[A few hours earlier...]

Anna lifted her eyes, her neck craning slightly as she looked ahead. The boat cut smoothly through the glittering waters beneath the bright summer sun, the surface shimmering like scattered glass.

Her face lit with anticipation.

As the outline of the mainland grew clearer, her heartbeat quickened, excitement rising with every passing moment.

"Are you sure about this, Anna?" came a voice from behind her, edged with concern. "I don’t know... this doesn’t feel right. Prince Kiev will be furious if he finds out we left without permission."

Anna turned, glancing over her shoulder at the speaker seated a short distance away. Aside from the boatman, only the two of them occupied the vessel—herself and the red-haired woman.

"Ouf! You’re starting to sound like Callis already," Anna scoffed lightly. "We’re almost at Sabel Island. Don’t tell me you’re thinking of turning back after everything we went through to sneak out?"

The red-haired woman pressed her lips together, unable to argue. It had not been easy slipping away from Semeta unnoticed. To abandon the plan now would make all that effort meaningless.

Anna turned back toward the horizon, a smile returning to her lips as the port came fully into view.

"Besides, we both wanted to see the lantern festival," she said, her voice laced with excitement. "I’ve never experienced something like this before."

Then, after a brief moment, she glanced back again, a slight crease forming between her brows.

"You’re not going to leave me halfway, are you?"

The red-haired woman met her gaze.

Anna’s emerald eyes sparkled under the sunlight, bright and full of life—so different from the woman she had first encountered.

Back then, when the princess had been brought to Semeta by Kiev and his entourage, she had seemed lost, fragile, uncertain, and wholly out of place in unfamiliar surroundings.

She was quiet, guarded and almost distant. Perhaps, by then, she was in a weaker and more ill situation.

But that impression had not lasted.

It had not taken long for her to regain her strength—and when she did, she began to open up, revealing a gentle, open-hearted nature that was difficult not to be drawn to.

Before long, the two of them had grown close.

The red-haired woman smiled faintly.

"Why would I?" she said. "You’ve been nothing but kind to me. Honestly... I’m still surprised. You, a Khasif, among all others, would choose to befriend someone like me. Not many would."

Her gaze lowered, her voice softening.

Anna’s expression shifted at once. She understood where that thought came from.

The red-haired woman’s past was no secret to her. She was an orphan who had lost both parents from birth, raised without lineage, without support... and without magic.

Her mana line had never developed, leaving her without any manifested magical attribute. In a land where such privilege defined one’s worth, that had set her apart.

And because of that, she had been overlooked and treated as lesser.

Worse still, in such a society, her condition made her even more vulnerable and even frailer than those of non-Mederian descent who bore no magic at all.

Anna felt a quiet heaviness settle in her chest. Without hesitation, she moved closer, closing the distance between them.

"Hey," she said gently, reaching out. "Don’t say that."

Her tone carried a quiet firmness.

"You’re my friend. That’s all that matters."

She smiled reassuringly.

"And as for Prince Kiev... don’t worry about him. He said it himself, didn’t he? I’m not confined and free to go wherever I wish."

A small glint of mischief appeared in her eyes.

"So technically... we’re not doing anything wrong."

"True... but he keeps you under watch all the time," the red-haired woman said, her brows knitting together. "That man is strange. Does he not trust his own betrothed or what?"

She let out a quiet breath, her gaze drifting briefly to the waters.

"And Callis... she’s been different too since returning from the continent. She used to be so lively, always dragging me into things. But now..." she momentarily stilled, searching for the right words, "...she feels more reserved. Careful. Almost... solemn. It doesn’t feel like before anymore."

Anna only gave a small shrug.

"I don’t really know them well enough to say," she admitted. "Even if we’re related and about to become family, I still feel like an outsider around them."

She tilted her head slightly, thinking.

"If we’re talking about people being strange..." she hummed softly, eyes lifting as she searched her thoughts. "...then Nessy is even stranger."

A faint crease appeared on her forehead.

"She used to be so strict. I could barely breathe around her without being corrected," Anna said with a small laugh. "But now... she’s so caring. Always hovering, always worrying over me."

Her voice softened, though uncertainty remained within it.

"Sometimes... it feels a little overwhelming. Like she’s watching me all the time, it’s as if she became a completely different person after we came here."

The red-haired woman fell quiet.

A different light flickered in her eyes.

She had heard the stories from Callis herself, her closest and only confidante.

Anna, the Ro’an princess, had endured devastation few could survive. The shipwreck that claimed the Ardel royals had taken her family from her.

The princess had escaped from the sea alive, but only just. For months after, she remained bedridden, her condition too fragile for even Kiev to bring her along with him when he came for the royal funeral.

And when she finally began to recover and regained herself, another catastrophe followed.

