The House of Voncrow was one of the influential families in Ethara. For generations, the family had contributed three great council members to the kingdom's monarchs in the past, and the current head, Duke Voncrow continued this legacy as the fourth.
However, their influence did not just end with politics, their impact had extended beyond this.
Recently, Duke Voncrow had taken on an even more important responsibility. He was appointed as the steward of King Aethran, entrusted to oversee Ethara's wealth and all its resources, and had been serving him for years since.
In addition to his financial duties within the council, he had been negotiating trade deals, making sure taxes were collected fairly, and keeping the kingdom's economy stable.
Hence, everyone knew that the House of Voncrow was not among many influential families; they stood at the summit of the noble society in today's generation. The Voncrows were respected and admired, if not feared by their political power.
And currently, Duke Voncrow had been preparing his sole son and heir for the next legacy of their family. This preparation involved arranging Aeldwyn to marry into the royal family, to secure their influence in future generations.
It may seem an ambitious goal that Duke Voncrow wanted to achieve, but he shared the same ambition with King Aetheran, seeing the union as a way to solidify the bond between the crown and the Voncrow family.
'...'
Aeldywn crossed his arms, riding the carriage that jolted as it hit a bump on the road.
He had just come from his trip to the royal palace, where he was supposed to meet Princess Elucina. However, when he got there, he found that she was sleeping.
"Sleeping? Her horse wasn't even there," he muttered under his breath.
He already could see that the maids were lying to him; their eyes darted everywhere, nervously avoiding him. So, he set out to look for her favorite horse and found it was not in the shed. Trusting his intuition, he decided to find her by himself.
His carriage slowed down before it stopped by the royal hunting grounds, the favorite retreat for the royal family.
As soon as the door of his vehicle opened, the air filled with the scent of the forest welcomed him. The leaves from the trees rustling softly in the breeze, singing in his ears.
Aeldwyn stepped out and instructed his driver to wait. He knew that the path to the princess's favorite spot would be too difficult for the carriage to get to. The road could only be traveled on foot as it was not wide enough to pass through.
He walked along the trail, the noise of fallen branches reached his ears as he stepped on them, and the wild grass brushed against his leather shoes.
Aeldwyn could not help but feel curious about whether Prince Elucina had read the letter. He wondered if she felt disheartened by the recent news, considering she had lost his family's support following her loss of the crown.
On his way, he heard a snort of a horse that grabbed his attention. He glanced over his shoulder where the noise came from, to find the familiar white stallion tethered to a tree.
'She is here,' he said to himself.
As Aeldwyn soon reached the clearing, he spotted the woman who could potentially be Elucina's new handmaiden standing next to the hunted partridges. She jolted on her feet, startled by his appearance, before quickly bowing to him.
"L, Lord Aeldwyn," she greeted, then added, "Her Highness is currently out on a hunt." As she finished her crusty, she sneaked a glance at him, a look that managed Aeldwyn to catch.
He could read the confused expression on her face, clearly puzzled as to how he was aware that her mistress was even here.
Aeldwyn surveyed the forest ahead before his ears perked up at the sound of rustling bushes. The footsteps drew nearer until Elucina revealed herself, emerging from the trees.
He heard Elucina mutter under her breath, "Oh, God. I knew it," as she rolled her eyes. She walked towards them, holding the third hunted partridge in one hand and her hunting weapon in the other.
She proceeded to walk past him, handing over her hunt to her handmaiden, instructing her to strap them up into a pack for easy carrying.
"Princess Elucina," he called out, stepping into the clearing.
"...Lord Aeldwyn, what brings you here?" she replied, not bothering to look at him, as she reloaded her favorite hunting rifle.
Aeldwyn felt irritated for some reason that she seemed unfazed by their broken engagement. He had anticipated her to be at least a bit affected by it.
"I came to see if you were bawling your eyes out again," he said, crossing his arms. "I thought you might be disheartened by the news."
Elucina scoffed with a sneer; the memory of shedding tears in front of this man causing her to cringe. She tossed her hair back, before she inserted a new cartridge from her ammunition pouch, sliding it in.
Still refusing to face him, she countered, "Why would I be, my lord?"
Aeldwyn was clearly irritated when he asked, "You don't care that our engagement is broken?" surprised by the lack of reaction from her.
She turned on her heels and shot him a glance, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "Should I?"
Aeldwyn clenched his jaw a little, feeling the annoyance crawling up his back. But before he could respond, Elucina clicked the bolt of her rifle closed, preparing the gun for another hunt.
She flicked her gaze toward the forest and walked back her tracks to the area where she had hunted for partridges.
"Do you understand what this means for you?" he asked, following her. "Without my family's backing, you are losing a lot of political support, Your Highness."
Elucina stopped. She turned to Aeldwyn, her face contorted in disgust, as he stopped beside her. "Are you perhaps worried about me, my lord?"
Aeldwyn leaned back in disbelief. "What?"
"...I am well aware, Lord Aeldwyn, that I'd lose support," she admitted. She looked at him thoughtfully before continuing, "I suspect most will abandon me, especially after hearing His Majesty believes Princess Vanetta's going to be the little Queen Vittoria everyone adored so much."
She smirked. "But you know, my lord? It would be more fun to prove them all wrong in the end. That I'll win the crown from the commoner girl who knows nothing of our world."
Aeldwyn met her gaze, witnessing her fierceness reflected in her golden-brown eyes. It was as if her confidence burned, unwavering, despite the recent events.
Reluctant to admit it, but he could not deny it would be amusing to watch. "Do you have a plan, Your Highness?"
Elucina looked at him, and for a second, Aeldwyn thought she might open up about what she was thinking. But instead, she responded with indifference, saying, "Even if I did, why would I tell you, the commoner's soon-to-be fiancé?"
Aeldwyn rolled his eyes, scoffing at her. "Then you've also heard that her debut might happen very soon."
Elucina slung her rifle over her shoulder, letting the butt rest against her back with the barrel pointing upwards. "...No, I didn't," she confessed.
She hadn't heard about it yet because nobody had told her. Maybe Marquess Heldan would fill her in later, as he usually kept her informed about council news.
"...I see." Aeldwyn looked at her as she drifted into her thoughts. "Well then, I'll be on my way, Your Highness."
As he turned to leave, Elucina called out to him. "Lord Aeldwyn! I know why you came here!" It was obvious. After all, she knew he was seeking to stroke his ego, to see her falter.
Aeldwyn looked back over his shoulder.
"How about a bet?" she said, grinning.