2 Find a way
«You don't remember my name anymore?»
«How could I forget you, Veronica Bursio?»
I can't believe it... The man in front of me, with his red hair and green eyes, with his crooked smile... He's Ignis?
«It's been more than ten years,» I say. «If you didn't tell me, I wouldn't have recognised you.»
It's true that he has the same eyes. His hair is like fire, just like back then. But everything else is so different.
He's much taller than me, and his shoulders are so broad.
Now that I look at him, I can notice. He is not a child anymore; what can be done? It's not surprising I didn't spot the resemblance.
And I didn't look until he replied to me, to be sincere.
I bite my lips not to shout out. I don't want to alert anyone.
«I did recognise you, though,» he says, a bit pouty. He's the same as back then.
I get off my chair and run to him. I hug him tightly without any warning.
Ignis straightens his back and instinctively looks at the door, but nothing happens. We are alone, after all.
«Please, Ignis, help me,» I moan. «I don't want to marry that tyrant!»
«T...tyrant?» he repeats, dumbfounded. «You should pay attention to your words, Veronica. If someone hears you...»
«Then what? Are the stories wandering in the whole Kingdom true? Isn't he the bastard son that killed his father and brother to get the throne?»
«That... You shouldn't talk about it. It's dangerous.»
«Didn't he execute all the nobles that were against him?»
«There is some truth in that, but stories tend to exaggerate... Also, he wouldn't have asked you to marry him just to harm you. I don't think he'll...»
«Oh, Ignis, that man is crazy! And you know... If he finds out about my secret, he'll kill me. I don't want to stay here any longer. Please help me escape.»
Ignis stares at me for a minute, releasing the hug he reciprocated.
«You're asking me to commit treason.»
Oh, he's right. Yet, it was the only thing I could think of.
«I'm sorry,» I sigh. «I just want to leave.»
«I'm surprised, Veronica. With your elegance and your father's name... I'm surprised you didn't find a husband sooner...»
«What?» I murmur. «Is it supposed to sound like a compliment?»
«Ah? No, forget I said anything.»
I walk away and reach the bed. I don't sit on it but just look away, to recompose my racing heart.
«You are right, Ignis,» I realise. «I was too surprised to see you notice, but I shouldn't have acted like this.»
Asking a guard to defy his order just to help me? And for what? Because of our childhood memories?
He already helped me enough by keeping everything a secret back then. I was too selfish and tried to implicate him just to save my bottom from this unwanted marriage.
Yet, I can't accept to surrender. Not until the ceremony ends and the wedding becomes final.
Oh, my life would be very short in that case. As the first daughter of my mother, I would be seen as a threat rather than an advantage.
My father didn't mind it when he married a mage.
But here people do mind that kind of thing. Magic has been banned by the church, and every mage has been burnt with accusations of witchcraft. Oh, in their own hypocritical way, their own mages are saints working for the greater good while the others are witches and warlocks deserving to die.
Moreover, my mother is not only one of them. What not even Ignis knows is that her true identity is even more complicated.
Mages don't have a country to call their own. But they do have a ruler. My mother is none other than their Queen.
And as her successor, I am their Crown Princess. Even though there is no crown passed on, just the title. However, for generations, the ruler has had the duty to protect the mages from all over the world and convince them not to wage war at the church to avoid futile massacres.
If I die, things might get complicated. And I will die for sure if I'm discovered.
And Ignis appears just at the right moment... It's like fate is yelling at me to get out of here.
«How have you been?» I ask him. «What happened after your family returned to the capital?»
«My health improved, and I decided to learn how to use the sword. I enlisted for the army and was later chosen as a Royal Guard.»
«You must be good, then,» I comment. «It's difficult to become a guard in the Palace, let alone being chosen! You must have worked very hard.»
He nods, surprised again.
«We both reached very high,» he says.
«Oh, that...» I sigh. How can I say it without committing treason? «I'm not sure I'm the right person to become the Queen.»
«Are you afraid of his majesty?»
«No, it's not that... I haven't been educated about this. I don't know anything about the court. I haven't been here ever! And, most of all, the King doesn't have patience. He wants to get married immediately!»
«Maybe he's afraid you'll run away if he waits,» Ignis points out with a shrug.
Oh, and that tyrant is so damn right about it. Yet, he could at least try thinking about it.
«I'm too young to get married!» I complain.
«Oh, are you? As I said before, I thought you were already married by now. How old are you? Twenty?»
«Not yet, Ignis. I'm still a teen.»
«Girls get married earlier.»
«Oh, you... Can't you just pretend to agree with me?» I ask him. A tear appears in the corner of my eye, a spoiled little tear.
Just like when we were kids, Ignis surrenders. My expression still works on him. Because his shoulders are now drooping and his face sorry.
«You're right. It's indeed too hasty.»
«I want to run away,» I say. Dropping the news just like this, I observe his expression in full detail.
It's the moment of the truth. Will Ignis fulfil his duty and reject me, or will he remember our childhood days and help me at least a little?
Has he really become a Royal Guard, void of further aspirations than protecting the Royal Family?
«You will be safe as Queen,» he points out.
I let the air in my lungs out, finally. It was starting to hurt.
So, this is it. I'll have to find a way on my own. My shoulders tremble just for a moment, but I reassure myself.
He won't help me, but I'm sure Ignis won't tell anyone about my thoughts. It would be more troublesome to explain why the future Queen opened her heart to him.
«Never mind,» I say, just to make him relax. If I need to find a way on my own, then it's better not to have him on alert. «It's fated, isn't it?»
He walks to me. For the first time, he dares to be the one to approach. He comes too close for a guard, and he caresses my face.
«It's not over yet, Veronica,» he whispers. «I might know of a way.»
His voice is too calm when he talks. What can he come up with in such a short time? However, my heart desires to believe him.
