1711, Aethiel Palace, Kestramore City

      "Black leather boots with gold buckles, you said ?" Cosmina murmured as she and Catarina walked over to the dining hall. "I don't think that a soldier would be wearing gold on their feet."

       "Then who could it be ?" Catarina urged frantically.

       "Perhaps a butler ?" Eleanora suggested.

       "Or the King," Jessamine chuckled. "He could certainly afford to wear boot with gold buckles."

They now arrived at the dining hall, and Catarina could see King Guillaume seated at the head of the table. While he was surely charming in his youth, and quite frankly still is, Catarina was disgusted at the notion of falling for a man who is the same age as her father.

        "No, not possible," Cosmina said in a hushed whisper. "I doubt he has time to run around in the maze. But I did see the Prince on that day..."

Catarina's eyes lit up, and she subconsciously glanced over at Julian who was sitting on the other end of the table. Perhaps if she snuck under the table, then she could see what kind of shoes he wore.

          "Prince Julian ?" 

          "No, Prince Marcus."

    She shifted her view towards the young Prince Marcus de Lavilliers, sitting in between his mother and sister, proudly holding a Terrawinian white rabbit in his arms. The little boy's thick-rimmed glasses had almost fallen off the tip of his nose, so he pushed it back up using a silver spoon, earning him a lecture from his mother, the Queen.

     Prince Marcus only half-heartedly listened to the Queen's lectures, and his eyes began to wander around wildly, finally catching Catarina's gaze. The little prince squinted his eyes to get a better look at her, and gradually a wide smile began to form on his lips.

Catarina awkwardly smiled in return, then almost immediately she turned towards Cosmina and hissed, "Surely he didn't have the strength to carry me all the way to the Princess's chambers."

      Cosmina smirked. "We'll never know."

Sitting beside Julian was a man that she had never been before, his greyish blue eyes cold and full of disdain. He was as big as a boulder, making the lean and scholarly Crown Prince look like a scrawny young boy in comparison.

         "Who is that ?" she whispered to the three girls. 

Jessamine peered over to take a look at the said man, and her eyes shone with recognition. "That's the general of the Northern Wing, the Duke of Devereaux," she stated in awe. "My father said that he is one of the best strategists that this kingdom has had in five hundred years. A great and powerful man he certainly is."

       Whenever the Duke spoke, his voice was loud and domineering, as if he were barking orders at foot soldiers. 
       
Catarina shook her head. The Duke of Devereaux was decidedly not her saviour. The man in the maze was kind, selfless and gentle, not a rough military man. 

      Unbeknownst to her, her saviour was in that same hall, sitting at the same table, eating food that was  cooked in the same pot. He was there in plain sight, but she had not noticed him. It was as if she had been blinded.

    Rafael had not seen his cousin for almost two weeks now, and he had begun to fear for the worst. What if the Princess had her locked up in the dungeons without a way to escape, or forced her to work on the fields in the middle of the afternoon without any break ?

He could not bear to think of it. In the end, he saddled his horse and rode all the way to Kestramore City, anxious to get even one glance of his little sister. Rafael knew that the ladies were not allowed to see their family members, so he used the pretense of wanting to see Julian instead.

      The Master Lombardi had even brought his hunting bow with him, as he planned to invite Julian to go hunting. However, instead of finding the Crown Prince, Rafael bumped into his sister instead.

         "Greetings, Princess," he addressed smilingly. "Isn't it a very lovely day ?"

Princess Demitria's gaze flickered towards the sad, dreary grey sky right outside the window, and she let out a loud scoff. "You call this lovely ?"

      Rafael grinned. "I get to meet you, Princess. Of course it is a lovely day. Although, I am afraid that I might be struck by misfortune soon."

             "And why is that ?" Demitria chuckled lightheartedly.

      Master Lombardi glanced at her, feigning extreme fear and concern. "I had the great fortune of meeting you today, and I fear that I've used up all the luck I have. I suppose I should just resign to my unlucky fate now."

The Princess laughed heartily until her sides hurt, finding her brother's best friend to be rather adorable. "You speak as if I am some great deity that has never shown herself to anyone in the past thousand years. Now, what brings you here to the palace, Master Lombardi ?"

