The Courtesan

Chapter 55

ELAYNE

{Have you decided?}

“Yes. I am going with him.”

{What about the prince?}

“I will leave him in your care. I cannot take him now but I swear I will come back for him.”

{I trust you. Please my princess, be safe.}

“I will. Wait for me.”

The carriage started and soon, I could only see the shadows of the Horps Duchy. It was like this in the past too.

"You promise you’re going to come back, Ellie?"

"I am not going to be king without you, sister. Please come back soon."

"I wish you nothing but the blessing of the gods, my daughter."

"Make our family proud, Ariana."

Carrion and Celia were crying, Father had a sad face and mother’s face was strict until the last moment, when I saw her hold my father as my carriage left for Zerramond.

“Ariana, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

It was best not to say anything. Prince Kalvin was too hard to handle. He had become more shameless as time flew by and I dearly wish I never met him. He was the kind of person that took the bull by the tail.

“It’s a long journey back to Zerramond. You should rest now.”

“Yes…”

If anyone would’ve told me I would return to Zerramond, I would’ve disagreed. But here I was, on a carriage back. Despite everything that happened, I harbored nothing but gratefulness for Kalvin.

It took us about a week to get to the northern border and reach Fort Andres. Because of the friendly relations between Zerramond and Casella, Fort Andres was peaceful all year round. It was just a little hotter than the capital city. The General in charge of the North was the only female general and was a close relative of mine. Because of how far the capital was from the North, we barely had the time to communicate.

The carriage we were in bore the royal crest of Zerramond so it was quite obvious who was in it. I didn’t know how they would react to seeing me but I wasn’t expecting them to recognize me.

“Prince Kalvin, what a surprise. I thought you would’ve left.”

Prince Kalvin already disembarked to greet the general so I could only hear what they were saying from a distance.

“General Imogen, it’s only been a few weeks. Did you miss me that much?”

“I saw your entourage leave earlier so I thought you would’ve gone too.”

“I had some business to take care of.”

“Is that so? Well then, have a safe journey. Do be careful though. The road isn’t safe these days.”

“I’ll take kindly to your words.”

He placed one foot back into the carriage when she called back for him.

“His majesty announced there would be a war against Uramuth. I wanted to ask if Zerramond would be a part as an ally.”

“... Zerramond has chosen to spectate. We will not participate unless it is worth the effort.”

“Aren’t you blunt?”

“Would you prefer I lied?”

“No. I like you just the way you are. They said you’ve become depressed ever since Princess Ariana died but you look fine.”

“I guess I have received some closure. I am still not convinced she is dead but I will take better steps from now on.”

“I wish you luck then. Clear the way for the prince!”

He entered the carriage and it began to move. Because the carriage door was open before, there was a small gap in the curtain. Through that gap, I caught a glimpse of General Imogen and had the nagging suspicion she was staring right at me.

We passed the border without mishaps and reached Zerramond territory in no time. The endless forest scenery soon changed into what I could describe as another dimension entirely.

Unlike Casella, whose capital city and major cities were the only developed cities, Zerramond had the most advanced cities all around. Their military was top notch and I once heard that every citizen was trained in martial arts from the age of 5 upwards.

The dirt part turned into cobbled floors and the trees slowly faded into huge walls. We were nearing the border city that stood between Casella and Zerramond. Zerramond was the closest country to the ocean and so carried out most of their trades over the high seas. It was also a very beautiful kingdom with rich customs and more independent people.

Once we entered the border city, the prince was welcomed by the captain in charge of guarding the gate. Even though Zerramond didn’t feel the effects of winter as harshly as Casella did, it was still very cold so it didn’t feel out of place for me to be dressed in a hood, especially at night.

We settled in a particularly expensive inn, or as they referred to it there; a hotel. Unlike normal inns, the workers of the hotel attended to their guests every need personally.

Thankfully, since we were already in the territory he was well known, we didn’t have to spend the night together. We were assigned separate rooms close to each other. There were guards stationed in front of mine and his door. He bid me a good night and settled in.

We were already in Zerramond so there was no way I could run. It wasn’t like I knew anywhere in particular apart from the capital city.

It was an uneventful night and the next morning, we continued our journey. I thought we were heading towards the capital city but I was in for a surprise when the direction we were travelling changed.

“Aren’t we going to the capital?”

“No. We’re going to a city not too far from here, Salem.”

“Why?”

“I can’t bring you into the capital city. However, I have my troops stationed in Salem so you can stay there while being protected properly. I will obtain permission from my father and come to stay there with you.”

“And he’ll approve?”

“I’ll just have to make him. Don’t worry, no one will harass you in Salem.”

“I’ll take your word for it, your highness.”

“Why won’t you call me by my name anymore? Is it because we’re already in Zerramond?”

“This place is your jurisdiction and your home. I cannot disrespect you here.”

He laughed, shaking his head.

“I’ll have someone fix your hair when we get to Salem. I cannot accept you being ‘Elayne’ any longer.”

“As you wish, your highness.”

It took a few more hours but we finally arrived at Salem. It was like another chapter of my life had opened but I had no idea that it was one that would become so important in my life.