Chapter 39: ~ Changes ~
"Your Highness," Esme said, following Winter down the long hallway. "The doctors said you should refrain from moving around too much."
"Princess Winter," Ezekiel added, tailing them closely. "Prince Aiden will come see you, you shouldn't seek him out in this state."
Winter shook her head and ignored their pleads. She woke up without Aiden by her side this morning. Since then, she's been feeling uneasy and couldn't understand why. Was it because of the nightmare?
"Good morning, Your Highness," A servant said as she passed, bowing to greet her. Winter smiled in response to his greeting.
"Have you seen Aiden?" She asked him.
"His Highness is currently studying in the library," He replied, rising from his bow.
She thanked him and then pushed the large doors to the library open. Sure enough, seated near an open window with hair slightly fluttering in the morning wind, was Aiden. He seemed to be reading a book.
As Winter approached him, her steps began to slow. Something about the way he was sitting there felt weird. She shook her head at the thought, dismissing the uneasiness that ate away at her body.
"Aiden!" She called out to him, practically skipping to where he was seated. "Are you studying?"
Aiden said nothing.
Winter froze, watching him with wide eyes. Sure enough, there was something weird in the air around him today. Was this really her brother?
'He looks like Aiden, but why does he not feel like Aiden?'
"Hello?" She said, this time much louder. "Why aren't you answering me?"
"Well, I'm busy," He said without looking up, as if her presence was insignificant.
"You're busy?" She echoed, confused with his actions.
Aiden sighed, leaning back in his seat. She waited patiently for him to meet her eyes, but he remained looking down. It was almost as if she wasn't there at all.
'Is he mad at me?'
"Did I do something wrong?" She asked him when he didn't reply. "You're acting strange."
"Tsk," He breathed through his teeth, a slight furrow between his brow. "I said that I was busy, Winter."
Her heart sank to her stomach.
'When did he start acting like this? He was fine last night.'
Her mouth hung open with disbelief. His golden curls ruffled in the wind, shining a familiar golden shade. From his mirroring features like hers to his slightly rounded nose, this was surely Aiden.
"I always visit you when you study," She said in a breathy whisper. "What's different today?"
Aiden paused, his hand floating above his book where he was about to flip a page. He finally looked up from the words and met her eyes, staring pointedly at her confused expression.
Winter's eyes were windows to her soul. He could tell what she was thinking, feeling and fearing just by making eye contact. The look in her eyes reminded him of the days they spent in that wretched attic.
He frowned, unable to understand why he was overwhelmed with a strong feeling of disgust when she first entered the library. He was always happy to see her, so why was it so different this time?
"Sorry," He said, placing the book down on his lap and reaching out a hand to her. "I'm not sure why I acted like that."
For the first time in his entire life, the sight of Winter had made Aiden feel overwhelmingly sick.
Winter took his hand, eyes still twisted with an expression of pain. It was a light touch. Their fingers were interlocked, but for some reason it felt as if there was a million miles of distance between them.
'You're different from before.'
An uncomfortable silence enveloped the room. The twins stared at their hands that were touching awkwardly. Neither one of them could understand.
"I'll just go then," Winter finally said, withdrawing her hand from his. His fingers felt different for some reason. She turned away, wishing she hadn't come to the library.
Aiden stared down at his empty hand as she left, lost in a whirlwind of emotions. Her touch sent goosebumps down his spine. Why did the touch of his twin sister's hand feel so wrong? It was the same hand that had comforted him and protected him. It was the same hand that he had held countless times before. Yet for some reason, the touch of his sister made him nauseous.
Winter left the library with a heart full of pain. She never once thought that her twin brother would look at her with distant eyes. The way he stared at her felt foreign. It was something so unfamiliar that it felt completely and utterly wrong. Just when did he start to change?
Esme watched Winter's usual expressionless face twist with sorrow. "Your Highness, Prince Aiden was probably just too engrossed with his studies that-"
"Don't," She said, taking hesitant steps away from the library doors. "Don't. Just don't."
For some reason, Aiden felt a lot further than just from beyond the wooden doors. For the first time in nine years, something was changing between the twins.
