-HER-

I appeared on the beach the following day as the sun rose from the horizon. The sound of the sea bashing the rocks in the distance greeted me. The beach was almost deserted, except for a lone, short figure casting a long shadow. The person was waiting for something... someone... me.

Quietly, I edged towards her. As soon as she sensed I was close by her, she turned around and started walking towards a boat by the shore. I followed her without uttering a single word.

Beads of sweat spotted my forehead as the two of us pushed the boat into the waters. It was already starting to get hotter today. The sea breeze brought the humidity that further made me sweat.

As soon as I was on the boat, she handed me the oar and sat back. I glared at her while she ignored me. She busied herself by tailing the horizon with her eyes while I rowed alone.

When we were well into the sea, Vittoria took a small pouch out of the folds of her dress. By the sound it made, I guessed that the bag was filled with stones.

She shook the pouch once and emptied the stones on a wooden plank. Then, she studied the scattered stones like the constellations in the night sky. I stared at the stones, trying to make sense of them, but nothing struck me. I was still a rookie at foreseeing.

After staring at the stones unblinkingly for almost forever, Vittoria leaned back with a big sigh. I thought she sounded and looked disappointed, but then something devilish flickered in her cat-like eyes as they fell on me.

"What is it this time?" I asked, knowing well that I might not get any answer from her.

"Row faster," she retorted.

"Where are we going this time?" I asked.

"Why? To see your brother's doing," Her straightforward answer was nothing less than a miracle.

"You aren't joking, are you?" I asked, unable to believe her. Her silence answered that she wasn't joking. It excited and terrified me simultaneously.

I was relieved that she was finally paying attention to this pressing issue, but at the same time, I was terrified of what we might find out. It had been a few weeks since we visited my brother. I was sure that his troops must have advanced a lot since then.

How would we stop them? But most important of all—did Vittoria know where they were now? I wondered and looked at Vittoria in search of an answer. She was leaning back against the boat's edge with her arms resting back. Her features were poised as if we were going out on an invitation for a feast, but her eyes— they never lied.

Her eyes stared at the horizon with enough vigour to part the sea and coerce it to expel its most profound and darkest secrets. A shiver ran down my spine.

Something was going on in her head. I could see it on her face.

"Do you know where those troops are right now?" I asked.

"Not yet," she replied and fell silent for the rest of our journey to the abandoned harbour. After hiding the boat and tip-toeing our way through the traps, we reached the other end of the pier, where I was surprised to find a merchant's vessel.

My eyes widened, and I stopped to glance at Vittoria, who was headed towards the vessel as if it was there solely for her. I followed her reluctantly to the vessel, where a couple of the ship's crew greeted us before helping us onboard. As soon as we were on board, it left the harbour, turning towards the mainland.

It was one of the giant vessels owned by the merchant's guild. It was so big that it could carry tons of cargo and 500 people simultaneously. It was strong enough to withstand any storm and pirates of the sea. However, something felt odd about the ship. I couldn't quite put my finger on it at first.

"What are we doing here?" I asked Vittoria, who was staring at the disappearing harbour.

"To meet an old friend," she replied.

"How many friends do you have outside the shrine?" I couldn't help but ask.

"You'd be surprised," she replied. It was astonishing how connected she was with the outer world despite having lived at the shrine for most of her life, hidden from the rest of the world. She grew up in the shrine, unlike the rest of the priestesses there, yet, it often felt like she knew the outer world better than me or anyone well-travelled.

"And who is this old friend?" I asked before she started walking towards the quarterdeck. I followed her, expecting an answer.

"You'll see," she assured before opening a door and entering the captain's cabin.

As soon as we entered the cabin, we met a couple more sailors with the captain. At first, they looked at me in confusion, but as soon as their eyes fell on Vittoria, they looked away as if they hadn't seen her. They resumed their conversation as if we were nothing but thin air. Vittoria didn't seem to find their behaviour odd. Instead, she was already walking towards another door at the back of the captain's cabin.

I followed her like a lost puppy. She opened the door and stepped inside as if she owned the place. I stepped behind her inside the room to find what looked like an empty dining area.

It was when it struck me— this ship was remarkably empty for its capacity and the busyness of the season. I was still confused about our presence there until my eyes fell on a man. He was sitting at the far end of the diner, looking out of the window.

I froze as soon as the familiarity of that man struck me like lightning. Suddenly, my throat felt tight, and my eyes stung with tears. I glared at Vittoria's back to hold my tears.

"Look, he's here," Vittoria chirped as if mocking me.

"What is he doing here?" I hissed. He was still sitting by the window, oblivious of our presence.

"Seems like you still remember him," She mused.

"Of course I do! Why did you bring me here? To see him? I am supposed to be dead to the world!" I hissed at her.

"Oh, don't worry about that," she said, holding my wrist and tugging me in his direction before I could protest. "Let's not keep him waiting for long,"

Our commotion had finally snapped his attention towards us. Vittoria smiled at him sweetly while she almost dragged me to the table he was sitting at. He stood up as soon as he saw Vittoria and bowed lightly.

"So glad to see you again, your holiness," He spoke with his gentle voice, "I've been awaiting you—"He stopped abruptly as soon as his eyes fell on me. His eyes widened, and he froze for a second. I grabbed Vitoria's hand, digging my nails into her skin to stop myself from doing something stupid.

"Good to see you again, Viscount. This is one of my new priestesses. Her name is Thea," Vittoria introduced me with a smile spreading across her face. I dug my nails harder into her skin, waiting for Viscount to recognise me. He studied me for a second longer and looked between Vittoria and me before nodding.

"Nice to meet you too, Thea," He spoke with the same gentleness, pushing me close to breaking down into tears.

"And, of course, I must have told you about Viscount Godfree," Vittoria smiled at me cunningly, "His father was a chief trade advisor in the queen's court. He has taken after him," Vittoria told me as if I didn't already know.

"I don't work for the court anymore," Viscount corrected her before glancing at me again. I could see confusion in his eyes. I don't think he recognised me instantly.

He must have forgotten me. This thought gave me relief and hurt me at the same time.

I was dead to him... to the rest of the world.

"I see," Vittoria spoke, claiming his attention again, "You don't like the Emperor," Vittoria purred.

"I don't see him as our real Emperor. He will never be one," Viscount spoke darkly, making all the old memories come back to me at that moment. It was taking me all the power to not cry in front of him. "Please have a seat," He motioned towards the table.

He pulled out chairs for us two. I could feel his eyes burning at my back as he pushed the chair behind me. I threw Vittoria a glare as Viscount rounded the table and took a seat across us.

"Is everything alright?" Viscount asked, concerned. He must have noticed my glossy eyes.

"Oh, she hurt her small toe on the way," Vittoria replied on my behalf, patting my back gently. Viscount gave me a sympathetic look, reminding me of how kind he used to me in the past.

"Anyway, you know what I'm here for," Fortunately, Vittoria got to business. I wanted to get out of here and away from him as soon as possible otherwise; I was afraid I might throw myself in his arms and ask him if he remembered me or not but doing so would be against my priestess title.

Why was Vittoria doing this to me? Was this one of her tests again?

Viscount nodded before adding darkly, "I have my eyes and ears everywhere and... I'm afraid to tell you that..."