Kiev stood alone at the foredeck, his gaze fixed upon the endless stretch of sea ahead. The weather was calm today, an uncommon occurrence after weeks of relentless winter sailing.
A steady breeze swept across the deck, lifting his long, silvery hair and sending it fluttering like pale threads of moonlight against his dark cloak.
The ocean glimred faintly beneath the overcast sky, the sun finally erging after many days of absence. There was no longer violence, no longer hostility—just quiet.
A few weeks had passed since they departed.
Footsteps approached from behind, and Kiev turned, finding Jessy approaching him.
"Where’s Callis?" he asked.
The nanny ca to stand beside him.
"She’s accompanying Princess Anna now, giving her a massage to prevent her body from stiffening upon waking up," she replied.
Kiev nodded, acknowledging, "That’s good."
"She has changed quite a lot compared to the ti when we departed," Jessy added softly, "and she hasn’t ntioned Mr Amares at all."
The derian Prince gave a half-smile. "That’s also good."
He turned to her then, crimson eyes softened with gratitude.
"Thank you, Jessy. I couldn’t have done this without you."
The nanny inclined her head, though unease lingered in her gaze.
"Please don’t ntion it, Your Highness. It is my duty. Princess Callis may be a grown woman now, but to , she will always be a child."
"What’s bothering you?" Kiev asked, noticing the concern in her expression.
Jessy hesitated and lifted her head, eyes drifting towards the vast sea. Waves rolled steadily below, their muted roar carried by the cold wind that brushed against her face.
"I’m just wondering whether it’s right to separate Princess Callis from Mr Amares like this," she said quietly.
Kiev exhaled slowly. He might have bristled if the nanny had questioned him earlier, but Jessy had guided him through the journey—helped Callis erge from her despair. That alone made him feel more indebted to her than words could express.
Callis nearly died, Jessy," he said in a low voice. "That day still haunts like a nightmare I can’t wake from. I only want her to be safe... and Seta is where there will be no threat for her."
"But you know Mr Amares wasn’t there at the forest from the beginning," Jessy gently pressed. "He only found her much later. The Bargesian’s concealnt spell would have made it impossible for him to reach her sooner. Is it fair to bla him for everything?"
Kiev looked down, jaw tightening. Silence stretched before he spoke again.
"Perhaps... I was angrier with myself than with him," he admitted quietly. "The guilt is mine. I was too consud with settling my grudge when I should have rembered what mattered most."
"It’s not your fault," Jessy responded, reassuring him. "Things were beyond our control."
Kiev gave a bitter chuckle.
"No. I carry this guilt," he said. "I failed Princess Anna. I failed Callis. I failed to avenge your sister. Sotis I wonder... have I been nothing but a failure all my life?"
"Please don’t say that," Jessy begged. "You did everything possible with what you had. Others might not recognise it, but I do. And Nessy’s revenge... It’s no longer important. What truly matters is that Princess Anna is safe and alive. My sister would have prioritised that above all. Even without explicitly saying your intention, I know you tried your best."
Kiev was silent before speaking again.
"That is another reason I chose concealnt rather than disclosure," he finally said. "If I explained Anna’s situation or the impact of the Grand Duke’s oath to the Northerners, it would only deepen their anxiety. Letting them see as the villain is easier because hatred is simpler to bear than despair.
"But wouldn’t His Highness the Grand Duke know?" the nanny asked incredulously. "He was the one who made the oath. Surely, he would realise it."
"Yes," Kiev replied. "And he would suffer the most if he woke up knowing he could no longer be with his wife. That is why I delayed the effect when I cast the undoing spell. He would awaken long after we had left. It was... kinder that way."
Jessy sighed.
"Aren’t you suffering the sa as His Highness the Grand Duke? Her Highness Princess Elisabeth—"
"Please," Kiev cut her off, his voice trembling. "Don’t ntion her na."
Jessy stopped at once. She could see Kiev’s eyes glistening, and she knew that if she pressed him any further about Elis, he would break there and then.
The nanny had never seen the derian Prince fall so deeply for any woman other than her. This separation must have torn half of him apart from the inside.
"I apologise," Jessy said quietly.
"Please don’t tell Callis the truth about why Rafe shunned her," Kiev requested.
"I won’t, Your Highness."
Jessy bowed. Though she disagreed, she could not argue further.
Kiev was barely holding himself together for the sake of his duty, and another confrontation would only drive him deeper into despair.
"Thank you," he said, relief evident in his tone.
