Shadow Empire

Chapter 2

＊Ｗａｒｎｉｎｇ － Ａｎｇｓｔ（?）＊

━━━━━━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━━━━━━

"Are you out of your mind?!"

Vince doesn't know what's infuriating. The fact that he caught Jennie dangerously flirting with a stable boy or the fact that the princess in front of him is looking uninterested as if she's not hearing him as he confronts her.

"In case you've forgotten. You're a princess! A princess, Jennie! I can't even begin to think what more could've happened if I hadn't caught you!" Vince shook his head in a mixture of fury and disappointment but the princess remained unbothered as she flipped through a book she's currently reading.

"By all means, if you're actually in love with this stable boy I will not interfere. You know I won't. I don't care if he has no title, I don't care if he's a commoner. Title or no, if this boy brings you happiness I will step aside. But we both know that this, this isn't you. You're not acting like yourself..." his voice getting deeper as he calms himself down.

"Jennie, I want to understand. I just want t-"

"Are you quite done Lord Vincent?"

There it was again. The tone of her voice. The way she used his title and his full name to address him. As if they did not grew up together. As if she doesn't know him at all. As if he was nothing. She's right in front of him and yet... and yet he couldn't reach her.

This was probably the longest conversation—if one could call it that—they've ever had since the tragedy that is the late king.

He knew she's broken after all that happened. After the lost she had suffered, she hasn't been acting like herself and he understood why. Every one of them is broken and he believed this was her way of coping. But he was being understanding at most. He'd keep her company despite her making it clear that she wanted to be alone. He learned to share silence with her as compared to their usual bickering that now seems so long ago. He'd bring her food whenever he hears that she'd skipped it. He would say a word or two and not get any response from the princess as if she had mastered turning him invisible. And he let her. He always knew when to step back, he knew when she wanted her space and he'd always give that to her.

In the beginning she had so much anger, it was as if she wanted everyone to hate her. But that didn't last long, it was a swift progress to having too much to not having anything. At all.

And then this happened. It was so hard to keep up, so when he saw her almost pinned against the wall by that stable boy—who should've known better—he blows up. Perhaps it was the greater part of him that is overly protective of her that reacted, but right now, all he can think of is that this needs to stop. This isn't her and both of them knew that.

He's done being silent. He's done being invisible. He should've reached out a long time ago and he wished he isn't too late to do that now.

Jennie slammed her book close and stood up from her chair going towards the door, her usual way of dismissing him. But Vince was quick to block her way, they both stood their ground for a good minute. It was a battle of who's going to yield.