At first, the kitchen seemed completely empty. The ntern, left behind by Oriana running for her life, cast its faint light at the remains of the broken cy jar and a puddle of milk.

  "Milk?" Valeria gnced at the Princess.

  "I just wanted something to help me rex before sleep…" Oriana shrugged.

  "You had trouble falling asleep again?"

  "It’s nothing… I just…" The Princess hesitated.

  She desperately tried to find proper words that wouldn’t make a big deal out of it, and at the same time wouldn’t give away that, perhaps, the Commander herself, or rather her absence, pyed a significant role in disrupting her sleep schedule.

  "Did it happen again?" Valeria stepped closer, concern written all over her face. "Just like the other night?"

  "No," Oriana denied right away, "no, it wasn’t like that. I just… I was worried about you," she reluctantly admitted and cast her gaze to the floor.

  Valeria’s heart skipped a beat.

  She reached out and softly lifted the Princess’ chin up, forcing her to look at her.

  "You worry too much, Your Highness. It’s not good to be losing sleep over some… Swindler Commander."

  It was supposed to be just a simple tease, a pyful jab, but the way Valeria’s voice dropped to a purr and the way her long white eyeshes fluttered—it stole Oriana’s breath away.

  To make matters even more complicated, the Commander’s gaze slipped down and stopped at her lips. Her breath hitched barely noticeably, but just enough for Oriana to catch it, and then…

  Something between them changed. Like the world itself stopped existing.

  A fleeting moment sting eternity, suspended in a pce where it was just the two of them and nothing else mattered.

  Oriana moved first.

  It was an instinct.

  She stretched up on her tiptoes, almost enough to close the distance between their lips.

  Their faces only inches away.

  Valeria leaned down.

  Oriana’s breath caught.

  The magical moment between them…

  "WWwwwUUuuuuWwwwUuuEeeeeeAaaaaaa!!!"

  Ruined by a haunting wail.

  The Princess jolted away, as if burned by the air itself. Her heart pounding in her chest like a war drum.

  Valeria instinctively pulled her behind, shielding her from the howling danger with her own body.

  "Is this what you heard before?" She asked.

  "Yes! It was exactly the same sound!" Oriana clutched the hem of Valeria’s shirt. "I’m scared."

  The Commander listened for a moment. Her hearing was much more sensitive than that of a human, so she could detect all the details and quirks anyone else couldn’t.

  And what she noticed, made her smile.

  A gesture that went unnoticed by the Princess, who was still recovering from the true storm of emotions she just experienced.

  "Stay close to me," Valeria whispered and slowly started moving towards the source of the sound.

  Seeing that her cover is escaping, panicked Oriana quickly tagged along despite her overwhelming desire to run the opposite way.

  They were about halfway there when the next wave of the blood-curdling howls started.

  Hearing the Princess squeal behind her, Valeria reached out and took her hand, trying to give the terrified girl some comfort.

  Truth be told, she already had a suspicion about the identity of that supposed ghost in the pantry and was almost certain it was not a paranormal activity, but rather something much more mundane.

  She could tell Oriana about her theory, but she doubted it would have any effect since the culprit’s noises were so convincing in their otherworldly quality that even she was close to second guessing herself.

  There was also a part of her that didn’t want the Princess to pull away. She felt guilty for using her weakness like that and yet the selfish desire to have her close and never let go clouded her judgment.

  Involuntarily her thoughts wandered to a moment ago, before the howling started.

  Whatever it was that she shared with the Princess, was fleeting, but there was an unexpected intimacy that surprised her.

  It surprised her, because she wanted more of it.

  But, perhaps, this admission wasn’t completely honest.

  It wasn’t the first time she felt it, nor it was completely unexpected. They knew each other for many years and throughout those years they’ve been slowly growing closer. However, Valeria couldn’t lie to herself anymore that it was just sympathy she felt. It wasn’t strictly ptonic either.

  She could even recall the time when those feelings for the Princess changed into something more, something deeper.

  They lived with the royal family for years at that point. Lucetta was dealing with an outbreak of unidentified sickness. Many people died and there was a terrifying possibility that her sister would be one of them.

