"You gave me that giant sword on purpose," I said, my arms crossing with defiance as I turned my head away. "And you lied about the flowers in the garden too."
My lower lip pushed into a pout as I sneakily glance back at him from the corner of my eye, just to see how he would react.
Nothing.
As expected, Theo remained stoic—stone-faced, unreadable as ever. Not even the slightest twitch of emotion in his sharp features. His dark blue eyes stares at me and his dark raven-like hair slightly sways from the air surrounds us.
"I only gave you the larger sword," he finally said, voice quite and flat, "Because I knew you are still too young to be trained with swords. The princess is only four."
I gritted my teeth. "I'm almost five." I said sounding annoyed.
"That doesn't change anything, your highness." He replied
"And the flowers," he added without missing a beat, "are indeed had spells on it. I didn't lie."
His words were cold, distant, like ice running down the back of my neck, he didn't even bother looking at me as he said it.
I let out a long, dramatic sigh, puffing my cheeks in frustration, "you are so hard to read. How am I supposed to know when you are being genuine if you never show any emotion? Even your voice sounds like it's hald-asleep."
The disappointment in me was not just because of the sword or the flowers. It was because… I wanted to trust him. I wanted to believe he was helping me, not just watching from a distance like some passive guard with a pulse.
With a little huff, I flopped down onto the soft grasses of the vineyard, folding my arms and drawing my knees up.
Theo stared down at me from where he stood, his shadow and the veins above us falling long across my form.
"…it is dirty," he said flatly.
"it's not," I replied stubbornly, refusing to meet his eyes.
"A princess should be proper."
I rolled my eyes so hard I thought they might fall out. "As If I asked to be one."
There was a sharp pause.
The wind blew softly across the vineyard, carrying the smell of ripe grapes and sun-kissed leaves. I plucked one from the nearest bunch, tossed it into my mouth, and chewed slowly, deliberately—like I was biting into a juicy insult.
I could still feel Theo's gaze on me, but he did not speak.
I hated this silence. Not because it was quiet, but because it said too much.
"I had rather be a commoner," I murmured, eyes fixed on the dirt between my shoes, "If life gets harder just because I am a princess."
It was not a tantrum this time. My voice was not loud or bratty. Just… tired. Quiet.
I hugged my knees tighter to my chest, burying my chin between them.
I hate how everyone—even Theo—hid things from me. how I had to piece everything together like a puzzle I never asked to solve. Being a "princess" felt like a cruse wrapped in a ribbon.
I didn't expect any response.
Theo crouched down beside me instead, lowering himself slowly, quietly. He didn't speak, didn't even sigh. He just… sat there.
Theo silence between us was thick. It felt like an invisible blanket, weighing down my shoulders. I could feel his presence beside me, firm and unmoving like a wall I wanted to lean on—but did not know how.
I saw Theo was about to say something…
Suddenly—
"That is a big wish for such a little princess."
The voice was unfamiliar.
Playful, confident and amused.
I blinked, startle and looked up immediately—
"AH!"
I stumbled back in pure shock, hands flailing as I nearly tripped over my own feet.
Right in front of me was a boy—probably Theo's age, though his aura was entirely different. Where Theo was composed and silent. This boy radiated golden mischief like sunlight filtered through a ruby lens.
His hair shimmered like molten gold, wild and wind-blown. And his eyes… his eyes were the color of blood, bright crimson and almost glowing, like embers left smoldering after a fire.
His grin was wide, crooked, teasing.
"W-who are you?!" I stammered, scooting back even more as my heart thumped hard in my chest.
He crouched to my level in one smooth, feline motion—like a cat stalking its prey—and tilted his head as he leaned closer.
"So gloomy, little flower," he said, his voice low and almost musical, with a strange kind of lilt. "Someone as young as you shouldn't be wishing such heavy things… with such a sorrowful face."
He reached out slowly, lifting his hand to my face—His fingertip brushing beneath my chin, guiding my head up to meet his gaze.
I froze…
His breath ghosted over my cheeks as he leaned closer, warm and deliberate.
He was too close.
My heart was practically screaming.
"I—" I opened my mouth, unsure what I was going to say, but it was already too late—
Suddenlt, a string hand grabbed the boy's shoulder and shoved him backward with a jolt.
He did not fall— just stumbled one step before laughing softly.
"Ajax." Theo's voice was harder now, like cold steel as if warning him. "Mind your manners in front of the princess."
The boy—Ajax—lifted both hands in the air as if surrendering playfully, still grinning.
"Relax, Theo. I am just playing around," he said casually, flashing me a wink. "Didn't mean to scare her."
I stare at him confused and still shocked. Unsure whether I should interfere or just let them talk to each other.
Theo stepped slightly in front of me, his stance subtly protective.
"I don't recall inviting you here."
Ajax shrugged, rolling his shoulders with an infuriatingly easy air. "I go where I want. You know that."
The tension between them crackled like a silent thunderstorm. They were not enemies—but they weren't friends, either that's for sure. It was like watching fire and frost acknowledge each other with mutual dictate.
My eyes flicked between the two.
Who is this kid anyway?
Ajax's smirk never quite left his face, but his gaze sharpened—subtly, fleetingly—like a dagger glinting beneath silk. His playful mask slipped, just for a breath of a moment, and I saw it.
Danger.
Not the kind that made you run, but the kind that made you lean closer out of sheer curiosity.
He must be powerful.
