"I will carry the duty of being a princess, but also the duchess of La Lacretia and the luna of the pack. So, as long as you and I survive, I'll be alright, Callista."
"Your Grace?" Ronin, still leading their group, studied Damien's side profile. "Your Grace."
Damien blinked back to his senses, but instead of casting Ronin a look, he glanced over his shoulder. He hadn't meant to eavesdrop, but he had ended up listening to Callista and Solenne's entire conversation.
"Your—"
"I heard you," said Damien, setting his eyes ahead. "Do what you must."
Ronin frowned a bit, noticing that the grand duke was quieter and colder than usual. It made him wonder if Damien was truly fine with this slow pace, as he claimed, or if it bothered him as much as it bothered Ronin.
"We'll be back," Ronin didn't dwell on it, whistling to get a few of their men's attention.
Three men moved away from the carriage, riding off course to scout ahead. Damien had already given his orders, and now they had to find the next town and an inn for Solenne to rest. An inn was better than a tent, after all.
Meanwhile, Damien remained quiet, keeping his slow pace even though he knew it bored everyone. They were already slow yesterday, but they were twice as slow today because he thought it would give her more comfort in that carriage.
The rumors said the Fourth Princess of Aethera was a pampered royal who had no qualms about throwing tantrums to get what she wanted.
Damien narrowed his eyes, thinking of the rumors he had heard even before he set off for Aethera. Even the palace servants had shown their enthusiasm in serving the princess because Solenne was a favored daughter of the King, more so than his other daughters and even his sons.
Yet, since the night he met her and up until now… he was close to believing the narrative had been twisted too much.
The woman he had been subconsciously listening to didn't sound like the person the rumors painted in his mind. Although he had heard that the Princess had her own merits despite her childish nature, he had expected someone more… irritating.
Such an interesting thing, indeed.
Surely, it was wrong of him to even take the hearsay into account.
Unbeknownst to him, the rumors weren't that far off. It was true that Solenne possessed a beauty that could spark war between two nations, that she was blessed from birth, that she was favored, and that she excelled in certain areas. And it was also true that she had been pampered rotten to the point of selfishness.
That was why it took her three deaths to think of a better plan.
***
Solenne was leaning against the side of the carriage, staring at the slightly ajar window. They had been traveling since morning, but now that she had changed clothes, she felt much more comfortable.
"Now that I think about it…" she whispered to herself, shifting her eyes to her seat.
"Your Highness?" Seated across from her, Callista eyed Solenne as the latter pressed a palm on the cushion.
"Has this seat always been this soft?" Solenne wondered, shooting Callista a look. "It's so soft and thick that I barely feel any bounce."
Callista gazed at the cushion, then at Solenne. "I believe members of the delegation took the carriage to the cartwright in the neighboring town yesterday. Although… I didn't know the reason."
Solenne arched a brow as she studied Callista's face while pressing her palm on the firm cushion.
Is it… Damien's idea?
Solenne snapped her eyes at Callista, but her mind was mostly on the person leading their group.
"Does it feel better, though, Your Highness?"
She quickly pulled back from her thoughts, nodding with a subtle smile.
"Definitely." She then glanced at the window. "And perhaps, it's also because we're moving so slowly."
Solenne's lips stretched into a small smile, her eyes on the world outside the window. Three journeys, and only on the fourth did she feel like she wouldn't die. With how things were going better than in her past three lifetimes, a bubble of hope that she might be able to get past her wedding night crept into her heart.
Callista, on the other hand, stared at the princess's side profile. She studied the smile on Solenne's face before her eyes softened. With Solenne satisfied and no longer in pain, Callista was twice as happy.
"Your Highness, how did you notice we're moving slower than yesterday?" she asked, causing Solenne to raise her brows.
Solenne cast her a sidelong glance and smiled. "It's obvious."
Although Callista could argue with that reasoning, she chose not to. After all, Solenne was good at many things, but she would rarely notice something like this. It didn't matter, though.
Fast or slow, what was important was that Solenne was comfortable.
***
The corners of Damien's mouth curled into a subtle smile, pleased to hear that Solenne was more comfortable now. His smile, however, quickly faded when he caught himself smiling alone.
His cold facade returned as he tried to ignore Solenne and Callista's voices. No matter how amused he was with every word that came out of Solenne's mouth, a human like her might find his growing habit strange.
Besides, what was he smiling about?
He had simply paid someone to make a quick modification to the carriage for added comfort and to slow down their pace. There was nothing to be proud of in that.
But as Damien shook his head, trying to get their voices out of his head, Solenne's voice pierced through his ears. With the sudden shift in her pitch and tone, his resolve to stop eavesdropping failed.
She said, "Callista, should you teach me how to ride a horse?"
"Your Highness?"
"I heard werewolves can run incredibly fast," Solenne explained. "I bet this pace is killing them with boredom. Besides… I want to learn how to ride a horse and let it run."
A slight giggle followed her remarks, revealing her excitement at the thought. Callista, who was with her, was obviously in distress, but Damien?
Damien turned back and stared at the carriage in disbelief.
This pace is killing me, yet for her sake… but now, she wants to learn riding so she can ride at a full gallop?