“I am happy to see you again, Lady Violant.” Prince Wynkin told his guest with a big smile full of childlike innocence “I am very healthy since you have saved me and the medicine doesn’t taste bad at all. But, you know, I still have to get used to being this tall. I always hit my head where I could walk without problems before. But my new strength is even more troublesome. Do you know how it feels when you destroy everything you touch? It isn’t nice at all. Oh, are you not hungry, Lady Violant? You haven’t touched the treats at all since you have come here. They are seriously delicious though. And the drink is what I have chosen. This is a sweet elderberry wine even drinkable for children.”

Violant couldn’t help but smile wryly when faced with the prince’s overenthusiastic speech. Following his invitation she also reached out for the tartlets, waffles, and candied fruits that had been arranged.

All the while Prince Wynkin continued to talk, mostly about his new life after beginning berserkification. One story was about Nelly, rather Petronella of Sulia, the two years old daughter of Princess Mabel and chief minister Jocelyn, tearing up when meeting up with her “Unge Wynny”, her Uncle Wynkin for the first time after his physical changes. No matter how much the caring uncle wanted to embrace her to comfort her, he couldn’t for fear of accidentally injuring her gravely.

Wynkin also told his savior that his sister originally also wanted to come to express her gratitude but had to stay back to appease her worried sick mother-in-law Adelaide of Sulia. The duchess had become very agitated when hearing about her daughter Sybil’s close brush with death. The frail girl was the ducal matron’s apple of the eye after all. Curiously, she also was saved by the Avallach siblings, Violant included.

“You must be very good at saving people.” the prince remarked.

“It is just a coincidence, Your Highness.” the young lady replied “Just some curious coincidence. It isn’t as if I would save lives at every turn.”

Then she took a sip of the elderberry wine. It wasn’t bad at all. Its low alcoholic percentage even made it drinkable for children who often had low alcohol tolerance. It was more likely that the prince like other children too normally drank buttermilk, but given the occasion, that wasn’t the most refined action. Virtually nobody drank pure water for the danger of falling ill the consummation of untreated water brought. Treating water normally meant brewing beer though.

What Prince Wynkin said next though caused Violant to choke on her drink, leading to her having a violent coughing fit.

“Who do you think should succeed father on the throne one day, Lady Violant?”

The question was asked without any malice and yet it was enough to shock the red-haired girl to the bone. Since Crown Prince Rowland’s death on the battlefield three years ago, the position of crown prince was yet to be filled again since King Baldwin wanted to award the title to his most accomplished son. The question of succession was a delicate one, for most princes and their mothers aimed for the position utilizing all means at hand without the slightest qualm. The margrave of Avallach was part of no princely faction as of now. Rather he had to stay neutral because of his essential importance for the kingdom’s preservation of order. In her past lifetime Violant had broken all ties with her family mainly since her marriage with Gervase had broken the neutrality members of the margravial house were obligated to uphold given their crucial position. This time around she hence would never marry a royal. An Avallach meddling with the matter of succession to the throne was ultimately guilty of treason according to the kingdom’s laws.

Violant needed some time to calm down again, coughing and wiping tears off the corners of her eyes. The whole time she was anxiously watched over by the prince.

“I, as an Avallach, am expressively prohibited to concern myself with the matters of the royal succession.” the girl explained, her voice still rasp from all the coughing “But, begging your pardon, the one prince I wish to see the least succeeding His Majesty Baldwin is without any doubt His Highness Gervase.”

“Yes, I also don’t want that venomous snake succeeding father.” Wynkin consented, leading to Violant choking almost a second time. “He is phony, devious, and two-faced, with good looks and pretty words but not much to back them up. In short, he is just like his serpent queen of a mother.”

The boy didn’t mince his words at all, that was for sure. Violant thought that he was a bit too outspoken for such a treacherous place like the palace though. Not that his words had been wrong in the least. Lady Salome, Gervase’s mother and one of the current king’s twelve concubines, was especially known for two things, her beauty and her scheming. There were rumors of her being the culprit or at least the instigator behind the deaths of the ninth prince’s and his mother’s in childbirth as well as the infertility of several other concubines although no offence could be successfully proven against her. The returnee had only bad memories of enduring such a venomous mother-in-law in her last lifetime. Roughly one year after Violant had gotten married to Gervase, however, Lady Salome had died from the same plague the retired second Prince Edric also had succumbed to.

“It has been tough since big brother Rowland died.” the prince continued “Some people believe that I will be the next king just because I am the queen’s son. But I don’t want to. When I’m gown-up I will succeed my late grandfather as Duke Ealdon and serve the crown rather than being crowned myself. I want big brother Edric to succeed the throne.”

Violant arched her eyebrows when hearing this. Edric, the second prince, was no bad choice per se, but born from a different mother the same year as Crown Prince Rowland, he had lived all his life in the latter’s shadow and lacked the martial prowess his brother had. He focused on his scholarly interests instead, ultimately leading to him renouncing his claim to the throne and retiring to a monastery in spring next year. The catalyst was King Baldwin trying to arrange a marriage for the then 23 years old Edric who rather was married to his research instead, the main reason the kingdom’s second prince never had found a fiancée.

