within these hallowed halls. A demon, her mind replied. No mercy this time. A voice whispered. How dare they co-opt the sacred grounds of the Ancient Mages, defiling the very sanctity of their sanctuary where the Goddess had once raised a civilization and a dragon child.

Penelope didn’t know where her knowledge was coming from but anger began to fill her heart. She moved after a few moments, sneaking past the cultists to reach Raon, but just as she pulled him into her arms, her eyes caught sight of the mirror shards and it reflected not her image but another person who looked so much like her, her face was the same but her colouring was so very different. Golden skinned, dark curly hair, and sea green eyes. Then the Laila turned to her as though it knew she was there and her skin crawled with disgust.

She saw them release monsters larger than the ones she had seen before. ‘I’m scared.’ She thought.

“Penelope Eckhart!” Callisto called out. “You can do it!”

And suddenly she felt confident. She called out a large ball of fire and destruction. Two, three times. The spell Winter had placed on her had finally shattered and she stared the Laila down with some fierceness. Another spell threw the demonic being away from her. Her mask shattering. Water gathered around them and just as Penelope opened her mouth to let out another spell… she caught sight of the face. Pink haired, and blue eyed, a face that resembled the late duchess she’d seen in the portraits back home, the resemblance was uncanny and she knew that the body was Ivonne Eckhart.

She steeled herself, willed the water to hold them, blocking out the magic that they needed to escape. Their eyes were fixed on one another as the last of the demon’s worshippers tried frantically to get them out. Had they been anywhere else, it would have worked, but not in the temple of the Goddess Althea, not in the presence of the last of the Ancient Mages.

The shards of the mirror came together willingly in her hands. The demon finally screaming out loud when she destroyed the partial mirror it created, the trapped souls of its kin obliterated, breaking the tie it had to them.

And then she uttered a spell that destroyed the cultist, the water held the demon in, she took hold of the full magic within the temple, within her temple, though she didn’t know where the last possessive thought came from. And then she used it to purge the demon, destroying in full, the entity that had consumed so many lives and broken the natural order of things. Death was inescapable and magic stolen through lives consumed was not a magic that existed in nature and should have never existed. The body fell to the ground, dead.

Penelope stumbled, suddenly feeling Raon’s weight as exhaustion filled her body. Callisto caught her immediately and lifted Raon from her hands and threw him over his shoulder before he ushered her along, hurriedly back through the path as they tried to outrun the water that was rushing in. Even if her soul screamed at her not to fear the water but welcome it, even as her body protested, tired and heavy limbed, her lungs burned and she stumbled along.

“Couldn’t you have controlled your magic?” Callisto yelled as they ran.

“No.”

“What about a teleportation spell?”

“Does it look like I have any strength to perform anymore magic?” She snapped back as the water finally caught up to them.

And then she heard Raon’s voice before her vision was filled with the ocean’s dark depths. As she sank, she felt her aches wash away and she breathed deeply within the water. A familiar hand grasped hers, anchoring her back to the moment as Callisto’s form entered her sights and he pulled her close into the safety of his arms, pressing his mouth to hers in a kiss before she fell unconscious.

There was that woman again, the dark haired woman who shared her face. “Hello.” The woman said with a grin.

“Umm, hello.” She parroted back, unsure. “Who are you and why do we look…?” She didn’t know how to phrase it. Even as she felt the sheer power of the woman, she didn’t fear her.

“My name is Althea. You know that name, don’t you?” She asked as she approached. Penelope nodded, this was the goddess that her ancestors worshipped. “And as for why we look familiar…”

She pressed their foreheads together. “It’s because I was an immortal with a mortal soul. I became a divine being against my wishes, the divinity in my blood burned away my human body and left me as is. And one day, I shattered my powers, giving it to my people, your ancestors, and cast my soul into the cycle of reincarnation.” She kissed Penelope’s forehead. “You carry all the shards of my power, you own my soul and have it as yours. Do you understand what that means?”

