“Starting tomorrow, all eight of you will journey to Linen, the kingdom of islands. They have a task that they need help with, and it is has very little danger attached to those islands so I think it would be perfect for you all.” The king sighed again and gestured, “Princes, say goodbye now.”

  The princes turned towards us, their lingering gazes filled with curiosity. Ray’s icy blue eyes were fixed solely on me, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief that I was putting distance between us. Despite longing to see him for weeks, circumstances left me with no choice but to experience this stark contrast in emotions. I had broken our sole agreement, and now I desperately yearned for his trust to be restored. Right now, anger burned in his eyes, evident for all to see.

  I wouldn’t fail him again.

  CHAPTER 11

  The carriage ride was filled with long, agonizing silence. We took two, four in each chamber. I was with Yaui, Via, and Ruella, while Triaya, Tenia, Mia, and Rhona shared a ride. I was glad to not be with Mia’s yapping ass, but I missed being with Tenia at least. Not a single one of us initiated a conversation.

  With a loud thud, our carriages abruptly stopped, signaling our arrival. As we stepped out of the carriage, our eyes were met with the sight of a massive ferry docked nearby. In the distance, we could see a pair of islands that appeared distant and unreachable. After the Luark guards spoke with them, the ferrymen motioned for us to come aboard. Sitting in different areas of the ferry, we were able to quietly experience the gentle rocking motion and soothing sound of the waves. As I looked out at the water, the crashing of the waves against the shore filled my ears, and I closed my eyes, reminiscing about Liones.

  “Ray is a good man, you know. It’s really trashy of you to even think about others.”

  I shot Ruella a piercing glare and spat out, “What do you want?”

  “Oh, so your true personality shows? I always wanted to see it. You’ve been quite reserved at the palace and in front of Ray. But I know you have anger in you… a lot of it.”

  I took a deep breath as she ran a hand through her hair. “Ray held a funeral for him when you were sick… that’s so…” she laughed, “disturbing to me.”

  I turned and stood up, my mind swirling with confusion, my body trembling with shock. “He what?”

  “Yeah…” she said with a smirk, “he gave his concubines lover a funeral.” She spoke loud and purposefully, causing the other girls to look in our direction, Triaya and Rhona stepped forward.

  “It was quite shameful from my perspective,” Triaya started

  “Did that really happen? How is she not executed?” Rhona added.

  As Mia stood up, it was clear she was ready to seize this opportunity. “Unlike you stupid bitches,” she proclaimed, “the princes chose and like us.”

  Rhona raised an eyebrow. “You think you all are special? They literally chose you off of how well you open your legs. You’re concubines. Commoners who know nothing of royalty or ruling. Why do you think the king chose us instead? Our fathers bargained alliances, and the king wants just that.”

  A heavy silence fell upon all of us before Rhona turned to me. “Little sluts like you should keep your legs closed. You don’t deserve to birth the next generation.”

  There was nothing I could say. She was right. I didn’t deserve the weight of birthing the crown prince’s child, burdened with the responsibility of royalty. But that was never the plan, anyway. Not that they knew.

  Somehow, we made it to the island without beating the fuck out of each other. As soon as we left the ferry, we were met by an older woman with blonde coiled hair and umber skin.

  “Welcome! My name is Lila. You must be the princesses and concubines of Luark. The King of Luark told me of your arrival.” She gestured for us to follow her. Humidity filled the island air, causing me to sweat as I carried my bag of clothes. A few times, I found myself swatting away the persistent mosquitos that seemed determined to follow me. The tall, slender trees towered above while the short bushes with flat leaves created a contrasting landscape. The ground, covered in a blanket of light beige, felt soft and cushiony beneath our feet as we crunched through it.

  We stumbled upon a wooden home, its size commanding attention yet exuding a humble aura. Unlike the vacation house from before, this one had a rustic charm with its log cabin design. It was cute. I smiled at it, but my smile faded in an instant when I saw the look of disgust on Ruella’s face.

