“Are you prepared?” Father Vincent asked.

  Alhen looked at him with a burning gaze, but ultimately nodded and stared straight ahead at the carriage waiting for him.

  He had brought all his equipment with him.

  They found themselves in the royal castle garden, where two luscious white horses were tied to a big carriage.

  The tall, red-leaved trees left quite an impression on him as they looked to be burning this particular night.

  ‘Inside the carriage is the princess. I wonder what she will be like? Will she try to kill me like Kalle? Or will she be more normal?’

  In his mind, however, he believed everyone in the king’s family must not be normal.

  A pack of guards stood watch around the carriage, all wearing moon-blocking glasses and looking at him without revealing anything in their expressions.

  Whether they thought of him positively or negatively, he couldn’t know, but he did see that they were professionals.

  The way they carried themselves and the way they looked at the world around them made him sure that if he ever were to confront them, he would end up losing his life.

  Alhen approached the carriage with cautious steps, not wanting to be seen as weak in front of them, lest he wished for trouble.

  ‘I know that the king only accepted me to protect his daughter to gain Father Vincent’s favor, but I am truly unfit for this job; I am simply not experienced enough,’ Alhen thought.

  He approached the guard, who appeared to be the leader, before shaking his extended hand with a firm grip.

  “My name is Bernard, remember it,” the guard said.

  His hair was dirty blond, and he appeared to be nearing his forties, with some strands of hair being grey and wrinkles around his face that, instead of making him look old, made him look dangerous.

  He had a short, blond beard and a body that seemed designed to kill; everything about him screamed ‘hardened veteran of combat.’

  Bernard’s hand appeared to be made out of steel, and he gripped Alhen’s palm with such intensity that he almost thought his arm was going to explode.

  Alhen didn’t reveal any expression of pain on his face, just like he had practiced over time, but he felt that Bernard was aware of his body’s current state.

  ‘Crap, he already measured my strength, he must be frowning in his mind right now,’ Alhen thought.

  Bernard had yet to reveal any emotion on his face, but Alhen was sure that his opinion of himself had dropped down a few levels after that handshake.

  Alhen looked back at Father Vincent, who smiled at him for the last time before he left the castle, leaving him alone.

  Alhen stood behind the guards and waited for instructions from Bernard, who didn’t take long to talk to him.

  “Son of the Kovesh, Lady Katherina wants to meet you inside the carriage. Please be aware that even if you are the Kovesh’s son, we will… punish you if harm befalls the princess,” Bernard said, carefully calculating his words.

  ‘The princess wants to meet me?’ Alhen had a bad feeling in his chest, but he couldn’t do anything apart from obeying if he wanted to be in the princess’s good graces.

  “Very well, I will meet the princess,” Alhen responded, showing more calm than he really felt.

  He walked past Bernard and went up the stairs to the carriage door, then knocked on it three times.

  “Come in,” Alhen heard a feminine voice calling out from inside.

  Without hesitating any longer, he opened the door, and the first thing that greeted him was a pleasant smell of vanilla that entered his nostrils and calmed him.

  Looking to his left, the princess wore an orange veil over her face, hiding her features, but not her flowing red hair, which fell down her shoulders.

  She had her hands clasped in her lap, her feet together, and was facing his direction. Her bright, luscious red dress reached her ankles and drew attention from whoever looked.

  He could see a slight smile on her face through the barely translucent veil and guessed that she was looking at him.

  Alhen hadn’t paid her much attention at the banquet; the only person he ever truly paid attention to was Kalle, and that was because he was looking at him strangely.

  Now that he had the princess in front of him, he took everything in to remember her appearance.

  “Please sit, it is an honor to have the son of such a respectable figure in front of me,” she said while extending her hand towards the seat in front of her.

  The carriage was well-lit with incense, giving off an inviting atmosphere, and the small space inside was more luxurious than his room.

  Alhen sat on the seat after closing the door behind him and felt the soft texture hugging his body; it felt more comfortable than his bed.

  The inside of the carriage was filled with gold, but it didn’t take away the cozy feeling; it only amplified it.

  The carriage didn’t have any windows, but the holes at the top let in fresh air.

  Now that he had settled himself inside, he paid attention to the princess and responded to her comment.

  “Not at all, it is a pleasure to be in your presence. I heard from your guard, Bernard, that you wanted to meet me. Is there something that you would like to ask me?” Alhen questioned, getting straight to the point.

  ‘If I want to survive this, I have to play my cards right and be extremely careful with what I do. I will first establish a friendly relationship with the princess and gain her favor, that’s my best chance for now,’ he thought.

  “Yes, there are many things that I would like to ask you, but first, let us relax. There is still a long way before we arrive at the Kingdom of Levex, and it would be boring if we exhaust all the conversation right now,” she said.

  “Very well, then that’s what we will do,” Alhen responded, trying his best to appear composed and maintain a mysterious persona.

  Katherina didn’t talk anymore and instead knocked on the wood behind her three times, and the carriage moved, setting out for the Kingdom of Levex.

