“Get away from her!” Wolfe pulled out his sword, pointing it toward Stern.
“Wolfe! No!” I shielded Stern. “He’s a prince, Wolfe! Have you gone mad?!”
“So what!” he yelled. “A spoiled little princeling like you has no right to stand at Bernstein’s side!” Wolfe’s anger was almost palpable.
Stern approached him. “I threw away my title. Nothing disrespectful about it.”
I gasped. Already? Princes were demoted to vassals only upon reaching adulthood at twenty years of age.
Stern unsheathed his sword, trading glares with Wolfe. Tension filled the frosty air, ready to snap at any second.
“Stop it, you two!” I inserted myself in between them. I didn’t want to hurt them, nor did I want them to harm each other. “Lower your sword, Wolfe. That’s an order. You too, Stern.” They begrudgingly laid down their arms, and anger welled up inside me. “What is wrong with you!”
Why do they have to hurt one another? Why?
“Pick, Bern,” Stern said.
“Pick what?”
“Are you coming with me to Neue Milchstrasse or are you staying here with him?”
Wolfe remained silent, his black eyes fixed on me.
I sighed. What kind of question is that? There’s no place for me in the capital anymore. “You know I can’t go back.”
“Yesterday it was declared that females can officially become knights.”
“What?”
“And you’re the first one up.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“Of course, there are people opposed to the idea, people who don’t trust the Eisberks. It won’t be easy, certainly not as easy as the life you have here, but I’m asking you to come back to the academy with me, nonetheless. Let’s graduate, together.”
A warm feeling spread throughout my chest. The dream I had long since abandoned, my dream of the three of us all becoming knights together, was within reach. But should I reach for it? What if my dream ends up hurting others again?
I looked to Wolfe. His gaze was gentle, urging me to go. “If it ever gets to be too much, you always have a place to come back to. Never forget that.”
“I won’t.”
“Best of luck.”
Wolfe had always had my back. He’d pushed me toward my goals, and when I came back a failure, he’d been there to support me. “Thanks, Wolfe.”
He nodded. Then he mounted his horse and rode off without looking back.
“Bern.” My heart leaped upon hearing Stern say my name. “The look, it suits you,” he said with an awkward smile, the abrupt compliment turning my cheeks as pink as his.
“T-Thanks.” I hung my head, staring down at my nails.
What do I say now? Confused by the sudden silence, I peeked upward only to drop my gaze back down when I saw his lips. I forced a kiss on him. It was an emergency, sure, but man, what was I thinking? I’d only had the courage to do it because I’d thought we’d never see each other again. I felt thoroughly awkward.
“What did you mean by ‘I loved you too’?” he asked, and I was too embarrassed to answer. “Why ‘loved’? Do you not love me anymore?”
The sheer sadness in his voice made me raise my head. I had never seen him look so dejected. “I do! I just thought we’d never see each other again. I thought you’d despise me after learning the truth.” I lowered my eyes. “I’m sorry. Sorry for lying to you this whole time.”
Stern brought his hands to my cheeks, lifting my face toward him. “No, I’m sorry for making you lie. I love you, Bern, just the way you are.”
His words melted something deep inside me. Just the way I am. That something so simple could make me so happy.
“I love you too.”
Stern smiled, letting his hands fall. “I’m a vassal now.”
“I heard.”
“Marry me, Bern.”
My brain was refusing to process what he’d said.
“The Eisberks’ ‘no-marrying-into-the-royal-family’ rule doesn’t apply anymore,” he pointed out with a playful grin. I was still speechless. “It sure would be embarrassing if I got rejected now, especially since everyone at the academy knows I threw away my title just for you.”
“You told them?!” It appeared he had me backed into a corner.
Devilish angel.
“I even bragged how there was no way I’d get rejected.”
“That’s not the issue!”
He gave me a woebegone look. “Are you mad at me?”
“No, it’s just—underhanded!”
Stern’s not-sorry-in-the-slightest smirk made me smile. After a pause, he transfixed me with a serious expression. I can’t move, he’s got me under his spell again.
“I make my own fate,” he said, repeating what he’d told me that fateful night, as his large hands cupped my cheeks. He had to be boiling the metal in my blood because I was suffused with warmth from the inside out. His magnetic affinity was attracting the iron within my body, making me want to touch him. Our noses bumped, our breaths intertwined. “Run while you still can,” he teased.
“Dispel your magic then.”
He laughed. “Jokes aside, have you finally figured out the cause for it?”
As humiliating as it was to admit, there could only be one answer. “My love for you,” I said, kissing him to hide my humiliation. He locked my head in place when I tried to retreat in embarrassment and gave me a passionate kiss.
I’m so glad that lifeless kiss didn’t turn out to be our last.
Stern caught me in his arms as my body melted into mush. “You know what came out of me when you dispelled the curse? A blue amber. The monster tried to steal my feelings for you,” he said. “Thanks—for protecting me. Now promise, promise you’ll marry me.” His intense gaze pierced my soul.
As if there’s a need for promises.
“I promise.” I offered him my pinky. Stern shyly hooked his around mine. We’d frequently made pinky promises since we were kids, but this one was special. “Break it and I’ll cut your pinky off.”
Stern nodded, beaming.
The lake ice creaked.
The ice is thawing. Spring is here.