“Sigh!” Alhen sighed for the tenth time already.

  Sleep was threatening to take hold of him, but he didn’t allow it to take over his mind.

  He was supposed to be watching the princess, who was in front of him, and if she suddenly woke up only to find him sleeping, it wouldn’t end well for him.

  Alhen had dark circles under his eyes from the lack of sleep these past few cycles, and he looked as if his soul had been taken away from him.

  ‘The princess sure knows how to sleep,’ he thought.

  She had been sleeping for almost a full cycle, exceeding the time that a normal human being was supposed to rest.

  Alhen did not doubt that the guards outside had some way to sleep and still keep watch over the princess; after all, they needed to be in peak condition in case something happened.

  He wished he could join the others and sleep at least a little, but that was a dream that would never be realized.

  ‘The marriage preparations should be somewhere around this time, which means that if everything goes as planned, someone will knock on the door soon, and this torment can be over,’ he thought.

  No matter how tired he was, he didn’t dare lower his guard.

  He remembered those strange creatures that didn’t appear to be wihts, but also didn’t appear to be human. Creatures like Erne and the one he saw at the Church of Tomes’s library.

  ‘I wonder what they are. One thing that worries me is that I never knew if Erne was killed. I will have to ask Alaran once I come back.’

  His mind wandered, and he thought about unimportant things to kill time, making up scenarios in his head.

  His attention was brought back to reality when he heard something he didn’t expect to hear anytime soon.

  “Yawn!” Katherina had woken up.

  She sat up in her bed and stretched. Alhen could hear some of her bones popping before she stood.

  “Oh, I almost forgot that you were there,” Katherina said while looking at Alhen.

  He had the urge to beat her up, but kept himself in check, appearing composed on the exterior.

  ‘Very well, this marks the beginning of the cycle, I guess. The wedding preparations should begin soon, and I don’t know if I’m prepared for them,’ Alhen thought.

  They hadn’t begun, and he already wanted to kill himself.

  Katherina fixed her bed in silence before approaching Alhen, who followed her movements with his eyes.

  “Ask the guy outside when the marriage will take place. I am starting to get bored,” she ordered.

  Alhen didn’t have the energy to complain; he resisted the urge to sigh aloud, and just as he stood to open the door, he stopped.

  ‘The guards are outside, and they made it clear to me the previous cycle that they don’t want me anywhere near the princess.’

  He hesitated.

  “Is something the matter?” She asked, and Alhen shook his head.

  “Nothing,” he replied.

  Opening the door, he found the guards staring at him with intensity, and none of them seemed as tired as he was.

  ‘It goes to show that they are professionals; this job isn’t suited for me,’ he thought.

  Trying his best to ignore them, he closed the door behind him and went in search of Leonard, who had stayed nearby.

  The man seemed to have been waiting for him. He leaned against a wall and looked at him, expressionless.

  Closing the distance, Alhen went to talk, but the man beat him to it.

  “I do not know what you think you are doing inside the room that I prepared specifically for the princess alone, but let me warn you that if I find out that something is going on between you two, be prepared for the consequences,” he said.

  Alhen frowned at the accusation. He was starting to get tired of the constant threats aimed at him.

  “Don’t worry, nothing is happening between the princess and me. How could that be when she’s engaged to Priest Hector? Never mind that; I wanted to ask about the wedding preparations. The princess told me she’s starting to get bored.”

  The man’s gaze lingered on Alhen’s body for a few seconds, most likely looking for signs of deception.

  “Answer me one question: what were you doing in that room?” Leonard said.

  Alhen resisted the urge to punch him in the face, keeping a professional facade at all times despite his inner thoughts.

  “That’s not your concern. I don’t have the obligation to answer you, a mere messenger. Now, if it were the priest himself who asked me that question, maybe I would,” he shot back.

  Alhen did not doubt that this man had no idea he was supposed to be the son of The Kovesh, and he seemed to underestimate him because of his age.

  ‘Well, I look weak, and I am weak, so he’s not wrong about that, but I’m starting to get tired of being treated as someone lesser. If this brings consequences, then so be it, but I don’t believe that I said anything that crossed the line,’ Alhen thought.

  Leonard, in front of him, started getting red, his skin resembling a tomato.

  He clenched his fists hard and ground his teeth together, looking at Alhen with unbridled fury.

  Alhen didn’t care about his feelings, looking at Leonard as if he were mere trash, not even worth paying attention to.

  ‘This is the attitude that I should have at all times. If I don’t, people will eventually start belittling me and underestimating me just because I’m a kid.’

  Alhen didn’t outwardly express it, but if he did, he would have a shit-eating grin looking at this man in front of him.

  Leonard eventually took a deep breath, probably realizing that what the kid in front of him said was true, and dropped his attitude.

  When he calmed himself, he remembered the question Alhen had asked and reluctantly answered him.

