Valeria returned to the Pace in the te afternoon and right away headed to the King. She found him in his office, hunched over scrolls and letters, most likely in regards to the upcoming celebration of the Dawning together with the Queen.

  It was the most important holiday for any Aelian and everyone else who worshiped the Ten. It was a celebration of the ascension of the Great King Aelius, who ended the dreadful Eversting Night and saved the world.

  Coincidentally, it so happened that Princess Oriana had her birthday just mere days earlier, so it was customary that the two occasions were celebrated together in one big ball. When she was younger, the Heiress often felt like her spotlight was stolen by the Sun God himself, but with time, she learned to look at it as a proof of the favor of gods who saw her as worthy of sharing the festivities with.

  Naturally, it was mostly the effect of the joint efforts of Kyra, Valeria and her parents.

  This year’s Dawning was special since the Princess was turning twenty, which meant she was of marriageable age.

  Most noble houses in Aelius knew about the secretive engagement with Prince Emil of Adler, but there were still some that believed that they still have a chance at stealing the Princess’ hand for themselves.

  That, of course, meant that months before the celebrations, the King and the Queen were already busy with preparations. Now that the Dawning was just around the corner, the race to make everything ready in time was at its cumutive moment.

  The Commander apologized for the interruption and without wasting a moment, went straight to telling His and Her Majesty about the disturbing discovery she made during her trip to the city.

  "Fifty-six victims?! In Lucetta? How is this possible that this is the first time I’m hearing about this?" Hearing the news, the King bolted up from his chair.

  "Captain Abner said he reached out to the Pace many times over the course of the st few weeks, but he never received any response," Valeria expined calmly. A part of her felt relieved to see that the King indeed had no knowledge about this.

  Another part of her was, on the other hand, disturbed as it meant someone from within the Pace was sabotaging them.

  The King fell back to his seat.

  "Abner. He’s the Captain of the City Guards?"

  "Yes, Your Majesty."

  "Do you trust him?"

  Valeria took a moment to think about her answer.

  "I do," she said at st.

  She didn’t know Captain Abner for a long time, but from the moment they met it was clear to her that he was a man who was dedicated to his work. There was no reason for her to believe he could be lying.

  The King nodded and stroked his beard. It was his habit every time he went deep into his thoughts, considering what his next move should be.

  "Take some of your men and join the City Guard in the search," he ordered after a short pause.

  "I already did, Your Majesty. I also requested that the City Guard introduce a curfew starting today."

  A tired but approving smile showed up on the King’s face hearing Valeria’s answer. It was one of the many reasons he respected her so much. She didn’t need to wait for his word to act. She knew the right course of action and she took it.

  Many times this quality of hers helped him get through critical situations.

  He believed that one day it will also be a valuable trait for a queen.

  "Tomorrow, I’ll discuss with Gideon how much aid we can send to the city," he added.

  Valeria was about to leave, but the Queen’s voice stopped her.

  "Those cases, the caravan, Felix, the kidnapping… Do you think they could be connected, Commander?"

  "I have a reason to believe so," Valeria admitted.

  The scent she discovered in each of those cases was a clear link between them. That, however, was something nobody else but her could confirm. And to give a proper expnation as to why it’s more than just a feeling, she would have to expose the truth about herself, which was a whole another world of problems.

  Her lips parted, ready to defend her stance, but then she closed them immediately after as she couldn’t find the right words.

  This little gesture didn’t escape Queen Hester’s watchful gaze.

  "It’s alright, Commander. I trust your judgment," she reassured, sending a wave of relief washing over Valeria’s face.

  "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will join the patrol tonight and I’ll do whatever is in my power to catch whoever is responsible for these attacks."

  "If that’s the case then you should hurry to tell Oriana about it. She’s been pacing from window to window the whole day waiting for your return, Commander," the Queen said, seemingly without any ulterior motives and to make it even more believable, she took a letter and pretended to shift her focus to its contents.

  That, however, didn’t prevent her from noticing how the corners of Valeria’s mouth curved upwards ever so slightly, to her great satisfaction.