  Lila turned to us once we were inside. “This is the nicest place we have to offer. I apologize if you nobles find it repulsive.” She paused, but receiving no reply, continued on, “I guess I should start by telling you the issue of this island. People have been disappearing in the forest. We do not know why or how or where they’re going, but we have no record of any creatures that might otherwise be behind this. It’s quite worrying.”

  Rhona frowned. “Your natural habitat, does it have any predators that may be significant enough to…”

  “Not at all,” Lila answered, “for years, we have not had a single issue with the rainforest. It’s only a certain spot in the forest… nowhere else. I was wondering if you all could check it out.”

  I almost laughed. Unsurprisingly, the king’s chosen method for reconciling our relationship was by undertaking a typical Luark mission... fighting monsters within a forest. It was much more terrifying than his description had suggested, as he’d claimed there were no lethal creatures like in Diaul. But if there was one thing that my girls and I were good at… it was surviving deadly forests. I was way calmer than I probably should have been, but at least we weren’t on the water.

  Lila smiled, “I will leave you to unpack. Tomorrow, I will show you the way to the area. Food is always available. Just go to the hut a few meters from here and we can fix you anything to eat. But inside the rooms are fruits for accommodation.”

  Once she left, I searched my surroundings and entered the first room I found, revealing a comfortable bed and a storage trunk for clothes. The table was filled with fruits, but since I was more familiar with vegetables, I didn’t recognize most of them.

  My door suddenly opened, and I turned to see Mia, Yaui, and Tenia pile into my room, looking at me expectantly. “What?” I complained.

  Mia folded her arms as Tenia closed the door. “What’s going on with you? You fucked someone other than Prince Ray?”

  “Please Mia,” I whined. “Don’t start.”

  “As much as I hate you, I’d rather defend you than those psycho bitches. I need us all to have a plan, because I can’t be the only one trying to tear them away from our princes?”

  “You aren’t,” Tenia sighed, “it’s just hard because what are we to do? They are literally princesses of other nations. We can’t hurt them.”

  “Tomorrow, when we investigate, why don’t we just leave them in the forest?” Mia smirked.

  Tenia stood up, “Leave them, what do you mean?”

  “Nothing on this island is supposed to be deadly, right? But for some reason we arrive, and the problem is that people are disappearing. If they were to somehow… disappear… we wouldn’t necessarily get in trouble, right?”

  We all stared at her, with equally worried and amused faces, which she met with a shrug. “What?”

  “Everyone out, I want to take a nap, please,” I instructed.

  I used my strength to push Yaui and Mia out until they were outside, but Tenia stayed. “Actually, can I talk to you?” I shut the door after the two complainers as they departed.

  “Yeah, what’s up?”

  She shifted uncomfortably. “Did you really sleep with Liones?”

  “This again?” I sighed. “How many times will you all ask me?”

  She came over and sat on my bed. “Just curious.”

  “Since you’re just curious, then why don’t you tell me how you and Kale met? You guys seem to have known each other long before the games.”

  She smiled and held out her hand. “Deal.”

  I sat down next to her and took a big sigh. “Yeah, I slept with him.” I attempted to suppress my tears, but it became nearly impossible. “Liones... told me about myself. He said that he liked me because I showed my emotions honestly. I thought it was nice to hear that… but I didn’t… I didn’t like him like that. He was kind. He was accepting. He said he was a… a hapless romantic?”

  “Hopeless romantic,” she corrected.

  “Yeah, something like that,” I sniffed. “But you know I’ve never been in love. Ray warned me. He said that I should never fall for him. Truth is I have no idea what love is. Even so, I promised I wouldn’t, but for some reason I’m still attached to him. Like really attached to him. But when we met up with the princes again, Ray made me so… so angry. I have no idea why I was angry… and still don’t. I felt this giant void inside me, like I was empty. When I’m with Ray and he’s being silly, my heart feels full. He believes in me when I say things and trusts me. But that day he made me angry… that day Ruella said we were nothing but concubines… I snapped. So when Liones leaned in to kiss me, I let him. When he wanted to have sex, I let him. But—” I whispered, my hands instinctively covering my face as tears streamed down my cheeks, “but I feel so bad! I think I hurt him… I feel so terrible!”