  “It truly is a tragedy that the princess is bored. Priest Hector is a little busy at the moment, but we can proceed with the wedding preparations. Please inform the princess that this process will be done whenever she wishes.”

  Alhen nodded and went to fetch the princess, walking unhurriedly to the room.

  Leonard had been quite far away from the guards, so they didn’t listen to their conversation, but he could see that they were looking at him from the corner of their eyes.

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  Alhen knocked thrice on the door and entered once he was given permission.

  Closing the door behind him, he explained the situation to the princess, who waited for him on the bed.

  “Princess, you are welcome to start the wedding preparations whenever you wish. I also recommend caution when dealing with the man outside; he seems… quite fond of you for some reason,” Alhen warned.

  Katherina raised an eyebrow at those words, but eventually stood and approached him.

  “Very well, I am ready to start right now. Follow me, Alhen, I want you to be at my side throughout the entire process,” she responded.

  “If that’s what you wish, then I shall accompany you,” he responded.

  Katherina looked pleased by his words, and Alhen opened the door for her.

  “Guards, stand watch outside my room. Prevent anyone from coming inside, Alhen is going to accompany me and keep me safe during my wedding preparations,” she said to the guards.

  “Lady Katherina, please understand that we need to watch over you; it is for your own safety,” Bernard said, frowning.

  “I already told you, did I not? Stand watch and obey me. If I find out that any of you decided not to follow my orders, I will tell my father, and you all know how he is when he is mad,” she threatened.

  Alhen watched from the side as a powerful man like Bernard was left feeling conflicted, it was painted all over his face.

  ‘Having that level of authority and respect must be nice,’ Alhen thought as he looked at Katherina.

  Eventually, all Bernard could say was “understood,” and Alhen and Sierra walked to Leonard after being done.

  Leonard, with murderous intentions, watched them approach side by side, but one look from the princess made him docile.

  “Very well, now that the princess is here, please do follow me,” he said.

  Alhen and Katherina walked close together, almost touching shoulders, but he thought that this could be misinterpreted and slowed down his steps, now walking behind her.

  She gave him a raised eyebrow, but he ignored her, making her pout.

  They walked through the long hallways until they reached a plain-looking door, and Leonard told the princess to go inside.

  “Please, when you enter, there will be multiple maids who will help you get dressed for the marriage preparations. Please step out when you are done.”

  “Fine, but if the dress is not to my liking, then I will keep mine,” she said.

  Without waiting for his answer, she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Leonard gave her a forced smile after she left and waited for her.

  He turned to face Alhen, giving him a hostile look.

  “Why are you here? You should have stayed behind with the guards. Rest assured that no harm will befall the princess; we are on holy ground. If you could kindly return, I would appreciate it.”

  ‘This Leonard guy really doesn’t like me, huh? When will he get the message and stop pestering me with his insecurities?’ Alhen shook his head.

  “I need to watch the princess for her safety. She personally asked me to come with her. Are you implying that you hold more authority than her?“ He questioned.

  It was starting to become exhausting.

  He hadn’t done anything, and this man was breathing down his neck with a hostility that didn’t seem normal considering the circumstances.

  All the more reason why Alhen didn’t want to leave the princess alone with this weirdo.

  If something were to happen to her, he wouldn’t even know where to start to save his skin.

  The man clicked his tongue and remained silent for the remainder of the time they waited for the princess.

  Finally, seems like he got the point. Now, I hope that the princess doesn’t take the whole cycle in there. I really don’t want to spend another minute with this guy,’ Alhen thought.

  Fortunately, in a little more than half an hour, Katherina came out in a white dress that touched the ground.

  The makeup on her face stood out in the nearby lighting, and her yellow lipstick contrasted with the white.

  Her nails were painted the same color, and she left the room barefoot with another veil hiding the upper part of her head; this time, it was the same color as her dress.

  “I am satisfied with the result,” she commented. “ Let us continue with the marriage arrangements. I want it to be done already.”

  Leonard’s gaze remained on her body a tad too long, and Alhen noticed.

  He frowned, but before he could say anything, Leonard beat him to it.

  “You look stunning, princess. I am sure that Priest Hector will be pleased with the result. Your beauty surely has no rival. Come, I will guide you to the next step for the marriage arrangements,” he said with excitement.

  Alhen could tell that the princess was uncomfortable, but she chose to remain silent.

  “The princess doesn’t need those comments coming from you; keep them to yourself. Your sole job is to show the princess the way; you are not required to talk about that which doesn’t concern you,” Alhen told him with a serious tone.

  Katherina looked surprised by his words, clearly not expecting them to come from him.

  Ultimately, she smiled, looking at Leonard, who had a vein popping on his neck and forehead from anger.

  He looked ready to talk back to Alhen, but the princess didn’t allow him by agreeing with his words.