  Just as the Queen Hester said, Valeria found Oriana by the window in her new chambers.

  "You’re back!" She excimed the moment the Commander entered through the door, hurrying towards her. "I was wai… I was most certainly not waiting for you," at the st moment the Princess deflected and sat on the sofa as if that was her intention all along.

  Valeria sat on the opposite side of the small coffee table, not even trying to pretend that she wasn’t thoroughly amused by this reaction.

  "Did you miss me, Your Highness?" She asked, the corner of her lips tugging in an indulgent smirk that Oriana wished nothing more but to wipe off.

  With a ki…

  "I didn’t miss you one bit," shaken by her own thoughts, the answer came out much weaker than she intended to.

  Valeria noticed that too. Her piercing silver eyes never left Oriana’s as she tilted her head slightly, in what the Princess would call an "infuriatingly attractive" gesture.

  The worst was that her body refused to listen to her. She couldn’t look away, her gaze immediately snapping back to Valeria.

  She knew exactly why it was happening. The moment she realized her feelings for her, everything started making sense.

  The weird tension between them, how she seemed to be always notice her right away in a crowded room. How every touch was able to send a surge of fire through her body.

  But the awareness of what her own heart wanted had a side effect. It made her question everything Valeria did.

  Suddenly, in every gesture, every word and in every action she was looking for a confirmation. That she also feels this way, that their wants match and align. That Valeria’s fondness for her was the kind she’d feel for another woman and not just a childhood friend.

  That’s why when their eyes met and Oriana saw a glimpse of this special kind of affection, she wanted to know if it was real. Or perhaps it was just the wishful thinking of a love-struck fool.

  As there’s nothing even remotely easy when it comes to love, curiosity wasn’t the only feeling rattling in her heart. Something else, and something far more destructive was lingering there too.

  Fear.

  Fear that it was nothing more than an illusion that she crafted for herself, to cover up the devastating truth, that her feelings were one sided.

  Fear that her first love would ever exist in the tragic nothingness between "first" and "unrequited".

  And for that reason alone, she couldn’t bring herself to simply ask. Because that would mean the end of whatever it was between them.

  I’d rather have this than not have you at all.

  To keep this frail bance, she had to break through that tension, just so the air became breathable again and time started moving again.

  It was easier, it was better for them.

  "Prince Emil sent a message. He’ll be back in the Pace before the Dawning," Oriana said seemingly casually and without the reason. But it was a conscious choice.

  She picked the words deliberately and they had one purpose—to cut through the tension between them and let it vanish.

  Yet, the moment they left her lips, she wished to take them back.

  It sted only for a fraction of a heartbeat. One blink of an eye and it was gone without a trace. Nevertheless, Oriana saw it.

  The hurt in Valeria’s eyes.

  The Commander regained the composure fast, she wasn’t one to let her emotions linger on dispy like an open book. That would mean that all of her weaknesses were there to be picked and pyed with by those who wished her harm.

  A habit from growing up in a world where nobody was a friend and everyone was a potential enemy.

  "You must be very happy that you will see him again, Your Highness," there was something uncomfortable in Valeria’s voice. Something that felt dangerously close to jealousy.

  It made Oriana’s heart squeeze painfully, because the only thing she wanted to do when she heard it was to deny.

  "I’m not," the answer shot out before she could even think about it. Against all reason and logic, driven by nothing but her selfish desire to wash away the memory of the pain she caused just a moment ago.

  It wasn’t something that Valeria was expecting to hear, so she just sat there, eyes wide open, searching for an expnation in Oriana’s expressions.

  "I… It was…" The Princess mumbled, unsure what she even wanted to say. "How is Felix?" After a short pause, her mind finally tched onto something it could use to change the topic of the conversation.

  Valeria sighed. The events of the day rushed back, reminding her that personal life was somewhat of a luxury she couldn’t afford, for now.

  "He disappeared," she said, repeating the words she heard in the House of Healing a few hours ago.

  Not wasting a moment she began to tell Oriana everything that she learned that day. This time, mentioning the scent connecting all of the events that happened in recent times.