“But isn’t His Highness Edric completely disinterested in politics and government, prioritizing his research instead?” the young lady asked with a surprised tone of voice. There was no doubting the second prince being quite the quaint fellow.

“That’s where you are wrong.” Wynkin stated with conviction, his cheeks heatedly dyed in red and his eyes sparkling. “Whatever my elder brother does, he does it with the best interest of the subjects in mind. Do you know what he researches? He tries to find ways to increase the harvest significantly without damaging the soil too much. Events like the hunger winter of two years ago pull on his heartstrings very much. Because of something like that big brother wants to improve the welfare of our kingdom and to do so he chose the method of research. He originally had no prospect of succeeding the throne and he still believes that he can serve the people of this kingdom better as a scholar than a king. And that’s where he is wrong. When brother Edric is king one day he has the authority to order all of the scholars to continue and expand his research after all. Wouldn’t that be more efficient and also allow him for the good of our country to take charge of government matters he otherwise would have no say in?”

Violant felt a new respect for the youngest prince deep in her heart. All childishness appropriate to Wynkin’s age aside, the boy proved to be a farsighted individual capable of sound argumentation.

She nodded to show that she had been convinced.

“You might very well be right about this, Your Highness.” the young lady consented “And I wish you all the best for supporting His Highness Edric for the throne, as well as for convincing him to claim the throne, which should be prioritized without a doubt. I am afraid though that I am incapable of helping you with those tasks for the reason I have already stated before.”

“I don’t wish to force you on my side against your will.” the boy asserted “Since you said that you are neutral, you won’t be with me but also not against me. If you were, that would make me very sad indeed.”

After a short pause Wynkin continued: “I have one last question remaining I want to ask you too, Lady Violant. When you came to save me, so I have been told, you said you were asked by a fairy to help me. Dryp has said otherwise though. Which fairy did you talk about then? Was there anyone else watching over me except from Dryp and your friends from the wild hunt?”

Violant was quite surprised witnessing all servants in the audience chamber falling asleep at the same time. She felt that magic was at work but the prince opposite of her wasn’t the culprit although she had been able to sense his abnormally high magic aptitude. When he came to speak about the fairy though, the girl remembered Rambold and Waldolf reporting about such a being around Prince Wynkin all the time. If she concentrated, she could feel the invisible fairy’s strongly concealed presence near the boy. Violant hadn’t been able to notice the otherworldly presence before because she simply had been too distracted.

“I was not informed by any fairy.” the redhead admitted while paling somewhat because her sending the two wild huntsmen to observe the eighth prince hadn’t remained unnoticed like she originally thought. “I have used your fairy friend – her name is Dryp? – to give a believable reason. In fact I already knew about your ailment beforehand but please do not ask me how. Therefore I have sent those wild huntsmen to inform me immediately when Your Highness is seized by the berserk syndrome so I might be able to help you.”

“Your secret is safe with me and I won’t ask any further.” Prince Wynkin promised with a childlike smile on his face “But can you please keep Dryp a secret too, Lady Violant. Nobody but me is supposed to know about her.”

Violant sighed with relief when hearing this and replied: “Do not worry, Your Highness. Your secret is safe with me. In know just too well about the prejudices those from the other march and those associated with them are subjected to after all.”

“Thank you, Lady Violant.” the boy beamed with a smile that would have been downright adorable if not for the brawny body underneath the childlike face. “I have heard that many are afraid of you because of your silver eyes, and that they belong to the other march. But don’t be sad about it, Lady Violant. I think that your eyes are very pretty, just like two shiny silver brooches.”

“…Thank you very much, Your Highness.” the margravial lady replied after a short moment of speechlessness. If the young and innocent Prince Wynkin already had such a glib tongue, what kind of ladies’ man could he have become as an adult if not for him being a dreaded berserk?

The conversation between the prince and his savior didn’t last much longer. The servants tried to furtively cover up their falling asleep when they woke up again shortly after the talk about fairies had come to an end.

Wynkin stayed back in the audience chamber when his guest was escorted back out of the palace before returning to the mansion with the same carriage she had come with.

Violant continued staying in the capital for the time it took Mortimer to complete his tasks as the margrave’s proxy. Only then the siblings set forth on their journey back to the margraviate and Avallach.

Left behind alone in the audience chamber, Wynkin turned to the still invisible Dryp. His childlike facial expression had made way for a cold and ruthless one. He was smiling evilly.

“She is intriguing, isn’t she, that Violant of Avallach?” the prince asked nobody in particular although he expected the fairy to listen “She has to keep her neutrality. That is nothing new. But I think I will put her to use anyway for Edric to succeed father.”

As sly and calculating as he was, the boy nonetheless had no interest of ruling the kingdom himself. It was simply too much of a hassle. He honestly believed the second prince to be the most capable, not to forget that Edric was the only of his brothers not hostile against him who normally was despised by his siblings just for the reason that he was the son King Baldwin’s main wife had given birth to. He was already content with inheriting the important duchy of Ealdon and helping Edric openly as well as from the shadows.

Violant just had the bad luck of catching his eye, a disaster she had brought upon herself though. But one thing was for certain: history would never repeat like it had done in her previous lifetime. Prince Wynkin would be a factor whose influence on the future couldn’t yet be foreseen but there was no doubt that he would be a major one.