Do you believe in fate?

The day of departure arrived with a heavy grey sky. All the carriages stood in a long line in the courtyard of the guest house. Servants moved in a hurry, checking if all the luggage was properly packed.

The security was different this time. The emperor had sent his Auric Knights to guard us. They stood like golden statues. Their armour was polished to a mirror finish and their capes were a deep royal red. They looked arrogant and immovable.

My father had also sent a detachment of our elite knights. They were fewer in number but they moved with a grim efficiency that the imperial knights lacked.

Sebastian had already sent word to my father. The message about the incident on Everfrost had reached the Grand Duchy while I was still unconscious in the infirmary.

I should have written a letter myself too. I should have explained the situation in my own words. My father was likely still pacing the halls of our home with worry.

The incident on Everfrost mountain had caused a massive commotion on both sides. Even the emperor had to send his elite Auric Knights to save face.

With so many people guarding us now the road ahead felt safer. I doubt even the Nameless would dare to make another move with so many Valerian and Auric Knights guarding us.

I stood by my horse for a moment. Lucas approached me. He looked tired. His eyes had dark circles beneath them.

I didn't get to ride my horse.

Lucas and the other knights from the Grand Duchy practically cornered me. They insisted that I was still recovering, and that they could guard me better if I stayed in a carriage. I didn't have the energy to argue with them.

They practically forced me into the royal carriage.

I stepped inside and the door clicked shut behind me.

Elara was already there. She was sitting on the plush velvet seat with her legs crossed.

She wasn't wearing her royal gown today. She wore a simple white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and tight leather pants suitable for travel. Her blonde hair shone like gold in the sunlight streaming through the carriage window. She looked more like a mercenary than a princess.

“Good morning Julius,” she said.

Her voice was calm but it lacked the playful lilt she used to have.

“Good morning,” I replied.

I sat down on the seat directly across from her.

An awkward silence followed immediately. We both turned our heads at the same time and stared out the windows on opposite sides of the carriage.

The wheels began to turn.

The carriage jolted as we started to move. I watched the stone buildings of Sapientia pass by. The city of wisdom was fading into the distance. I felt a hollow sensation in my stomach. At the end of my stay I had found nothing. I hadn't found a single clue about why my gravity magic was gone. I hadn't found the Archmage Merlin. I was going to the capital as a powerless noble.

I let out a long sigh. It was heavier than I intended.

“What is wrong?” Elara asked.

She didn't look at me. She was still watching the trees.

“Nothing,” I said.

I wasn't ready to talk about my failures.

Suddenly something moved beneath the seats. A soft rustling sound caught my attention. I reached down and my hand brushed against something warm and furry.

The white cat I had picked up in the city emerged from the shadows. It jumped onto the seat beside me and sat down. It stared directly at Elara with its piercing blue eyes.

Elara froze. Her mouth went half open and she stared back at the cat.

Yeah, she liked cats.

I reached out and picked the creature up by the scruff of its neck. I brought it close to her.

“Here. You like cats right?” I asked.

She made a forced smile. It was a tight and unnatural expression that didn't reach her eyes. She took the cat from my hands and held it firmly.

“Yes. Thank you. But since when do you take a liking in cats too Julius?”

I looked at the cat. The creature looked back at me with a gaze that felt far too intelligent for an animal.

“This one was constantly pestering me every day on my way,” I said. “I told Sebastian to feed it and give it to someone. I have no idea how it got into the carriage.”

“Haha,” she laughed softly.

It was a dry laugh.

After that we both went silent.

Elara and the cat kept staring into each other’s eyes for a long time. They didn't blink. They didn't move. It was as if they were communicating in a language that I couldn't hear.

I watched them for a while and then looked back out the window. I guess cat lovers really can communicate with animals in their own way.

The journey after we left the territory of Sapientia continued like before. But it was much more comfortable now. We stayed in better inns. We had more supplies. The presence of the Auric Knights meant that no one dared to slow us down at the borders.

We passed through many villages and bustling cities. In the past Elara would have insisted on stopping. She would have wanted to try the local specialties. She would have marvelled at the flowers or the architecture. But now she stayed inside the carriage. She didn't enjoy the environment anymore.

The situation between us remained awkward.

We hadn't talked much since that night on the balcony. I knew one of her biggest secrets now and she knew mine.

The weight of those secrets sat between us like a physical wall. She only talked when it was absolutely necessary.

We were getting closer to the capital every day.

Tonight, we were staying at a large inn on the outskirts of the final province. Tomorrow, we would reach the imperial palace.

I couldn't sleep. I sat by the window of my room and looked out at the dark road. Every move of mine would be monitored from tomorrow. The emperor was a man of a thousand eyes. My movements in the capital would be recorded and analyzed. For all I knew the surveillance had already started.

I leaned my head against the cool glass. In my past life all the blame for the massacre at the alliance banquet had been pinned on my family. The emperor had used the tragedy as an excuse to weaken us. We were forced to give up a quarter of our land to the Everwinter kingdom as reparations. It was the beginning of our downfall.

This time I had stopped the assassination. The prince of Everwinter was alive. My parents were safe. But I didn't know what the emperor was planning now. He was a man who didn't like his scripts being changed. I had to be ready for any scenario.

I noticed a flicker of movement in the yard below.

A wavering invisible figure was moving away from the inn. It was a slight distortion in the air. If I hadn't been staring so intently I would have missed it. It moved with a grace that was familiar.

I didn't hesitate. I grabbed my coat and slipped out of the room.

I followed the figure from a distance. I kept to the shadows of the trees and moved as quietly as I could. I lost track of the distortion near a small hill. I decided to move a bit further into the woods.

I pushed through the bushes and arrived at a wide plain. It was covered in thousands of white flowers that glowed faintly under the moonlight. The scent was sweet and overwhelming.

Elara was there.

She was lying in the middle of the flowers. She had one hand extended forward toward the sky as if she were trying to touch the stars.

I approached her slowly. The grass flattened under my boots with a soft crunch.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

She flinched slightly. She seemed surprised that someone had found her all the way out here. She turned her head and looked at me.

“Oh. Julius,” she said.

She didn't get up. She just stayed there in the dirt and the petals.

“I spotted this flower plain when we were coming earlier,” she said. “I decided to visit while everyone was asleep.”

She gestured for me to join her.

“Here. You should try it too. The ground is warmer than it looks.”

I sighed. I looked back toward the inn and then at the sky. I lay down in the flowers beside her. The petals were soft and the earth felt solid beneath me.

A long silence followed. We didn't look at each other. We both just stared at the night sky. The stars were crowded together tonight. They were bright and cold. They looked like diamonds scattered across a black velvet sheet.

I opened my mouth to speak. I wanted to ask her about the capital. I wanted to ask her if she knew what the emperor really wanted now.