Ryophlira POV

I didn’t wake to the gentle light of the morning. Instead, the warmth of my blankets was ripped away, leaving me curled in a tight ball on the mattress. I hadn’t slept a wink. My mind was a chaotic storm, spinning between the haunting memory of Aiyolistra’s tear-filled rage, the ghost of Yue-Senn’s lips against my neck, and the terrifying reality of a wedding that was now only thirteen days away.

I snapped up in bed, my hair a tangled mess around my face. The dark bags under my eyes felt like lead. "I couldn’t sleep, Ari!" I practically screamed, the frustration boiling over.

Ari didn’t offer a platitude. She simply reached down and pulled me out of bed. My legs, still weak from exhaustion, gave out, and I hit the floor with a dull thud. As I looked up to snap at her, I saw her face. Her eyes were red and puffy, the skin around them swollen from hours of crying.

I scrambled to my feet and threw my arms around her. Ari collapsed into me, sobbing uncontrollably. "I thought I was going to be sent back," she choked out between gasps. "I thought I would never see you again. I was so scared."

"I would never let that happen," I whispered, squeezing her tight. I pulled back just enough to wipe her tears, pressing a kiss to her forehead before embracing her again. "I promise."

The arrival of the other maids forced us apart. They moved with a mechanical efficiency, one announcing that my bath was ready. As I walked toward the steaming water, with Ari and the others trailing behind, my thoughts drifted back to the Spring Inn.

What was he doing right now? Was he angry? Did he regret what happened between us? Or worse did he not care at all?

Steam filled the chamber as I lowered myself into the water. The heat soothed my aching muscles but did nothing for the storm inside my mind.

After the bath, I dressed for training in dark clothes fitted tightly around my waist and legs. Black, sharp and deadly. I was a warrior instead of a princess today.

The moment my feet touched the dirt of the training grounds, the air whistled.

Aiyolistra charged out of the shadows, her face a mask of cold. She swung a elegant blade of steel flashed toward my throat.

CLANG!

I twisted sideways just in time as she lunged at me with terrifying speed, the pale blade slicing through the air where my neck had been moments before. No warning. No greeting. Only violence. Another strike came instantly toward my head. Brutal. Fast. I ducked low beneath it and slid backward across the dirt before thrusting my hand outward.

Golden energy exploded into existence. "Osoch ku veim vexi..." I whispered. The air trembled. "Epros, Crysalune."

A massive golden seal ignited beneath my feet. Light burst upward violently. Crysalune emerged slowly from the glowing sigil as if reality itself was surrendering it into my grasp. The second my fingers wrapped around it.

BOOM.

The impact of our weapons was like a thunderclap. We weren’t sparring, we were colliding. The collision was hard enough to crack the stone beneath our feet. Shockwaves blasted outward across the training grounds.

Aiyolistra swung her sword in a blinding arc, a blur of white blade carving downward toward my shoulder.

I blocked with the shaft of Crysalune before driving my knee into my sister’s stomach. She caught the strike with one hand and twisted violently, throwing me sideways. I flipped midair, landing gracefully against the broken remains of a stone pillar.

Another attack came instantly. Steel screamed against crystal. Sparks erupted. We moved too fast for normal eyes to follow. She went for my shoulder again, the tip grazing me and leaving a thin red line that began to knit itself back together before the blood could even drop. I countered, spinning Crysalune in a wide sweep that caught her ribs, the blunt side of the blade sending her stumbling back.

Strike. Block. Kick. Slash.

Our bodies blurred across the arena as explosions of force tore trenches through the earth. I spun low, sweeping my legs, but in a flash, she appeared above me. A fist slammed into my jaw hard enough to send me crashing through a wall.

Stone exploded around me. Blood leaked from my mouth. I wiped it away slowly, the cut already healing. She rolled her shoulder back into place with a sickening crack. That wound healed, too. Neither of us stopped smiling, lethal look.

Again, we collided. Crysalune spun in deadly arcs of golden light while her sword flashed like silver lightning. A slash opened across my shoulder, I split her cheek. Both wounds healed within seconds. She slammed an elbow into my ribs, I retaliated by driving the butt of my weapon into her throat.

She staggered, then thrust her blade forward. I blocked.

Our weapons locked together inches from each other’s faces.

"You’re slower, I wonder why," she hissed, her violet eyes burning.

"You’re reckless," I retorted with a smirk.

Then she headbutted me directly in the face. Pain exploded across my vision.

Before I could recover, she kicked me backward violently. I skidded across the dirt, breathing heavily. Around us, the soldiers and maids watched in stunned silence. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

My father sat calmly with his arms crossed, his eyes tracking every move with lethal precision. Beside him, my brother leaned forward, completely focused on the battle. Mother was in the distance, still barking orders.

"Move the silver banners! No not those flowers!"

CRASH.

Another pillar exploded.

BOOM.

We collided again. High above the walls, a shadow shifted within the trees. Watching. Silent. Hidden. Darkness curled around the branches, concealing their presence almost perfectly.

In the middle of blocking another strike, I froze. A strange sensation crawled across my skin. Someone was watching me. Not my father. Not the guards. Him.

My eyes darted toward the high stone wall, my gaze drifting to a towering cherry blossom tree beyond the perimeter. That single moment of distraction was enough.

Aiyolistra didn’t miss it. Her foot slammed into my stomach, ripping the air from my lungs and sending me crashing flat onto my back. Before I could recover, the silver blade stopped directly against my throat.

Silence.

We were both drenched in sweat, our bodies covered in cuts and bruises that were healing slowly. I looked up at her, seeing the lingering hurt in her eyes, but Aiyolistra wasn’t looking at me anymore. She, along with my father and brother, had turned their heads toward the wall.

Father slowly rose to his feet. His expression darkened. He sensed it, too. The shadows within the trees shifted once, then vanished.

"A spy," my brother muttered, drawing his weapon. "One of the kingdoms," my sister said coldly, withdrawing her blade from my neck.

I said nothing. Because deep down, I already knew exactly who it had been. My heart hammered against my ribs, and it wasn’t from the fight. It was from the realization that even with an army between us, Yue-Senn was already inside my walls.