  They remained in silence, feeling the slight bumps in the road as they moved.

  The princess in front of him stared right into his eye through the veil, but didn’t speak, leaving him uncomfortable, and he did everything in his power not to show it.

  Katherina looked unbothered by the silence or by the stare between him and her, and to distract himself, he thought about the time when it all blew up.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The king had accepted the deal immediately, leading him to believe that the king thought Alhen was stronger than he was, probably because he was the son of The Kovesh.

  That, or he didn’t care about his daughter’s safety and only about the father’s assistance in the war.

  Alhen sighed in his mind.

  He could still remember Father Vincent’s face, looking at him like he had won a hidden game.

  ‘They call him the Kovesh. What does that mean? Why so much respect for him?’ Alhen had a set of questions he wanted answered, but he didn’t dare ask the princess.

  His mind couldn’t think of anything new, so he spent the rest of the time looking at Katherina through her veil.

  This kept on going for a few hours, and Alhen was almost at his wits' end.

  ‘Should I speak first and break the silence?’ Alhen wondered.

  ‘No, if I do that, it would reveal how I feel about the situation. Maybe she’s making me go through a test, and right now, I seem to be doing fine; best not to change it for now,’ Alhen thought.

  He was determined to remain silent for a few more hours, but the princess broke the stalemate, asking her first question.

  “Your name, it is Alhen, is it not?” She asked.

  “Yes, you are correct,” he replied after processing her words.

  “I would rather have the Kovesh himself in the carriage, but I guess that you will have to do.” Not knowing what to reply, Alhen stayed silent, something that the princess didn’t take lightly.

  “Why are you not answering? I am trying to make a conversation here. Traveling for two whole cycles with nothing to do gets quickly boring.” She said it as a fact, without any visible expression or emotion.

  ‘What is it with the sudden personality shift? She wasn’t like this when I first entered the carriage?’ Alhen wondered.

  “Well, you could start by telling me about the royal family,” he said.

  There was a silence, and for a second Alhen wondered whether he had overstepped his boundaries.

  The silence didn’t last long, however, as Katherina spoke.

  “The royal family has four factions, with each of my brothers leading them. Unfortunately, one of my brothers was killed brutally in cold blood, perhaps, you know something about that?” she asked, looking at him intently.

  ‘Crap! Don’t tell me that she knows I killed her brother. That would be the worst-case scenario, but as long as she doesn’t know, I still have a chance. I have to play my part right,’ Alhen thought.

  “I do not know which brother you are talking about, but I assure you that I did not kill him. After all, there’s no reason for me to do so,” Alhen responded, clearly knowing what she was asking.

  Her gaze was fixed on him, but after a few seconds in which Alhen did not reveal anything under that composed exterior, she gave up.

  “I love all my brothers with all my heart. Whoever killed him… I will make sure that he suffers a fate worse than death,” Katherina commented, and Alhen shuddered.

  ‘Yeah, I definitely can’t let her find out,’ Alhen thought.

  “How is the work of a hunter? Is that why you lost your eye?” she asked. “I have asked my brothers and father, but they refuse to tell me anything.”

  Alhen’s heartbeat accelerated.

  ‘What do I say? That I fail every contract I take? Wait… maybe she knows about Kalle’s collection, and that’s why she’s asking about my eye,’ he thought.

  Ultimately, Alhend decided to give an ambiguous answer.

  “Life as a hunter is tough; you need to have a vast skillset to be able to thrive in such an environment. It is clearly not for everyone, and yes, it’s why I lost my eye…” he said.

  “Hmm, I am guessing that you have gone through your fair share of trouble, right? But you are like, what? Almost half my age? How does that work?” Katherina said while leaning in slightly.

  “Yes, I have gone through a lot of troubles, but I would prefer not to talk about them. If it were not for my Luna Signum, I would not be able to do hunter work.”

  Katherina sulked and leaned back in her seat.

  “Why does no one want to tell me?” She muttered to herself, but Alhen caught what she had said.

  “Well, forget about it… Do you like watching people die?” She asked after a moment of contemplation.

  Alhen flinched and almost broke character.

  She said it with such a light tone that he almost thought that she was talking about something trivial like the weather.

  “Why do you ask?” he asked.

  “Can you just please answer the question?” she responded.

  With a sigh, Alhen shook his head. “No, I don’t like watching people die.”

  “That’s a shame; we could have gotten along well. To be honest, I do not want to marry the priest of the Levex Kingdom. I met him once, and he is rather old and weird. I wish he just died; that would be better.”

  Alhen shook his head in his mind.

  ‘I guess there really aren’t any normal people in this world.’ Katherine kept on talking about the best angle for watching someone die, but he didn’t pay attention.

  Katherina noticed and narrowed her eyes at him.

  She pouted and looked away.

  “Ugh! Whatever, I am going to sleep.”

  Without waiting, she opened a compartment behind her, and Alhen saw a bed, making him widen his eyes.