“I’m you.” She said, swallowing painfully, almost fearfully. What did that mean?

“Yes, and also, no.” The woman said. “I was you. But I’m the past. And now we’re Penelope who is someone different and special in her own way.”

She brushed Penelope’s hair away from her face. “And Penelope is loved, even when she doesn’t recognize it and realize it. You have a chance at living the life I never got to. Don’t be afraid and seize that love with both hands and have the children I never got to bear, the children I’d always longed for.”

Memories were pouring into her mind. “But you can sort this all out later, right now, you should return before you cause him anymore anguish.”

“Huh?” She blinked, dumbly.

“This realm is in between life and death. Your body had used too much magic and your… or rather… our health is atrocious and you have not the stamina or vitality to use so much magic right now. But you will one day. So for all intents and purposes, you’re temporarily not breathing nor is your heart beating. I’ve taken care of healing it as good as new. Though as you can imagine… Callisto is freaking out at the moment.”

“Oh.” She said stupidly. “OH! Oh no!”

Althea smiled and hugged her until she dispersed into bright sparkles of light that landed on her form and the world fell away.

When she came to, she heard Callisto sobbing, his hands covered his face as he sat, slumped in defeat beside her.

Callisto pulled both Penelope and the child out of the sea, the boy coughed out water immediately and remained unconscious where he left him but he’d taken Penelope a little farther away to work. He was concerned when she didn’t so much as stir but hoped that it was nothing. Then he noticed how absolutely still he was and he leaned in close, touching her skin, wet and cold, her body limp. He tried to feel for a breath and a pulse but he couldn’t detect either. He placed his head on her chest, listening for any signs of a heartbeat and found none.

No. That was impossible. She was alive when they were in the water! He immediately worked to resuscitate her but nothing happened, she remained unresponsive even as the critical minutes fell by and he tried hard to restore her breathing, calling out to her, hoping she’d regain consciousness.

But nothing happened. “Princess, please wake up.” He said desperate.

There was no response.

“Penelope?” He called out again, voice breaking as he said her name. “Please, Darling? Don’t die. Don’t leave me.” He begged.

After half an hour, he collapsed over her body and then he fell back, shoulders slumped as he failed to revive her. He buried his face in his hands and didn’t even bother to stem the tears. His mind cursing himself for failing to save the woman he loved. And wasn’t that a bitter realization, to finally understand his own feelings far too late. That she’d never hear the words that she wished to hear from him. The words that now lay at the tip of his tongue as the memories of his own words hit him. He understood, as she’d said, had known exactly what he had done wrong.

His world now felt so dark and empty, the numbing cold that now spread through his body had nothing to do with his sodden state but at the feeling of loneliness and loss that creeped through his body.

He heard her gasp and groan, her head turning to him and he looked up immediately as her face scrunched up in discomfort before she finally opened her eyes properly. He sat up, and grasped her hand immediately, bringing it to his face.

“His Highness is crying?” She said in confusion. “Why?”

“Princess. You’re alive!” He said and gently pulled her into his embrace. “I was afraid I’d have to tell the Duchy that you’d passed on.”

She hugged him back. And then he pulled away after awhile and set about inspecting her, questioning her on her health and everything else but she assured him he was fine.

In the silence that followed, Callisto finally gathered her courage. “Penelope.” He said, calling to her. “I need to speak to you.”

“Alright, go on.” She said, a reassuring smile on her face from where she sat, draped in his cape to ward off the chill.

“I love you!” He blurted out and she sat there stunned.

“Ah… that… huh?”

Penelope lost whatever train of thought was in her mind at his confession, her heart felt so fuzzy and her mind felt like it was filled with cotton and sweets.

“I love you, and you were right when you said that I knew what I did wrong. I always knew but I was too stubborn to acknowledge it. I thought that if I just ignored it, if I persevered, you’d see my way and come back to me. And I hurt you so much in the meantime. I’m sorry for what I put you through, for what I said. I’m sorry for saying that love didn’t matter because it does, it matters so much. I’m sorry for the rumours and how they’ve hurt you and no doubt tormented you with how foul and twisted they became.” He said as he then bowed, his head touching the sand.