Suddenly, a shout rang out from the Crow’s Nest above.
"Land ho!"
They both looked up.
On the distant horizon, an island erged—Seta was now in sight, at last.
Kiev straightened, a wistful smile tinged with longing touching his lips.
"We’re ho."
Before the mont could settle, hurried footsteps echoed on the deck. A commotion rose near the cabin entrance.
"Anna, wait! Let explain!" Callis cried, grabbing her arm.
"Let go of !" Anna recoiled in fear. "Just tell , where am I?!"
The shouting drew every gaze on deck.
Anna spun around, eyes wide, panic rising as she took in unfamiliar faces and the open sea. She didn’t rember boarding this ship.
Then she saw them—A man and a woman standing at the foredeck.
Her eyes fixed on the woman, and relief flooded her expression.
"Nessy!"
Kiev and Jessy rushed toward her.
"Princess Anna, you’ve awakened!" Kiev exclaid.
But Anna shrank back from him. Instead, she threw herself at the nanny and clutched Jessy’s arm tightly.
"Nessy, what’s happening? Where are we?"
Jessy was stunned, before softly returning the embrace. Why did the princess call her by her sister’s na?
"I thought you were gone," Anna sobbed. "I rember you were there after the shipwreck... but when I woke up, you were gone. I was so scared."
Jessy patted the princess’s back, exchanging a bewildered glance with Kiev and Callis. Since when did they face a shipwreck?
The derian Princess shook her head, pursing her lips, but the others couldn’t grasp the aning of her gesture. Before Callis could clarify, Anna raised her head and looked at Kiev with a troubled expression.
The escorts moved forward, but the derian Prince raised his hand, signalling them to stop.
Anna studied him again, calr now by Jessy’s side.
"Who... are you?" she asked.
Kiev stared back at her.
"You don’t know ?" he asked, confused.
The princess’s gaze drifted to the ring — the betrothal ring that bound Kiev to her. It was no longer worn on his finger, but hung from a chain around his neck, a silent symbol of duty rather than promise.
Anna’s breath caught.
"I know that ring," she said softly. "It looks just like mine."
She raised her hand, searching for hers, but unfortunately, it wasn’t there.
"I lost it..." she murmured. "Probably when I escaped onto the boat."
Then, suddenly, her expression brightened, hope flooding her features as if the answer had finally revealed itself.
"You must be my betrothed. You ca to save , didn’t you?"
Kiev froze and turned to Callis. Both of them swallowed hard. Jessy frowned, shrouded in confusion.
Then, all of a sudden, Anna’s eyes widened—as if sothing had struck her. Her fragile body stiffened for a heartbeat before losing its remaining strength and sliding towards the floor.
"Princess!" Jessy cried, scrambling to hold her, but Anna’s weight dragged her down.
Kiev lunged forward and caught the princess in a kneeling position, her motionless body collapsing into his arms just in ti before she could fall onto the hard, wooden deck.
"Brother! The barrier!" Callis cried out in panic.
In that instant, the derian Prince recalled the barrier surrounding Seta Island—one that no person with a weak constitution or strained mana could pass without consequence.
Anna had awakened pale and depleted, yet she had rushed to the deck in search of the nanny. Still fragile, she had borne the impact of the barrier’s power.
Without hesitation, Kiev cast a protective spell. Light shimred around them as he held her close, his magic wrapping her in a gentle glow. Colour slowly returned to the princess’s pallid skin, lending her the strength she desperately needed.
Her pulse steadied, but she did not wake.
"Is she all right?" Jessy asked anxiously.
"For now, yes," Kiev replied as he carefully lifted Anna into his arms while standing up. "She needs more rest. I’ll bring her inside."
"Yes, Your Highness," the nanny bowed, stepping aside to let him pass.
As Kiev carried Anna away, Jessy approached Callis, unease clouding her features.
"What just happened?" she asked. "Why did Princess Anna call Nessy and speak of a shipwreck?"
The derian Princess frowned, her concern deepening as she pieced the monts together.
When Anna awoke, Callis had been overjoyed, but the princess did not recognise her. No matter how gently she tried to explain the situation, Anna had only grown more frightened and confused. Then she had bolted out of the cabin, calling Nessy’s na again and again.
The redian Princess had attempted to subtly hint to Kiev and Jessy through her recent gesture that Anna might still be disoriented from her extended unconsciousness.
However, upon observing the princess’s actions on the deck, realisation struck her like a cold wave.
"Jessy..." Callis said quietly, her voice strained with worry. "I think we have a problem."
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