Chapter 76 ‒ Echoes in the Shadows
Chapter 76 ‒ Echoes in the Shadows
Theodore’s giggles echoed through the palace gardens. “One more round, Nyelisse! You’ll never find me this time!”
Nyelisse watched him dart off, her ears flicking. “Hopeless prince,” she muttered, though a tiny, reluctant smile tugged at her lips.
The game stretched on, year after year — a private ritual woven into their days like a hidden thread. As they grew older, Theodore’s hiding spots became no less ridiculous, and Nyelisse’s exasperated muttering remained constant.
Then, in the dim lantern-lit warmth of the forest hut, that old game slipped into the present.
“Nyelisse, guess where I am!”
Theodore’s voice carried through the cramped wooden walls, the same childish spark shining in every syllable. Nyelisse sighed deeply, dropping the kindling she’d gathered onto the floor by the door.
“Your Majesty,” she called sharply, “we don’t live in the Imperial Palace anymore, and we are no longer children. When you hide behind the cabinet, I can see your horns.”
There was a pause, followed by a sheepish laugh. “Oh! You found me again! You’re too good at this…”
Nyelisse pressed her palm to her forehead. “When will you grow up…”
Theodore peeked out from his pathetic hiding place, pouting like a sulking child. “Oh, come on! Don’t be a killjoy. I’m finally happy after so long — after escaping that gilded cage they called the palace. I wanted to relive my happiest days.”
She stiffened. “Your Majesty, are you implying that your coronation as crown prince was not the happiest day of your life?”
Theodore’s face twisted with pain. “Quite the opposite. That was the day I felt most alone. I sat on that golden throne, but the eyes on me felt like knives — the ministers, my mother… even Lucien…”
Nyelisse’s fingers curled at her sides, claws slightly extending from the tension. His mother’s eyes… so cold. As if he were nothing but a chess piece.
Theodore’s voice softened, dropping almost to a whisper. “Lucien’s eyes… I didn’t know my own brother could look at me like that. With such hatred. Such disgust.”
Nyelisse’s chest ached, her heartbeat fluttering wildly. She wanted to scream that he was worthy, that he was strong in ways they’d never understand. But her throat locked tight.
Theodore glanced around the hut, eyes shining with quiet joy. “But here… now… I am free. I can breathe. I can laugh. And it’s all because you’re here with me.”
Nyelisse’s furred ears twitched, her gaze darting to the flickering firelight reflecting on the wooden walls. The warmth of the flames felt almost suffocating against the cold pit forming in her stomach.
“I am only here to fulfill my duty,” she said at last, her voice barely audible. “To protect you, even from your own family, if necessary. So please don’t misunder—”
Theodore tilted his head, a mischievous glint surfacing despite his sorrow. “You know… if you can’t drop this act, you could at least call me by name now. I’m sure they’ll disown me soon enough — I won’t be a prince much longer.”
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Nyelisse’s claws dug into her palm. Call him by name? How could I? If I say it once, the fragile wall I built will shatter forever.
“No!” she burst out, startling even herself. “Regardless of what happens, you are still of noble blood. I am but a knight’s daughter. Nothing more.”
Theodore sighed, his expression a mixture of fondness and sadness. “Running away from this conversation again?”
She flinched and abruptly turned toward the hearth. The wooden logs cracked and shifted, sending a sharp pop echoing through the cramped hut. “Oh look, we’re almost out of firewood. I’ll go gather more. Please stay inside. There are still many corrupted tree wraiths roaming about.”
Theodore tilted his head, smiling gently. “Didn’t you already destroy the laboratories producing them?”
Nyelisse adjusted her cloak, voice dropping even lower. “I took care of three labs… but they keep appearing. Like a disease that refuses to die. I don’t know how many more exist. So please, stay safe.”
He leaned forward, chin resting on his folded arms. “Alright. But you know you can’t avoid this conversation forever.”
She tightened her grip on the doorknob. “Take care, Your Majesty.” And with that, she stepped into the forest twilight, shutting the door behind her with a soft creak that sounded louder than thunder in the silence that followed.
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Outside, the forest pressed in like a living wall. Silvery moonlight dripped through the tangled branches, painting the mossy ground with restless shadows. Her breath curled upward in pale clouds as the cold gnawed at her face.
Call him by name… how can he even ask that of me? she thought as she marched through the underbrush, branches snagging at her cloak. If I drop my guard even for a moment, I might say things I can never take back. I might admit… no. No. I must remain a knight. His knight. That is my only place.
Every rustle of leaves felt amplified in the hush of night. The distant screeches of nocturnal creatures rose and fell like an ominous chant. She knelt to gather sticks, hands moving automatically even as her mind spiralled.
What would Father think if he saw me now? He entrusted me to guard the prince, not to dream of a future that could never be. He would call me a fool. He would… he would never forgive me.
A sharper ache joined her thoughts then, like a splinter lodged too deep to pull out. I failed him. I failed my lifelong goal — to become Captain of the Imperial Guard. She had poured her blood, sweat, and every tear into the harshest training, every dawn beginning before sunrise and ending long after moonrise. Yet no matter how hard she fought, she never rose through the ranks.
Was it because I raised my sword against Baldwin that day? The question haunted her endlessly, gnawed at her pride. Does he still bear that grudge, even after all these years?
Her hands trembled. I am a disgrace… not only did I fail to become captain, I sit at the very bottom of the knightly order, overshadowed and ignored. The little recognition I have left is only because Prince made me his escort knight. And even that… only because he can’t seem to stay out of trouble, always wandering into danger that I have to rescue him from.
She drew in a shuddering breath, pressing her forehead against the bark of a nearby tree. A failure. A disappointment. A knight who cannot even rise on her own merit.
A sudden gust of wind carried a faint, acrid scent. Nyelisse’s nose twitched sharply, all her senses snapping into focus. Her pupils narrowed to slits as instinct roared to life.
Iron… blood… someone’s here!
She shot upright, dropping the gathered wood, her claws flexing. The quiet forest around her now felt like an open battlefield. Each step back toward the hut felt like a sprint, though her legs obeyed a careful, silent urgency.
When the clearing finally emerged between the trees, her heart slammed into her ribs. The hut door hung open at a crooked angle. Smoke from the hearth still twisted lazily into the sky, mocking her with its warmth.
Then she saw him — Theodore sprawled on the floor, unconscious, webs tight around his arms. A stranger, a human figure, stood over him, shadows curling around his frame like a second cloak.
The logs tumbled from her hands, bouncing down the mossy slope with dull thuds.
A primal scream burst from her throat, sharper and louder than any battle horn. Her vision tunnelled to a single point: the intruder.
“HOW DAAAARE YOU HURT THE PRINCE?!”
Without hesitation, her muscles surged, launching her forward like a drawn arrow let loose. Her blade cleared its sheath in a gleaming arc that caught the moonlight, reflecting her rage back to the world.
In that moment, every memory, every vow, every buried feeling fused into a single, furious motion.