  ‘How does that work?’ he thought to himself before Katherina entered and closed it.

  Now that Alhen had been left alone, he remained on high alert, keeping his ears sharp in case he heard something out of place.

  ‘She is quite moody, although I almost prefer for her to be like that, it makes it easier to know what she is thinking. That is, unless it’s a facade to lower my guard,’ Alhent thought.

  The rhythmic sound of the wheels bumping over small rocks made him sleepy, but he held on until eventually succumbing to sleep.

  Two cycles passed painfully slowly. Katherina had been right; spending two whole cycles without anything to do was boring.

  Thankfully, they had arrived.

  Katherina left the bed where she had been sleeping since the departure and headed outside, saying that she wanted to breathe fresh air.

  Alhen followed behind and, for the first time, saw another kingdom, the Kingdom of Levex.

  Almost everything seemed to be made out of pure gold.

  They had to go through golden gates to be inside the kingdom, and when he entered, the sight shocked him.

  People kneeled on the streets and prayed fervently; they barely fit, with the guards having to make way for them to pass.

  Everyone wore something around their eyes, from glasses to masks, to block the moonlight, and the atmosphere contrasted with the somber and almost depressing one of his district.

  No matter where he looked, energetic dances could be seen with almost everyone wearing robes, hiding their whole bodies or just enough to cover their private areas.

  As they walked through the crowd, he couldn’t help but notice how smooth the ground felt compared to their kingdom’s.

  Strangely enough, he felt at peace.

  The dances, the praying, and the weird accessories and masks—they all added up.

  Katherina caught a look at Alhen’s expression and grimaced.

  “What are you doing?” She asked, and Alhen raised an eyebrow at her question.

  “What do you mean?” He asked.

  “What I mean is, why do you look so happy? It is making me mad; wipe that smile off your face.”

  Alhen then realized that he had been smiling.

  Breathing deeply, he relaxed his facial muscles and continued walking to the center of the church ahead.

  Contrary to his expectations, it wasn’t big, but the number of designs and the amount of gold used to build it couldn’t possibly be small.

  “There’s so much gold; where do they get it?” He said aloud, breaking character for a second as the sight took him aback.

  “You do not have to look surprised; there is a mine with an abundance of gold near the kingdom. Rumors say that the resources are never-ending,” she commented.

  Alhen nodded, and in a heartbeat, they were at the church’s entrance.

  Opening its doors, inside, multiple rows filled with seats could be seen.

  People stood, raised their hands, and muttered incomprehensible words. At the end of the church, the priest’s body shone with a powerful yellow light.

  “Watch for yourself! The blessing of the Supreme Hargred!” The priest said.

  He started levitating, and Alhen watched the process with wide eyes, in contrast with the calm look of Katherina next to him.

  ‘How is this possible?!’ He wondered, wishing he could do the same.

  After a few seconds of levitation, the light brightened, blinding the room. When Alhen opened his eyes again, the priest wasn’t glowing anymore and stood on the ground.

  The people around him started cheering, and that’s when the priest looked at them.

  He whispered something in the ear of someone next to him before the person approached them.

  “Come with me,” he whispered into their ears after reaching their location.

  The man looked suspicious, with dark bags under his eyes and a moody expression.

  He had a thin frame and a hunchback, with his clothes being wrinkled and disorganized. He definitely didn’t give out a good first impression.

  The man was quite young, looking only a few years older than Katherina, but definitely an adult. He was bald, and his dark eyes gave him a plain look.

  ‘Why do I have the feeling that something is wrong with him?’ Alhen wondered, but forgot about it when they were guided to the back of the church while avoiding disturbing the preaching session.

  They walked until they reached a door that stood out from the others they’d seen along the way.

  Those other doors were a bright yellow color, but this one was a white-red one.

  Its appearance didn’t give Alhen comfort; it was as if a world of nightmares lay behind that door.

  The man turned around and faced the princess.

  “Priest Hector wants to give out his apologies for not being able to receive Princess Katherina in person. My name is Leonard. For now, make yourself comfortable in this room. He will be available in two cycles. I will be outside if you need anything,” he said.

  With a deep bow, he left the scene, leaving the guards with both of them.

  The princess didn’t look surprised by the events; she opened the door and stepped inside.

  Before she closed the door, she signaled for Alhen to enter the room with her.

  “Are you sure that I can enter?” Alhen looked behind him and saw the cold gaze of the guards that seemed to want to tear him apart.

  “Do not worry, come in; I have something to tell you.”

  His gaze lingered a second longer on the hostile figures looking at him. He entered the room and followed the princess to the back.

  Inside was the definition of luxury.

  A pink room with a massive bed, mirror, and everything needed to make a princess happy and keep her entertained.

  Alhen was certain this room was prepared especially for her, and he shook his head, comparing her room with his own.

  “Alhen, keep watch; I am going to sleep,” she said.

  He rolled his eyes. It seemed as if she slept all the time.

  The next cycle would be the wedding preparations, and he just hoped that nothing would happen in the meantime.

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