[Music Recommendation: Breathe ~ Lee Hi]

Adric sat inside his carriage, ready to leave Morado. It was obvious after what happened last night in the palace that the princess would be marrying her beloved personal guard. The truth was that Adric didn’t care who he married; he just wanted to have fun. And when he heard that Princess Kitanna was a tough one, he just wanted to really see for himself.

"Your highness, are you going to leave without getting married? The throne is at stake," his personal guard asked, looking worried.

Adric didn’t say anything; he had his head on the carriage window, enjoying the cool morning breeze. He noticed the trees losing their leaves.

"The season of Vicoban," he muttered. In his Kingdom, the season came with bad luck; it meant someone was about to die or a loved one was going to be lost. It was during this season that Adric had lost his mother.

"Do you have anywhere you need to be? Else, we follow this route," Rowan asked.

Adric hummed, "I would have loved to visit Cortez, but he is busy. Let’s just leave," he moved his head back inside the carriage.

Rowan nodded, pushing open the small window that linked them to the coachman.

"Take the other road; we will-"

"Hold on," Adric raised his finger, "What’s that smoke? Isn’t it too early for cooking?"

Rowan looked through the side of his window, "That’s a big smoke."

Adric stopped his carriage and started walking towards the place where the smoke was coming from. He saw a crowd gathered round the place.

"What is going on?" He asked a commoner who was standing by the side watching everything unfold.

"My Lord," the man bowed, not aware of Adric’s title, "They caught a thief and a seductress. They’re trying to burn her," he replied.

Adric shook his head, "Their princess is risking her life to make sure they’re safe, and they think killing each other is the right path," the crown prince sighed. He was going to turn his back and walk back to his carriage as it was not his kingdom, so it was also not his problem. But he heard a familiar voice that was now screaming desperately.

"Rowan, do you have any idea where Princess Oriana might be?" Adric asked his guard. He tried to squint his eyes to get a clearer view of the person who was about to be pushed into the fire, but it was impossible because the crowd kept moving.

"Your highness, the princess should still be at the Black River town. But if she had moved, I’m yet to find out," Rowan replied dutifully.

Adric nodded; he wanted to ignore the person’s voice. But it was a desperate cry for help. What if the person was actually innocent? As much as he didn’t care about people’s opinion when it came to him, and he didn’t really care about others, somehow innocent lives being threatened worried him. Adric made his way to where the fire was burning furiously, and as he got closer, the offender became even more familiar. The golden hair now looked disheveled, as she tried to struggle herself out.

"I’m innocent," Oriana continued to beg, feeling the fire touch her dress. Before she could be pushed any further, Adric reached out and snaked his hand around her waist.

"What is going on here?" He asked, with his steady hands wrapping around the princess. Oriana inhaled deeply, still resting on the arm of her saviour with her eyes closed. When seconds passed and she didn’t feel her whole body burning, she first opened one of her eyes before the other.

"Prince Adric?" Oriana’s eyes widened with shock. She pushed him away to stand properly on her own. Rubbing her eyes with her hand, she wondered why Adric was standing beside her. She asked herself internally. Oriana looked around her, maybe she was already in hell, and Adric was the ruler of the underworld, because that would explain everything.

"What are you doing near the fire?" Adric dusted his hands after the girl had moved away from him.

Oriana moved away from the fire, her legs still trembling from the fear she had of being burnt. But more than that, she wanted to be sure Adric was really there, or was this her pure imagination in the afterlife. They say when one is at the end of their life, their whole life flashes before their eyes. Why was her own different?

Adric took a step forward, and Oriana took two steps back, "Are you the ruler of hell? With Adric’s face?"

"What?" Adric raised his brows. Did the girl finally crack her head after being banished from the palace?

"Your highness," one of the villagers who recognized Adric bowed, and others bowed in respect.

Oriana turned to look at the crowd; this was real. They were seeing him, in flesh and in blood. "I didn’t die," she muttered to herself.

Adric looked at the girl from head to toe before shaking his head. The princess finally lost her mind. He turned to the crowd, "And what exactly is going on here?"

"Your highness, we caught this woman who goes around luring married men, and she’s also a thief," the village spokesman said.

Adric chuckled. He already knew it was a misunderstanding. Oriana could be anything, but none of that. He wondered how the girl found herself in such a sticky situation. But then again, he remembered that it was Oriana, and every trouble was possible with her.

"And whose husband did she lure to bed?" Adric asked, ready to find out who had started the rumour.

Ada raised her hand, "I, I your highness," with a shaky voice, she bowed.

Adric stared at the young girl for a moment, "And you know this because?"

"It was, um, I found out... no, I heard it from my husband," The young girl turned around to look for the man with whom she had cooked up the story, but he wasn’t there.

Adric exhaled, "Young maiden, are you lying to me right now?"

Ada had wanted to teach Oriana a lesson, and she decided to use these villagers since they would easily believe her story if she shed a few tears. She didn’t expect that someone else in power would be involved. The girl got down on her knees, "Forgive me, your highness... I thought I saw them, but I guess I was wrong. I didn’t mean to tell a lie,"

Adric nodded, "It happens sometimes, but you almost led an innocent woman to the most cruel death. Do you not think you deserve to face the consequences?" With his words, Rowan dragged the girl.

"I’m not from the kingdom, but I’ll make sure you pay for your crimes, including anyone else who also wants to tell a lie about this innocent woman," Adric said, his eyes looking at the villagers who now turned around to go back to their various houses.

Adric turned to Rowan, "Take that one to the village magistrate," he ordered, and the guard bowed before leaving the place. The Crown Prince turned to look at Oriana, who was standing without saying anything,

"That’s not how to greet an old friend, Princess,"

Oriana held her hands close to her side, her eyes moved from the burning fire to Adric’s shoes. She couldn’t bear to look at his face; she felt bare in front of him. He always found her at her lowest moment, and it cracked her ego. "Your highness," she bowed, with a shaky voice.