chapter 33
For a moment—
She forgot the pain.
The exhaustion.
Everything.
Her heart skipped once.
But loud enough for her to feel it.
Princess (thinking): What… was that?
A faint warmth spread across her cheeks.
Slow.
Unfamiliar.
She quickly looked away, trying to hide it.
But the feeling didn't disappear.
Princess (thinking): Why is my heart… reacting like this?
Her fingers tightened slightly against John's arm.
Not pushing him away.
Not pulling closer either.
Just… staying there.
She glanced back at him for only a second.
And this time—
Her gaze softened.
Princess (thinking): This feeling…
A pause.
Her heartbeat quickened again.
Princess (thinking): What is this?
John didn't seem to notice.
Or maybe he did—
But chose not to say anything.
He simply held her steady.
And for the first time—
The Princess, who had faced death without fear…
Felt something she couldn't fight.
Something quiet.
Something gentle.
Something terrifyingly real.
Her cheeks warmed again.
And she didn't understand why—
But she didn't want it to stop.
━━━━━━━━━━
Morning came slower than usual.
Not peaceful—
Just… heavy.
The kind of morning where even the sunlight felt distant.
Inside her chamber, the Princess stood near the window, posture straight as always, though the faint tension in her jaw betrayed her exhaustion.
A servant carefully unwrapped the bloodstained bandages around her arm.
Fresh bruises covered her skin.
Thin cuts.
Burn marks from the unstable power she had forced through her body.
"You should rest, Your Highness," the servant whispered softly.
Princess: "I'm fine."
A quiet knock interrupted the silence.
Before the servant could answer, the door opened.
Guinevere stepped inside.
And for a moment—
Even the air felt still.
One side of her face was bruised, slightly swollen. A thin cut traced across her cheek, not fully healed.
She stood steadily—
But not without effort.
The Princess immediately turned toward her.
Princess: "Why are you here?"
Concern slipped through her voice despite her calm expression.
Princess: "You should be resting."
Guinevere shrugged lightly, though the movement clearly hurt.
Guinevere: "It's nothing."
She stepped further into the room.
Guinevere: "I'll heal."
The Princess frowned slightly.
Princess: "That's not the point."
Guinevere stopped walking.
Silence stretched between them briefly before she finally spoke.
Guinevere: "We're leaving again soon. I don't have time to fall behind."
The Princess looked at her quietly for a moment.
Then—
Princess: "Don't push yourself too far."
Guinevere let out a small breath.
Guinevere: "Look who's talking."
Princess: "I'm serious."
Guinevere: "So am I."
For a second—
Both of them laughed softly.
A small, rare moment of peace.
Then Guinevere straightened slightly.
Guinevere: "Get ready already. Everyone's gathered."
━━━━━━━━━━
The grand balcony stood high above the kingdom of Stonehaven.
A place where rulers spoke—
And nations listened.
Below, thousands had gathered.
Their voices blended together like distant waves.
The Princess stood near the front, composed as always.
Beside her stood the King of Lumivale.
His presence alone silenced the crowd.
When he stepped forward, the murmurs disappeared instantly.
King of Lumivale: "People of Stonehaven."
His voice echoed across the city.
King of Lumivale: "Today, a matter of great importance has been resolved."
A brief pause.
King of Lumivale: "The King of Stonehaven has been removed from his position."
Shock rippled through the crowd.
Then—
Relief.
Cheers erupted almost immediately.
King of Lumivale: "Due to the evidence brought against him, his rule has officially come to an end."
The applause grew louder.
Stronger.
The people were no longer uncertain.
They were united.
Satisfied.
Hopeful.
The King raised his hand slowly.
And gradually—
The noise faded.
Until only silence remained.
His gaze swept across the crowd.
King of Lumivale: "A kingdom is not its king."
"Stonehaven is not abandoned."
He extended one hand outward.
King of Lumivale: "If you seek stability…"
"If you seek strength…"
"If you seek a future untouched by corruption…"
"Then Lumivale stands beside you."
A pause.
Then clearly—
King of Lumivale: "Our gates are open."
"No chains."
"No conquest."
"Only unity."
"For those willing to accept it."
For one brief moment—
The entire city held its breath.
Then—
The crowd exploded with cheers.
"Lumivale!"
"We stand with Lumivale!"
The sound shook the palace walls.
Like a wave crashing through the kingdom itself.
━━━━━━━━━━
The ceremony slowly came to an end.
The crowds dispersed.
Voices faded.
Until silence returned once more.
Outside the palace, Marco leaned casually against a stone railing, looking far too relaxed for someone constantly surrounded by chaos.
Chris stood nearby, openly observing everything around him with curiosity.
Guinevere rested against a pillar, calm despite the lingering tension in her shoulders.
And slightly apart from the others—
John stood quietly.
Still.
Unreadable.
The Princess stepped onto the terrace.
Her eyes moved across the group before she finally spoke.
Princess: "We resume our journey immediately."
Marco pushed himself off the railing with a grin.
Marco: "Finally."
Guinevere nodded once.
Chris stepped forward almost instantly.
Chris: "Right—before we leave, I should probably introduce myself properly."
Marco smirked.
Marco: "This is Chris. He helped me catch Kayem."
Chris gave a proud nod.
Chris: "Used to work as a navy scout."
He shrugged casually.
Chris: "Got bored. Wanted something more interesting."
His eyes flicked toward Marco.
Chris: "Then I met him instead."
Marco laughed.
Marco: "Lucky you."
Then Guinevere spoke calmly.
Guinevere: "I think we can trust him."
The Princess looked at Chris silently for a moment.
Measuring him.
Reading him.
