"No, please, no…" Gene wakes up from the nightmare, panting and disoriented.
The room is dark, but the little light sneaking in from outside is enough to see that she is alone. She flops back down on her pillow and tries to catch her breath.
She dreamed of the attack, but nobody came to save her. She rubs her throat, still feeling the sorcerer's tight grip around it.
'I wish I knew who ordered him to kill me. At least I would know what the reason is.'
Gene decides to ask if royals from other countries also have sorcerers working for them. If so, it would make Princess Hella the number one suspect for these attacks. The duchess does not have enough power or money to have a sorcerer work for her.
Her thoughts continue to spiral until she falls back asleep. Thankfully, she doesn't have any more nightmares. But when Veda wakes her up in the morning, she feels so tired she can't even open her eyes.
"Veda, I am not feeling well. I will rest for another hour or so, please bring me some breakfast then," Gene tells her with her eyes closed.
"Yes, my lady." Surprisingly, she agrees and just leaves her room.
'Maybe she saw how ghostly I look from lack of sleep and pitied me.'
"My lady," Veda calls. "I brought your breakfast."
"What time is it?"
"It's almost noon."
'Noon?' Gene is surprised that she let her sleep in for that long.
She stretches her body, feeling all rested and refreshed. After breakfast, she takes a bath and wears a cute violet dress with the help of her maid.
As she has been doing for the last couple of weeks, she heads to see Brandt. He is usually in his study, unless he has a meeting.
"Good afternoon, my lady," Captain Erling greets her when she leaves her room.
"Good afternoon, Captain, sorry for the late start today." Gene reckons that the woman has been standing outside her door for hours, waiting for her.
"No need to apologize, my lady, it is my duty to guard you whatever activity you do," she says with a stern expression. Her seriousness makes Gene smile.
She finds Brandt in his study's veranda, lost in his thoughts. She sneaks behind him soundlessly and hugs him.
"Oh, Siv." He turns to face her, enveloping her in his arms. "This is a nice surprise. I hope you're feeling better, your maid said you weren't this morning."
"Yes, I feel so much better. I think I just needed to rest a bit."
"Great." The prince gazes at her for a moment. "How about we go for a picnic today?"
"What? Aren't you busy?"
'That's pretty spontaneous from the crown prince.'
"I am taking a break today." He grins.
Just thinking about having a picnic with Brandt fills her heart with happiness. She plans on stealing a few kisses.
"I would love to go on a picnic with you, dear. But we would have to think of a way to run away from Captain Erling, She takes her duties very seriously."
Brandt smiles. "I will take care of that, wait here." He disappears for a few minutes, then walks back to her side. "Shall we?" He offers his hand and she takes it.
'I wonder what he told Erling.'
They walk to the stables, taking the less frequented hallways to avoid any eyes. When they get there, the stable boys already have two horses prepared for them. Then a few minutes later, Shelby shows up with a saddle bag that he places on Brandt's horse.
'The power of a prince's orders. We are ready for a picnic in ten minutes.' Gene chuckles.
Shelby helps Brandt take off his jacket, then he puts a cape on his shoulders, securing the hood on his head. The assistant then offers her the second cape he has. She allows him to help her, even though she doesn't think she needs one.
"Thank you." He just bows and takes a few steps back.
"His name is Betson, he is very gentle." Brandt caresses the bay beauty that Gene is supposed to ride. "Give me your hand." He takes her hand and caresses the horse, as if introducing the two of us.
"Hello," she utters, hoping that she doesn't look like a lunatic talking to a horse.
"Let me help you." Brandt puts his hands on her waist and lifts her up to sit on the saddle.
'Jesus, how big is this horse? I hope Brandt is right about him being gentle, he's got some crazy muscles.'
She caresses the horse's black mane, trying to stay on his good side. She hasn't ridden a horse since she was a kid. Her father used to take them to his parents' farm every summer. She prays that she still remembers how to ride.
Brandt mounts his black horse and off they go. They slowly ride out of a side gate of the palace, and soon after, they find themselves in the woods.
"Where are we going?" Gene asks.
"I know the perfect place for our little picnic," the prince says with excitement. "Trust me, you will love it."
'He's so cute.'
"Did you sneak out of the palace a lot?" she asks him. "Shelby seems to know exactly what you needed for your little outing."
Brandt lets out a wholehearted laugh. "Not a lot in the last few years. But I had my share of outings when I was younger," he answers, still laughing.
"You must have been a handful then."
"I was." He smirks. "Still am, sometimes."
Imagining a younger prince causing trouble in the palace makes her smile. Gene was always the good kid who was too cowardly to try things. She remembers one time in high school, some classmates were trying to ditch class and for some reason she was part of the group. They ended up being found by the teacher because of her.
'Damn, that's probably why I didn't have any friends.'
Sunlight finds its way through the branches and reflects on the ring Brandt gave her. It is truly beautiful. She gazes at her hand for a while, just enjoying the meaning of having the engagement ring on her finger.
Gene sighs in bliss.
"Oh Brandt, what was your grandmother's name?"
He looks at her then notices the ring. "Asta," he answers. "I never met her, but father used to talk about her all the time."
'Asta? Then, who is Eerika?'
*********
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