"Huff... Huff..."

The crisp morning air bit at my lungs, a clean counterpoint to the steady rhythm of my feet on the packed earth of the training grounds.

"Huff... Huff..."

Beside me, Vance kept pace with a bit of difficulty, but he was doing really good considering the fact that he was just a false Resonator. The silence between us was comfortable, broken only by the sound of our breathing and the distant clang of a blacksmith's hammer.

<I see...>

The thought formed in my mind, a quiet murmur in the private channel we'd established.

The flood of information Vance had just poured into my head was… a lot.

The King's announcement. The Trials of the Crown. The mandatory fifth trial. It was a political earthquake disguised as a royal decree.

And then, the first test: The Trial of the Heart.

Being stripped of titles. Sent to a struggling region and forced to solve a real problem with nothing but wits and a single attendant.

Honestly, although it was brutal, it was also ingenious and perfectly designed to separate the performers from the true leaders.

But the issue was our barony.

Well, I mean, it's the king's decision to send them to our barony.

Princess Aurelia was sent to the town near the Hollowlands in the barony. If my memory serves me right, it shouldn't be that far from the Eclipse Keep. Just an hour away from the Ashenfang mountains if you are running. And according to the intel they received, it seems like the town has been experiencing frequent monster attacks over the past month, and there has also been a food shortage.

<What do you think, sir?> Vance's mental voice cut through my thoughts, still amazed and curious at this telepathy trick. Well, he should be, considering I spent a week, three hours a day, to master it. <Did His Majesty... favor the Princess? By sending her here, to your territory?>

"Hmm..."

I let out a soft, thoughtful hum, the sound lost to the rhythm of our footfalls.

<Well, it certainly does look that way if you look at it like that,> I conceded. <Sending the 'Ghost Princess,' the one everyone overlooks, to the one place where she might have a silent ally? On the surface, it seems like a gentle hand guiding her to safer ground.>

I glanced at him, my expression wry even in the mental space we shared.

<But if you look at it from another perspective, you will notice it also makes things difficult for her. Because the others—Bane, Neron guy you spoke of, and the rest—they'll all see it the same way. They'll assume she has a connection here, that the Baron of Luthaire will extend her every courtesy. And I've a hunch that His Majesty's rules explicitly ban me from helping her directly. He's painted a target on her back while pretending to offer her sanctuary.>

Vance gave a slow, understanding nod, his breathing starting to come a little harder as we pushed up a slight incline. Thankfully, he didn't suddenly refute me at my 'disrespectful words' about the king.

<So it's a test for everyone,> he sent back, grasping the politics quickly. <A test of her ability to operate under suspicion and without expected aid. And a test of their willingness to sabotage a sister they believe is receiving favoritism.>

<Well, probably something like that,> I replied, keeping my persona. <But you're right about one thing. His Majesty is seeing if she can swim when everyone else is trying to push her under.>

We ran in silence for another minute, the Keep growing larger before us.

<But,> I added, a genuine smile touching my lips, <this will be really good for you two. A chance to work together outside the stifling walls of the capital or the academy. A real problem to solve, side-by-side.>

I nudged him playfully with my elbow, though my mental tone was utterly sincere.

<And if you ever find yourself in despair or have no one to turn to... just remember that there's a handsome half-elf healer back here.>

Vance stumbled half a step, his stoic composure cracking for a fraction of a second before he regained his rhythm. He didn't look at me, but I felt the faintest ember of gratitude and amusement through our link.

<I'll... keep that in mind, sir.>

<See that you do,> I replied, turning my focus back to the path ahead, my mind already racing with the implications of the princess's impending arrival and the not-so-terrifying vision I saw not long ago.

'...'

The memory of the vision — the desperate flight, the chilling cold, the searing white end — flashed behind my eyes, as crisp and real as the ground beneath my feet.

'It has to be connected to the trials.'

The presence of so many nobles, the princes and princesses… it could only be the fifth trial, the mandatory one where all adult contenders would have to participate. But...

The Crown Prince hadn't been there. His absence was a glaring hole in the narrative.

I guessed either he'd never entered the trial, unlikely, given its mandatory nature, or he'd perished before my vision began. Or...

'...He was behind the incident.'

A cold knot of suspicion tightened in my chest.

Bane. The perfect heir.

It felt too convenient. Was he exempt? Had he found a way to avoid the very trial meant to test them all? Or was his fate something else entirely?

'But more importantly...' I pushed the thought of Bane aside for now, focusing on the more immediate, more personal betrayal from the vision. 'That shadow-wielding prince. He...'

The image was seared into my memory: watching from behind my own eyes as the handsome young prince...

'He betrayed us.'

'...'

I clearly felt the surge of his power, an aura of darkness that was ready to be used. He saw the girls were in danger, he was going to use his powers, he could save them, but... but he didn't.

He hesitated and ultimately didn't take action.

It was a conscious choice made by him.

A decision not to intervene, not to save them, while Vance didn't hesitate for a second.

'...'

My foolish friend saw the danger and moved on pure instinct, his body acting before his mind could calculate the risk. He threw himself toward the girls without a second thought.

And I... I copied him.

So, I guess, I was the real fool.

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