  "So you think that whoever is behind the murders is also linked to the people who were trying to kidnap me?" A sense of dread washed over Oriana as she listened to the Commander’s story. In the back of her head a faint voice wondered if this is what would have happened to her if Valeria didn’t come to her rescue.

  Would her body be among those found in the streets of Lucetta? Drained of every st drop of blood and then unceremoniously discarded like waste?

  "I think so, yes. That’s why I will join the patrol in the city tonight. Maybe I’ll be able to find some answers…"

  "What? You’re going out there? But it’s dangerous! What if the murderer comes out to find another victim and runs into you?!"

  "Well… to be honest this is exactly what I’m hoping for," Valeria answered calmly. She wanted to catch the perpetrator as soon as possible. For the sake of the people and most importantly for the sake of Oriana’s safety.

  Feeling the panic bubbling inside, the Princess sprung from the sofa and started pacing around the room.

  "Isn’t there someone else who can go instead of you? How about just sending your men to keep watch?" She pleaded.

  Valeria got up and approached the Princes.

  "I’ll be alright," she said softly. Her voice gentle, yet carrying the strong sense of confidence. "There’s nobody else better suited for this task than I. I’m faster, stronger, more agile than others. Most importantly," she leaned over and met Oriana’s worried gaze with her calm steadiness. "Unlike anyone else, I can heal from almost anything."

  The Princess knew that, of course, everything Valeria said made sense. She couldn’t think of anyone more capable than her, even without considering her background.

  Yet, the worries of the heart couldn’t be just dispersed by the dry simplicity of logic.

  "Promise me you’ll be careful. Promise me that you’ll come back to me."

  The Commander stepped closer and took Oriana’s hands into hers.

  "I promise that I’ll be careful. And I promise that I will come back to you. Today, and every single day after, for as long as you want me to," her voice was almost a whisper, spoken so close that the Princess felt the warmth of it ghosting against her lips.

  None of them dared to move, neither willing to disrupt this delicate connection between them.

  Eventually the Commander was the first to break the silence.

  "Actually, there’s something I will need your help with."

  Oriana gave her puzzled look. It was uncommon for Valeria to ask for her help, so the words caught her attention right away.

  "I tried looking into Elener, but it seems that the pce has little regard for the Royal uniform unless it’s draped over someone wearing a crown…" she grumbled, recalling the terrible experience. "So they didn’t let me in and I was unable to learn anything."

  "I told you I should have gone with you," Oriana teased. She couldn’t let the rare occasion for "I told you so" slip. "I can get us inside even right now."

  "I have a better idea." Valeria’s eyes lit up. "When I was leaving I noticed an announcement poster. There will be a masquerade in a few days at the Encve. Do you think you could get us invitations to it?"

  "A masquerade?" The words were like honey to Oriana’s ears. "I will get us invitations!"

  "Perfect, then I’ll leave it to you, Your Highness," Valeria squeezed the Princess’ hand affectionately. "I have to go now, but I promise I’ll return as soon as I can."

  Oriana nodded. The anxious feeling was much more bearable but nevertheless present.

  "Oh, I almost forgot," Valeria was halfway to the door, when she suddenly turned around. "I believe this is yours, Your Highness?" From the pocket of her jacket she pulled out a small, worn out book.

  One glimpse at the cover and Oriana was ready to rip the floorboards and hide under them for the rest of her life.

  ‘Passions of Laurentina.’

  "You left it in your old room. Fortunately I was able to snatch it before anyone else found it," Valeria announced proudly. "You need a better hiding spot, Your Highness. A loose floorboard by your bed is way too obvious. That’s why I asked a trusted friend to make a special book case for you. It has a hidden compartment on the middle shelf at the back. It should be plenty of space for your… invigorating read," she expined smugly, then handed the book to Oriana and galntly strode out of the room, not even trying to hide her suspiciously good mood.

  Cheeky Bastard. One day I’ll make you mine and we’ll see who will be ughing then…

  DannyTheDaikon