Free Web NovelChapter 393: I told you he wanted to play
While the two were busy in their own little sanctuary, outside, the snow continued to drift lazily through the frozen hedges, entirely oblivious to the heavy, carnal heat building behind the glass windows.
Princess Liora stepped fully through the gap in the foliage, her vibrant golden eyes sparkling with genuine curiosity as she offered a bright, un-royal grin to the two common children.
"Hello! I’m Liora, and this is my cousin Lucius. We heard the sound of a sword from the path. Are you practicing for the vanguard?"
The young girl, who had just been laughing at Bellard a moment prior, instantly froze. Her name was Betty.
Though the people of the North treated the royals with a grounding normalcy, she wasn’t entirely foolish; the immaculate, silver-threaded embroidery along Liora’s dark fur mantle and the polished crest on Caspian’s cloak screamed high nobility.
And of course, who in the North wouldn’t know of the Duke’s son, when he had similar features to his Father.
Bellard, however, remained rooted in his stance. His small hands tightened around the hilt of his wooden training sword, his chest heaving slightly from the exhaustion of his routine.
He looked past the energetic princess, his eyes locking directly onto Prince Cassian, who had slowly stepped through the hedge behind his sister.
Cassian stood rigidly, his chin tucked into his heavy velvet collar as he tried to mask his sudden nervousness behind a wall of imperial decorum.
But his gaze didn’t wander to the girl or the beautiful snowscape. It was fixed entirely on the wooden weapon in Bellard’s hands.
He could see the slight tremor in the common boy’s right shoulder—the exact same dull ache Cassian used to get after hours of continuous repetition under his sword master.
"You’re dropping your wrist during the recovery swing," Cassian stated before he could stop himself, his voice sounding a bit too stiff, like a textbook instructor from the palace.
Bellard blinked, his brow furrowing with a quick spark of defensive pride. "I’m keeping my form level. That’s how the knights do it."
"The standard vanguard stance requires a level recovery, yes," Cassian countered, taking a single pace forward, his boots sinking into the deep powder.
For a brief second, the stifling weight of the capital’s expectations seemed to lift from his young chest, replaced by the simple, raw instinct of a boy who knew the weight of a blade.
"But if you don’t ease the pressure on your shoulder during the follow-through, the weight of a real steel sword will tear your muscle before you even finish the first drill. Like this."
Without thinking about his royal robes or the guards watching from the distance, Cassian reached out his hand toward Bellard, his eyes reflecting a quiet, shared understanding that had absolutely nothing to do with crowns or empires.
Liora watched them, a soft, delighted smile breaking across her face as she nudged Lucius with her elbow. "See? I told you he wanted to play."
Lucius offered a small, knowing chuckle, folding his arms as he watched the two boys. "Though I do not practice the sword," his voice came out small. "My father says the exact same thing about the follow-through when speaking with the knights," he added softly. "If you don’t relax the shoulder, you’re just fighting your own body."
Bellard looked between the Crown Prince and the young Lord, his stubborn grip loosening just a fraction.
He looked down at his own wooden blade, then back up at Cassian’s outstretched hand. The intense, unyielding posture he had been forcing himself to maintain suddenly felt silly.
"How... how do you ease it then?" Bellard asked, his voice losing its defensive edge, replaced by the raw curiosity of a boy who truly wanted to learn.
Cassian’s eyes brightened, a rare, genuine smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He stepped closer, completely forgetting the stiff etiquette of the capital as he reached out to adjust Bellard’s stance, lightly tapping the boy’s right elbow to lower his posture.
"Like this. Let the weight drop into your hips, not your shoulder. Swing with the wind of the North, not against it."
While the boys immediately drifted into their own quiet world of footwork and blade angles, Princess Liora turned her attention entirely to the young girl standing by the hedge.
"Hi! I’m Liora," she repeated brightly, stepping closer until her beautifully embroidered boots were just inches from the girl’s simpler leather winter shoes. "Do you like flowers?"
Betty stuttered for a moment, her cheeks flushing a deep pink that had nothing to do with the winter cold. She quickly scrambled to curtsy, bowing her head low. "G-Greetings, your Highness. I am Betty. Daughter of the estate’s greenhouse keeper."
"Oh, let’s drop the formalities!" Liora laughed, completely bypassing the polite distance usually demanded by the court.
She reached out and warmly grabbed Betty’s gloved hands, squeezing them with an infectious enthusiasm. "Do you like flowers?"
Betty blinked, utterly disarmed by the Princess’s lack of pretense. She slowly raised her head, a small, tentative smile finally breaking through her nervousness.
"I... I love them, your Highness. My father keeps the winter lilies alive in the glass houses even when the blizzards hit."
"The winter lilies?" Liora’s golden eyes sparkled with absolute delight. She practically dragged Betty a step forward, her heavy cloak swirling in the snow. "So that’s why they’re so beautiful. It must have a great keeper!" She giggled. "Back in the capital, everything is so manicured and boring, but master always seems to be interested in lilies and botany so I took an interest in flowers as well. I want to see all the flowers that can survive the frost!"
Lucius watched his cousin completely sweep the poor local girl up in her whirlwind energy, shaking his head with a fond smile.
The garden, which had felt so heavy and thick with the adults’ unspoken anxieties just an hour ago, was suddenly filled with the bright, clear sound of children’s laughter and the steady, rhythmic whoosh of a corrected training sword.
"Ah, it seems they’re having fun." Julian whispered as he watched from the top of the manor. He had been watching the whole time, having paused the work on his desk for a second.
The thought of the Emperor and Norx getting together was still slightly getting him on edge. Just how did that union come about? He couldn’t concentrate thanks to it.
He looked towards the other corner of the estate and found the servants secretly carrying out preparations. He was not stupid. He had noticed it a couple of times and Alaric clearly did not want him to find out but he wondered if he would tell him if he asked.
He turned around, leaving his study and heading for Alaric’s study.
He may just be a tutor right now but he had assumed he would take on work in the Estate and Duchy as Alaric’s partner. He could not simply be a tutor and not take on other responsibilities.
Right now... he was no different from the Duchess.
Just as that thought hit him, he slowed his steps and came to a halt. Was he?
Yes, he was Alaric’s lover but it did not look like Alaric would give him any responsibility to take care of or work to do. And he was a man for crying out loud. How could he be the duchess?
