The dusty, beat-up wooden carriage came to a halt right in front of the side gate of Aradelle Palace the gate usually reserved for servants and deliveries.
Vanka hopped down in a hurry, still draped in her dusty brown traveler's cloak. Behind her, Noah stepped down casually, slinging his longsword at his waist with a movement that was incredibly lazy yet dangerous.
"We're here," Vanka whispered, her chest heaving as she tried to fight off the nerves.
"Remember, Noah. You're my personal guard now. Don't go picking fights with the sentries."
Noah huffed, his eyes scanning the towering palace spires with pure disgust. "Vanka, this place still smells the same. Like cheap perfume and hypocrisy. Why are you so obsessed with coming back to this golden cage?"
"Shut up and just follow me!" Vanka hissed, pulling her hood lower.
But luck wasn't on their side. As soon as they hit the main corridor toward the Princess's wing, they were cut off by a pack of young nobles having a tea party on the open balcony. In the center of the crowd stood Prince Eros and Uncle Baron.
"Vanka?!" Uncle Baron shouted, his oily face shifting from shock to fake relief. "By the Gods! We've been looking for you everywhere! Your maids said you were meditating, but we knew you'd vanished!"
Eros immediately sprinted over, his handsome face looking way too dramatic.
"My sweet Princess! Oh, look at you! You must have suffered so much out there. But weirdly enough..." Eros grabbed Vanka's hand, his eyes sparkling with pure fakeness.
"Even with dust on your face, you look a thousand times more stunning than any angel. Your skin... it's like the sun itself kissed it into a flawless glow!"
THROB!
Vanka gasped. The pain hit like a heart attack in her pores. She could feel the moisture being sucked out of her skin.
"Eros, stop..." Vanka tried to yank her hand back, but another noble, Count Felix, crowded in.
"He's right! Look at those eyes! So clear and young, it's like time is too scared to even touch the Princess. You are literally ageless, Your Highness!" Felix added with a smirk.
THROB... JOLT...
Vanka felt the gray hairs that had vanished back at Noah's cabin start to pulse and sprout again under her hood.
Her eyelids felt heavy. She knew that under this cloak, she had just aged ten years in a matter of seconds.
"Stop... please, just shut up!" Vanka's voice started to go raspy.
"Why, babe? Are you shy because we're complimenting you?" Uncle Baron stepped closer, casting a shady look at Noah, who was standing silently behind Vanka.
"And who is this? Some border guard who smells like dirt? Why are you bringing border trash into the palace, Vanka?"
"He's... he's my guard," Vanka said, breathless.
Noah took one step forward, his gaze ice-cold as he stared down Uncle Baron. "Lord Baron, your mouth smells worse than the 'border trash' you're talking about."
The air went dead silent. Prince Eros literally gaped. "How dare a lowly guard talk to a Duke like that?!"
Vanka couldn't take it anymore. She felt her cheeks starting to sag. She immediately turned and sprinted toward her room, ignoring their shouts.
Noah followed right away, shouldering Eros aside so hard the preening prince stumbled.
Inside the Princess's Bedroom
Vanka slammed the door and lunged straight for the full-length mirror in the corner. She ripped off her hood with trembling hands.
"Noooo!" Vanka screamed under her breath.
In the mirror, a woman in her early 30s stared back. There were deep fine lines around her mouth, and dark circles under her eyes made her look utterly exhausted. A streak of bright white hair peeked through her temple.
"Noah! Heal me! Now!" Vanka yelled in frustration as Noah walked in and locked the door. "Did you see that? They're killing me with their words! Do something!"
Noah walked over slowly, not looking panicked at all. He stood behind Vanka, watching her reflection in the glass.
"Vanka," Noah's voice was low, his hand slowly reaching up to touch the gray hair at her temple.
"You look absolutely hideous when you let their empty words get into your head. You look like an old lady thirsty for validation."
Vanka closed her eyes, feeling the warmth start to work the moment Noah touched her. "Insult me more... keep being honest..."
Noah spun Vanka around to face him. He grabbed her waist, pulling her until their chests touched. Noah leaned down, his face just inches away from Vanka's aging face.
"You want me to insult you just so you can be pretty again? How low is your self-esteem, Princess?" Noah whispered, his fingers tracing the fine lines by her mouth with a touch that felt like it was burning.
"Honestly, this face... it actually suits your rotten, arrogant personality. You look like a hag who failed at a disguise."
Vanka felt a sharp throb. Her skin tightened back up. The fine lines faded away.
"More, Noah... don't stop," Vanka whimpered, clutching Noah's shoulders, seeking shelter in the only man who wouldn't praise her.
Noah stared at Vanka's lips as they turned red again. His eyes sparked with a mess of emotions deep hate mixed with a passion he couldn't hide.
"You know what the most honest part of this is?" Noah whispered into Vanka's ear, sending shivers down her spine.
"I hate you because you're so selfish. But I also hate the fact that even with gray in your hair, you still look more real and more worth touching than any woman in this palace."
Noah tilted Vanka's head back, forcing her to look him in the eye. "And honestly... that kiss back at the cabin is the only thing that makes me not regret cursing you. Because with this curse, you're forced to belong only to me. Only I can touch this face without destroying it."
Vanka panted. Her anger toward Noah vanished instantly, replaced by a painful heartbeat. "You're a monster, Noah. You're the most evil man..."
"And you need this monster because only he can give you the truth," Noah countered.
He leaned in, kissing Vanka's forehead for a long, soft moment a weird contrast to his sharp words.
The second his lips touched her skin, the last bit of gray hair turned back to jet black. Her skin glowed again, younger and fresher than ever.
Vanka opened her eyes, looking at Noah's face so close to hers. "Why did you come here with me, Noah? If you hate me so much, you could've just let me rot in this palace alone."
Noah let go, shifting back to his usual cold expression. He smoothed out his clothes like nothing had happened.
"Honestly? Because I want to see your arrogant Uncle's face when he realizes the cure to your curse is in the hands of 'border trash' like me," Noah replied, walking toward the door.
"And one more thing, Vanka... don't you ever let Eros touch your hand again. If you do, I won't heal you, even if you beg at my feet."
Vanka huffed, trying to get back some of her pride while fixing her hair in the mirror. "Don't tell me what to do, Guard. Your job is just to be honest with me, not to be some jealous teenager."
Noah stopped at the door, glancing back with a smirk that was totally annoying. "Vanka... you don't even know the difference between an order and jealousy. And that makes you look incredibly stupid."
Noah walked out and slammed the door, leaving Vanka standing frozen in her room. She touched her perfect cheek, but her heart was a mess.
Aradelle Palace wasn't safe for her anymore, and the man she brought from the border... he felt way more dangerous than any curse.
"Dammit, Noah," Vanka whispered to the mirror. "Why does every insult of yours make me feel more alive than a thousand compliments from everyone else?"
Vanka knew that from today on, every second in this palace would be a game of life, death, and her pride being put on the line for an Exiled Prince.