  “That is right, keep those comments to yourself,” she simply said.

  “As you wish,” Leonard bit his lip and replied before guiding them to the next destination.

  From the corner of his eyes, he could see that Katherina had briefly smiled his way before following Leonard.

  Alhen didn’t pay her attention, and they navigated through the hallways silently.

  As they walked, Alhen couldn’t help but think that the church’s exterior appearance was misleading.

  The inside seemed like a maze, like the Church of Orgurd, with many turns and rooms where they could easily get lost if not for Leonard’s guidance.

  They eventually stopped in their next destination, a circular room with a high ceiling, which used those unsettling fairy-looking wihts to provide light.

  The floor and walls seemed to be made of marble, a shiny white material.

  On it, five straight lines that emerged from a rectangle met at the center of a circular hole.

  ‘What is this for? I thought about many things that could be needed for the marriage preparations, but this was surely not one of them,’ Alhen thought.

  He didn’t have to wait long, as after a few seconds, multiple men with a white cloth covering their genitals appeared out of the various doors on the walls.

  They wore no other clothing, and their heads were all covered by a hay sack.

  They had their arms on their backs, restrained with rope, and walked with a hunch.

  Despite their appearance, they were completely clean, with their skin being practically unblemished.

  Behind them, women in all-black, fancy dresses guided them forward with a hand on their shoulders.

  A single black rose adorned each woman’s hair as their heels made a soothing rhythm on the floor.

  Alhen stood watching the scene without a word, only observing for dangers, which was his duty.

  ‘Very well, I am already not liking the sight of what’s happening. Will they use those people as sacrifices for some kind of ritual? If that’s the case, I have to be prepared for anything to go wrong at any time.’

  As he observed his surroundings, he noticed a slight smile on Katherina’s face, which led him to believe that she knew what would happen next.

  Katherina’s smile widened further when she saw the men being placed above those five square holes on the ground and forced down to their knees.

  The women grabbed their heads and brought them closer to the squares.

  They took out a knife from their back, and Alhen then realized what would happen next.

  He watched without a trace of emotion on his face as the women brought the knife closer to their throats until they sliced them.

  The men hadn’t uttered a word or shown any expression on their faces until they died, making him believe that they knew what would happen to them and were fine with it.

  Blood poured out like a fountain, all landing on the square until it went down the line and was guided to the center.

  Looking at Katherina, she had a frown on her face.

  Alhen smiled, but it quickly faded. ‘She is surely disappointed by the display of calmness that the men had portrayed moments before they died.’ He shook his head.

  ‘There are just some people in this world who are completely crazy. As soon as this marriage is over and I return to the kingdom, I don’t want to know anything about the royal family until I die of old age.’

  Leonard closed the distance with Katherina and neared his mouth to her ears, whispering something unintelligible from where he stood.

  She nodded when he finished and approached the circle in the middle, where all the blood was being drained.

  Leonard clapped his hands, and a platform rose, revealing a golden cup adorned with ruby gems overflowing with the blood of the men killed just moments ago.

  Katherina held the cup in her hands without wasting any seconds and started applying the blood slowly throughout her body until she resembled a blood mannequin.

  She got down on her knees, facing the floor, and Leonard approached, placing a hand on her head.

  Alhen approached from behind them without making a sound, watching everything around him in case he would have to defend the princess.

  The women in black continued to look at him without much caution.

  If anything were to happen, Alhen would quickly take his trusty revolver from its holster and kill whoever caused trouble in a flash.

  Or at least that’s what he hoped would happen if that situation were to take place.

  He was especially looking at Leonard, who seemed to hold suspicious intentions towards the princess.

  Thankfully, nothing happened, and instead, Leonard only prayed for her.

  After he was done, Katherina was offered a white glowing apple, but she refused it.

  “Alright, that was all for this cycle. Be prepared for the next one, which will be the day of the marriage. Rest well.” With those words, Leonard retreated, leaving Alhen alone with Katherina.

  The women had left, and the corpses were not cleaned and were still in their positions.

  With nothing to do, they returned to their room, where Katherina’s demeanor changed drastically.

  She had wide eyes and nervously paced around the room.

  “Is something wrong?” Alhen asked.

  Katherina stopped dead in her tracks and looked at Alhen, biting her nails.

  “Alhen, you will protect me, right?” She asked, and Alhen nodded.

  “That will not do. Say it out loud. Will you protect me?” She asked once more.

  Despite not knowing what was happening, he replied, “I promise that I will protect you with all of my capabilities.”

  She exhaled abruptly, releasing a weight off her chest.

  “Come here; no one apart from you can know about this information.”

  Alhen’s ears perked, and he followed the princess to the end of the room, away from the door.

  She leaned in to his ear and whispered, “They are out for me.”

  He frowned and asked, “Who is out for you?”

  “Contracted assassins.”

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