“I know that nothing can ever excuse everything, all the mischief I’ve caused, all the frustration and anger you no doubt felt. I’m sorry that I was so stupid. I was stupid for being afraid of love, for thinking that if I never acknowledged my feelings for you that you could stay with me, stay by me, and I’d get to keep you.”

Penelope was terribly confused. He was… he was afraid of love? “What do you mean?”

“My father often told my mother that he loved her, she struggled hard to win him his crown, but then he soon discarded her for another and I watched her break. I swore of love then. And when you came into my life, I thought that it couldn’t be love. That if we married under a contract, then it wouldn’t happen to us. That it wouldn’t hurt if you left me or found another because it was just a contract but I can’t accept that. I can’t take the thought of you leaving me, of finding love with another. Of living in this hellish world without you, alone in this miserably wretched existence.”

He was… his parents. This was the first time he really spoke about them, especially about the relationship between them. Penelope could suddenly understand how it must’ve shaped him and his approach to his relationships.

“Penelope, please give me another chance. I swear that I won’t make those mistakes again. Let me be the man to love and treasure you as you deserve. Let me win your heart again. Please. Let me love you freely, let me be the one to shower you with all that you deserve. Let me devote myself to you, wholly and fully.”

“That sounds an awful lot like a proposal.” She said weakly.

“It can be if you want it to be.” He answered. “If you wish to wed immediately, I can make that happen. Though you deserve a better proposal than this.”

“No, not a proposal.” She bit her lip as she organized her thoughts. “I love you too.” She confessed but held her hand up to stop him from saying anything, even though his face broke out into a radiant smile. “But… but if we’re to do this, if we’re to have a relationship, then we need to do this properly. No more hiding it in the dark. I want a proper courtship, and you can’t bring up marriage for at least a year. And an engagement must last for at least six months before we wed. Those rumours hurt me terribly and in the eyes of society, I’m a loose and fallen woman… I don’t want to feed them anymore fodder.”

“I can do that.” He said happily.

“And…and, you’ll have to earn back your privileges. No kissing, no hugging unless either of us is in extreme emotional or mental distress. We can hold hands and dance but nothing more than that until I feel like I’m ready to entrust you with those privileges again.”

He looked somewhat disappointed but he nodded assuredly.

“Finally, no other intimacies beyond that. Nothing before the wedding.”

He laughed. “Alright. I’d never force you or pressure you into such anyway.”

She hugged him again before she decided it was time to stand up. She pulled his cape off and making use of the memories of her other life, she touched a hand to her hair and suddenly she was dry. Then she did the same to Callisto who looked at her with a smile. “Impressive.”

“Oh, I aim to impress, always.”

They made their way to Raon and she checked on him, her hands quickly working to rid him of whatever lingering traces of the Laila’s magic that she could feel upon his mind and then she dried him too.

“Big sis?” He asked as he woke up.

“I’m here.” She assured him.

There was a ringing noise and she turned to Callisto who brought out a communication orb.

Sir Porter’s face popped up followed by his loud and frustrated voice. “YOUR HIGHNESS! WHERE ARE YOU?”

Penelope decided to pop up and take the man’s ire away from Callisto. “Hello, Sir Porter.”

“Lady Eckhart!” He said in surprise before he turned his eyes back to Callisto. “I understand. Call me when you’re ready to return to the palace.” Then he cut the call immediately.

“How are we getting back?” She questioned.

“Your friend should be returning soon.” Callisto told her as he sat with her and Raon. She leaned on him and gazed out at the empty horizon.

Just as he said, Winter arrived within a few minutes. “What happened to the island?” She asked them.

“You don’t remember?” Callisto asked, voice incredulous and teasing at the same time.

“Would I be asking you if I knew?”

