It was someone she didn’t expect to see.
Standing before her was Princess Auera, looking slightly disheveled despite her elegant appearance.
Cassandra nodded, pushing down her surprise. "What are you doing up at this early hour?"
I didn’t think a princess would wake up this early. Must be because of my misconceptions about royalty. Well, Sara’s exception, though.
Auera seemed to struggle for an answer, her mouth opening and closing briefly before her eyes suddenly lit up.
"I had something to talk to Vance, but he wasn’t in his room. So I was searching for him. And I just met Mr. Veylan, and he told me that Vance had left with your husband to the training grounds."
Cassandra felt a slight stir at the ’husband’ and that he wasn’t in his room. But she found her excuse thanks to her words.
"Oh, I see. My husband trains every morning; your friend must have the same routine. What a coincidence that they ended up training together." She paused and added with a smile. "Since we’re both headed in that direction, shall we go together?"
Auera’s expression brightened considerably, the earlier uncertainty vanishing from her features. "That would be great! Mr. Veylan gave me directions just now, so let me lead the way."
"Alright, but before that, we should stop by somewhere first." Cassandra winked at her. "I’ll teach you something good."
"O-Oh, alright." Auera nodded reluctantly and followed after Cassandra.
"Youth are really amazing these days, huh?" Captain Draven muttered, watching two figures sprint across the expansive training grounds.
First, there was young master Amaniel, who was practically a training fanatic. He used to pester him all day to teach him swordsmanship.
Then his two friends, who’d visited recently and helped avert the crisis. And there was the keep’s savior - the healer Lumin. Pretty skilled and strong for someone in his profession, though being a traveler and half-elf made that level of ability and experience understandable.
He had helped him recover from his injuries, too. Draven subtly touched his left arm, flexing the muscles that had been torn during the fight.
I must be getting old, he thought ruefully.
The memory of the incident still stung deeply. He’d been mostly useless - tricked and injured heavily at the start, unable to assist, but when he got the chance to redeem himself, he got hypnotized again during the main battle. If Sir Lumin hadn’t arrived in time to break the illusion and wake them up, Baron Nusayel would have...
The man who had been protecting the Keep, the man who gave him a purpose in life...
Draven shook his head, shooing away the dark thoughts.
Baron was alive now, that’s all that mattered.
And for that intervention alone, he would be forever grateful to the young healer.
A smile crossed his weathered face.
"Vance has grown up too," he muttered, watching the red-eyed boy’s improved form. "He must have been working hard to-?"
Just then, he noticed two new figures approaching - young women carrying a few bags.
He recognized them immediately. Guessed, to be precise.
The veiled one had to be Lumin’s wife - Cassie. Elria praised her a lot yesterday, after all.
Then, the other one must be the girl Vance had a secret crush on since childhood. The same one young master Amaniel used to tease him about relentlessly.
Daren observed as the two youths noticed the newcomers and slowed to a stop after approaching them.
The girls opened their bags, each producing a towel and giving it to them, then taking out what appeared to be breakfast.
The captain stared for a moment, speechless at the sight, then shook his head with a wry chuckle.
Must be nice to be young.
"Captain, what are you daydreaming about again?"
Draven glanced to his right to see a familiar figure approaching with her hands on her hips.
"Oh, Elria, it’s you."
It was the Vice-Captain.
"Of course, it’s me," she sighed, shaking her head. "Who else would have guessed you’d sneak out instead of recovering at your house like you’re supposed to?"
Draven smiled sheepishly. "Well, I just missed the feeling of training in the snow, that’s all." He gestured to the white grounds. "Why are you here yourself?"
She stared at him for a moment and sighed, deeper this time. "I just knew you were gonna do this. So, I brought a towel and a light breakfast. You shouldn’t train with an empty stomach."
She held up a small bag, identical to the ones young women had been carrying.
"Ooh, t-thank you then," Draven said gratefully, setting down the obsidian dumbbells he’d been using for his own morning routine.
A strange thought crossed his mind as he accepted the wet towel from her.
Why does this feel so familiar?
His eyes drifted to the other group on the other side of the training grounds, where the four young people were now sitting together, sharing their breakfast in the morning light.
He stayed silent for a moment, then shook his head with a quiet chuckle.
There’s no way it was similar. Elria... She was like a niece to him. She probably felt indebted to him, that’s all.
"Captain, are you daydreaming again?" Elria’s voice jolted him out of his thoughts. "Come on, let’s eat too. Or else it’s gonna get cold."
"Yeah, yeah, stop nagging me."
What Captain Draven didn’t notice was the way Elria looked at him, with a smile that carried an emotion easily understood just from her eyes. Perhaps it was true what they said: one could see the feelings of others clearly but remain blind to what was right in front of them in their own life.
But Elria wouldn’t give up.
She glanced toward the other side of the training grounds, her [Winter’s Sight] technique allowing her to see clearly across the distance. With a subtle gesture, she waved her hand at the group of young people.
The veiled woman, Cassie, noticed the motion immediately and raised her hand, then gave her an encouraging thumbs up.
Draven, busy unwrapping his breakfast, remained completely oblivious to the silent exchange between the two women.
Elria turned back to him, the snowlight catching in her eyes.
She could wait... as long as the winter itself.