Eastern Borders

"Stop beating around the bush," Elys glowered at the prince, "spit it out and say it straight to my face."

The princess was apprehensive, but Aleksander seemed to be in a good mood and wasn't making any rash moves against her. He even smiled at her; his eyes playful. Not even the kind of playful that sent children running and screaming for their mother.

But even with the prince's better temperament, Elys knew she should never stop being vigilant.

Who knew what else he could do?

She could detect magic if she really put her mind into it, but somehow, she wasn't able to realize she was already under his spell back there. Elysianne wanted to beat herself up for giving him a chance to slip through her own defenses.

Despite her efforts of guarding herself from his powers, Elys still fell into his trap.