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“It just sounds like you’re always annoyed.”
“Because I am.”
“Of me?”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” she sighed. “It’s just…how I am. When you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders for most of your life, you tend to become colder than most people.”
He hummed curiously. “I assumed princesses like you would be taught to be…approachable. Scowls don’t suit dainty faces like yours.”
“Approachableis the last trait you should have as an upcoming ruler,” she said crisply. “People have their eyes on you from a young age, you know? You don’t want them to have a vulnerable impression of you.”
Something about the way she’d put it felt familiar, and he wondered if she was hiding something just like he was. There was an air of loneliness to her, one that he’d carried himself as well for the longest time.
“Sounds like you were betrayed.”
Scrunching up her face, Mierna lowered the book to her lap. “Not quite, but I was raised with a contemptuous mother. She never spared me a moment to let my guard down, but I suppose it comes with the responsibility of being royalty.”
Travus chuckled. “Not a lover, then.”
“You’re obsessed with that,” she said humorously and crossed her arms while leaning back against the window frame. “That sounds like a reflection of your own experiences. Tell me, did a lover betray you that encouraged your current endeavor?”
She truly is very perceptive, he thought as an uncomfortable feeling crept up his chest. Despite Mierna being somewhat of a stranger, and a person who hadn’t experienced what love was, he still felt himself wanting to reveal his past.
“Not quite,” he admitted, “but it does motivate me, yes.”
“I’m sorry, Travus.” Mierna looked like she felt bad. “If it makes you feel better, this isn’t the first time I’ve joked around about something that turned out to be true.”
He smiled. “You’re as oblivious as you are discerning.”
“I’m very balanced that way.”
Travus laughed in a way so genuine that even he felt surprised, and he caught Mierna’s downcast gaze trying to hide her own smile. “Well, some of my jokes are delivered so badly that people think they’re serious, so I understand. I took after my mother with that trait.”
Putting her book down, Mierna brought up her knees to hug them. “Your parents had a much nicer reputation than you. What went wrong?”
Despite the resistance he felt in his heart, a louder voice compelled him to be vulnerable. Being alone was getting exhausting, and if he was going to marry her eventually, he might as well try having a friendship with her at least.
“Eldoria’s been isolated from the rest of the realm ever since I became king,” he said, “but it wasn’t like I enforced it. It simply happened on its own. My parents were fond of Humans and Faes for how self-sufficient they were. They didn’t rely on magic but simply used it as a tool.”
Mierna nodded with genuine interest as she put her chin on her knees.
“Over time, Eldoria became self-sufficient as well due to my late parents’ investments in the creations of those different from us. By the time I ascended to the throne, Eldoria was in no need of trading anything of necessity. My people only ever seek out luxury if they go beyond Eldoria’s borders.”
“If I was someone else, I’d be envious of it,” she said. “The people of Nexis are reliant on Humans and Fairies for food trades due to our geography. Cutting that off would mean a slow starvation for us all.”
“Don’t you live off seaweed and fish?”
“It’s not enough,” she said expressionless. “The sustenance of our nation’s cultural cuisine relies on spices from Midges and vegetation from Vihnmen. Fabrics from the Enchanted Forest are also a necessity.”
“Apologies. I’m ignorant about a lot outside of Eldoria,” he said quietly. “Then again, I never had a reason to leave, before…”
Mierna leaned in with slightly wide eyes. “Before?”
He rubbed the back of his neck and decided there was no point in holding in it. There was nothing Mierna could use against him either way. “Shortly after my parents’ passing, I met someone who I thought cared for me. She was a half-Elf Witch, a great-something granddaughter of the Human architect that created this castle.”
“Oh…” she said breathlessly, now very invested.
“Her family and mine had been close for generations since, and some members had even become part of the royal cabinet like her father. Livian was her name, and she was…she used to be wonderful.”
