Iftia: Lyx Palace, Elianna's Bedchamber

• Elianna •

She snuggled close to the source of warmth beside her but frowned when she couldn't seem to find a comfortable spot. A sudden gruff, masculine voice sounded and her eyes flew wide open to see a chest in front of her. She immediately realised that she was lying next to Rowan and more importantly, both of them were bare. He had held her so close that she could feel him straining thick and hot against her abdomen.

"You're awake?" his voice was raspy with sleep.

He buried his nose into her hair and when he breathed, she could feel his hot breath tingling her scalp. She hid her face in his chest and nodded slightly. Her thoughts flew straight to the unbelievable things she had done last night. Beyond overwhelmed, she simply lost control over herself.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked tenderly, scrunching his fingers lightly in her messy and tangled brown locks. He planted a kiss into her hair and waited patiently for her to speak.

"Yes," she squeaked quietly. "I'm sorry."

"Please never apologise," he said. "I want to care for you, love."

She stayed close to him, breathing in the air that was filled with the scent of sandalwood and mint which uniquely belonged to him. Everything about him puts her at ease and this was something she hadn't felt before growing up alone. She felt that everything was weighing on her shoulders and for the first time, it felt really nice to have someone to lean against. His hand moved from her hair down to her neck and his fingers traced idly down the length of her spine. She shuddered a little but moved close to his touch.

"Would you like to go to town with me today?" he mentioned.

"Why do you need to go to town?" she asked curiously.

"Usual inspections." He rested his hand on the curve of her waist and his thumb skated across her slightly sensitive skin. She let out a soft sound and reached out to stop his hand from moving further.

"Is it okay for me to follow you?" she frowned, placing his hand back on her back.

"We can head out for some fun when I'm done," he let out a small laugh.

"Then, I shall tag along," she chuckled in response, agreeing to him almost immediately. This may also be a good opportunity to keep her thoughts away.

"I'm heading back to prepare and I'll see you in a bit, love," he placed a gentle kiss on her lips and moved towards the edge of the bed. He picked up his robe to put it on before leaving her bedchamber to get ready for the trip to town.

She waited for him to go before she went to the changing room to grab something to wear. Tightening the knot on her robe, she stood near the portal and called out, "Thunder, are you there?"

A sudden glow appeared and a black panther came through. He looked towards Elianna before crouching down and transformed into human form.

"How was it?" she enquired.

"He ordered for the entire Wayland Manor to be burned to the ground and he erased Wayland's name from the Registry of Nobles," he seethed and his emerald green eyes darkened. He held his hands out and buried his face in it. There was so much anguish in the way he spoke, "I couldn't even protect Jason's family—"

"Thunder, please don't blame yourself," she said, voice low. She placed her hand on his shoulder and vouched, "We will avenge for all of them, I promise."

The last time she ever saw tears in Thunder's eyes was when he sat quietly by himself near the lake on the day Jason was executed. Today, she witnessed almost the same amount of dejection in his eyes and it pierced through her chest. She knew that if it weren't for her, Thunder wouldn't have needed to go through all these. She was the crippling affliction of all his misery.

She took a step back, too afraid to be close to Thunder as guilt gnawed at her. "I'm sorry," she muttered while mortification cast looming shadows over her.

━━━━━━━━━━

Iftia: On the way to Nix, Town of Central Iftia.

• Elianna •

In the carriage, she sat quietly beside Rowan. It was almost impossible to reconcile with the amount of remorse she felt after seeing Thunder suffering.

"Did something happened when I left?" Rowan asked, concerned.

She was immediately jarred out of her thoughts and she shook her head, quickly diverting her attention away from the bothering thoughts. "I was just spacing out."

"You don't have to tell me about it, but I know when you're lying," he frowned slightly. "You can talk to me anytime and you know that I wouldn't rush you."

"I'm sorry."

"You apologised way too much today," he sighed, extending his hand to pat on the top of her head. "We'll reach town in a bit, just rest a little for now."

She rested her head against his arm and closed her eyes to take in a moment of silence. The gentle rocking of the carriage provided her with some comfort in the midst of her wandering mind.

Eventually, when the carriage came to a stop, Rowan draped a thick coat over her and tightened the knot. Today, they were both dressed similarly as townspeople to avoid attention towards them. He smiled at her as he grabbed onto his coat and left the carriage. Carefully adjusting the veil which covered half of her face, she covered her head with the hood from the coat and followed right behind him. 

At first sight, Nix was wondrously beautiful. Snow covered the entire town, painting it in white. The usual icy cold wind howled unapologetically but it didn't dampen the spirits of the townspeople at all. Merchants still filled the streets and children still played while trudging through the snow beneath their feet. People crowded every corner of the town in characteristic liveliness. Adding to every awe she felt, Nix was enchanting because of how the entire town sparkled in magic. Various colours of magic dust swirled with the air in their own magnificent way and carried themselves through a captivating waltz. The way Iftians filled their town with magic was powerful enough to beguile anyone who stepped into this fairytale-like land.

