Traveling alone, Aleph and Leticia discovered, with each passing day, new similarities and shared interests. The friendship between them deepened, and a new feeling, different from anything they had ever experienced, began to blossom in Leticia's heart.
"Why does he protect me with such dedication but refuse to be my knight officially? I'd like to show my gratitude for everything he has done for me, but what would be the right way? He comes from another kingdom; the customs must be different..."
They arrived at a unique village, with architecture and vegetation distinct from anything Leticia had ever seen. Approaching a welcoming inn, Aleph stopped her, his voice low and serious:
"We cannot draw attention," he said. "We need to hide your identity. To avoid suspicion, it would be best to pretend we are a traveling couple."
Leticia nodded, understanding the need for the precaution. Aleph, visibly embarrassed but disguising his discomfort, continued:
"Ideally, for security, we should share the same room. But I imagine you would feel uncomfortable with that, Princess."
"It's no problem for me," Leticia replied, more flustered than she let on. "After all... you are my knight. It would be the ideal measure in this situation."
Despite her apparent calmness, Leticia felt the blush rise to her cheeks. It would be the first time she had ever shared a room with a man.
"Focus, Leticia. Act naturally," she ordered herself. "I can't show any shyness."
She mentally chided herself, seeking refuge in childhood memories of sharing a room with Laurenn and listening to their mother's stories and lullabies.
At the inn's reception, Aleph requested a room with two single beds.
"I don't want to disturb my fiancée's sleep," he explained to the receptionist, who was admiring them with a smile. "I tend to move around a lot during the night."
The receptionist was charmed by Aleph's delicacy. Leticia, for her part, let out a sigh of relief.
Upon entering the room, Leticia noted the peculiar decor, an intriguing mix of familiar elements from the Winter Kingdom with exotic and unknown touches. Ready for bed, she noticed Aleph sitting in the armchair next to her bed.
"Aren't you going to sleep in the bed, Sir Aleph?" she asked, concerned. "It must be uncomfortable to spend the night sitting up."
"I need to stay vigilant," he replied simply.
Aleph's answer caused a slight discomfort in Leticia. The idea of being watched while she slept embarrassed her. She tried to stay awake, but exhaustion won, and she drifted off to sleep.
Aleph watched Leticia sleeping peacefully. Her long black hair was loose, spread across the pillow, and he imagined how soft it must be to the touch.
"I'd like to touch it," he thought, as his gaze slid to her delicate lips, which seemed to be asking for a kiss. "I wanted to feel them."
But then, as if waking from a dream, he recoiled. "What am I thinking? Why did such thoughts cross my mind?"
And, without realizing it, exhaustion took hold of him, and Aleph ended up falling asleep.
Leticia woke up and found Aleph asleep in the armchair. Carefully, she covered him with a blanket. She went down to the reception, where the receptionist greeted her with a smile.
"Where are you two from?" the receptionist asked, curious.
Leticia mentioned the name of the last city they had been in.
"You've been traveling for a long time, then!" the receptionist commented.
"Only one day since the last city," Leticia replied.
"Impossible! From there to here, it takes at least ten days of travel," the receptionist replied, incredulous.
"I must have been mistaken about the city's name..." Leticia murmured, confused. "But I'm sure that was the name of the city... The cities should be farther apart. How did we arrive so quickly?" she thought.
The question echoed in her thoughts, an unsettling mystery.
...
Meanwhile, in the Winter Kingdom, Laurenn was presenting an administrative report, full of innovative proposals for the next council meeting. Inspired by Aleph's advice, he had decided to become more actively involved in the kingdom's politics. Hayden, however, barely glanced at the document. With an abrupt gesture, he slapped the pile of papers.
"More useless reports?!" he exploded, furious. "You are incompetent! You're not even good for this!"
He threw the papers in Laurenn's direction, the sheets scattering across the floor. Laurenn, humiliated, lowered his head. He had dedicated so much to that project... Hayden stood up and, with contempt, stepped on the scattered papers.
"Get out of my sight!" he ordered, his voice icy. "Before your stupidity becomes contagious!"
Laurenn withdrew, frustration and sadness consuming him. It was the third time his work had been rejected. He longed to put the knowledge acquired from Master Yoshi into practice, but Hayden blocked him at every turn. His reputation as a useless prince, carefully cultivated by the king himself, isolated him politically, leaving him without allies and without a voice. Hayden, clinging to power, knew that a confident and competent Laurenn represented a threat to his reign. Therefore, he kept him under his thumb, crushing his self-esteem and destroying his hopes. With each humiliation, Laurenn became weaker, more insecure, further from the leader he could be.