  Kyra had been bedridden for many days, her condition varying between critical and uncertain at best. Naturally the royal family called for their personal physician to look after her, but even his abilities could do only so much.

  Valeria spent every moment keeping vigil by her sister’s bed. Watching carefully for any change and praying to the Goddess to help her.

  During that time Oriana stayed with her the whole time. She refused to participate in any meetings any parties, csses. She even refused to got to the Temple, saying that if the Gods are so omnipotent then it must mean that they are omnipresent as well and therefore they will hear her prayers from beside Kyra’s bed. She simply wouldn’t leave Valeria’s side even for a moment.

  She was her support, her cornerstone.

  The Princess’ presence became something vital to her. Something Valeria couldn’t imagine losing. She found safety in Oriana’s embrace and warmth that healed wounds in her heart, left by the loss she experienced as a child.

  For the first time in her life Valeria felt like it was alright to be vulnerable and to share the burden and the pain with someone else.

  It was the beginning of the feelings that she started harboring. Nevertheless, soon after the news about the engagement with Prince Emil shook the Pace and reminded her of the reality they were living in.

  For royals, marriage was both a duty and a tool. Pragmatism took a precedence over feelings and the thing that mattered the most was making sure it will benefit the kingdom first and foremost.

  As ‘Valeria’ she was a nobody. Even her accomplishments in battle or as the Commander weren’t enough to be worthy of the throne. What was even worse, was that her hidden past could pose danger to Oriana and everyone around her.

  As Princess Eira of Faolán, she had nothing. A meaningless title that bore no weight or tangible benefits that could be useful to Aelius.

  That being said, Valeria was aware that both the King and the Queen were fond of her, fond enough to bend all of the rules and allow for their marriage.

  For years, she told herself that the reason she didn’t want to accept was for the good of the Kingdom, that she wasn’t suited to be a ruler by Oriana’s side or that it was too dangerous to be close with anybody while keeping her secret.

  The recent events, however, took apart and proved irrelevant each of those arguments one by one. It forced her to stop lying to herself and face the truth.

  She was afraid that Oriana would never reciprocate her feelings.

  Everyone, who had an opportunity to spend some time around the Princess, knew how passionate she is about love and romance, and just how important it was for her to spent her life beside someone she cherished. Nobody knew it better than Valeria.

  That’s why she made sure to regurly provide the list with the newly released romance novels to the King, so they can be delivered to the Pace.

  One may consider it insignificant, but it was one of the ways she wished to preserve that passion in Oriana’s heart.

  Because every time Valeria saw her eyes lit up as she opened the new book, and the sparks dancing in them whenever she talked about yet another story she read, to her it was the most beautiful sight. One she would give everything to protect.

  For Valeria, Oriana was the brightest star. She was her own Sun and Aelius be damned, because the Princess’ light was something even the Sun God wouldn’t be able to compete with.

  Loving someone so deeply, so boundlessly can be tragically beautiful. It means that one is willing to sacrifice their own feelings for the sake of protecting another’s heart. And it was most certainly true for Valeria, who couldn’t bring herself to imprison Oriana in a loveless retionship.

  She wanted her happiness, even if she wasn’t the reason.

  This was what she believed until that evening.

  Because no matter how she thought about it, there was no denying it.

  She and Oriana almost kissed!

  It wasn’t just a friendly peck on the cheek, or a tender but ptonic kiss on the head. No. It was a proper, romantic and passionate kiss on the lips!

  One good thing that came from reading all those romance novels (only to make sure the Princess isn’t being exposed to something outrageous) that Oriana was hoarding, was that Valeria learned an important lesson.

  A kiss on the lips like that is shared between lovers.

  If the Princess wanted to share one with her, it must mean that she has feelings for her too!

  Her pounding heart pumped the blood through her veins and with it came something unexpected for Valeria.

  Hope.

  If there was even a slight chance that her love for Oriana wasn’t one-sided then she was willing to do everything in her power to be with her.

  Valeria squeezed the Princess’ hand tenderly as a pyful smile bloomed on her face.

  Be careful, Your Highness, the Swindler Commander is coming for your heart…