“Your magic actually managed to sink an island. Congratulations, that was the first time I’d ever seen an entire island sink.” He clapped. “And to think, you’d also destroyed the Laila.”

Raon had bid them goodbye within a few moments of Winter’s arrival. Just in time for Callisto to casually tell them that he knew it was Winter behind the mask. And then Penelope had quickly had to explain that she saw Winter as no more than a friend and a surrogate older brother.

“Was the Laila truly destroyed?” Winter asked quietly.

“Yes. I destroyed the mirror of truth and obliterated the souls of the trapped Laila too.” She assured them.

“I’m still impressed they were able to make such a temple on such a short amount of time, but I suppose that’s magic for you.” Callisto said with a distant sort of disgruntlement.

Penelope shook her head. “No, they didn’t make it. That was the sacred temple of the Old Goddess, Althea. My people worshipped there. Which was her undoing. By taking Raon, they led me there. By using the temple of my people for their own misdeeds, it left them vulnerable because their magic wasn’t compatible with the Goddess’. And I was able to take control of the magic that remained there and I bound her with the magic, purged her from the host body, completely destroying her essence. Though an examination of the body should still render traces of dark magic.”

“The body? Hasn’t it sunk below the depths of the water along with the island?” Winter asked confused.

Callisto looked at her sharply. “Are you suggesting we try to retrieve it underwater?”

“No, the water will yield the perfectly preserved body tomorrow and Ivonne Eckhart can finally be laid to rest.” She admitted. She had done this to give closure to her so-called family.

“Ivonne Eckhart…” Winter said in disbelief. “That’s what happened to her.”

“Yes, likely the night she disappeared.” Then she looked at Callisto again. “Tomorrow, you’re going to have to take credit for this. And… you and your men will need to be here to accidentally stumble upon the body.”

“I understand.” He caressed her hair. “I hate that you can’t take credit for this though. You deserve a reward for this.”

“I don’t want one.” She really didn’t. That would bring too much unwanted attention. She yawned and the men took that as a sign that it was time for her to return home. Callisto had reassured her that he’d take care of the rest and wished her sweet dreams.

Penelope had Winter modify their memories into believing that Penelope had merely been abed for the whole day with a migraine rather than missing. She summoned water with her new found powers and bathed herself then banished all traces before falling into bed in exhaustion. Her mind integrating the memories of Althea with her own.

The next day, a body dressed in white, baring the sigil of the Holy Kingdom and strewn with accoutrements of the ‘Goddess’ had washed up on the shore. The body was pristine in it’s condition as though she were merely sleeping. Callisto took custody of it and had it brought back to the capital and had it examined by mages he trusted.

Sure enough, there was a high amount of dark magic within the body. The organs long rotted. And the traces of the demonic powers of the Laila were there. They concluded that this was the host body of the Laila.

Everyone who had glanced at the body immediately suspected or knew who it was.

While the examination was being conducted, Callisto visited Penelope and presented her with a formal courting request which she’d agreed to, much to the dismay of her family. Though she paid them no mind and insisted, even going so far as arguing to the point when it had nearly come to blows with the second son, about the relationship.

In the end it was decided that Reynold Eckhart would act as chaperone for them.

Two days after that, Callisto sent a summons to the Duke that had been worded so that there wouldn’t be any way he could refuse the summons.

“Your Highness, what did you call me here for?” He asked as soon as the greetings were done. Penelope hadn’t insisted on coming, having a scheduled meeting with Marquis Verdandi over one of their charity projects. Now that things had come to light about their friendship, Penelope had taken a more public role in helping manage the charity works, something she’d been doing for years at that point, though always in the background.

“Follow me, Your Grace.” He was all business today. As they walked, he kept quiet for a portion of the trip down to where the body was stored. “We need you to make an identification. A woman’s body was found washed upon the shores of Tratan a few days ago. My men have finally finished examining it.”

“A… a body.” The Duke whispered softly. And followed Callisto into a room where a body was covered with a sheet.

