The sound of the river bubbling outside the cabin was a total contrast to the heavy, suffocating silence inside.
Vanka stood frozen in front of the cold stove, her fingers still tracing her slightly swollen lips. She stared at Noah's back as he organized some old parchment scrolls on the wooden table.
"So... when?" Vanka's voice cut through the quiet, trying to get back that arrogant tone she'd lost after that kiss.
"When are you doing the ritual? I'm so over being in this damp place. My dresses back at the palace must be covered in dust by now."
Noah stopped moving. His broad shoulders tensed for a second before he slowly turned around.
His gaze wasn't cold like usual there was something way heavier in his eyes. Something that gave Vanka an instant bad feeling.
"Vanka," Noah said, his voice low.
"What? Don't tell me you need some weird sacrifice. If you need chicken blood or something, go find it yourself in the woods. I am not touching poultry," Vanka rambled, trying to hide how nervous she was.
Noah stepped closer, ignoring her chatter. He stopped right in front of her, looking deep into her eyes. "The magic... the spell to fully lift your curse... it's gone."
Vanka went still. Her brain tried to process those two words. "What do you mean, 'gone'? You put it on me, you have to take it off. Don't play with me, Noah. This isn't funny at all."
"I'm not joking." Noah let out a long sigh, leaning his body against a wooden pillar. "That curse is blood-bound magic. The only way to break it permanently is with an ancient incantation that was only passed down orally in my family. And that incantation... it's lost. It vanished when my parents died during the purge of our kingdom."
Vanka's world literally crumbled. She took a step back, her hand fumbling for the table to support her suddenly weak body.
"You're saying... what? So, I'm stuck like this forever? Dependent on every single word that comes out of some trash-talker's mouth?"
"Yes," Noah answered honestly. "Unless..."
"Unless what?!" Vanka lunged forward, her eyes flickering between hope and pure rage.
"Unless you're near me. My honesty is the only thing protecting you. Being too far from me will make the magic react more aggressively. You felt it yourself on the way here, didn't you?"
Vanka let out a bitter laugh one that sounded almost hysterical. "Great. Amazing! So now I'm your prisoner? The Crown Princess of Aradelle has to be a servant in some exiled sorcerer's shack just so she doesn't turn into a grandma? Is that what you want?"
Noah watched her with a gaze that was hard to read. "I never asked you to stay, Vanka. You're the one who came here begging. And honestly, I'd rather you leave right now so I can go back to being at peace without your spoiled whining every morning."
"Stop being honest with me for one freaking second!" Vanka screamed. She slammed her hand on the table, making the potion bottles clink.
"You have no idea what's happening in Aradelle. My Uncle is a total snake! He's just waiting for me to look even slightly 'off' so he can kick me off the throne. If I don't go back now, Aradelle is going to be ruined!"
Noah just stayed quiet, watching Vanka pace back and forth like a caged lion.
"Okay." Vanka stopped abruptly. She looked at Noah with the most commanding stare she'd ever pulled off.
"You're coming with me."
Noah knit his brows. "What?"
"You heard me. You're coming back with me to Aradelle Palace. You said you're a border guard, right? Fine. I'm appointing you as my Head of Personal Security. You'll be by my side twenty-four-seven. At every banquet, every council meeting, even next to my bed if necessary."
"You're insane," Noah laughed cynically. "I'm a prince from a kingdom that's been wiped off the map. I'm a sorcerer people think is bad luck. You think your people will just accept me?"
"My people will accept whoever I tell them to accept!" Vanka stepped up, grabbing Noah's shirt collar tightly.
"Don't forget who I am, Noah. I am Vanka of Aradelle. And you... you owe me a life and a face because of your stupid curse. You don't have a choice."
"Honestly, Vanka," Noah whispered. He didn't pull her hands away in fact, he seemed to enjoy the closeness.
"You're just scared of losing your looks, not your throne."
"Both!" Vanka said shamelessly. "That throne is mine. This face is mine. And you... you're my tool now. You have to be there to shut down every guy who tries to over-praise me. You have to be the one to roast me every time they flatter me. Got it?"
Noah looked at Vanka's soot-smeared face. She still looked incredibly powerful even in her rage.
A part of him hated her arrogance, but another part absolutely admired her guts for demanding exactly what she wanted.
"If I go," Noah said softly, leaning his face close to Vanka's ear, "I'm not following your palace rules. I'm not bowing to that suck-up Uncle of yours. And I'm not going to stop saying things that piss you off."
"Do whatever you want," Vanka hissed. "As long as my skin stays tight and my hair stays black, you can insult me until you're satisfied."
Noah went quiet for a moment, looking out the window toward the Aradelle border he'd been guarding all this time.
Being a guard at the palace meant diving back into a world of drama and backstabbing that he totally loathed. But looking at Vanka and her stubbornness... he knew he couldn't just let her crash and burn.
"Fine," Noah finally said. "I'm in. But don't expect me to wear that stiff silver armor. I'm staying as I am."
Vanka let go of her grip, a victory smirk touching her lips. "Obviously. You're going to be my fiercest guard dog, Noah. Get ready. We leave at dawn."
Noah just huffed, going back to his table and starting to pack a few essentials into a leather bag.
"And honestly, Vanka... you look terrifying with that dust on your forehead. Go wash your face before I change my mind."
Vanka let out a loud huff, turning toward the water bucket in the corner. "Whatever! As long as you're coming!"
While washing her face, Vanka stared at her reflection in the water. She knew the trip back to the palace was going to be a literal war.
Her Uncle, Prince Eros, and all those silver-tongued men there were going to be a ticking time bomb for her. But as she glanced at Noah busy packing, she felt a weird sense of safety.
The cold sorcerer who ruined her life was now the only person holding the key to saving it.
"Noah," Vanka called out without looking back.
"Now what?"
"Don't even think about running away. Because if you do, I'll make sure all of Aradelle hunts you down to the ends of the earth."
Noah chuckled softly behind her. "Honestly, Vanka... with a personality like yours, you're the one who should be scared I'll never let you go."
Vanka went quiet, her heart racing just a little faster. She didn't know if that was a threat or a promise, but she knew one thing for sure Aradelle was never going to be the same after she brought this Exiled Prince through the palace gates.