"Winter?" Alexion asked, nearing where his sister staggered forward unsteadily in the hallway. "Did you come to the library? You shouldn't be out of bed."
Ezekiel shook his head from behind her and shot Alexion a warning look.
Alexion raised an eyebrow. "Is something the matter?"
"No," Was all she could manage in response.
'I need to find Henrik.'
The reason weighed down on her heart heavily. The Aiden she had just seen reminded her of the Aiden in the novel. Cold. Distant. Indifferent. Just when did he change from the boy who reminded her of golden wheat fields and happiness to the cold Prince in the book?
"I think I'm going to rest now," She said, passing Alexion with a cold shoulder. "I'll come find you later."
Esme frowned and watched her leave with her knight. There was an unsettling feeling of coldness lingering in the air.
"Did something happen?" Alexion asked her maid.
Esme nodded. "It seems that His Highness, Prince Aiden, wasn't as happy to see the Princess as she had hoped."
"What?" Alexion asked, eyes furrowing with displeasure. Aiden wasn't happy to see Winter? The words she told him made no sense. Winter was Winter and Aiden was Aiden. They were two in one, an inseparable pair.
"Please excuse me," Esme said, bowing before leaving to find the kitchen. She decided that she was going to bring Winter some warm soup and bread, a trivial idea that might help lighten her clearly depressed mood.
Alexion was left alone in the hallway with his thoughts.
'Is the world going to end?'
No matter how he looked at it, the possibility of Aiden and Winter not getting along was one in a million. The twins were connected by their souls, experiences and emotions. They had grown up reliant on one another for survival, so the possibility of them hating each other didn't exist.
'I'm sure it's nothing serious.'
~***~
"Oh my," Esme said with a smile. "I'll be sure to tell the chef you enjoyed the soup."
Winter spooned the last bit of soup into her mouth and swallowed bitterly. She glanced over at Aiden's bed on the other side of the room. Was his bed always this far from hers?
"Can I rest for a little?" She asked, dropping her spoon. The silverware hit the empty bowl with a clink. She stared down at its emptiness, remnants of the encounter she had with Aiden haunting her mind.
"Of course," Esme said, rising from where she sat by Winter's bed. "I'll check on you in a little, okay?"
Winter nodded, eyes examining the broad glass doors to her balcony. "Can you open those? I want fresh air."
Esme hesitated, wondering why Winter didn't want to open the window instead. She did as instructed without questioning her intentions. She just wanted to cheer the Princess up.
"I'll be guarding your door from outside," Ezekiel told her.
Winter nodded with a feigned smile and shut her eyes. She listened to the clicking of her door and the drapes rustling in the wind.
"You're awake," A familiar voice said as soon as she was left alone.
She opened her eyes. Prince Henrik. His black cloak fluttered in the wind and the light streaming in from the balcony doors illuminated his neatly brushed navy hair. He stared at her with silver eyes.
"Are they dead?" She asked him.
He nodded, walking towards her bed with graceful strides. He sat on the edge of her bed and undid his black cloak, letting it fall beside him.
"I was almost certain we weren't followed, but I guess I was wrong."
Winter shuddered and pulled her blankets tighter around her.
"Did you find out anything useful?" He asked, fidgeting with the black glove on his right hand.
"Apparently people infected with black magic keep turning up," Winter replied emotionlessly. "They have black eyes and hair, feel no pain and are basically animalistic creatures."
Prince Henrik nodded at her words, running a gloved hand through his navy locks. "How many people so far?"
"Three."
He frowned. "Okay, I'll look into it."
"What have you been up to?" She asked, desperately searching for something to distract her from the strange feeling in her heart.
"I found out that a strange man is staying with the Marquis," Prince Henrik told her as if he was gossiping with his best friend. "I tailed him and ended up following him to the Black Market, but I lost him before I could find out more. Since I was there I decided to visit the Dark Prophet and..."
"Don't," Winter said in barely a whisper. "Don't talk about it. Please, just don't."
Prince Henrik didn't say anything. Death and killing were common things he had grown up with. He was the next Emperor of Aurosilio, so the colour of blood had been in his life as long as he could remember.
