"His eyes are like Queen Sylvia's."
"What did you say?" Lira asked as she helped me clean myself up, scrubbing my skin with a soft cloth.
I blinked, seeing blue eyes staring at me in the mirror after I removed myself from my thoughts. "Oh, did I say that out loud?"
"Yes, you were saying something about someone's eyes." Lira lifted her eyes at me. I was slightly taller than her, but I wasn't on the tall side either. "Is it the man who saved you? The captain of the Ravens or whoever he is. Look Rosie, it isn't like you to be intrigued by someone else other than yourself. You better get him off your head, it bodes us nothing but harm to get ourselves involves with strangers."
I turned to her. "How very untrusting of you. They saved us, offered us shelter and now, food."
She dropped the dirtied cloth onto the table, crossing her arms. "And that doesn't mean that we should stay here for longer than this. Remember, the guards will not stop until they find you. After all, you are the eldest princess. The king and queen will not rest until they find you."
I sighed. "Fine, but I was not intrigued by him. Let's be clear about that. I merely thought that he had the same dark eyes as Queen Sylvia."
Lira tilted her head, clearly not believing the things I'm saying. "And you think they're related?"
I started putting on a simple green dress from the bags that were salvaged from my dead horse. Apparently, the mercenaries took great care to give my things back to Lira while I was asleep. "Don't laugh at me, all right? But at that moment, when I was nearly about to lose consciousness, I thought he was Kairo. Because… you know, he was late to the dinner and all. And maybe he accidentally found me in the wilderness."
Lira's jaw fell. "For the love of the Goddess. You… Rosie, don't tell me that you actually daydream about that prince?"
I began to comb my curls. They weren't as fine as the curls of my younger sister, Alissa, but they were still stubborn and sometimes hard to manage.
"I do not daydream. Nor is it my hobby to think about him. I haven't even given him much thought until now. Subconsciously though, at the dinner last night, I wondered if Kairo had the same dark eyes that seemed to twinkle like his mother's." I gave up on combing, moving to tie it with a ribbon as a last resort. "And when I saw the same twinkling darkness in that man's eyes, I thought for a brief moment that it might be him."
Lira touched her forehead. "All this talk about eyes is making me dizzy. I suggest you stop thinking about that. What business would that devil have in this forest? Whispers in the city say that he does not like leaving his palace. Anyway, let's get going so we can finally say thank you and bid these people good bye."
Right, I somehow recall that Kairo has a very bad reputation in Orion. It was not only because he was the prince of Cygnus that everybody dreads the mention of his name, but there was also a rumor that he had bound himself to a magic that was some sort of ancient evil. Or that he had sold his soul to a demon so he could gain a power that could win the war, only that it backfired and the dark magic turned against him.
I wasn't sure if they were merely nonsensical gossip so I ignored them, I didn't plan on meeting him anyway. But after meeting Queen Sylvia, I did wonder what he was like. If the rumors were true or not.
I gave the ribbon one last tug, making sure that it wouldn't fall off. I had tied my hair into a loose ponytail, but there were still a few strands that went astray. I let it be.
"It seems they don't know that you're the princess," Lira said as we prepared to leave. Apparently, she was intent on leaving immediately right after eating, because she was carrying the packs on her shoulders. "That is good. They don't appear to be people from Orion, either. Or maybe they're just pretending to know nothing, and they'd already sold our location off to your parents' soldiers. Let's just skip eating and leave, why don't we?"
The both of us stopped at the door. "I believe you're merely being paranoid."
"Cautious. I am cautious," she said. "For years, Rosie, I'd been relying on my guts to get us out of trouble."
That was true. We were chaotic back when we were kids, and it was Lira's intuition that would save us from getting into a pinch. It would make sense to doubt strangers, especially if they were mercenaries. People like that, they didn't have any affiliation to any kingdom or person of authority whatsoever. I guess Lira had a point, they could tip the guards anytime they want. That was, if they had already reached this part of the forest.
Anyway, it was much preferable to be safe than sorry. I totally didn't want to stay so I could take a look at my savior for a while longer. Nope. Not at all.
"Very well," I replied, relenting. "I agree with you."
Lira narrowed her eyes. She was unconvinced. "You forget. The moment the news reaches Galen, he'll come scrambling back from the borders and scour every nook, corner, and cranny just to find you. Like me, he thinks you're better off inside the palace walls. No, actually he's much worse."
I winced. I must have lost my mind for completely forgetting that particular detail.
Galen, Lira and I grew up together. The three of us were inseparable. The both of them knew everything there was to know about me, and I to them.
My eyes were wide as I said, "Is it stupid to hope that he hadn't heard about the incident yet?"
Lira smiled weakly. "My darling Rosie, I bet he arrived in the capital city even before you woke up."