I wrapped my fingers around the hilt of my ice sword.

It solidified instantly in my grasp, clear and deadly, humming with quiet recognition. The water beneath my skin responded. I felt it vibrate along my veins. It answered me like something alive.

I stepped forward.

The training yard was empty. Only the wooden dummy stood before me, scarred from previous sessions. The sky above was bright and merciless. No witnesses. No expectations.

I moved first.

A sharp slash across the torso. The blade cut through hardened wood like frozen lightning. Splinters exploded into the sand.

I pivoted. Another strike, lower this time. I drove the blade through the dummy’s shoulder joint and twisted. The sound cracked through the air.

“Again,” I muttered to myself.

I conjured a second blade in my free hand. Dual-wield. Harder control. My breath quickened as I stepped into a combination—spin, slash, duck, upward thrust. Ice shards burst outward each time metal met wood. My pulse pounded in my ears.

The water in my blood roared with me.

I lunged forward and drove the sword straight through the dummy’s chest. Frost spread instantly, encasing half the structure in thick white crystal. I pulled the blade free and with a sharp inhale shattered the ice.

The dummy exploded into pieces.

Silence returned.

I stood there breathing hard. My arms trembled faintly from exertion. Sweat ran down my spine.

I wiped my face with a towel and took a long drink from my water flask. The liquid felt cold and grounding.

I looked around.

The yard was quiet. It was not unusual to see few knights. The Demon Kingdom did not rely on palace guards for protection.

Two weeks had passed since the ball.

The atmosphere in the castle had not felt right since.

Kaelin had been gone for three days. Yokai and Luis told me nothing. Luis kept up his foolish humor, but something beneath it felt strained.

I ran a hand through my hair. It was damp and slightly greasy from training. I stretched and felt my back crack. My gaze returned to the broken dummy at my feet.

I stared at it longer than necessary.

A strange sadness settled in me. Unexplained. Heavy.

I sat down on the sand and leaned back on my hands. The sun warmed my skin. I closed my eyes for a moment.

My parents were dead because of me.

My beloved servant. Cedric. Tortured. Humiliated.

I was born a princess. Crowned a crown princess. I made my debut in society.

I remembered it clearly.

I smiled.

“What is there to smile about?”

I heard the rustle of his belt and the sound of boots grinding into sand.

I opened my eyes.

Kaelin stood there.

Memory crawled over me like a warning. His hands sliding down my body. His cocky remarks.

“Well,” I said evenly, “that remains a secret. Just like yours.”

He raised a brow. His red-violet eyes glowed unfairly in the sunlight. He sat beside me with a quiet exhale.

“Well.”

I turned toward him, irritated.
“Well what?”

He lowered his head slightly. I saw the weight on his shoulders. His lips pressed thin before he exhaled deeply.

“I promise you,” he said quietly, “tomorrow everything will be made clear.”

I studied him. The dark circles under his eyes. The tension in his pupils. His hand trembled slightly before he corrected it.

“You don’t have to force anything,” I said softly. “I’m sorry.”

He stared ahead. One leg stretched out. The other bent, his arm resting on it.

“You destroyed that dummy,” he said.

I laughed lightly.
“I was bored.”

Silence lingered.

“How can you dance that well?” he asked.

Nostalgia rushed through me. I inhaled slowly.

“As a future princess, you learn everything. Theory. Practice. Dance. Instruments.”

He cracked his fingers.
“Is that where your love for dance came from?”

I smiled faintly.
“My parents were strict. Most lessons annoyed me. Except history and dance. When I danced, it felt like art. Like something you could lose yourself in. Music guided you. Creativity moved you.”

He glanced at me from the side.
“That’s why you took the ball so seriously.”

We both laughed.

Then we fell silent again.

We both knew the duel that night had not only been a duel.

I changed the subject.

“What did you like as a child?”

His eyelids lowered slightly.
“I had nothing special. Only my clique.”

I blinked.
“You mean the same group you’re with now?”

He laughed at my expression.
“Why are you staring like a fish?”

“Shut up.”

“I assumed you had friends,” I said, “but not that all of them stayed.”

He nodded slowly.
“Yes. That is rare.”

“It must be beautiful,” I admitted. “To have people like that.”

He rubbed his forehead.
“Yes.”

We both looked at the broken dummy.

“My first two friends were Yokai and Akaza,” he said. “They were orphans like me. It feels like yesterday.”

He smiled faintly.

“Later I met Luis. I almost killed him when I caught him spying.”

He laughed.

“And Taurus,” he continued. “He is the last of his kind. A group tried to kill him.”

I frowned.
“Oh no.”

“Yes,” he said quietly. “We barely saved him. He trained relentlessly afterward and swore eternal loyalty.”

Taurus’s words from the ball echoed in my mind.

“I even have old pictures of us,” Kaelin added.

“And you?” he asked.

I shrugged.

“As a princess, friendship is complicated. I had one best friend. My personal maid. Mara. She was killed.”

I picked at the dry skin of my lip.

“Are you nervous about the wedding?” he asked.

I laughed too loudly.
“No. Absolutely not.”

Then I quieted.

“I’m not even sure about my decision anymore.”

He turned sharply.
“What do you mean?”

I took a breath.

“Yokai and Luis gave me information. The economic situation has improved. Poverty dropped by ten percent. That is significant. Crime has decreased due to stronger controls. The politics seem stable.”

He looked confused.
“Aaliyah?”

“I’ve tried to think rationally,” I continued. “Not emotionally.”

My eyes grew glossy despite myself.

“Should I truly start a war just because I have a claim to the throne? That’s selfish. Innocent people would die.”

I inhaled deeply.

“Rob hurt me. Deeply. I am not over it. The way he stabbed my father. The way my mother’s head rolled. The torture.”

I opened my eyes.

“But none of that changes what he wanted. My father ruled poorly. That’s why the coup succeeded.”

Kaelin’s voice sharpened.
“So you’ll let it go?”

“Forgive? No. Let it go? Probably.”

The cold crept through me suddenly.

“If he serves my people better than I could, why create chaos?”

He dragged a hand down his face.
“That’s weak. Then why attend the wedding? To humiliate yourself?”

“In the eyes of those who only crave revenge, maybe,” I replied calmly.

His eyes widened.

“I want to go to form an alliance.”

“You’re insane.”

I laughed softly.
“Be grateful I can think clearly after everything.”

A pause.

“I was born into this role. But isn’t freedom better? Maybe an overthrow isn’t always evil. I could stay here. Work as a diplomat between the human and demon kingdoms.”

He shook his head in disbelief.

“You’re either making yourself comfortable or I don’t know what.”

“Kaelin.”

He glared at me.

“I am trying to find peace,” I said.

He stared at me as if I had spoken another language.

“You humans are…” He looked disgusted. “Strange. The purest emotions are negative. The positive ones always have a flip side.”

I stood slowly and brushed the sand from my clothes.

“Yes. We are strange. Yes, if someone murders your entire family tomorrow and you forgive him, it sounds absurd. I understand it does not fit into your demon brain.”

The words left my mouth sharper than intended.

In that moment I made something clear.

Perhaps too clear.

He looked at me.

“Do whatever you want.”

And something between us shifted.