Discovering the mottled and torn bodies of Niana and Rubika didn't bother him. Seeing blood and dead bodies was something he had grown used to. He was more worried about Winter being followed.
"Are you feeling better?" He asked her, eyes watching her face intently. She had gone into shock after finding out Niana and Rubika had been murdered.
It was far too suspicious for their deaths not to be linked to Winter and Henrik's visit. The mother and daughter were wearing the exact same clothes from the day they had visited their store. The only difference was that their once tidy and neat clothing was stained crimson red.
"I'm fine," She said, flipping her silver locks over her shoulder and hugging her knees into her chest. "Are you sure you don't feel any black magic from inside the Palace?"
Henrik shook his head. "Can you?"
"No," She answered slowly. 'But Aiden's been acting strange.'
"By the way, I killed a few assassins." He said, rolling his head back as if he was speaking about something trivial. "Of course, they weren't able to enter Palace grounds because of security, so I took them out from behind the outer walls."
'Assassins?'
"Who was their target?" She asked him, resting her head on her knees.
"I found this on each one of them." Henrik reached a hand into his pocket and pulled out a wrinkled piece of paper. It had been carelessly folded several times and the corners of the fold were stained with drops of blood. He slowly unfolded the paper and showed her the image. It was none other than a sketch of herself.
"Me?" She asked, ripping the paper free from his grip. "They're after me?"
Henrik nodded, flopping backwards onto her mattress. If someone else were to witness the scene, the pair could be easily mistaken for childhood friends gossiping over a piece of paper.
"I wasn't able to figure out who sent them," He said regrettably. "They killed themselves before I could make them talk."
Winter frowned, examining the light sketch of her face. From her long lashes to her round eyes, the sketch was frighteningly accurate.
"You should be safe," He told her. "They couldn't even enter the Palace grounds because your father's forces are basically impenetrable."
He snatched the image back, folding it carefully before slipping it in his pocket. He wanted to keep it for himself.
He turned his head, glancing at her from where he laid on the corner of her bed. Her usual bright eyes looked like they had been washed over by a wave of sorrow. The once blazing fire had suddenly been extinguished. For the first time since he had met her, Winter looked sad.
"What's bothering you?"
She paused. "Aiden's acting weird. Distant, almost. I'm not sure why."
"Did something happen?"
"No," She sighed. "At least I don't think so. It's like one morning he woke up and all of a sudden he changed."
"Well, it's bound to happen. You're both growing up, so it's normal for your relationship to change with time. Try not to think about it too much."
Winter nodded. For some reason, his words didn't comfort her like they should have.
"You're both learning to stand on your own," He told her, gazing up at the ceiling from his spot on the edge of her bed. "I've seen the way he leans on you. If anything, it's good that he's growing independent."
Was it good? Winter shut her eyes trying to shake the uneasiness in her heart. Her efforts were futile because the pain squeezing her chest only worsened when she thought about it.
Henrik suddenly jolted up, his cape fluttering in the slight breeze as he draped it over himself in one swift motion.
"Leaving already?" She asked him. 'Don't go, I feel terrible.'
"Someone's coming," Henrik told her, heading towards the open balcony doors. "Stay safe and be careful. I'll be back soon."
And just like that, he disappeared with the wind.
She stared at where he was standing a moment ago. The only indication of his visit was the warmth left on the corner of her sheets. Prince Henrik was more like a friend to her now. The two of them talked about real things and she didn't mind being around him.
There was a knock on her door.
"Your Highness, may I come in?"
"Yeah. Come in."
Esme entered with a sullen look followed by a trail of several other maids. They turned away from her gaze, anxiously fiddling with their hands or sleeves.
"Is something the matter?" She asked them.
Esme hesitated. "Prince Aiden has requested that we move his things from this room."
Winter's heart contracted inside her chest.
"Move his stuff to where?" She asked her with a shaky voice.
"H-His new, new room..."
"He asked to move to a new room?"
Esme nodded, unable to meet her gaze.
Winter scoffed as pain shot up from her heart like fire. She cringed, her body felt heavy and tense. Was this actually happening?
No amount of physical pain inflicted on her during their time in the attic hurt as much as this did. No wound on her body had ever felt the same as Esme's words.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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