𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓯𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓜𝓪𝔂𝓰𝓪𝓻𝓭 | English

Chapter 2

"What does this mean?" I thought in panic as I held the ribbon in my hand. The name on the tag—my name. Had my parents already promised me to someone without my knowledge? My heart pounded wildly in my chest, and I felt a strange coldness in my limbs. I carefully placed the ribbon back where it belonged and turned around. "What does this mean?" I thought again in panic, still gripping the ribbon. The name on the tag—my name. Had my parents already promised me to someone without my knowledge? My heart raced, and a chilling sensation ran through my body. I placed the ribbon gently back in its place and turned around. "Stay away from her!" A voice from the darkness shouted these words, and I felt my heartbeat throb in my throat. A warm hand settled on mine, pulling me close to a strong, warm body. "Ethan, take her back to the village. I'll deal with the creature," I heard Geralt say. Still dazed and shocked, I felt Ethan gently but firmly guide me towards the village. "Why is a young lady wandering alone at this hour?" he asked, holding my hand tightly. His voice sounded concerned, but he didn’t seem to recognize me yet. "I… I wanted to explore the area. I've lived here for so long and only know the high walls of the castle." Ethan stopped under a streetlamp, and the light fell on my face. "Princess?" I nodded and gave a weak smile, hoping he would understand. "Please don't tell my parents." He shook his head, his eyes serious. "I won't say anything, but you have to tell me what you saw there. This apparition didn't appear for no reason." My uncertainty was like a knot in my chest, but Ethan's calm presence gave me a bit of courage. "Come, I'll take you home first," he finally said and lifted me up. He carried me with ease, his warmth soothing my shaken spirit.

Back at the castle, Ethan gently set me down on my bed and knelt before me. "I found a ribbon with a name tag, and my name was on it," I began quietly. "Why was it there? Am I cursed, or have my parents already promised me to someone?" He placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry," he said softly. "I won't let you out of my sight, at least as long as I'm still here. We can be grateful nothing happened to you. You should sleep now, it's late." I nodded, feeling exhausted and confused. Slowly, I got up and went to my small bathroom to change for the night. When I returned, Ethan stood by the large window in my room, gazing out into the dark night. "Can you stay here?" I asked quietly. He turned to me, seeming to ponder for a moment before lowering his head and nodding. "I’ll keep watch over you tonight." Grateful and reassured, I crawled under my blanket, which enveloped me in comforting warmth. Ethan’s presence was like a shield against the darkness and the fears lurking within it. Knowing he was there, I closed my eyes and soon drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Morning slowly dawned as I opened my eyes. The first light of the morning sun filtered through the heavy curtains of my room, casting gentle shadows on the floor. I blinked and saw Ethan, still awake, leaning against the window with a calmness that immediately put me at ease. "Good morning," he said softly, turning to face me. His eyes were clear and alert, as if he had kept watch over me all night. "I hope you slept well." I sat up, still feeling the warmth of the night in my limbs. "Yes, I slept well. Thank you for staying." Ethan nodded and stepped away from the window. "It was no trouble. But now we need to think about what to do next. That apparition last night—it was no accident." I remembered the fear and the eerie encounter, and the questions that had been plaguing me resurfaced. "What does all this mean?" I asked, my voice trembling with uncertainty. "Why didn't the creature attack me? And what does the ribbon mean?" Ethan sat beside me on the edge of the bed, looking seriously into my eyes. "I don’t know for sure, but I will find out. We must be careful. It seems like something has been set in motion, something that involves you."

I looked at Ethan, confused. "Involves me? Do you think it has something to do with the ribbon that was there?" He shrugged, looking thoughtful. "I don’t know for sure. The best thing is for me to talk to Geralt and your parents about it." He gave me a gentle smile, but we were interrupted by a knock at the door. My maid entered, pausing in surprise when she saw Ethan. "Oh, I didn’t know you had company, Princess. Should I come back later?" "No, I was just about to leave anyway. Princess." Ethan bowed and left the room. My maid looked at me with a knowing smile. "Princess, did you spend the night with the witcher?" Her tone was teasing, but I could feel the heat rising to my face. "Of course not… at least, not like you think. It’s complicated." I turned away from her, trying to hide my blushing face. In a pleasant silence, my maid helped me dress and fix my hair. "He’s quite a handsome young man, even if he’s a witcher. I’d court him," she said, grinning at me through the mirror. "But my parents have other plans..." I said quietly, lowering my gaze. "Your brother is next in line anyway. He’ll be the next king of Maygard." Her smile was encouraging, and I couldn’t help but smile back. She was right, I shouldn’t worry about it now. My brother would take care of everything. But where had he been these past few days? When my maid finished, I left my room and went to the dining hall for breakfast. But when I entered, no one was there. "Why is no one here?" I murmured. At that moment, two warm arms wrapped around my waist.

"You’re not alone. I’ve been away for far too long." That voice—Marcus! I turned around and saw my brother’s familiar smile. "Brother!" I cried joyfully, hugging him tightly, resting my head on his shoulder. "Where have you been? I missed you." He loosened the embrace slightly to look at me. "I had to conduct some negotiations for Father in Avirsia." He kissed me on the forehead. "But Theo was called to Avirsia by his father yesterday… Does that have something to do with it?" Marcus nodded. "Let’s take a walk in the garden. I have something to tell you." He took my hand, and together we walked out into the large garden.

As we strolled along the paths, Marcus finally spoke: "I had to negotiate with Theo’s father and Theo himself. It’s about your marriage. You’re of age to marry, and Theo would be a suitable husband for you." "But… Theo is just a friend to me. I would marry him, but only if I found no one else. Please, give me more time." Marcus looked at me affectionately and nodded. "Of course, you still have time. You should let your heart decide, Karina." I hesitated, then asked quietly, "Brother… how do I know if I love someone?" He stopped, looking at me in surprise before asking with a teasing smile, "Karina, have you already found someone?" I shook my head. "But there is someone... He’s strong and handsome. When he placed his hand on my shoulder, it felt like magic flowed through my body. It was frightening, but also beautiful. I don’t understand it." Marcus’s gaze softened, and he smiled reassuringly. "Do you enjoy being near him?" I nodded, and he replied, "Then it could be love. Mother would be happy if you married for love and not just for political reasons. But you need to get to know him better. And I want to meet him before you go to Mother and Father with this." I hugged my brother gratefully and smiled. "Prince, you have visitors." James, our servant, appeared with Geralt and Ethan. Both bowed respectfully.

"Your parents are away, so we must turn to you if something needs to be resolved," said Geralt. Marcus looked concerned. "What needs to be resolved?" he asked. "It concerns your sister," Geralt replied, giving me a serious look. Marcus looked at me, then sent James off with Ethan and Geralt to the reception hall. Once we were alone, he asked with concern, "Karina, what happened?" I hesitated before answering quietly, "I was at a memorial site and found a ribbon with my name on it. The witchers were there, dealing with a ghost. I don’t know why my ribbon was there, and it scares me." Marcus pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly. "I understand your fear. But nothing will happen to you. I’ll speak with the witchers and find out what this all means. But to protect you, you can’t know everything. Do you understand?" I nodded reluctantly. How could I one day rule a country if I was constantly being kept in the dark? But in that moment, I trusted my brother and knew he only wanted what was best for me.