Fated Eclipse: The Illegitimate Princess And Her Alpha Suitors

Chapter 305: An Anchor in the Storm

Lyria’s POV

After reading the letter, I arrived at only one conclusion. I did not want to have a date with him in a drawing room. I would rather go down to the training grounds he had spoken about.

I was rather curious about them. It was not until recently that I had started taking notice of the guards and the training grounds as well. Before then, I had scarcely paid them any mind. They were simply there—things in the background while I moved through my daily routine.

I knew most places in the palace—places that were hidden and that not everyone even knew existed—but I did not know of the private training grounds.

Though rather than say I did not know of them, it would be more accurate to say I had simply never been there. The palace was vast, filled with corridors that led to nowhere and chambers long forgotten by everyone except the dust and the shadows. Over the years, I had discovered many of them, carving out little sanctuaries for myself where I could exist without being seen. But the training grounds had never been among them. They belonged to the nobles, to the men who trained and sparred and prepared themselves for competitions in which I had no part. And for there to be a place within the palace I had never seen before, I found myself quite curious.

”Your Highness?” Elara called.

I turned to her with a smile.

”E-Earl Hawthorne has s-sent word regarding the d-date,” I told her.

”Is it to be held in one of the drawing rooms?” Debbie asked.

I shook my head.

”H-he gave m-me a choice. I c-could choose the d-drawing room, or I c-could take l-lessons in s-self-defence from him. A-after all, a d-date does n-not have t-to c-consist only of s-sitting and c-conversing,” I told them.

They were quiet for a moment, and I wondered what exactly was going through their minds. There was something in their expressions that I could not quite read—surprise, perhaps, or approval. Or maybe it was simply amusement at the thought of their princess learning how to throw a punch.

”But... Your Highness has only just begun to recover. Would it truly be wise for you to take self-defence lessons?” Bridget asked worriedly. ”Would that not be rather taxing on your body?”

”Kathryn did say Her Highness is recovering well,” Elara replied. ”Though I would still advise taking things slowly, lest the injuries reopen or—Goddess forbid—a fever returns.”

”Do you truly think it is a good idea?” Pippa asked. ”I cannot imagine lessons in self-defence being particularly enjoyable.”

”That is likely because you have never had a truly enjoyable date,” Margery said with a faint smile. ”Dining together and conversing are not the only ways one may spend time with the person they fancy. There is horseback riding, running together in wolf form through the fields, chasing one another—which, in my opinion, is far more enjoyable—going swimming, cooking together, or even shopping and choosing clothes for one another. There are countless things that may be considered a date. What truly matters is that the two people enjoy each other’s company.”

As she spoke, I noticed the sadness creeping into her voice. Her eyes lowered ever so slightly.

I knew she was speaking from experience—from the time she had spent with her former partner. And perhaps it was because of that look upon her face that I felt compelled to speak.

”Y-you both must have h-had many h-happy memories together,” I said softly.

She gave a quiet chuckle before brushing away a tear.

”We did, Your Highness. We argued far more than most couples—and I must admit those arguments were usually my fault. Most of the time he was right, though I would sooner bite my tongue than admit it.” She smiled faintly. ”But even so, we had a great deal of fun together. He made me want to live when I had all but given up.”

I watched her as she spoke, and I could still see the grief lingering beneath her words. It was the same grief I carried with me every day—the ache of losing someone who had once made the world feel a little less heavy.

Perhaps I understood it better than most.

Though I did not know every detail of her story, I knew enough to recognize its shape. I knew the emptiness that remained when someone who had been your anchor was suddenly torn away. It left behind a hollow that nothing could quite fill, no matter how much time passed or however many distractions one sought.

The rain continued to fall outside, its gentle rhythm tapping softly against the windowpanes.

For a brief moment, I was reminded of myself as a child—how I would sit by the window and wish for peace.

Not peace in the way a child ordinarily would.

Mine had been... different.

Margery shook her head as though casting aside the memories that had resurfaced.

”Let us not dwell on me, Your Highness,” she said gently. ”You have a date to prepare for, and I have every confidence it shall prove to be one of the finest you have ever had.”

She gestured toward the chair before the dressing mirror.

I nodded and walked over to it. Just before taking my seat, however, I turned back to her.

”I k-know it i-is n-not my place to s-say this, b-but I t-too know what i-it feels like to h-have y-your anchor t-taken away. B-but someone made i-it so that I s-still held on. T-they b-became another anchor f-for me. S-so perhaps y-your greatest anchor i-is gone... b-but t-that does n-not mean y-you cannot f-find another. P-perhaps not one as l-large, b-but s-still strong enough to k-keep you s-standing.”

I swallowed before continuing.

”And I w-will do m-my best t-to b-be one of those anchors. T-to h-help keep you g-grounded... t-to g-give you s-something to h-hold on to... f-for as long as y-you need me to.”

I knew I had not expressed it quite the way Duke Valenridge once had, but I hoped she understood what I meant.

We had not known one another for very long, yet I had already grown rather attached to them.

I only hoped that attachment was not misplaced.