Rafael groaned.
His head was pounding, and his limbs felt numb. There was a ringing in his ears, and his vision was blurry. Shaking his head, his eyelids slowly fluttered open as he took a few deep breaths to calm his racing heart.
However, before he could fully recover, he sensed a dangerous bloodlust in the air. His eyes widened, but there was no ti for him to react. The sharp tip of a blood blade was pointed right at his throat, just a centiter away from piercing his skin.
Slowly, Rafael laughed. He wasn’t sure why he did― this wasn’t a funny situation even in the slightest. But what else could he do other than laugh in the face of his most beloved, holding a weapon of his own creation against him while another man stood behind her?
"Would you really kill , my love?" Rafael asked. His smile remained on his lips, lifeless and mirthless, while Soleia’s frown deepened. "I see your theory is true. What a sha I was unable to witness it under different circumstances."
They had theorized that might be the case. Rafael could still rember it well, in Vramid’s royal palace, where Soleia had told him it might be possible. But, alas, she hadn’t managed to control it back then. He was surprised that she had mastered it in such a short span of ti.
Pride rushed through him. She had always been an extrely strong-willed and capable woman.
He leaned forward, resting his throat right against the blood weapon under Soleia’s control.
"What are you doing?" Soleia asked. A bit of panic ran through her when she noticed a bit of blood had trickled from Rafael’s skin. Her weapon had pierced him, and he remained unflinchingly staring into her eyes.
"Is this not your plan?" he asked. "If you’re going to run away with another man, you might as well kill now. That would be showing rcy. Unless..." he chuckled, "perhaps I am not worthy of it?"
Soleia gritted her teeth. She may be a woman who prided herself in her words, but now, she found herself without their aid.
"You said you would co with ," Rafael said. His voice began to crack. "Was that a lie?"
"I cannot co with you," she said in reply. "And you... You should run if you know better. What do you want the throne for? Are you truly that hungry for power?"
"I want to give you the crown you deserve," Rafael said. "But more than that, I’ve wanted the throne for years― before I even t you. If not , it would be Ricard or Raziel. Those two will only lead Raxuvia into war."
"Soleia," Orion said warningly. He gestured to the sky, where the sun had already passed its highest point and was starting to descend. "We need to go."
She stood her ground. Inside her body, Soleia’s mind and heart battled for dominance. While her rational mind knew it was best to leave for Nedour, her heart didn’t wish to go. Even if she went anywhere, she would yearn to be with Rafael. Even with his lies, even after his betrayals, even after everything that had happened between them, he was still ever so gentle, ever so kind.
"Would you co with us?" she asked.
"Soleia!"
"Soleia?"
Orion and Rafael exclaid in surprise at the sa ti, filled with equal amounts of disbelief in her words.
She pursed her lips and clenched her fists a little tighter.
"Will you co?" she repeated her question. In a softer voice, she continued, "You know we can’t stay."
Rafael took a second to recover from his shock. This ti, the smile on his face was much softer but much more sincere. His shoulders relaxed, and his posture slackened. He tried to move his fingers, but unsurprisingly, his carnelian did not glow, and his hands did not tingle with magic the sa way they normally would.
His powers had been nullified and absorbed by Soleia, controlled by the carnelian she wore on her finger.
"You know I can’t," he quietly said. "I am a prince. I have a duty to my people."
All of a sudden, Soleia felt as though they had been transported back to the freezing forests of Vramid. Sowhere in her faint mory, she recalled saying sothing similar to Rafael― no, Sir Ralph. The tis he had suggested they elope, the tis he had promised her a happily ever after, she had told him the sa.
She was a princess, and princesses had duties they ought to uphold.
So did princes, bastards or not.
Soleia tried her best to ignore the shattering of her heart. She waved her hand, and the sharp tip of the blood sword instantly turned dull. It transford into a rope and wrapped around Rafael’s body, tying him down securely before Soleia finally let her hand fall back to her side.
She turned and looked at Orion, nodding. Then, with one last look at Rafael, they traveled down the dirt path.
Soleia could feel Rafael’s piercing gaze resting on her back the entire way. However, she did not have the courage to turn back to et it.
***
"Are you alright?" Orion asked, drawing Soleia out from her thoughts.
She jerked, her back turning rod straight as she turned to look at Orion with a dazed expression.
"Apologies, did you say anything?" she asked.
Orion sighed. "We could’ve kidnapped him onto the boat with us if you cared about him so much," he said. "I am sure Princess Nessa would have a fairly luxurious jail cell to house him in while he goes through therapy."
"Oh," Soleia said. She cleared her throat. "It’s fine. He made his choice. Rafael wants the throne, and I want to leave the kingdom. We have differing goals, and as such, it is inevitable that our paths split here."
Even though she knew she spoke the truth, it didn’t make it any less depressing. She sighed, looking out of the boat and into the water.
Night had fallen, and they were sailing under the shelter of the stars. The waves were fairly quiet, other than Orion’s powerful rowing. Raxuvia slowly started to turn into a small dot in the distance, and soon enough, they would be in international waters over which King Recaldo’s navy had no control.
"How are we going to chart the course to Santok?" Soleia asked. "Do you have a map?"
"Yes," Orion said. "We can also follow the stars―"
His words were cut short when Soleia looked up to look at said stars. Only, instead of a glittering night sky, she was t with the shadow of a huge ship. A lone man balanced on the ship’s rail, one hand gripping a thick rope for support. His face could not be seen, but there was a strong red glow where he was.
Soleia’s eyes widened with horror.
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