  Tenia placed a hand on my shoulder. “Sentia…”

  I wiped my tears. “Why am I like this? What is this feeling I don’t understand? I grew up on a farm where no one was younger than me. No crushes. No one I fell in love with. No romance or sex. I don’t understand.”

  “Have you ever considered that you actually like Ray, like, more than you think?” she asked.

  “Like?”

  “Yeah,” she smiled, “maybe you are the hopeless romantic.” She started laughing softly. “You say you slept with Liones to fill a void inside of you. That void sounds like it could be… Ray.”

  “My void is… Ray?”

  “Even if you don’t love him… you can still like him and be attached to him. He was your first, so he knows you, your body, your mind…”

  I wiped my face and blinked, “Ray knows me well. No wonder he calls me crybaby… I deserve that title. I’m nothing but a failure in his eyes right now.”

  “It’s not all your fault,” Tenia soothed, “he told you not to fall in love… that’s basically declaring that he will never want you for more than sex! How rude is that?”

  “You didn’t see him though Tenia, when he found out, he was so mad, so mad.”

  “Then maybe,” she smiled deviously, “maybe he actually likes you.”

  I shook my head, a frown forming on my face, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at how utterly ridiculous it sounded. “No, not at all. Ray isn’t like that. He wouldn’t like someone like me. I’m nothing. I have nothing. I’m a blank slate with nothing.”

  “Maybe you’re both blank slates. Maybe it’s good to be a blank slate.” She paused, waiting for a response, and then soothingly rubbed my back as she continued, “Thank you for confiding in me. I guess now it’s my turn to confess…” she took a big inhale before she began.

  Tenia held out a stretch of cloth as she yelled out the cheap prices on offer for the day. A feigned smile adorned her face, revealing the desperation she was trying to conceal. She stopped in frustration, taking in the quietness of the empty marketplace before deciding to pack up her things early. As she was about to walk away, she heard a loud collective cheer. As she turned, her eyes met the gaze of a strikingly handsome man standing before her. His chocolate brown skin contrasted beautifully with his piercing blue eyes and neatly trimmed short hair. As he stared at her, his smile was so radiant that it almost blinded her. “Hello, you are selling fabrics?”

  She nodded eagerly, her eyes fixed on the older ladies of the village, who were swooning from afar. “This fabric would be very nice on you… unless you are looking for something for someone else, like a lady.”

  “No, it’s my youngest brother’s birthday tomorrow, and I’m just looking for last-minute gifts. He enjoys the goods commoners create.” He paused, his eyes fixed on one of the vibrant blue fabrics, before finally turning his attention back to her. “I’ll take this,” he said.

  “Never seen a noble care for his brother so much…” She watched as he grabbed a pocket full of coins and handed it to her. “This is too much! Just a copper will do well.”

  “No, no, please take it. I wouldn’t be a good noble if I were to give you less than your worth.” A gentle smile graced his now even handsomer features. “My little brother is the best thing that happened to me. It’s almost like having a son. He’s so sassy and adorable.”

  Tenia sighed wistfully. “Wish I had siblings. Only child, I’m afraid.”

  “You’re both blessed and missing out,” he chuckled. “The amount of times we fight… my father stays adamant about being physical.”

  “Well, good sir, I wish your brother a happy birthday! Thank you!”

  As he waved and left, he glanced back once before disappearing. Tenia sighed before finally opening the bag, and her breath caught in her throat as she discovered a handful of gleaming gold pieces. She panicked, heart racing, and sprinted around her cart in the direction the man had gone. She watched in awe as he gracefully climbed into a white carriage adorned with intricate gold details, running up before he could enter. “Excuse me!” She shoved the bag back into his unsuspecting hands.

