I don't know why I expected riding a carriage to be similar to a car, but I did. Needless to say, I was gravely disappointed. Spending hours in a bouncy, poorly padded box was not fun.
"Are you sure you don't need us to stop?"
I glared at my uncle's only child, Frederick Shay. He was seated across from me inside the carriage with his arms crossed over his chest like a child throwing a tantrum. Like his father, he had an average, boyish face, but was much younger and inexperienced. He didn't understand why we were rushing to the Capital like this, and neither I nor his father cared to explain it to him.
My poor cousin. It wasn't his fault we needed to keep someone in the dark. It would make our lies less obvious.
After our first conversation, my uncle wasted no time getting me out of the monastery. Leaving was more sweet than bitter, but it was still strange to leave behind the only home this body had ever known. Although I read the original novels, I had no real experience with fantasy world I was stuck in. Fear began to bloom in my heart as we got closer to the Capital. Was there someone there who would notice I wasn't the real Theophania? Surely, if anyone could, it would be her mother, right?
Aiyah~, this was too stressful. I should have stayed in the monastery. At least, there, I wouldn't have to worry about political intrigue or assassination attempts.
Or demons.
I sighed and Frederick pounced on the chance to call me out on my weakness again.
"See? You're not feeling well. We should stop for a moment and—."
"Ugh, would you shut up? We're not going to stop."
He widened his grey eyes at me and a stranger might have thought I'd cursed his mother. "Cousin! How could you treat me like this? Such uncouth words are unworthy of a princess." Truth.
Ha. So that was his aim. I still remembered the way this 'cousin' treated the original in the novels. He, like many others in the Royal Palace, did not accept Theophania's sudden appearance. Though he should have been her closest ally, he instead led the young Nobles in ostracizing the vulnerable princess. He really was a scumbag who didn't deserve an ounce of respect.
So I would give him none.
"And whining is unworthy of a Duke's heir," I snapped back at him, my frustration cutting through my nausea. "I don't want to stop, and, even if I did, Uncle wouldn't allow it."
Mentioning his father had him swallowing his tongue. He looked out the carriage window and pouted like a child, never mind that he was three years older than me and a fully recognized adult in society. At nineteen, I was still technically a minor and would fall under my father's guardianship as soon as I set foot in his palace.
Which was one of the reasons we were rushing like this.
My birthday was in two weeks. If I wanted to get any use out of the trash who called himself my father, I needed to do it now. In the novels, Theophania was picked up by a Royal procession—after reaching adulthood. She entered the palace having had no Coming of Age Ceremony and was isolated from the rest of the Court under the pretext that she was not officially an adult, yet. The novel described it as her father's only means of protecting her, but that was just the excuse he used while forcing her to rely on him even as he poisoned others against her. He was a twisted man and I would not fall into his palm so easily.
Once we arrived in the Capital, my uncle would hold my Coming of Age Ceremony at his manor. This would serve the dual purpose of publicly declaring my allegiance to the Noble Faction and freeing me from my father's coverture. It would make the Royal Faction furious, but what did they expect? They threw me away first.
Aiyah~, but riding in a carriage was so uncomfortable. Riding at full speed would get us to the Capital in three days, at least. We had two stops planned to change horses and rest, but that was it. We couldn't afford any more than that.
Even if I secretly agreed with my cousin.
When we finally stopped, my legs were so weak I could barely stand. Frederick laughed at me, but let me use his arm to hold myself up. No doubt, this was because his father was watching us with hawklike vigilance. He wanted us to get along, the poor man. He never stepped in to stop his son from tormenting Theophania in the original storyline, so his show of interest was falling a little flat. Whatever. His sincerity didn't matter, as long as I got what I needed from him.
"We will rest for half an hour before setting out again," the Duke said as he dismounted his exhausted mount. A servant came and led the poor animal away, head lowered and back hunched. My gaze lingered on him, my shoulders tensing with sympathy. Only last week, my posture was like that, too. Curled in on myself like a shrimp, I spent my life braced for the next beating. There were a lot of people who hated the Royal Family in Acan and I was the easiest target.
I grit my teeth. Soon. Soon I would have the pleasure of putting faces to the names who tormented me. I will look them in the eye and—!
"Hey, what are you doing? Hurry up."
Frederick tugged me along roughly, not stopping even when I tripped on the edge of my skirt. I scowled up at him and he stuck his tongue out at me with childish glee. I stepped on his foot. He pulled my hair.
"Enough, children."
We froze, the Duke's biting tone cutting through our petty rivalry. We stepped away from each other with blushing faces. Aiyah~, how embarrassing.
My uncle's face lit up with a smile. "I'm glad to see you getting along, though. I was a little worried." Truth.
No! You're wrong! We are enemies, uncle, enemies!
I turned to look at Frederick only to find him looking at me, my own shock and denial reflected back at me. We recoiled from each other and the Duke laughed at our expense.
Alright. So I could be a little childish, too. Sue me. It was hard not responding to the energy he put out, ok? He radiated waves of mischief that were impossible to ignore. It was at odds with his characterization in the novels, too, so I was completely unprepared for how...silly he was.
The original story was rarely from anyone's perspective other than Theophania's. Meeting one of her greatest tormentors in person made me wonder just how reliable her narration really was. Maybe, after a sheltered life where every interaction was harassment of some kind, she simply assumed that was the only way anyone would interact with her. If so, that was very sad. Frederick was a terrible character in the novels, but if he treated Theophania the way he was treating me, then he was probably just teasing her—maliciously, but still. Such things had a tendency to escalate when left unchecked, too. With the original's timid temperament, I could see how much fun someone like Frederick would get out of her reactions.
And how terrifying that would be for her.
I sighed heavily for what felt like the millionth time that week. My cousin looked down at me with confusion and I turned my face away with a huff before rushing to follow his father. He let out a squawk of indignation which I pointedly ignored.
If he liked tormenting timid women, then he was in for a bitter surprise.
"Oh, my! Freddy~!"
What?
I turned to look over my shoulder at the sound of a woman's voice. To my surprise, Frederick was being accosted by a young man of a similar age and height. He wore long flowing robes somewhat similar to a priest's, but with a few major differences.
One, a priest's robes were white, regardless of which God they dedicated themselves to. Even the clothing I wore now was of simple white cotton indicative of a life of service. The man throwing himself at my cousin wore robes of brilliant red which complimented his flaxen hair. From what I remembered of the original novels, this meant he was a mage who had completed his formal training, but had yet to achieve a mastery. The ranking system went like this: blue for students, red for graduates, green for masters.
None of that mattered in this moment, though. My eyes were transfixed on the sword he wore belted to his waist and the unusual shape of the pommel.
A dog baring its fangs. This was a Royal Knight.