(Elara Pov)
The night air in the forest was cold. Not the kind of cold that hurts the skin, but the quiet kind that settles around you when the moon is high and the trees block the wind.
We were standing near the edge of the lake. The water reflected the pale moonlight, and the sound of the waterfall echoed softly behind us. But the girl in front of me did not lower her sword. The blade still rested against my throat, close enough that I could feel the cold metal against my skin.
Her blue eyes studied me carefully. When I said my name—"Elara"—her brows slowly frowned, like the name meant something, or maybe she simply did not believe me.
Before she could speak again, we both heard it—a rustling in the trees. Footsteps. More than one.
Bandits.
Her reaction was instant. The sword moved away from my throat, but not because she trusted me. Before I could say anything, she grabbed my wrist—strong, firm—and pulled me quickly toward a large tree near the edge of the clearing.
We moved behind it, hiding in the shadow of the trunk. She pushed me lightly against the bark, my back pressing against the rough surface as she stood right in front of me, too close, much too close. Her body blocked the view of the clearing while she watched the forest carefully, my personal space gone, the warmth of her body cutting through the cold night air.
She leaned closer, making herself smaller behind the tree, which only pushed her body closer against mine.
My breath caught, but she did not seem to notice. Her attention stayed on the forest, alert, ready, her sword already raised again.
What I noticed instead was her heartbeat—calm, slow, steady, like this kind of danger was normal for her, while mine felt like it was trying to escape my chest.
I swallowed, the sound louder than it should have been, and for a moment I worried she would hear it.
Then suddenly her gaze shifted. She looked down at me, and our eyes met again—blue, sharp, watching—and I quickly looked away.
"Stay still," she whispered, her voice low, close, too close, the warmth of her breath brushing near my ear.
Behind the tree, voices rose—rough voices. Bandits.
"Mukhang may panauhin tayo," one of them said. "Looks like a noble group passed through."
I suddenly remembered her—the girl in front of me. Her clothes were thin, too light for the night because she had been standing under the waterfall earlier, and I wondered what she normally wore, what kingdom she belonged to, what kind of person she really was.
My thoughts stopped when I saw her eyes narrow, her grip tightening on the sword, ready to strike the moment danger came.
Then whistles sounded in the distance—signals, more of them—and the footsteps grew closer.
Without thinking, I grabbed her shoulder. She was taller than me, stronger too, and the moment I realized what I had done, my face grew warm.
She leaned closer, her lips near my ear.
"If I say run," she whispered softly, "run."
The way she spoke sent a strange shiver down my spine. I nodded quickly, and when our eyes met again, I immediately looked away.
I needed to focus, because every time I looked at her face, my mind wandered somewhere it should not. She was beautiful—not the soft kind, but something sharper, stronger, her nose straight, her lips—
No.
Elara.
What are you doing?
Focus.
The bandits were still out there, and the girl hiding me behind this tree might still decide to kill me after this was over.
And yet, I realized something else—the danger was not the bandits outside, but how close we were standing, our bodies almost touching, the faint scent of her—not perfume, not flowers, just something clean, like water and forest air—making everything worse.
Elara, stop.
I am a princess of Vesperia. I should not be thinking about something like this.
But my eyes kept drifting back to her face—ridiculous, almost embarrassing—my heartbeat growing louder, loud enough that if the bandits heard it, I would blame the forest.
Outside the tree, branches cracked under heavy boots as the bandits moved around the clearing, and without realizing it, my grip on her shoulder tightened. But she did not react. Her eyes stayed on the forest, alert, listening, ready.
Then suddenly another sound echoed deeper in the woods—a loud rustle.
The bandits stopped.
"Doon!" one of them shouted, and several ran toward the new sound, their footsteps fading into the distance.
Still, she did not move.
She waited, listening carefully, and we remained behind the tree a little longer, neither of us speaking, neither of us moving, the waterfall the only sound left in the night.
Then at last, another voice called from the forest.
"Princess Elara!"
My guards.
Relief washed through me.
She stepped back slowly, creating space between us, and for a brief moment, I almost felt disappointed. But I pushed the thought away as I stepped out from behind the tree.
"I'm here!" I called.
My guards rushed toward me, worried.
"Princess, are you hurt?"
"I'm fine," I said. "Just… wandered a little too far."
They searched the clearing, making sure no bandits remained, and one of them gestured toward the carriages.
"We should return immediately."
I nodded, but before leaving, I turned back toward the tree where the mysterious girl had been standing.
She was gone.
Completely gone, as if she had never been there at all.
As we walked away from the lake, I kept looking back—once, twice, three times—half expecting to see her again in the moonlight.
But she never appeared.
And when I finally climbed into the carriage, one thought stayed in my mind.
I never even asked her name