Theo clearly noticed my gaze at Ajax. He stepped forward more, half blocking me with his body, the edge in his voice still sharp.
"Don't get to close to her."
"Come on." Ajax echoed with a mock pout, placing a hand over his heart as if wounded. "I am only playing around as I said earlier. unlike you, I do not treat her like a delicate vase that might shatter at the slightest touch.
"I treat her with respect," Theo growled. "Not showmanship."
"Oh, come now," Ajax chuckled, brushing invisible dust off his coat sleeve. "I heard you purposely gave her a huge sword so you would not be able to teach her swords, and even lied about the spell on the flowers."
Theo did not respond this time, but I could see his shoulders tighten, his jaw locked in a way that made his frustration more obvious than any words.
Its my first time seeing him like this.
Theo sighed; his hands loosely held onto the handle of his swords beside him. His face is soon calming, but his posture was still tense, guarded, watchful, like a knight expecting an ambush even in friendly territory.
He slightly glance at me. "I apologize, I forgot to introduce him to you."
"He is the magician who helped me locate you when you were kidnapped," Theo began, his tone composed yet edged with reluctance. "The credit should have gone to him, but… Ajax refused to present himself to the emperor or the prince."
I blinked, caught off guard. "He did?"
The silence that followed was broken by a low, amused chuckle. It was smooth, arrogant, the kind of laugh that danced along the edges of mockery and charm.
With a smirk and a gleam in his crimson eyes, he sauntered over and slung an arm across Theo's shoulders like they were old friends.
"Whoa, whoa~ I think you are revealing too much about me, Theo. It's embarrassing," Ajax teased, the smirk in his voice as obvious as the mischief in his sharp eyes.
Theo's reaction was instant and far from amused. His shoulders stiffened, and in one sharp motion, he shrugged Ajax's arm off with a force that made it clear the gesture had never been welcome.
"Stop getting too close," he said bluntly, his voice like a blade. "We're not friends."
His words, hung in the air like smoke from a freshly lit fire, unexpectedly sharp, and just as impossible to ignore.
But Ajax only laugh again, utterly unfazed, as if Theo's hostility were nothing more than a gentle breeze. He turned to me instead, his smile turning sly as he leaned in slightly, voice dropping to a whisper.
"It surprises me, really," he said, loud enough for Theo to hear. "How you manage to stick around grumpy-face over there when he's got the emotional range of a brick wall."
"What so surprising about that?" I said raising a brow, as I step back. "Theo is peaceful to be with."
"So…" I added, curiosity getting the better of me, "You are really a magician?"
Ajax's smile widened, and for a brief second, it was as if a storm flickered behind his eyes, something bright and wild, barely contained.
"Yes, your highness," He replied smoothly, voice laced with charm. "I can do anything you wish for. Just tell me…"
My face lit up with excitement. I leaned froward slightly, hands clasped. "Then, can you help me learn more about my magic?"
Ajax tilted his head, studying me with an expression that suddenly shifted from playful to contemplative. He did not leer or smirk, he observed, quietly and carefully, as though trying to read a secret written across my soul,
"What you have," he said finally, "Isn't magic."
I blinked. "Huh?"
He tucked his hands into the deep pockets of his coat, eyes softening, just a little, as he spoke.
"It's one of the traits bound to royal blood," he explained, like a scholar simplifying a centuries-old theory. "It is not something you learn from books or spells. It is not an incantation I can teach you. It simply is. It awakens on it own when it wants… or when you really want."
His words settled in my chest like cold rain. My excitement dimmed, the smile on my face faltering.
"Oh…" I simply replied without much of a reaction.
"But," Ajax said quickly, his voice brightening again, "That doesn't mean I can't teach you real magic, if you'd like, Your royal highness~"
With a sweeping, dramatic motion, he bowed low before me, one hand pressed against his chest, the other extended toward mine. Despite the theatricality, there was something about his voice now, something deeper, like a subtle tremor beneath the earth. Still teasing, but almost dangerous.
Then, with deliberate gentleness, he took my hand in his and brought it to his lips.
His breath ghosted against my skin, and his crimson eyes held mine captive as he kissed the back of my hand.
My entire body stiffened.
W-what was that for?!
My heart was thudding so hard I was certain both of then could hear it. my face burned, heat rushing up my neck like wildfire.
Thoe's voice sliced through the moment like a sword through silk.
"I said, mind your manner."
He stepped between us in a flash, one hand pressing firmly against Ajax's shoulder, shoving him backward with enough force to make him stumble.
Ajax took the movement with a light chuckle, adjusting his coat like nothing had happened.
"Relax. Theo. That was proper." His eyes flicked back to me, mouth curling into a smirk. "That is how you greet a lady, you know?"
"The princess is still young," Theo snapped, Jaw clenched.
Ajax gave a lazy shrug. "And I treated her with the respect of a lady. What did you expect me to do? Bow from five feet away?"
The two of them locked eyes, the tension between them crackling like lighting in the air. Theo was stone, silent, cold, every line in his
"The princess is still young," Theo snapped, jaw clenched.
Ajax gave a lazy shrug. "And I treated her with the respect of a lady. What did you expect me to do? Bow from five feet away?"
The two of them locked eyes, the tension between the, crackling like lightning in the air. Theo was ice, silent, cold every line in his body coiled with unspoken fury. Ajax was fire, unbothered, untamed, and smiling like he enjoyed the heat.