"This place is so beautiful," she exhaled all the awe that she had held onto. "Places beyond royal grounds are all so beautiful."

"You see that too, don't you?" Rowan smiled sadly. "There's so much to the world out there."

She wished she knew all the words she could say to make him feel better, but she was also imprisoned by her own fate and had to submit to a life in which she doesn't get to choose or control all the happenings. She took a step towards him but carelessly slipped. Thankfully, Rowan caught her just in time. He laughed, "Be careful of the snow. You'll fall if you aren't careful."

She blushed and nodded, steadying herself before they went towards a shop. Rowan engaged with the merchant on a casual chat and asked several questions on the happenings around Iftia recently. They stopped by several places and he had busied the townspeople in the same manner. She watched in veneration, knowing that these menial tasks would often be the work of low-ranking officials. Yet, as the First Prince, he's willing to take the time out to understand the wellbeing and livelihood of his people.

While waiting patiently for him to finish his official duties, she took a small walk around the vicinity. Her feet stopped in front of an antique shop and found beautiful, intricate ornaments as she stared into the glass display.

"Lady, are you buying a gift?" The shop owner asked, giving her a welcoming smile.

"I-I was just looking around, but what are these?" she fumbled with her words when she was taken by surprise.

"If you don't know these, it would mean that you aren't local," the shop owner laughed. "Lady, may I ask where are you from?"

"Thethia," she replied simply.

"No surprise," the shop owner smiled and nodded. "These are knots, to be tied to the ring of swords. In Iftia, young maidens buy them for important males in their lives."

"Important males?"

"It could be their father, an important friend, their partners or it could even be used to confess admiration for someone," the shop owner explained.

"What if they don't use swords?" she asked curiously.

"Swordsmanship is an important rite to manhood for all the males in Iftia," the shop owner laughed. "It would be near impossible to find a male here who don't use swords."

※

• Rowan •

When he was done with the usual inspections, he walked out and realised that she had went somewhere else. He tried to search for her around the area but she was nowhere in sight. Soon, he began to worry  that she may have wandered too far to find her way back. He continued to search around the area where he last left her, going through every possible turns and corners.

"Ro!"

The moment her voice rang in his ears, he spun around towards the direction where the voice came from. He had requested for her to avoid calling him Rowan in town to prevent being recognised, and she had decided to address him in the way his knights would. Heaving a small sigh of relief, he smiled and watched as she approached him with a wide smile on her face. At least, her mood had lifted since morning. That was what he thought.

"Where did you run off to, love?" he raised his hand and pinched her cheek softly.

"I went ahead to grab presents for everyone!" she giggled.

"For me too?" he raised one of his brows.

"I'll give you yours if you'd give me a kiss," she teased.

He laughed silently, lowering his head and gave her a peck on her lips. Grinning, he said, "I can give you more than kiss later."

Red immediately blossomed on her cheeks and a laugh bubbled off him. He held her by her hand and guided her down the street. They passed several shops with her still feeling amazed by all sorts of different things that she never had the chance to even see in her life. Unfortunately, the wind grew stronger and the cold was getting to them. He continued to walk her down the street until they stopped right before a bakery.

"Why are we here?" she asked, but seemingly glad to finally feel some warmth after being out in the cold for long.

"A little gift in return," he smiled.

※

• Elianna •

She sat in the table staring the jiggly item in her glass bowl. Pinching her brows together, she moved her head closer and inspect on it, not knowing what it was since she had never seen this in her life. Then, she glanced up and looked at Rowan, hoping that he could explain to her. Instead, he laughed and picked up the spoon, holding it towards her.

"Try it," he grinned.

She grabbed the spoon from him and cut through the dessert. It was incredibly soft, and the spoon went through the moment she attempted to cut. Picking up the spoon, she took a bite of it and the thing melted in her mouth immediately, leaving a sweet and blissful aftertaste. Her eyes widen in surprise by the flavour and expressed her satisfaction by scooping another spoonful of it.

"This is called caramel pudding," he chuckled.

"Pudding?"

"Yes, it's a custard dessert," he explained.

"Why did you think of having this?" she asked.

"It's my favourite."

"You don't look like someone who would fancy sweet food," she commented.

"Never judge the book by its cover, love," he laughed.

"Thank you, I'm really enjoying this," she grinned.

"I'm glad," he smiled tenderly in return.

She took another bite and turned her head to look at the falling snow outside, realising that there's actually warmth in snow. 

※

much needed heartwarming moment for elianna.