Then—
Princess: "Alright."
Simple.
Direct.
Chris immediately turned toward Guinevere.
Chris: "So… you're the one who saved me earlier?"
No response.
He smiled anyway.
Chris: "That was impressive."
Still silence.
He leaned slightly closer.
Chris: "And honestly… you're really pretty."
Guinevere slowly turned toward him.
Mildly amused.
Guinevere: "…Do you ever stop talking?"
Chris grinned.
Chris: "Not really."
She turned away again, clearly done with him.
Marco laughed quietly under his breath.
Chris shook his head dramatically.
Chris: "So cold."
Marco burst out laughing again.
The atmosphere lightened briefly.
Almost normal.
Then the group began moving once more.
The journey resumed.
━━━━━━━━━━
The Princess slowed her steps slightly.
Just enough.
Her gaze shifted toward John.
He walked a few steps ahead.
Calm.
Focused.
Distant.
She hesitated.
Then quietly—
Princess: "John…"
Soft enough that nobody else reacted.
Only him.
He stopped.
Then slowly turned around.
John: "Yes, Princess?"
For a moment, she looked like she wanted to say something.
But the words never came.
Princess: "…It's nothing."
A pause.
Princess: "You may go."
John nodded once before turning away again.
The Princess watched him leave.
And for the first time—
That small distance between them bothered her.
━━━━━━━━━━
The next morning arrived cold and pale.
Mist covered the roads as the group continued forward.
No delays.
No turning back.
The Princess rode at the front beside Guinevere.
Behind them rode John, Marco, and Chris.
A few soldiers followed close behind.
And among them—
Tomasi.
Something about him felt wrong immediately.
Not dangerous.
Weak.
His posture sagged slightly.
His breathing sounded uneven.
One hand remained pressed against his side as if forcing himself to stay upright.
Chris noticed first.
Chris: "You're Tomasi, right?"
No response.
Tomasi didn't even look at him.
Chris blinked.
Chris: "…Not talkative, huh?"
Still nothing.
Then suddenly—
Tomasi coughed violently.
Blood spilled across his hand.
Chris froze.
Chris: "…What the hell?"
Tomasi wiped the blood away quickly, as if it meant nothing.
But it clearly did.
Chris looked toward Marco.
Marco's expression darkened slightly.
Marco: "…He's the Chosen One."
A pause.
Marco: "That's why he's dying."
Chris leaned back slightly in silence.
Then quietly—
Chris: "…That's brutal."
But his eyes lingered on Tomasi differently now.
Not curiosity anymore.
Interest.
Sharp and calculating.
━━━━━━━━━━
Up ahead, the Princess tightened her grip on the reins slightly.
Princess: "…Did you notice anything?"
Guinevere glanced sideways.
Guinevere: "About what?"
A pause.
Princess: "…John."
Guinevere's eyes shifted briefly toward him.
Calm.
Quiet.
Distant.
Princess: "He's been quieter than usual."
Guinevere raised a brow slightly.
Guinevere: "He's always quiet."
Princess immediately shook her head.
Princess: "No. Not like this."
Her voice sharpened slightly.
Princess: "He used to talk more. He was always trying to start conversations or annoy me somehow…"
Guinevere suddenly smirked.
Guinevere: "Always trying to talk to you, you mean?"
The Princess blinked.
Princess: "…What?"
Guinevere shrugged casually.
Guinevere: "I'm just saying what everyone noticed."
Princess froze slightly.
Guinevere: "He wasn't very talkative with the rest of us."
A pause.
Guinevere: "Only with you."
Princess looked away quickly.
Princess: "…That's not true."
Guinevere laughed softly.
Guinevere: "It definitely is."
The Princess's ears turned faintly red.
Princess: "…I didn't notice."
Guinevere: "That's because you were the one getting the attention."
Silence settled between them again.
Then Guinevere glanced sideways.
Guinevere: "Something bothering you?"
The Princess hesitated.
Princess: "…I don't know."
A pause.
Princess: "And that's what's bothering me."
━━━━━━━━━━
Princess hesitated again before speaking quietly.
Princess: "…Guinevere."
Guinevere: "Hm?"
Princess looked ahead.
Princess: "…If you're uncertain about something…"
She paused carefully.
Princess: "…And stuck between your feelings and your responsibilities…"
Another pause.
Princess: "…What do you do?"
Guinevere blinked once.
Then slowly narrowed her eyes.
Guinevere: "…That's not a random question."
Princess immediately straightened.
Princess: "What? No—I didn't mean anything."
Guinevere looked completely unconvinced.
Then sighed lightly.
Guinevere: "If I care about something…"
She looked ahead quietly.
Guinevere: "…And my duties stand in the way…"
A pause.
Guinevere: "Then I choose whatever feels right to me."
Princess frowned slightly.
Princess: "…What does that even mean?"
Guinevere smirked.
Guinevere: "It means your duties matter."
A brief pause.
Guinevere: "But your heart matters too."
The Princess stayed silent.
Then quietly—
Princess: "…Do you always follow your heart?"
Guinevere answered instantly.
Guinevere: "No."
Princess blinked.
Princess: "…Huh?"
Guinevere grinned slightly.
Guinevere: "I do whatever I feel like doing."
That finally broke her composure.
The Princess laughed softly despite herself.
Princess: "…That sounds irresponsible."
Suddenly—
A soldier rushed toward them.
Breathing hard.
Panic written across his face.
"Commander!"
Everyone turned instantly.
"We have a problem!"
Guinevere straightened immediately.
Guinevere: "What happened?"
The Princess's expression hardened.
Princess: "…Explain."
...CHAPTER 33ENDS...