The Legends of Kartas | Ongoing

42. LAST FAREWELL

The sky was beautiful.

Sitting crossed-legged on the stoned windowsill, Two stared out the latticed window and relaxed under the mild warmth of the setting sun. As the clouds condensed overhead, sun rays colored them red, yellow, and orange shades. She imagined the scenery came straight from the fingertips of the Gods, who seemed to watch over everyone but her.

However, unlike the pleasant weather, her heart was in a perpetual state of war against opening the door that she knew Jungkook was waiting behind or ignoring it and staring at the alluring sky. Without a doubt, she chose the latter.

Betrayed wasn't what she felt. It was more like. . . forsaken. By herself, the Lotus, the Gods, the idiot prince who still stood outside her door. She wanted to tell him to leave, but at the same time, she knew it was wise to talk about the blood contract, Medeia, and Nero. The problem was that she did neither and squandered time on the windowsill, mindlessly massaging a patch of skin on her right arm as the sun began to sink below the horizon.

It was childish of her to lock herself in her room, but Two needed time to organize her thoughts before attempting Jungkook's wild hunt for a rift. Even now, she thought it was a terrible idea, but what she believed didn't matter. It was happening whether she liked it or not.

Pressing her forehead against the pane, she fogged the window with a sigh as she heard two more knocks at her door.

"Two? Are you in there?"

He just didn't give up.

"We need to talk about our plan."

An edge of remorse tailed his voice, but Two was too caught up asking herself when his plan became our plan to fully grasp it.

"And we should check our horses in the stables. Make sure the stable boys saddle the ones we rode from Lux."

Whether Two rode a Luxian or Umbran stallion was far from the top of her concerns, so when she drifted towards the door, it wasn't to discuss the plan—or, more accurately, the lack thereof. Apparently, it was to stand there in silence as she thought of a response in vain, and after standing with nothing to say for a solid minute, she knocked on the door once—twice. Announcing her presence. A great start.

"I need time to think, Princeling. I know you are worried about Medeia and the blood contract. And I know you feel guilt weighing you down about it, but you need rest. So much has happened in the past few days. This may be a normal occurrence for you since you live in a castle, but catching up to the present is stress and headache-inducing for me."

Within weeks, Two advanced from a murderous assassin to a faux royal guard of Lux who was about to embark on a quest to kill Daetunos in Infernum. And if that wasn't enough, she had just exposed her identity to the future kings of Kartas. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she let out a frustrated huff.

"My advice is to rest," she said. "You didn't take a break after the council yesterday. This may be your last chance to breathe peacefully, so enjoy it while it lasts. As for Medeia and the blood contract, don't let it concern you. It will all work out in the end." Hopefully. Before Two returned to the windowsill, she added, "I don't care if you listen to my advice or go to the stables, but the last thing I want to do right now is talk. So I'll see you tomorrow, Prince Jungkook."

Plopping herself down on the windowsill, she waited for Jungkook to argue or plow through the door, but he did neither. She heard two quiet knocks before Jungkook's presence faded, and she was left alone in an oddly desolate silence.

Outside, the sun had set, and when the city lights of Hiemura didn't immediately light up, Two frowned. Hiemura was a world different from Clarica, but like the Luxian capital, it was timely in setting the night sky ablaze. She wanted to cherish the view during her last night in the city, so it was a pity.