When it was pulled back, soft pink hair caught his eyes and the face… it looked so much like his late wife’s. “You said she was found in Tratan?”

“Yes, she was dressed in the clothing of the Goddess Laila of the Holy Kingdom. And there are traces of dark magic upon her body, and demonic taint was found as well. Taken together, it was concluded that she was taken the night she disappeared and sacrificed to become the Laila’s host body.” He told him softly, not mincing his words.

“The Laila… so they were the ones behind this.” He said, voice becoming stronger. “I never thought about them, it didn’t even cross my mind.” He gripped the table tightly. “They dared to use my beloved daughter as a sacrifice! I’ll make them pay.” He vowed.

“Your Highness, thank you for bringing her body here and informing me. May I take her body home?” He asked.

Callisto nodded.

Penelope returned home before the Duke did. Her mind was abuzz with so many thoughts. Least of all was the dreams she had. And she knew where she needed to go. All of her dreams were leading her to Arkina. She would have to talk to Callisto about it later.

Father returned home, face dark but it softened when he saw her, and for the first time in a long time, he gave her a hug as well. “I’ll keep you safe, Penelope.”

“Father?” She asked, even though she knew what had likely caused this. Callisto had probably shown him Ivonne’s body by now.

“It’s nothing, Baby.” He said then he motioned for Pennel to come closer before ordering tea be brought to his office and had her brothers called there before he ushered her into his office.

When they were all gathered, Father looked at them with a face that told unfathomable sadness. “I’ve just gotten back from the Crown Prince’s palace.”

“And? Does it have something to do with Penelope?” Reynold asked grumpily.

Father looked at him with a sharp glare and he immediately fell quiet. “No. A few days ago, a body washed up on shore. It was brought to the capital for examination and it was discovered that the body had been the sacrificial host to the Laila ‘goddess’.”

Derrick had a look of dawning horror. “Is it…”

“Yes, I was brought there to identify the body. It was… it was Ivonne.” He said, voice tight with pain.

Penelope didn’t even have to fake the sadness that came over her as she thought of the fact that Ivonne had only been twelve when she passed.

Reynold uttered denials but it all fell quiet soon.

“What are we going to do about the Holy Kingdom?” Derrick asked, voice hard as steel.

“We’ll be joining the Crown Prince’s hunt for the remnants.” Father declared. And if her relationship with Callisto didn’t bring them out of neutrality, then this would.

“Understood.”

Callisto takes her to Arkina with Reynold at her side. A mirror shows her all that she needs to know about that night and to the truth of her family’s death. It was the Laila that had influenced those bandits into attacking them with such brutality. She also comes face to face with the spirit of Ivonne Eckhart. When she came out, a mirror wand was now in her hand, greatly resembling the mirror that Ivonne had gotten the night she disappeared.

Penelope uses the wand to free Ivonne’s soul in the presence of her family. It’s a bitter sort of closure as they speak and cry, unable to touch one another until the magic runs out and she fades away. Penelope cares not that she’s outed herself to her Father and brothers. This was a goodbye that needed to happen.

Their relationship was shown off for the first time during his birthday. Callisto couldn’t recall a happier birthday then that night when he danced endlessly with Penelope, and she stayed by his side throughout the night. She was so beautiful that he almost proposed to her again but held himself back, remembering her terms.

And he took her out on dates in the days leading up to her birthday, showered her with presents and even gave her the dress she’d wear to her coming of age. A beautiful blue dress that matched his outfit for the night. The jealousy he felt was now gone, now assured that she looked only at him.

And as the days passed, Callisto could say that it had been the best year of his life, up to that point. Having discovered the ties between the Marquis Ellen, and by extension, his daughter and grandson, to the Holy Kingdom. Their role in smuggling the cultists into the palace during the hunt, and their planned coup. Callisto smiled happily as he watched them get arrested and executed. Though in his brother’s case, he was sentenced to life imprisonment within a tower in the Palace grounds.

