Twisted Path

[Author's POV]

The palace of the Tamerlaine empire was famous for its magnificence and splendor decorations spread all over the castle, adding to the fineness of that 300 hundreds-year-old building. When the tip-toe of Portia's feet touched the cobblestone pavement road, she could feel that rough texture even though she was wearing flat leather shoes.

She continued walking with her arms spread wide open, and her finger reached the tip of rose petals on the green-moss bushes alongside the paved road. She walked at a slow pace, and a little grin seemed to appear on her petite face. She imagined she was a knight on a long escapade to the Neverland, with a mission to find the lost prince and bring him back to the court.

Without warning, Portia stopped.

Her short leg stopped hopping from one cobble to another cobble as she suddenly posed rigidly like a statue with a straight face.

She arrived there—in Neverland, where the lost prince was gone, and she must track the trace of him.

The long-lost prince in his semi-formal uniform stood with his broad back facing her. He looked like a lone wolf wrapped in grief and disappointment.

Even though Portia knew that Kazech was still fifteen, she felt his wide shoulder tell her he had carried more terrible burdens than anyone here.

Portia did not talk or speak a bit of a word. She stood there in a long silence, letting all her thoughts mingle and jumble become one as she waited for Kazech, who was watching the sunset alone from behind.

That girl felt like she remembered going through this kind of event somewhere else. She tried to dig those memories but failed after a few attempts and gave up with a pout face.

When she looked up to stare at the man's back that stood in front of her, she was startled because it was not the back she faced, but the handsome face of the long-lost prince from the Neverland, Kazech.

He turned without warning and stared straight into her eyes. He did not even bother to wink at once, which made Portia also not have a choice unless looking at those pair of deep blue ocean pupils that could drown anyone on its hazardous whirl.

Whooosh.

The evening wind blew and passed through them, which made the long black robe of Kazech and the knee-length moss-green dress of Portia flutter in the air.

This atmosphere reminded her of their first met. Back then, she also met him here, in the palace. However, she would not forget that time because of the bad memories between them at that meeting.

"What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Portia returned to her sense and realized that now she looked like a lunatic and shameless stalker who followed him in the silence. She kept her head down and peered long at the cobbled road with a flushed expression. She felt a huge embarrassment because she now forgot what she wanted to ask and just stood there like a fool.

This was not what she wanted!

She did not even want to meet him in the first place—she just used the chance to talk and clear the misunderstanding between him and Ezekiel.

Well, that was what her logic said.

But, it might be a slight difference from what the little friend inside her chest wanted to express.

"Is there something happening until you go to find me here?"

"Oh, that … I want to say something." Portia looked straight at Kazech. She clenched her hands and braved herself to say all the things stuck in her chest that wanted to be blurted out loud.

Things about Kiel and the misunderstood between them, then his reason to go to the slums alone, until a thing where Portia wanted to ask from a long … long time ago, but she could never. She scared. She was afraid of rejection. That fear of rejection turned Portia's feelings into wrath, ending in hatred. Her hatred toward herself, of course.

"Say it," said Kazech while tilting his head a little. His keen eyes glanced toward Portia's blonde hair's rough and uneven cut.

He then remembered the incident this afternoon in the slums when he was chasing out the boy named Ezekiel. Speaking of fact, he still doubted that boy. Ezekiel could make up a lie to Portia to save himself. However, looking at how Portia even gave up on her hair to protect Kiel with all her might made Kazech feel some strange emotions grow inside him.

Annoyed? Uncomfortable?

Well, he could not describe the name of this emotion. It was not like he had known Portia since childhood nor grown together like a sibling in the palace. He just knew that she existed, the first daughter of Duke Palmerston, and never took a deep interest in her. But now, he felt like he had known her long ago. From when he could not reach that girl, even though he was so close to her, he lost her.

For a mere strange emotion, Kazech found it was so weird and cringe. Kazech stopped thinking about that and tried to push all the useless thoughts inside his head.

"Kiel—I mean, the boy from the slums, he was innocent. He had just been told to be a messenger when he returned from the charity tent. He didn't have a relationship with whatever you tried to seek, Crown Prince. I could explain his alibi in a clear description if you wanted me to do so."

Portia heaved a sigh after done talking. She felt that an immense burden was lifted from her shoulder. However, instead of feeling excited, she felt tired and ran out of strength.

She then glanced forward to see his response, but that man's silhouette faded under the dim sunset light, so she could not see what kind of expression he used now. Angry? Annoyed? Confused? Or maybe did not have a single clue what she said before?

"Alright, I get it."

It turned out that all her guesses were wrong. Kazech did not protest and accepted her explanation with a calm demeanor. However, opposites to his quiet figure, Portia felt the urge to panic.

'No, no. It isn't right. He must protest to me! He must get mad and asks me a row of questions about what I have done there or why I help Kiel in the first place! We need to quarrel with each other like in the previous times!'

"That's … it?" She blurted out one sentence from all her flowing thoughts—the sum of all her panic. She did not find her words were wrong, but she also found that it was strange for Kazech to be this calm when he was about to cut Kiel's neck a while ago.

"It was you who insisted that boy is innocent. What else could I do? You even sacrificed your hair and safety to protect him. If I accuse him as a criminal, it is certain that I will open a war declaration against Palmerston. As the future king, I don't want a war between us."

Portia fell silent for a while, thinking that Kazech got the point from speaking the truth. However, his words made her heart flutter light. Sacrifice? Protect?

She did not suit those words at all. It was another her who gave this chance so Portia could save her people who could not be saved due to her lack of power and competence.

"Well, that'd be good then. I'll let it go this time, but I'll not stay silent if I see you point your sword toward one of my people again. I don't care, even though you're a crown prince or a king. I'll never forgive those who lay their hand on the things that mine."

Another wind came and escorted Portia, who turned from Kazech and took a step leaving that place. She has finished her mission, with the exception that she could not bring back the lost prince and went back with an empty hand yet less burden. Moreover, she promised Kiel that she would be back as soon as possible.

She did not know when she started to walk again on the cobblestone road and keep a clear distance between them; that man lifted one of his arms and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something to her. But he undone it, lowered his arm, put it beside his waist, and let her go from his sight and done nothing.

He looked flustered. "Just what exactly am I trying want to say?"