The Summoners' Heir

Chapter 20: My Princess is Perfect

"Leksi, it's time to go."

I was greeted with a warm smile. Not Ivan, but Fedyor. Thank the Saints for small mercies. He offered his arm, still beaming. Like Genya, he wasn't afraid of me. Some fuzzy feeling bloomed in my chest. I decided not to dwell on it.

"Shall we?"

I returned his smile and took his arm. It was time to go home.

It seemed the Darkling had left his carriage for me. Ivan was at the front, only acknowledging me with a quick nod. I suppose Fedyor was the one with people skills.

"After you, moya tsarevicha," the heartrender joked.

I laughed. I hadn't been referred to as such since I was a child. It felt like an eternity ago. I supposed I had mixed feeling about the title. I was never really a princess. I could never keep still, be polite, be quaint. I could never just sit back and let others attend to me. Despite my parentage, I sometimes forgot I was actually... royal.

"Fedyor, how long will the journey be?"

"Three days, give or take."

Yikes, I couldn't sit with my thoughts for that long.

"Could you put me to sleep?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Just slow my heart down. I haven't slept properly in days."

Naturally, that didn't happen.

Mother. Darkling. They'd stopped to camp. I guess the journey got to them too. Would we stop too? He held out his flask for her to take. Probably kvas. He still drank that stuff like medicine. I would never understand it. I watched as Mother grimaced at the taste. So, it wasn't just me.

"All right. Ask me."

I could see the cogs turning in Mother's brain. What to ask, right? Not many people, if any, had this opportunity. I was surprised by the question that came out.

"How old are you?"

He glanced at her, his face an expression of puzzlement and surprise. Impressive, Ma.

"I don't know, exactly."

"How can you not know?"

He shrugged. "How old are you exactly?"

Seventeen, you pervert. Alas, he couldn't hear me. She wouldn't have known because she was a Keramzin orphan. They were all given the birthday of the Duke.