Abella headed straight for the Imperial hunting grounds. Her heels clacked against the smooth stone of the pathway, gardeners occasionally stopping to greet her, and she would acknowledge them with a nod and a smile. There was a cooling breeze that contrasted against the bright sun, making Abella’s pale blonde hair fly up into the wind.

Finally, she reached the hunting grounds and spotted the Crown Prince training with his sword in the forest. Exactly as how I remember, Abella thought to herself. She approached him and purposefully made no sound, even with her heels, and breathing softly. Just when she was almost a sword’s length away from him, the Crown Prince turned around sharply and pointed his sword to her throat, his eyes narrowed and full of suspicion. Abella smiled and the wind blew between the two as they stood there, unmoving, the sword not lowering from Abella’s throat.

“What do you think you are doing?” the Crown Prince scowled at Abella, pushing his sword closer to her throat just enough to make her bleed. Abella didn’t even so much as flinch. “I could kill you here and now!”

“Is that what you would like to do?” Abella asked with a smile. The Crown Prince was taken aback. Did he want to kill her? What a stupid question.

“What kind of question is that?” the Crown Prince wouldn’t lower his guard. He had learned, through experience, that letting down his guard only led to bad things.

“I do not know. You tell me, Your Highness – you are the one pointing your sword at my throat,” Abella replied nonchalantly as she ran a finger along the sharp end of his sword, looking down at it. She lifted her finger up for her to see a small slash along it. “What a sharp sword. May I ask who crafted it?”

“Why do you want to know?” the Crown Prince snapped.

“Calm down, Your Highness. Your suspicions of me are understandable, but you should consider that I am a noble lady without a weapon, and you are a person larger and stronger than me with a weapon. What harm could I bring to you?” Abella reasoned. The Crown Prince flinched. She made sense. He didn’t like that.

He glanced at her. She didn’t seem to be the type who knew how to wield a sword, but for all he knew, she could be an eighth circle mage.

“You could be a mage,” the Crown Prince said.

“You are so cautious, Your Highness.” Abella smiled as she conjured fire from thin air in the palm of her hand. Suddenly on guard against her, the Crown Prince raised his sword closer to her throat.

“You are correct. I am a mage, but not to kill you.” Abella smiled again. Grabbing his sword with her bare hands, she pushed it closer towards her throat. Blood ran down the sword as Abella’s hand bled out, but she didn’t flinch, as though she didn’t feel the pain. “After hearing this, do you still wish to kill me?”

Her question took the Crown Prince aback. She was a strange lady – not afraid of death, nor afraid of pain. Most noble ladies would have run off or broke down by now, but as he met her steady purple gaze, she seemed calm and maybe even a little entertained. Her smile, however, seemed like a mask. Her eyes sparkled, but that was merely because of the sun. As he looked a little closer, they seemed quite empty and hollow, but they were still an enchanting purple that seemed to draw him in.

“Your Highness? Is something the matter?” Abella asked, still holding the sword. The Crown Prince flinched and let out a sigh before drawing back his sword, deepening the cuts in Abella’s hands. Abella smiled and lowered her hands. “It seems you cannot bring yourself to kill me, Your Highness. May I ask the reason?”

“You should get your hands treated,” the Crown Prince said, dodging her question.

“This is hardly a cut. I will live,” Abella replied, glancing at her hands.

“What do you mean ‘hardly a cut’? Your hands are bleeding,” the Crown Prince snapped, his tone still frosty.

“My throat is also bleeding. Does that mean I am dead?” Abella replied reasonably, her tone still steady and calm. “Anyhow, I believe that you are the one that needs to get treated.”

Abella glanced at the Crown Prince. He had many cuts and bruises over his arms and legs and face, along with sweat and dirt. It was quite clear he had been training. The Crown Prince glanced at his cuts and replied, “I am fine. Please leave.”

“I will not leave, not yet at least.” Abella said, approaching him. “Give me your arm.”

“Why should I? For all I know, you could chop off my arm.” He frowned, but still gave Abella his arm.

“And yet you trust me,” she smiled as she tore off her sleeve and tied it around a particularly large cut on his arm. “If you want to keep training, at least bandage your serious wounds, or they will get infected. But after you are done, please get treated properly by a doctor. I’ll leave now.”

Abella turned around to leave and took a couple steps, but stopped suddenly and turned around with a bright smile, “have fun.”

And then she left. The Crown Prince stared after her, a little stunned. She was a small girl, but he had been told she was fourteen. She seemed innocent and bright, but there was a dangerous aura around her. She had seemed uncaring about him, and yet she treated his injuries while her own hands bled from his sword. She had not cared for death, nor had she cared to live. What a strange girl. The Crown Prince found himself thinking as he raised his sword again.

Abella returned to her room, and called Mary over.

“Mary,” she said.

“Yes, Lady Abella?” Mary bowed politely and looked at the ground.

Raising her hands, Abella said, “treat my hands.” Mary looked up at her in surprise.

“B-Blood,” she stammered, hesitant.

“Yes, that is apparent. Now treat it.” Abella’s tone had a certain coldness to it that made Mary shiver. She is truly suited to be a royal, Mary thought as she wrapped Abella’s hands in bandages. She has the same dangerous aura… she will survive the Imperial Palace… I must report this. Otherwise she will become a big threat to my master. I can’t let that happen… not when my sister is almost healthy.

“Thank you, now please leave.” Abella said as Mary finished bandaging her hands. Mary bowed and left the room, closing the doors behind her. Abella glanced at her bandaged hands and smiled. They began to glow green, and then the green glow faded away into nothing. Abella felt a faint sting from her hands, then it became a warm sensation, and then her hands felt perfectly fine again.

Abella glanced out the window and thought to herself, he should be here soon.