     Rafael stood still in silence, entranced by her cool yet irresistable charms. The Princess's sapphire blue eyes bore into his, her lips still smiling mischievously. "Master Lombardi ?"

           "Hunting," he briskly said, holding up the bow for Demitria to see. "I plan to go hunting with the Prince, nothing more than that."

           "Nothing more than that ?"

Rafael immediately nodded, trying to appear as calm and serious as possible, but he could not conceal the sweatdrops that were forming on his forehead. "Nothing more than that."

      Demitria's smile grew as she reached for her handkerchief that was neatly tucked inside her sleeve, and she drew closer towards Rafael, until his face was mere inches from her own.

          "Princess-"

          "Shush," Demitria whispered as she gently wiped off his sweat, and he stood still there like a statue, like prey at the predator's mercy. "Master Lombardi, can I come along ?"

          "Come along where ?" Rafael replied anxiously.

          "The hunting trip, of course," she chuckled. "You said so yourself."

Rafael managed to release himself from Princess Demitria's venomous claws in the end, and he immediately made the excuse of wanting to find Julian in the gardens. His remark about not having any more luck proved to be baseless, as when he stepped into the royal garden, the very first face he saw was that of Catarina.

       "Nina!" he called out in both shock and excitement. "Look at you, do they not feed you here ? And what is that ugly thing you are wearing ? Your mother would rise up from her grave if she saw you wearing this!" 

Catarina chuckled and ran into his warm embrace. "I missed you, Cousin," she murmured. "How is everything back home ?"

         "Not much has changed," Rafael remarked truthfully. "Though your father retreated deep within his study and hasn't emerged for days."

The young maiden frowned. "Is he doing well ?"

          "Well enough. The businesses are doing remarkably great as of now, so I suppose he is busy counting money," Rafael chuckled gleefully, though the mirth did not reach his eyes.

Elliott de Fontaine, Duke of Lorewell was the richest man in the entire kingdom, and he could afford to buy anything that he wanted, but happiness is one thing that could not be bought.

     Many wonder why the Duke was unhappy --he has everything a person could ever wish for, what else does he want ?

This is a question that only Rafael could answer. Sixteen years ago, in the cold winter of 1695, he had sat by his aunt's bedside, holding her as she bled to death.

   Rafael himself had been an orphan, and the Duke and Duchess were the only parents he had ever known. He was only four when the Duchess passed away, so he barely remembered how she looked like, but he did remember her final will.

        "Rafael, I would not be around for much longer," the Duchess had said. "Poor Nina would grow up without a mother.. Rafael, will you promise that you would look after her for me ? Keep her safe and out of harm's way, and please, never let her associate with the royals. I do not want her to meet the same fate as your mother and father... Will you promise me, Rafael ?"

The Duchess had died awfully young, only twenty-one years old when she had met her demise. Elliott de Fontaine never remarried, and Rafael had forced himself to become more mature so that he could raise Catarina himself.

        "I quite like it here," Catarina said to him, her dark eyes gleaming like precious black pearls. "I have made so many friends, and-"

         "Did you fall in love with the Prince, Nina ?" Rafael cut her off rather roughly.

Catarina frowned, and slowly shook her head. "No, I did not. Why do you ask ?"

Rafael let out a sigh of relief. In the corner of his eye, he could see the opal locket dangling on the slim platinum chain around Catarina's slender neck, and his heart lurched when he saw the familiar three-pointed orchid engraved on it.

       The Duchess had said something to him too.

    "Rafael, no matter what happens, never go back to Amaris, do you understand ? Your lastname is Lombardi, not Van Den Berg anymore. Never show yourself to Anton, that hog. I want you to live a long and happy life, Rafael. That is all I ask from you.."

He stiffened, and he briskly turned towards Catarina. "Have you figured out a way to get yourself expelled from the ceremony ?"

         "I haven't. Perhaps I should stick till the end and bring home a husband," Catarina giggled, but Rafael was not amused.

         "You may marry anyone you want, but not the Prince. Anyone but the Prince."

Please vote and comment if you liked this chapter! Also, do check out my other story, The Usurper's Queen! ❤