Princess Fiora (2)

"I never knew you were into magic theory?" Winston asked in surprise. 

"Hehe... I don't want to be a powerless princess. I wanted to be a princess who can use magic and save her people. It sounds a bit childish, doesn't it? " Fiora said, embarrassed.

The two became even closer ever since that day. Whenever Winston was free from his training, he would visit Fiora, who always waited for him at the library. They shared their thoughts about the books they were reading, and Winston would also tell her stories about his sibling whenever Fiora asked.

Fiora, who used to think that Winston was a violent kid who only knew how to use a sword and fight, now saw him as a charming boy who loved to hang out with friends despite his quiet nature. This made her wonder if Winston had any other friends besides her and his sibling. 

Time flew, and her brother, Lucien, finally reached the age of 17, when he would receive his Class. It was also the last time he would be trained by Winston's father. For the past three years, Fiora had grown so close to Winston that she felt a deep connection to him.

During those times, she always felt empty and lonely while waiting for him to finish his training. But when Winston finally showed up, she always felt relieved and comforted to see his face. She herself didn't fully understand this feeling, but when they both reached the age of 10 and it was the last day that Winston would be trained at the palace, she couldn't ignore it any longer. She wanted Winston to be by her side all the time, but she realized that Winston had someone else he wanted to be with, his two sisters.

"Fiora, I won't be able to come to the palace anymore. The training for Prince Lucien is complete," Winston told her, placing his book down and looking at her. 

Winston was able to call her by her name because she allowed him to do that whenever they were alone. 

"... I already know…" Fiora replied softly, her eyes locked on her book.

Fiora was still young at that time and didn't clearly understand her feelings due to her lack of interaction with other people. The only person she was close to besides Winston and her father was her mother, but she passed away when Fiora was 4 years old due to health problem after risking her life to conceive Fiora. When her mother was pregnant, the physician advised against conceiving Fiora, as it would highly risk her life. However, her mother denied the advice, determined to see her child. The King, her father, couldn't convince his beloved wife and ultimately accepted her decision. 

Fiora realized that another person close to her was going to leave her again. Instead of being emotional, she felt anger. 

"... Fiora, why don't we meet again when we've achieved our goals?" Winston asked her, accompanied by a smile. 

"... Enough!!" Fiora shouted angrily, tears welling up in her eyes. 

"... Eh... Did I offend you or something? My apologies, Fiora!" Winston asked, shocked by her reaction. 

"If you're done talking, just leave!!" Fiora shouted again, blocking her face with her book, pretending to read even as tears fell.

"... I will take my leave then, Fio—Princess, but please remember our goals," Winston replied politely, addressing her as "Princess" to avoid any further offense. He bowed and left the library. 

When Winston left, she dropped her book and started crying alone in the library. The goals they had promised to each other suddenly popped into Fiora's head. Winston wanted to become the country's best swordsman, while Fiora aspired to be a knowledgeable princess, gaining more power and influence within the royal line and the country. When that happened, they would meet again and work together to serve their people and the nation. 

"Wow! Wait a minute, my brother is already the country's best swordsman. What about you?" Aria asked without thinkning, her question brought everyone back to reality. 

"..." Fiora couldn't answer, instead she just smiled at everyone. 

"Aria, why would you ask something like that?!" Chloe interjected, pulling Aria to face her. 

"Ehh… I'm so sorry, I was so immersed into the story and asked without thinking!" Aria quickly realized she had crossed a line and apologized to the princess. 

"Don't worry ! ... Oh look, we've arrived at the border!" Fiora quickly changed the subject, gesturing for everyone to look through the carriage's window. 

The first five hours of the trip had finally ended, with five more hours to reach the City of Frontier. 

"The Mighty of Cartloom," Aria muttered and looked at the guard tower as the carriage went through the border gate.