Sophie’s POV

Training sessions at St. Vladimir's Academy were always brutal, but today, my body felt heavier than usual. Every punch, every kick I threw against the training dummy seemed to drain my energy faster than ever before. But I kept going. I had to. Because that’s what it meant to be a guardian. To be Ruby's guardian.

I threw another punch, gritting my teeth as pain shot up my arm. "Come on, Sophie. Focus," I muttered under my breath. The reminder wasn’t just for my training—it was for everything. Ruby needed me now more than ever, and I had to be strong enough to protect her from whatever dangers were lurking out there.

"Your form’s getting sloppy," came a voice from behind. I turned to see Dimitri Markov, my mentor and the most experienced guardian at the academy. His expression was as stoic as ever, but I could see the faint glimmer of concern in his eyes. He'd been watching me struggle for weeks now, and I hated that I couldn't hide it from him. "You’re distracted."

“I’m fine,” I said, biting back the frustration in my voice. I didn’t want to talk about it. I didn’t want to admit that, no matter how hard I trained, I could still feel the phantom pain of that night. The night Ruby lost everything, and I almost lost her.

Dimitri gave me that look—his ‘don’t even think about lying to me’ look. “You’re not fine. Your mind is somewhere else, and that’s going to get you killed. Worse, it could get her killed.”

His words hit like a punch to the gut. I knew he was right, but that didn’t make it any easier to hear. “I won’t let that happen,” I said, more to myself than to him. “I won’t let anything happen to Ruby.”

“You’ve done more for her than most would,” Dimitri said, his tone softening just a bit. “But you need to take care of yourself, too.”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. The truth was, I wasn’t sure I knew how to take care of myself anymore. Not when every waking moment was spent worrying about Ruby, about the enemies who would come for her now that she was the last of her family. The ones who would see her as a threat to be eliminated or a pawn to be used. I couldn’t afford to be weak. Not now. Not ever.

“Again,” I said, gesturing to the training dummy. Dimitri sighed but didn’t argue. He adjusted my stance, showing me where my guard had slipped, and we went through the motions again. Strike, block, strike. Over and over, until my muscles screamed and my lungs burned.

It was only when the academy bell rang, signaling the end of the training period, that I allowed myself to relax. Dimitri patted my shoulder. “We’ll pick this up tomorrow. Get some rest, Sophie.”

“Yeah,” I muttered, though we both knew I wouldn’t.

After a quick shower, I headed to Ruby’s dorm. The hallway was quiet, and I could hear the faint murmur of students chatting in their rooms. The moment I reached her door, I paused. It always felt like a sanctuary—an unspoken rule that once we were inside, we could pretend, even if just for a moment, that we were two normal girls, that the weight of destiny and duty didn’t press down on us.

I knocked lightly, and when Ruby’s soft voice called for me to come in, I pushed the door open. There she was, sitting by the window with a book in her lap, the golden light of the setting sun framing her like a portrait. She looked up, and when she saw me, her eyes softened, and she offered a small smile.

“Training went late again?” she asked, closing her book. Her tone was casual, but I could hear the worry underneath it. She always worried about me, even when she had so much more to worry about herself.

I shrugged, leaning against the doorframe. “You know Dimitri. He never lets up.”

Ruby laughed—a sound I didn’t hear nearly enough these days. “Sounds about right. You’d think he’d cut you some slack by now.”

“Not when he knows you’re my charge,” I said, teasing. But the words brought a shadow over her expression, and I cursed myself for being so careless.

She turned back to the window, looking out at the academy grounds. “I’m not just your soon to be charge, you know.”

“I know,” I said softly, crossing the room to sit beside her. “You’re so much more than that.”

For a moment, we sat in silence, watching as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of red and gold. I could feel the tension radiating off her, the way her shoulders hunched just slightly, like she was carrying a burden too heavy for her slender frame.

“Do you ever think about that night?” she asked suddenly, her voice barely above a whisper.

My heart twisted. “Every day.”

Ruby nodded, her fingers tracing invisible patterns on the windowsill. “I can’t stop thinking about it. How everything changed so quickly. How one moment, I had everything, and the next… nothing.”

“You didn’t lose everything,” I said, reaching out to cover her hand with mine. “You still have me.”

She looked at me then, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “I know. And I’m so grateful, Sophie. I don’t know how I would have survived without you.”

I felt a lump form in my throat. “You would’ve,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Because you’re strong, Ruby. Stronger than anyone I’ve ever known.”

She shook her head, a sad smile tugging at her lips. “I don’t feel strong. I feel… broken. Like I’m just pretending to be this princess, this future queen that everyone expects me to be.”

“You’re not pretending,” I insisted. “You’re doing the best you can. And that’s all anyone can ask.”

Ruby sighed, leaning her head against my shoulder. “I wish I could be like you, Sophie. So sure of everything. So fearless.”

I let out a bitter laugh. “I’m not fearless. I’m terrified every single day.”

She pulled back, looking at me with wide eyes. “You? Terrified? I don’t believe it.”

“It’s true,” I admitted. “I’m terrified that I won’t be strong enough to protect you. That one day, something will happen, and I won’t be there to stop it.”

Ruby reached up, cupping my cheek with her hand. Her touch was warm, grounding me. “You’ve always been there, Sophie. Even when I thought I was alone, you found me. You saved me.”

“And I always will,” I vowed, my voice barely a whisper. “No matter what.”

For a moment, we stayed like that, just the two of us, tangled together in the fading light. I didn’t know what the future held. I didn’t know how many more dangers we’d have to face or how many battles we’d have to fight. But as long as I had Ruby, as long as she was by my side, I knew I could face whatever came our way.

Because she wasn’t just a princess, and I wasn’t just her guardian. We were more than that.

We were everything.