Flower in the Trap - Chapter 14

The sky had not yet brightened. Morning fog silently veiled the eaves and corridors of the palace, cloaking everything in stillness as night and dawn hovered in quiet transition.

Inside the bedroom, the curtains hung low. Linaelina slowly opened her eyes. Behind her, she felt the warmth and steadiness of a man’s chest, and her body still tingled faintly with lingering sensation. She shifted slightly. The arms that had loosely encircled her waist instinctively tightened.

Frowning, she carefully slipped out of his embrace. After putting on her outer robe, she walked to the door and softly called for a maid to bring fresh clothes.

Not long after, the two of them were dressed in simple, unadorned attire. During breakfast, Kaellian slowly bit into a piece of bread. His gaze settled on the girl across from him. She seemed relaxed, her spirits light, and there was a subtle lift at the corners of her eyes that suggested a quietly blooming mood.

Noticing his gaze, Linaelina looked up and smiled. “When my mother was young, she often visited the townspeople. She was the daughter of a viscount, and my grandfather never expected her to marry into nobility. He was always lenient with her.”

Her voice was soft, calm. “After she married into the palace, she found it difficult to adapt, so my father would sometimes take her outside for a breath of fresh air. Later, when she became pregnant with me, she asked him to bring me along on those outings. As I grew older, she would ask for time alone with me outside the palace.”

Kaellian listened silently, watching her.

Linaelina lowered her eyes, her tone becoming even gentler. “After she passed away, Father never forbade me from leaving the palace, but the Empress disapproved. A few years ago, when there was an outbreak in the city, I noticed something unusual during one of my visits. I returned to the palace and consulted the royal physician right away. Fortunately, we were able to prevent the spread just in time. Since then, my father allows me to leave the palace once a month to inspect the city.”

Kaellian’s heart stirred. He remembered the epidemic, but not the princess’s role in stopping it. Was she simply fortunate, or more observant than she appeared? He began to wonder what other surprises she might be hiding.

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The carriage wobbled into the city center, where houses stood in neat rows and the air had grown thicker with smoke from morning fires. Linaelina parted the curtains and leaned slightly out, her face bright with delight as she greeted the townspeople.

Along the bustling street, smiles greeted her in return. Vendors and passersby waved warmly, some offering fresh fruit, vegetables, and pastries with the ease of familiarity, as if she were the daughter of a neighbor come home.

“Your Highness is here early today!”

“There was fog last night. I knew it would clear up, and this is just the kind of weather you like!”

Linaelina answered them with warmth in her voice and a smile that bloomed like a spring flower.

Kaellian sat quietly at her side, watching her interactions unfold.

“This is the most exciting part of my dull life,” she said lightly as she sat back inside the carriage, though her eyes still wandered toward the open window, her hand occasionally lifting in greeting.

For a while, Kaellian said nothing. Then, in a quiet voice, he asked, “Have you ever thought of running away?”

Linaelina’s gaze fell, her lashes casting shadows across her cheeks. Her smile lingered, soft and bitter, the corners of her lips touched by a quiet ache. “How could I?” she murmured. “No matter who I turn to, I would only drag them into the same fire pit with me.”

Kaellian looked at her, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He had not expected her to be so clear-sighted.

“I am honored,” he said after a pause, the faintest hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth, “to be the one who shares that fire with the Princess.”

Linaelina lowered her eyes again. Her voice was low and uncertain. “I… truly am sorry.”

She had said those words too many times. Each repetition struck him like a quiet confession, a reminder of the place where their paths had crossed by mistake and the helplessness behind her choice.

Kaellian’s brows drew together, a wave of irritation rising his chest. “Now that you’ve done it, stop apologizing.” His tone became a little colder, “I told you I would give you the strength to face the world. This is not about falling deeper into the flames. This is about rising again from them.”

Linaelina turned her head to look at Kaellian, the two of them quietly facing each other, as if trying to read the unspoken truth in one another’s eyes.

Eventually, Linaelina looked away. “We’re here. This is where we’ll be staying for the next two nights,” she said, and opened the carriage door on her own.

Kaellian stared at her back in silence, then took a deep breath and followed after her.