Page 57 of A Requiem of Fire and Ice

“Not unless I can find someone better than him,” I say.

“I’ll ensure it doesn’t happen. Alad is my mentor. I will not let him die by your hands, Prince Reen.”

I force the doors open and step into the Knights of Eraminia’s quarters. “Of course you won’t.”

Chapter 26

Pandora Hart, July 12th

A flash of lightning illuminates Rose’s soft features a second before the clap of thunder rumbles, shaking the stairs towards the Kingdom of Storm. I shift my gaze away from her and eye the edge of the cliff. What are her chances of surviving if she harbours an inkling of suspicion towards me?

To think that the few elemny I want to avoid have found me instead. The anxiety-ridden thoughts plague me when my mind drifts to whether I spoke too carelessly in front of her. There’s even a chance that the Knights of Eraminia fed her information, and she’s not here to escort the children up the stairs, as she said. The Knights want to get me once we’re inside her kingdom.

Fuck.

What do I do? I can’t push her off the edge when she’s holding a damn child…can I?

No, I can’t do it.

The thought of imagining an innocent child falling to their death causes a sickness to churn in my stomach.

The anxiety-ridden thoughts plague me when my mind drifts to whether I spoke too carelessly in front of her. Even knowing she’s not responsible for their deaths, her kingdom did nothing about it when they are inherently stronger than fire elemny!

I know the air is thinner in my kingdom, but they could have aided in pushing the ships away or something. Or, if they couldn’t do that, the bare minimum would have been to pay their respects to the fallen kingdom.

Yes, King Ragan’s strong, but not in their domain, where their palace swarms with the clapping of thunder, flashing lightning, howling wind, and the pounding of heavy rain.

They did nothing, and the thought of their daughter within my reach sends intense hatred boiling black and blue inside me.

I turn my head and notice the two teenagers close behind us. Then, I look ahead at the kids, sluggishly moving, as I see them through the flashes of lightning that occur every few seconds. If I time it well, I can act like I accidentally tripped and bumped into her. Rose seems like the type to sacrifice her life for the one in her arms. This means that if she fell, she wouldn’t turn into a water droplet; she would protect the child in her arms.

A flash of lightning illuminates our surroundings as I lean into her. Rose’s bright smile beams when she faces me. Stiffening beneath her watchful gaze, I shuffle away and grip the railing.

Fuck.

I can’t do it. I can’t kill her because she has done nothing to me yet to warrant an attack. I’m not like my fucking mother, who will kill out of utter jealousy—even when there is none! And here I am, acting like her and thinking of killing an innocent. Isn’t Queen Ji-Sun enough collateral?

I killed the one I sought revenge on.

Unless Rose tries something first, I can’t hurt her. If I do, then I’m as bad as my parents. And I’m trying very hard not to spiral down the rabbit hole I’ve known my entire forsaken life.

“What will you do when you enter the kingdom?” Rose asks.

I force an exhausted smile. “Honestly…I want a shower.”

“Me too!” Rose beams a smile. “But I have to talk to my dads first. They’re going to be so mad!”

“Why?”

“My dad is overprotective. And after hearing about King Ragan, he doesn’t want me to walk around alone.”

I eye her and then look away. “Wasn’t it suicide?”

She stares ahead. “Right. Yeah…I forgot.”

Rose is lying to me. Why? What the fuck is she hiding?

Have additional details been revealed that I am not aware of? Something they’re keeping from the rest of Eraminia. It’s not like I can press for more intel. Even if I act like an obsessed fan of King Ragan, pushing her when she’s standoffish on the subject will make me look criminal.