Power in Ardel shifted. The throne she was meant to inherit was seized in a rebellion led by her own regent.

Blood was spilled.

Lives were lost, including Nessy, her nanny.

That part of the story had struck the red-haired woman the most. Anna had endured something far harsher than anything she herself had known.

No matter how difficult her life had been, she had still had a place to belong.

After all, she had been taken into the palace from a young age to serve the royals, and her status was elevated when Callis began to befriend her and insisted that she remain by her side.

Such luck was so rare that it provided her with a life far better than she had expected. And unlike her, Anna had once had everything, only to lose it all in a single turn of fate. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Because of that, the princess was no longer the same.

There were small and fleeting moments that did not quite align.

At times, Anna would pause mid-sentence, her gaze drifting as though searching for something she could not reach.

Her fingers would still, her thoughts momentarily lost... before she returned as if nothing had happened.

She never questioned it. Or perhaps, she did not know that she should. And around her, no one spoke of it either.

Whenever such an occasion arose, the atmosphere would shift in the slightest of ways.

Words would be chosen more carefully, and conversations would be shortened. Some topics—once near—would be quietly set aside.

It was subtle. So subtle that it could easily be dismissed.

But it happened often enough to be noticed.

And yet... no one ever explained it.

Not Callis.

Not Kiev.

Not Jessy, who stayed closest to her side and was known as Nessy by Anna, the king, or the queen.

It was as though there existed an unseen line, but firmly drawn that no one dared to cross.

And Anna remained on the other side of it, unaware, as though something had already been decided for her without her knowing.

That left the red-haired woman unsettled. She knew there was something they were all deliberately withholding.

But how could she, of all people... a nobody in the eyes of society... dare to question any further?

"We’re here!" Anna suddenly exclaimed.

The red-haired woman blinked, pulled back at once from her wandering thoughts.

The boat rocked gently as it slowed. The boatman steadied the vessel and guided it towards the wooden dock. With a soft thud, the hull met the pier, ropes cast and secured in quick succession.

They had arrived on Sabel Island.

Anna was already on her feet before the boat fully settled, her excitement barely contained as she stepped forward, eyes taking in the stretch of land before them.

"Oh, my goodness! We have really arrived..." she murmured, almost to herself in amazement.

The red-haired woman followed behind, her steps more measured, gaze sweeping the surroundings with quiet caution.

"Wait," she said, reaching out lightly to stop the princess before she could step onto the dock.

Anna turned, blinking.

"For safety, you should use the disguise magic you learned," the woman added.

Anna paused, then gave a small nod.

"Right... I almost forgot."

Closing her eyes briefly, she focused. A faint shimmer passed over her form—subtle, almost imperceptible.

When it faded, her auburn hair under the hood had turned a soft black, and her emerald eyes shifted into a calm shade of blue.

The change was simple, but enough. The red-haired woman gave an approving nod.

"That should do."

With that, they stepped onto the dock.

The port was far livelier than usual.

Preparations for the lantern festival had drawn people from all over the island and beyond. Stalls lined the streets, banners hung overhead, and the air was filled with the mingling scents of food, incense, and the sea.

Voices overlapped in cheerful noise. Laughter, bargaining, music... everything blended into a vibrant hum of life.

Anna’s eyes lit up.

"Look at this..." she said, turning from one sight to another. "There’s so much happening!"

Merchants called out to passing crowds, displaying goods brought in for the celebration: handcrafted ornaments, coloured lanterns, trinkets from distant islands.

Children weaved through the crowd, clutching sweets, while groups gathered around performers who entertained with tricks and music.

Anna shifted from one stall to another, her curiosity unabated.

"Can we try that?" she asked at one point, pointing at a vendor selling skewered delicacies. "And that too!"

The red-haired woman could only sigh, though a small smile tugged at her lips as she followed along.

They spent their time wandering through the busy streets, blending into the crowd—sampling small bites, pausing at stalls, and watching the ongoing preparations for the night’s celebration.

The hours passed more quickly than expected.

Before long, the sun had shifted higher, its heat growing stronger overhead.

After nearly an hour of walking, the red-haired woman slowed her steps.

"Anna," she called gently. "We should head to the accommodation first."

Anna turned, still holding a small trinket she had picked up along the way.

"Now?"

"We’ve been out under the sun for quite some time," she said. "It would be better to rest for a while and have a proper meal before we go out again in the afternoon."

Anna considered it for a moment, then nodded.

"Alright. That sounds good."

With that, the two of them turned away from the crowd, making their way towards the arranged lodging.

As they neared their destination, Anna slowed her steps.

Her eyes caught sight of a long line stretching along a narrow lane—people gathered in numbers, standing shoulder to shoulder as if waiting for something of great importance.

"What’s going on over there?" she asked, curiosity rising at once.