The journey to Thalassery took almost the entire day.
As the Asterian royal party drew closer to the coastal kingdom, the view beyond the carriage window slowly changed. The trees that had lined the road since morning gave way to rocky cliffs. Salty air drifted in through the gap in the window, and in the distance, the blue sea stretched to the horizon.
Elara sat beside the window. For some time now, her eyes had been following the increasingly distinct coastline.
Liora sat across from her, holding the curtain in place so the wind would not blow it around.
“We’ll be there soon.”
Elara nodded.
“I know.”
“Aren’t you nervous?”
Elara turned to her.
“About what?”
“We’re going to meet the royal family of Thalassery.”
Elara turned her gaze back to the sea.
“I’m not going to do anything.”
Liora gave a small smile.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I know.”
Elara’s answer made Liora sigh. She already knew that habit well: Elara always turned her nervousness into something that sounded unimportant.
Not long afterward, the horses’ hoofbeats slowed. The carriage jolted once before finally coming to a stop.
Elara lifted her head.
“Are we here?”
Liora peeked out from behind the curtain.
“Looks like it.”
A guard’s voice came from outside.
“The Kingdom of Thalassery. Prepare the royal party to disembark.”
Elara drew a slow breath.
For the first time, she was seeing the kingdom she had known only through stories and maps.
The moment the carriage door opened, the sound of crashing waves greeted them.
Elara stepped down carefully.
Before her, Thalassery Palace stood atop a cliff overlooking the sea. Its blue-white walls reflected the sunlight like the surface of the water. Tall pillars lined the entrance, covered in carvings of waves, seashells, and sea creatures that seemed alive within the stone.
Below the cliff, waves struck the rocks with a deep, steady roar.
Elara fell silent.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
Liora stood beside her.
“I think so too.”
Elara did not answer right away. There was something in the sound of the sea that felt different from the palace’s grandeur. The sea did not see anyone as a first princess or a second princess. It simply came and went, without choosing, without overlooking anyone.
A few steps away, Mayalyn descended from another carriage. Rosalie immediately straightened the folds of her white gown.
“Look at that,” Mayalyn said.
Rosalie followed her gaze.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“It’s more than beautiful.” Mayalyn smiled brightly. “This place is so much bigger than I imagined.”
Queen Seraphina approached her daughter.
“Don’t get too excited.”
“I can’t help it.” Mayalyn looked at the palace again. “I’ll be living here after I’m married.”
Rosalie smiled, while Elara stood a few steps behind them. She listened without joining the conversation.
Thalassery felt unfamiliar. Too vast, too beautiful, and too different from Asteria. Yet the sound of the sea made her chest feel less constricted.
“Princess Elara.”
Elara turned. Liora stood beside her, concern written across her face.
“Are you all right?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure?”
Elara looked at the sea once more.
“The sound of the waves is calming.”
Before Liora could answer, a trumpet sounded from the direction of the palace.
The conversations in the courtyard stopped at once. The Thalassery guards moved to either side of the path, then bowed their heads as the palace doors opened.
The royal party came out to welcome them.
At its center walked King Cassian Valerian and Queen Isolde Maris. King Cassian wore a dark blue cloak with silver embroidery on the shoulders. Beside him, Queen Isolde looked elegant in a pearl-colored gown adorned with small scale-shaped ornaments that glittered whenever they caught the light.
Yet almost everyone’s attention was drawn to the young man walking on King Cassian’s right.
Crown Prince Alexander Caelum Valerian.
Alexander wore dark blue royal attire with silver detailing. His silver hair was neatly arranged, while his face held an unreadable calm.
He had known that the Asterian family would arrive that day. He also knew the name of the woman who would become his future wife.
Mayalyn Aurelia Alaric.
That name had been discussed for months during meetings between the two kingdoms. The first princess of Asteria. Beautiful, well-educated, and from a family that had good relations with Thalassery.
Everything had already been arranged.
Today, all he had to do was meet her.
