This chapter is dedicated to @Literallysalem. Thank you for your constant support.
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Music recommendation: WILDFLOWER - Billie Eilish
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"Sit," Albert pulled out the chair for her when they reached the gazebo. He had already ordered a few maids to bring them proper meal.
Alice sat on the chair begrudgingly, her face sullen. She glanced at Albert when he sat across her, wondering why he was so excited.
"My people have sent me messages. They eagerly await my return," he joked when he crossed his leg over.
"I see," Alice didn't bother to feign a smile.
By this time, the maids had arrived with some steaming dishes. They curtly placed the trays on the round table before they began to serve.
The gentle breeze rustled the leaves, creating a soft symphony that danced around them.
Alice's gaze swept the table; Roasted swan with verjuice sauce, stewed eel, marchpane fruits and frumenty.
Seeing the food before her, she realized just how hungry she had been when her stomach rumbled loudly, making her cheeks turn red.
Albert smiled, noticing her body's reaction. She had indeed been hungry but her adrenaline had made her lose appetite.
However, the young princess' eyes flickered in surprise when she noticed that most of these dishes before her; frumenty and marchpane fruits in precise, were her childhood favourite.
Frumenty was a meal she had not eaten in a while because Leon hated it and as such, her father had stopped serving it at the dinning table till date.
She had adapted for years but didn't know the sight of it now could stir something nostalgic in her.
Her eyes narrowed in thoughts. Did Albert still remember that or was this pure coincidence? Where did he even get the time to tell them precisely what meals to bring?
She gaped at the servants with curiosity, trying to decipher any hint of intentionality in their eyes but they acted normal like nothing was unusual.
She returned her gaze to Albert who didn't stare back at her and only focused on the plate before him.
If Albert was not looking at her, it simply meant he knew what he was doing and for a moment, her eyes softened at the thought that someone had remembered something she liked.
She was one to always keep quiet and endure without expressing herself outwardly so most of the time, people knew little about the things she truly wanted. They always assumed she was just fine with it.
"I accept I may be strikingly handsome sometimes but I believe you need to do more of eating that staring right now," Albert commented with his head still lowered to his food.
Alice's heart lightly skipped, shocked that he could sense her gaze even when not looking at her.
She comported herself immediately and focused on the plate in front of her. Picking the fork and knife, she cut a piece of the porridge into her mouth, relishing the taste.
It tasted even better than she remembered or perhaps it was because she was very hungry now.
"Thank you," she muttered after swallowing her first bite and Albert briefly glanced at her pretty face, taken a back by her words since he thought she had been angry at him.
He hummed a reply before going back to his food and they ate in silence, savouring the taste of the meal little by little.
The servants stood far away from the gazebo, giving them privacy.
When they were done, they sat for a while silently, basking in their thoughts while they let the food digest.
"May I lead you to your room?" Albert abruptly brought his hand forth when he saw her try to stand up.
She gaped at him skeptically before collecting his hand and standing up.
Her eyes looked around and somehow, unlike earlier, she could see the approaching night clearly. She no longer felt dizzy and tired. As refreshing as it seemed, it didn't fix her broken and battered heart.
Albert noticed her face looked brighter and less pale. However, he still saw the downcast look in those dark eyes.
The sun had disappeared from the sky while the moon shined. The two of them walked side by side as the servants lit the torches around the palace.
"Alice," he began, his voice soft and laced with warmth. Alice turned her gaze to him inattentively as her mind was reeling with so much emotions.
"I...I'm sorry about Matthew..." His voice barely rising above a whisper.
Alice was slightly caught off guard with his statement as she scanned his face, searching for any hint of insincerity or jesting but she found none.
Her eyes glistened when he continued, "I know how you feel about him. He'll be fine," he assured her with a smile.
"T-thank you." Were the only words she could muster as she couldn't really understand Albert's reason for sympathetizing with her.
She didn't realize they had walked all the way to her quarters with the turbulent waves of emotions she was experiencing.
"I believe we should call it a night here," Albert said and pulled her hands into his before bringing her to his lips and kissing her knuckles.
"Goodnight, Alice," he bidded her and she replied in kind, "Goodnight."
As though her maids sensed her presence, the both of them came down when Albert left her. When the Savannah King was out of sight, they turned to their miss,
"My Lady-" They didn't finish their words when Alice suddenly turned around, startling them.
"I'm going back to the infirmary. I'd be back by midnight. Take care of yourselves." She told before stomping away from there, gripping the hem of her dress ungracefully.
Naomi and Roshni had their mouths agape as they stared at each other, trying to process what their princess just did as they watched her retreating figure disappear into the shadows.
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The sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows that danced across the cobblestone courtyard of the palace.
A figure with tousled hair and a heart full of curiosity, paced nervously by the garden, her breath misting in the cooling air. Nightfall cloaked the world in deep indigo, and the whispers of the night beckoned her.
She clutched a small torch, its flame flickering in the soft breeze, the promise of light against the encroaching darkness.
Every minute felt like an eternity as she waited for the voices of the servants to fade.
Finally, the faint sound of people working and talking dwindled, replaced by the eerie quiet that enveloped the palace.
When at last the surroundings fell silent, Melina slipped away, her heart racing with anticipation and dread.
She looked around cautiously, making sure no one was seeing her before following the alleys.
She entered the grand hall as the door creaked open, the same place she had always come.
Every single step she made felt like an echo inside the large room.
At last, she reached the mouth of the alley, a yawning darkness that seemed to pulse with a life of its own.
With a deep breath, Melina raised the torch, its light cutting through the shadows.
Like before, she called, "Kilgharrah?" Her heart screeched when she heard the echoes that sounded in the quiet night.
She still couldn't understand why she had to call out loud when she was already connected to this creature.
She yelled the dragoness's name again but no answer.
Curious, she stepped forward to the wall that ended the alley. Pointing her torch at it, she observed it with intensity and instinctively, she touched it.
She shouted and moved back when a surge of power seemed to pull out from her body. Her heart trembled as she gaze at the wall that appeared to still be normal.
Was this another barrier?
"Kilgharrah!" She called one more time and abruptly, fog enveloped, blurring her vision for a while until she was back to the same cave as earlier and relieved washed her.
She stepped inside, the air growing cool and damp. Stalactites dripped like tears from the stone above, and the ground was uneven beneath her feet.
"Hello?" she called, her voice trembling slightly.
Usually, Kilgharrah came out first, didn't she?
The cave swallowed her words, and for a moment, she feared she was alone. But then, from the depths of the darkness, a low rumble echoed, sending shivers down her spine.
A pair of glimmering eyes emerged, reflecting the torchlight like twin stars. The silhouette of the dragoness took shape, majestic and formidable, her scales shimmering with hues of emerald and sapphire.
Melina felt both awe and terror in the presence of her and she moved back subconsciously. Kilgharrah looked... different.
"Why have you come here, little one?" the dragoness's voice rolled like thunder, yet it held a softness that calmed Melina's racing heart.