Chapter 34
“Hey, your eyes are pretty, Arkin. You know, that flower called delphinium? When the petals overlap, they’re exactly the same blue as your eyes….”
Arkin’s brow furrowed slightly, as if he hadn’t quite caught what she was saying. Amalfi quickly waved both hands. “No, no. Nothing at all.”
His heart pounded harder. The saying went that beauty was bad for your health…
“Um, there’s something else I’ve been wondering about, Arkin.”
Arkin had no patience left to spare for the princess who kept sliding her hand along his arm like that. His gaze kept drifting back to Nefetia and Zafiri sitting together nearby.
“Spit it out.”
A wild, sun-bronzed man with drooping night-dark hair sprawled across the prince’s seat. Zafiri, the prince of Ivica, treated women as naturally as breathing—half-naked, rippling with muscle, the very picture of effortless charm. Arkin couldn’t stop watching him. The conversation flowed lively and easy; Zafiri propped his chin on one hand, eyes soft and constant, nodding along with every word.
“You know, they say all the men of Solinar swear the Oath of Chastity once they reach a certain age. For their one true wife alone.”
The words slipped out before Arkin realized it—half a lifetime with only one woman. Something about that caught him off guard. He turned back to the flower-princess. “Why are you curious?”
Amalfi’s huge eyes sparkled with something like hope. She swallowed, clasped her hands, and answered in a voice dripping with romance. “Because it’s so beautiful. A man who guards his purity for only the woman he’s betrothed to, keeping that vow until the day he dies…”
“That’s our rule, yes.”
Arkin forced a polite smile. Then Princess Serena of Lakeium brushed past them, black hair and green eyes flashing. His own mouth twisted bitterly. “I wouldn’t call it romantic.”
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Arkin waited until the other trainees finally stood. When Nefetia slipped past him alone, he caught up in two quick strides. “Nefetia.”
He had expected to feel light and easy around her once he stripped away every trace of destiny. Instead the feeling was the opposite—his stomach twisted in a strange, restless way. The pressure that had once gripped him when she touched him was gone, leaving only his own body’s reaction. He had to stay on guard.
“Hm?”
Nefetia stopped and looked at him. The moment their eyes met, heat flared along his neck. He chose his words carefully. “What you did to Draconis… it was incredible. I wanted to throw a punch myself.”
“Ah… thank you.”
She gave him a soft smile. Arkin opened his mouth to say more, but before he could, Zafiri appeared at his side. “Prince of Solinar, I see you still have things to discuss with Nefetia. Mind if we go ahead?”
Their eyes met for a split second. Arkin nodded quickly. “…Sure. Go on.”
Zafiri took Nefetia’s hand and walked off, still smiling. Arkin stood alone, forcing himself to lag behind and then loop around the path again so he wouldn’t see them laughing together.
The sunset painted Credo Island in golds and crimsons. Warm sea breezes ruffled his hair. Marble pillars glowed rose-pink, palm fronds swayed. Below, the sun slipped slowly into the purple sky. Distant cries of birds heading home drifted on the wind. Arkin tried to fill his mind with other thoughts, but the island’s beauty only made the emptiness inside him feel louder.
…Isn’t it strange how much I’m worrying about someone I just met today? I have my own duties, yet here I am distracted. My feelings are all over the place. I should have kept my distance or at least stayed friendly, not this… half-and-half thing. I’m not like this.
A grueling day. He just wanted to rest. But when he finally stepped into his empty room, he didn’t throw himself onto the narrow bed. He stared at the thin mattress and hesitated. His day wasn’t over yet. Tonight’s nightmare waited for him like always.
People say sleep washes away the day’s fatigue. His day, however, wasn’t over. The nightmare was still waiting. Every night the same terrible visions would gnaw at him. He sighed, crossed to the window, and slid the wooden panel open. He breathed in the salty wind, closed his eyes, and prayed—please let me sleep safely tonight.
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The first peace treaty shall be signed beneath the World Tree, where the wind whispers the names of the ten kingdoms. The first warrior shall rise from the mist, and the first queen shall bind her heart to his. The path shall twist like a vine, and only together shall they break the chains of fate. LT__/div__GT
The ten-day adaptation period had been harder than Arkin expected. The princes and princesses struggled with the island’s clothing. Short, thin tunics kept slipping down; slits between their legs revealed everything; sandals kept coming untied; and one wrong sit would send the princesses’ eyebrows shooting up in disapproval.
Prince Kaichen, who had never before even touched water with his own hands, had lost his temper when his hastily tied undergarment came undone. He stepped on the long fabric that had slipped between his legs, tripped, and the short tunic rode all the way up, leaving his pale backside exposed to the world.
“The Thunder Prince has an ass as white as snow,” said Stella from Astraria, her dry voice flat as ever. A ripple of laughter spread through the group. Kaichen, still furious, shot upright. “Stop laughing! All of you! Who stepped on my foot? Who gave me this stupid outfit? Come out here and say that!”
He roared the whole time, but no one stepped forward to take the dressing-down. Small mishaps had continued every day, yet the body slowly adapted. After ten days the ten princes and princesses moved with more discipline, their manners smoother, their habits stricter. Seneca finally declared that real lessons would begin.
On the first lesson day, Arkin woke early. He hadn’t slept well, but his mind was clear. The competition had truly started; his chest felt light with excitement.
“Arkin, did you sleep well?”
Nefetia greeted him lightly in front of the dining hall. Her honey-yellow eyes looked straight into his. “Yes, I slept well.”
He gave her an awkward smile, let her go first, then followed into the hall. He still didn’t know her well, yet she wasn’t a stranger either. While he felt uneasy every time their eyes met, Nefetia always smiled back easily, as if they had known each other for ages.
The trainees sat scattered, chewing barley bread and chickpea soup in silence. Draconis tore into his bread at the corner table like a beast. Petra and Elio, seated diagonally across from each other, refused to look at each other. Kaichen muttered, “Ugh, I’m so bored already!”
Amalfi from Floria rested her chin on one hand, stirring her porridge. Stella from Astraria had lain face-down on her bed, back to the world. Only Nefetia and Zafiri seemed to belong in another realm. Zafiri spotted her and waved both hands happily. Their quiet laughter floated between the others.
Arkin watched Zafiri’s gentle eyes for a moment, then lowered his gaze to his own plate. He had repeated the same pledge a hundred times the moment he woke. Just look at her and do what you have to do. He didn’t care who she was close to.
“Today you will tour the island where you will live for the next six months.”
The trainees followed Seneca in loose groups. The first stop was Silence Forest. Ancient trees rose so high the canopy blocked the sky. Soft moss cushioned their steps as they walked deep inside. When they passed a line of weathered flagpoles, an especially tall and old tree filled the entire view.
“Look carefully. This is the exact spot where the World Alliance was first signed under the World Tree. It is the historic place where King Chefkin the First of Solinar gathered representatives from each nation to hold the first peace conference.”
Arkin looked up at the centuries-old trunk. Even one branch was thicker than most trees around it. He had grown up hearing stories of the continent-spanning war that was ended by this man, the creation of the World Alliance, and the proposal to hold prince and princess competitions on Credo Island. His great-grandfather—beloved across the entire continent as a great sage.
“Could I one day become a leader like that?”
The thought came unbidden. A man who brought peace and forged a world alliance. Arkin had listened to those legends since childhood. Someday, when he led Solinar, he wanted to be that kind of person—even if it was only a vague, distant dream.