The only thing that he could complain about was… “Ahem.” A cough broke through the sweet air that they had and Callisto pulled away before he could claim a kiss from his Princess as he glared at Reynold Eckhart, their chaperone throughout the whole year. The man was thorough in guarding his sister’s virtue.

But he refused to let that ruin his day. Today, he had something important planned. Yesterday had been the end of Penelope’s one year rule. And that meant he could now safely propose without breaking their agreement. And he’d been planning for this day throughout the year.

He leads her to the heart of the maze where they’d once ended their relationship, determined to make a new one. The flowers are in full bloom and the whole path is illuminated with candles, a table is set with all of her favourite food. Reynold Eckhart takes one look at it and turns around, heading back to the tall hedges of the maze.

“Penelope Eckhart.” He begins as he kneels down beside her after dinner. “It’s been a year and a day since we decided to give our relationship another try and it’s been the most wonderful year I’ve ever experienced. I’ve felt as though it was a dream that I’d never wish to wake up from. You told me that I wasn’t allowed to bring up marriage until the year was up and I accepted, well, the year is up and I can’t hold it in any longer. I want all of my days to be with you, I want everyday to be spent at your side, to be able to hold you and love you. I want to wake up to you and your wild hair tickling my face and I want to have you throwing my whole life into this beautiful messy chaos that always seems to follow in your wake. I want to give you a home that you deserve, a warm and gentle one where you’ll always be happy, and a family to call your own. Will you please grant me the honour of letting me become your husband?” He asked.

“Yes.” It’s a simple response said with so much joy and love that it immediately makes him feel as though he’s a bird soaring high. He gives her a ring made of rubies and emeralds, and kisses her. The glimpse of pink tells him that Reynold has been watching all along but he’s silent and there are no interruptions.

(Reynold was watching and listening. A look of disgruntlement on his face but he turned around when they’d kiss, a gentle smile on his face as soon as it was hidden from their view.)

Callisto doesn’t have the wedding at six months but at eight to coincide with the start of spring when the flowers had just bloomed because it was Penelope’s favourite season and she’d always dreamt of a spring wedding. He makes no noise about pushing back the wedding a little, content in creating the wedding of her dreams.

He pays homage to her people and brings back the more archaic and outdated wedding traditions that had fallen by the wayside when the worship had begun to omit the Goddess Althea in favour of his ancestor. There were still many quiet worshippers of the old religion and Althea wasn’t a forgotten goddess, just not one that had been truly and properly respected in generations. Althea who was the Goddess that had been Penelope’s last life.

Penelope entered the hall on her Father’s arm and Callisto’s breath is stolen away as he caught sight of her in her dress for the first time. Penelope is an Ancient Mage attuned to nature itself and it seemed as though she had chosen to pay tribute to it with her dress. The base of her dress is white but intricate flowers are embroidered along it with jewels sewn in catching the light and glinting with every step that she took. Her shoulders are bare but the rest of her arms are covered in sleeves to ward off any potential chill from the early spring season. Her hair was pinned up and around the Crown Princess’ tiara, a sheer veil studded with tiny diamonds covered her face.

He waits eagerly for her to reach him, counting down the seconds it took to cross the length of the aisle. When she reached him, their hands intertwined and he leans in close to her for a second. “You look beautiful, Darling.”

Then the priest begins the ceremony. They light a candle before they grasp the piece of cloth that the priest ties around their joined hands. A handfasting to signify their eternal bond, a call back to the old religion.

