Destined Across Time | LadaEarn

Chapter 4

Another week had passed, and still, Earn had found no answers, no solutions to the mystery of how to return to the present. The frustration gnawed at her daily, weighing on her thoughts even as she fulfilled her duties around the palace. She had returned to the lake more than once, hoping to feel some kind of pull, a sign-anything that could hint at how to replicate the fall that had brought her here in the first place. With every step into the cold waters, a deep breath, and a dive beneath the surface, she would emerge to find herself still very much in the past, the palace standing unchanged, the reality unbroken. It was as if time itself was mocking her, and all she could do was accept, however unwillingly, that for now, she had no choice but to stay.

The palace itself had become a hive of activity. With the engagement banquet for Princess Fahlada approaching, it seemed like every servant and noble had some role to play in ensuring the event's success. The arrival of foreign dignitaries, the bustling preparations for the grand feast, the flowery decorations being arranged in every corridor-everything was being done to ensure perfection. Earn's duties had doubled as a result, and though exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her, she found solace in the moments when she was called to attend to the princess. It was the one part of her day where she felt some semblance of purpose beyond merely surviving. Her role in serving Fahlada allowed her to maintain a strange yet comforting closeness to the woman who had, in her own way, become a guiding light in this strange time.

As Earn carried the tray of night tea into the princess's chambers, she noticed an air of unease in the room. Fahlada was seated by the window, her gaze lost in the darkness outside, and her hands clenched in her lap. The usual sparkle in her eyes seemed dimmed, as though she was burdened by something more than the mere exhaustion of the day.

"Your tea, Your Highness," Earn said softly, setting the tray down on a nearby table.

Fahlada turned, a small, distracted smile pulling at her lips. "Thank you, Earn," she murmured, though there was a hesitation in her voice. As Earn began to withdraw, the princess spoke again, stopping her mid-step. "Wait. I... I need a favor from you."

Earn's brow furrowed as she turned back toward the princess, curiosity mingled with concern. "A favor?" she repeated. "Of course, Your Highness. What is it that you need?"

The princess rose from her seat, wringing her hands as she approached Earn with a nervous energy Earn had not seen in her before. "I... I don't want to enter my marriage as someone inexperienced," Fahlada began, her voice trembling ever so slightly. "I do not wish to disappoint my future husband... or be seen as a... bad lay." The last words fell from her lips with an uncharacteristic bluntness, and a blush quickly spread across her cheeks as though she had surprised even herself by saying them.

Earn blinked in surprise, caught off guard by Fahlada's sudden candor. "I'm not sure I understand, Your Highness," she replied cautiously, her pulse quickening as the implications of the request began to sink in.

Fahlada's gaze softened, a mixture of embarrassment and resolve playing across her features. "I want to experience what it is like to be... close to someone," she continued, her voice quieter now, almost as though she was confessing a secret. "I want to know what it feels like to be touched, to share a kiss... before I give myself to a man I hardly know." Her eyes locked onto Earn's, the intensity in them growing as she took another step forward. "And I want you to show me, Earn... because I trust you."

Earn's breath hitched, and for a moment, she could only stare at the princess, her mind scrambling to find the right words. "Your Highness," she finally managed to say, her voice steady though her heart was anything but, "any man who truly loves you should not have expectations or demands when it comes to such things. You should be loved for who you are, not for any kind of... performance." But even as she spoke, she could feel her resolve slipping away, eroded by the earnestness in Fahlada's gaze and the unspoken need that lingered in the air between them.