  “I can’t take this. It’s too much. Gold? That’s… that’s too much.”

  As the guards surrounded her, he flashed a smile and motioned for them to back off. “Miss, I told you, I’m giving you your worth.”

  “B-but…”

  “Your highness,” said one of the guards. “We need to leave.”

  Tenia’s eyes widened, and she suddenly bowed, “I’m so sorry, your highness!” She’d known he was a noble, but not all nobles were literal royalty!

  He waved her off. “No formalities, if I wanted them, I would’ve told you who I was.” He watched her fidget nervously, then patted his carriage. “I want to show you something. Would you like to see?”

  Nervous, she shook her head. “No, your highness, I think I should be going.”

  __

  Tenia strolled through the streets of Luark the following day, admiring the various vendors. When she spotted a poster stuck to a wooden wall, she came to a halt, taking in the information about a competition to marry the princes. She chuckled, “Well that’s interesting.”

  “You interested?” a man to the side asked.

  “Oh no, I was just looking, what’s this about?”

  “I don’t know, the king is suddenly looking for wives for his sons. I heard that because the sons are so busy, it’s hard for the king to get them betrothed, so he thought this would excite them. You should try it. You’re certainly pretty enough.”

  She scoffed, “Yeah right. This is in a couple of months anyway. Who knows if my family will still be here.”

  “Planning on moving to another kingdom?”

  “It’s been hard with the market competition.”

  “Well, if you think about it, you could get a lot of money by becoming a princess. Your family will be well taken care of afterwards.”

  As Tenia glanced back at the poster, memories of the young prince she’d met weeks ago flooded her mind.

  __

  “Are you ready?”

  After counting the coins she’d received from a previous customer, Tenia turned around to face the quiet marketplace with a frown. “What?” Her eyes widened as she took in the man before and curtsied. “Your highness!”

  “Please stand.”

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, looking around frantically to see if anyone had noticed. She could see the carriage and the guards nearby.

  He hummed, “I was riding back from another adventure but saw you at a distance. Looks like you close late.”

  She smiled lightly. “I like to stay open later than everyone else. Some people look for things late at night. What can I do for you?”

  “How about…” he mused, “you go out with me?”

  Tenia laughed loudly, “You’re stupid, you can’t ask a commoner that.”

  “First time anyone’s called me stupid,” he muttered to himself, observing her amused expression and the sound of her laughter as she tidied up. “I’ve thought about you.”

  Tenia’s head lifted at that, but she didn’t smile. “Oh… why?”

  He shifted nervously. “If I said it wasn’t because you were beautiful, I would be lying… but to be honest my brother loved the fabric, so I’ve been looking for an excuse to come back.”

  “You’re wasting your time, your highness. I do not simply spread my legs for royalty.” She furrowed her eyebrows. “If you’re looking for a one-night bride, you’d be wasting your time. And I still have the gold, so you can’t threaten me. I’ll give it back immediately.”

  “Absolutely not. I’m not trying to do anything to you. I just wish to get to know you better.”

  “Why?” she asked bluntly.

  “Because you interest me… now more than ever.”

  __

  “Is it okay for your guards to be away so far?” Tenia asked. As they sat on the hill, they ran their hands over the smooth grass, mesmerized by the beautiful candlelight of Luark below.

  “Yeah,” Kale answered, “my brother and I hate when they’re too close. It makes us feel trapped. My other two brothers love it, though, because it makes them feel important.”

  They sat in silence for a while until Tenia handed him a piece of jerky. As he grabbed it, she said, “You’ve known me for a couple of months… and I have given you nothing but friendship.”

  “That’s enough for me. I still get to be around you.”

  “One day you will marry someone and forget all about me,” she scoffed.

  “No,” he stated plainly. “I will never forget you. And I don’t want to be married to just anyone.”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22