They recite the vows they’ve written first. It’s untraditional in the modern sense but was the norm once upon a time. He goes first. “My Darling, from the first moment we’ve met, I felt as though my entire life had been upended and my world erased and remade. It’s been a long journey for us filled with heart stopping adventures and misunderstandings but we made it. Life as the Crown Princess and especially as the Empress is a difficult thing, I’m grateful that you still chose to stay by my side instead of running far away as any sane person likely would have done. And I’ll promise this to you once more, in front of all these people. I pledge to devote myself to you, to spend my days loving nobody but you and whatever children we’ll be blessed with.” He saw her smile, tears in her eyes as they stared, ruby on turquoise. “I swear that I would never willingly hurt you or force you to make choices that compromise your morals or sense of self. I promise to do my utmost to fulfill all your wishes from the most mundane things to the most fantastical ones. I vow to protect you always and to make our home a place of happiness. Because there is no one in this world that means as much to me as you do, Penelope Eckhart, you are my heart and soul, and all that is good in me.”

Penelope sniffled but she kept herself from shedding tears. “My Love, the road we’ve taken hasn’t been a smooth one as you’ve said but it wasn’t one that I would trade for anything else. The last two years have helped us grow significantly, and that growth was made together as I’m sure we will continue to do for the rest of our lives. Where my life had once been before my adoption and after it, now it’s marked in my mind as before I met you and after it. What came before was the difficult and painful chapters of my life that shaped me into the girl I had been, but what came after I met you turned me into the woman that I now am. A woman who knows that love isn’t merely a possibility but a reality in life and I’d be a fool to let that go.” She said as she smiled.

“I don’t feel as though I have much to offer but these words and promises. I promise to be faithful to you, to continue working on the relationship that we’ve built and to always fight for us. I swear to fill our home with warmth and love. I vow to weather the storms of life with you, be it in politics or in our personal lives, to be a safe harbour for you when the world seeks to tear you down. I’ll be here to comfort you and hold you through those dark moments and to walk by your side and follow you wherever you may go. I pledge to do all that I can to aid you and support you, to cheer you on and to make you laugh, to continue making these wonderful memories with you and with our family. In all my lives and all my days, there’ll never be another in my heart that I’ll love like this, none but you, always, Callisto Regulus.”

He wanted to kiss her but they weren’t done yet.

The Priest had them recite the traditional vows to the Goddess together.

“Oh Goddess Althea,” They began and the flame on their candle began to burn higher. “Hear us now, we come before you willingly and honestly to pledge our lives to one another. This vow we give you now that we’ll never stray nor betray each other. We vow that from this moment until the end of time, in this life and in the next and whatever may come after, that we commit ourselves to one another. Grant us our prayer and bind us now and forevermore.” The flames shot up to everyone’s surprise. Penelope seemed unbothered as it looped around their joined hands burning through the cloth that bound them. The flames turned golden and spread around their bodies for a few moments until it receded back to the candle, eventually burning out as the heat of it melted the wax in full.

“The Goddess Althea has blessed this union and joined them together with all of you bearing witness to this event.” The Priest announced after a moment of astonishment. Then he delivered his final blessings as Callisto waited impatiently for the part he’d been waiting for. “You may now kiss the bride.”

Callisto pulled her in close and dipped her, giving her a long kiss.

They didn’t leave their room for two days, food brought in just at the door with the servants leaving immediately or the baths prepared while they slept. On the third day, he roused his bride gently and ushered her to the bathroom to get ready for their departure to the Imperial residence they’d chosen to honeymoon in. Penelope wanted to be close to both the mountains and the ocean so he had scoured the properties and chosen one that was in a state of disrepair and had it all renovated.

The honeymoon also doubled as an Imperial tour to introduce Penelope to the land that she’d one day govern with him, which was why he was able to make it so that they’d be away for three months. His paperwork would be sent via magic at night so that it would be ready and waiting for him when he woke.

Penelope was already two months pregnant when they returned from their honeymoon. And at the tail end of winter the following year, just a few short weeks away from their first anniversary, a dragon like child was born to them. A precious little golden haired, ruby eyed beautiful baby girl with golden dragon wings on her back. They named her Judith which meant ‘she will be praised’.

Callisto wasted no time in naming her as his heir regardless of whether or not they had any other children. He changed the laws of succession going from the first male of the family to the first born child. Judith was the first of many, many children.