Alexander walked with his parents toward the Asterian royal party.
King Lucien bowed first.
“Your Majesty, King Cassian.”
“King Lucien.” King Cassian smiled and shook his hand. “Welcome to Thalassery.”
Queen Seraphina then greeted Queen Isolde. Their exchange was warm, befitting a meeting between two families who had long awaited the political marriage.
Alexander stood slightly behind his parents. His gaze immediately found Mayalyn.
Mayalyn smiled when their eyes met.
Alexander returned her smile.
So this was Mayalyn.
His future wife.
She looked exactly as he had imagined: elegant, confident, and accustomed to being the center of attention.
But a few seconds later, Alexander’s gaze shifted.
Someone was standing behind Mayalyn.
A girl in a simple blue gown.
Her hair hung loose without excessive ornamentation. Only a delicate necklace with a moon pendant rested against her neck. She made no effort to draw anyone’s attention. Even while the entire royal party was looking at the Thalassery family, the girl was gazing at the sea instead.
Alexander frowned.
Who was she?
He tried to remember whether he had ever heard of another princess from Asteria. He had not. In every conversation about this marriage, only Mayalyn’s name had been mentioned.
The girl then turned.
Their eyes met.
Elara fell silent. She recognized the young man from his clothes and from the way the guards around him behaved.
Crown Prince Alexander.
Her sister’s future husband.
Elara immediately lowered her head.
Alexander did not look away at once.
There was something that made the girl seem different from everyone else in the courtyard. She wore no conspicuous jewelry. She displayed no pride in being a princess. In fact, she stood as though she were already accustomed to placing herself outside the center of attention.
“Your Highness.”
Mayalyn’s voice brought Alexander back to himself.
He turned. Mayalyn was smiling at him.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine.”
They stood facing each other while King Cassian and King Lucien continued their conversation nearby. Alexander’s attention should have been focused only on the woman he was going to marry.
Yet, without realizing it, his eyes searched for the girl in the blue gown again.
She was still in the same place.
Silent.
Far too calm for someone who had just arrived in a foreign kingdom.
Alexander lowered his voice.
“Who is she?”
Mayalyn followed his gaze.
“Elara?”
“So her name is Elara?”
Mayalyn nodded.
“My younger sister.”
Alexander turned to her.
“Your sister?”
“The second princess of Asteria.”
Mayalyn’s tone was entirely ordinary, as though Elara’s existence were no more important than a name on the royal party’s roster.
Elara, having heard her name called, immediately approached. She stopped before Alexander and bowed politely.
“Your Highness.”
“Princess Elara.” Alexander studied her calm face. “Welcome to Thalassery.”
“Thank you.”
Only two words. Elara then returned to her place.
Alexander continued watching her.
The girl looked like someone lost in a place that should have been her own home. Yet behind that calm was something he could not explain—not weakness, but the habit of enduring without ever asking for help.
“Alexander.”
King Cassian’s voice broke into his thoughts.
“Yes, Father?”
“Escort the Asterian family into the palace.”
“Yes.”
Alexander walked with the group. Mayalyn was at his side, talking about the scenery and the palace rooms she wanted to see. The kings and queens walked ahead, followed by the attendants and guards.
Elara was a few steps behind, walking with Liora.
Alexander glanced back once.
Then again.
The girl looked small among the large royal party, but her steps did not falter. She kept her gaze forward, as though trying to convince herself that there was no reason to be afraid.
Near the palace stairs, the sea wind blew harder. The moon pendant at Elara’s throat swung and reflected a glimmer of light toward Alexander.
For a moment, the flash looked like a pale light pulsing from within the silver.
Alexander stopped.
But when he blinked, the necklace looked ordinary again.
“Elara?”
Liora’s voice came from ahead. Elara turned toward her maid, unaware that Alexander was watching the pendant.
Alexander looked away, but a new question had already formed in his mind.
Not merely who Princess Elara truly was.
But why did that moon pendant feel so familiar to him?