ELARA'S POV
Chapter 20~Passing Days
The two weeks passed faster than Elara expected.
At first, the days moved slowly—dragging, heavy with the memory of Kaelen's words in the healer's tent. They lingered in her mind no matter how hard she tried to push them away.
Now days. That was how long remained before the kingdom would celebrate the engagement of Prince Kaelen and Lady Lyra.
The thought alone was enough to unsettle her.
In those first few days, time felt stubborn. Every morning stretched too long, every evening came too late. Elara found herself distracted, her hands moving through familiar tasks while her thoughts wandered elsewhere. To him, the way he looked at her.
To the things he hadn't said—but somehow still had.
But after those first few days, something shifted.
Time no longer dragged. It rushed.
The city of Eldoria slowly returned to its usual rhythm, as though nothing had happened at all. The markets filled once more with merchants calling out their prices, their voices overlapping in a familiar chorus. The scent of fresh bread drifted through the streets each morning, warm and comforting, blending with the sharper smells of herbs and smoke.
Children ran through the alleys again, laughter echoing against stone walls. Life continued.
Yet something had changed for Elara. She began avoiding Kaelen.
At first, it happened without intention.
The morning after their conversation, the sky had barely begun to lighten when Kaelen appeared at the healer's tents. The early sunlight caught against his figure as he approached, calm and steady, as though he had every right to be there.
Elara saw him before he saw her. Her breath caught.
Her heart jumped—sudden and unexpected.
For a moment, she stood frozen.Then instinct took over.
Without thinking, she slipped out through the back of the tent, moving quickly, quietly, taking a narrow path that led toward the market before the stalls had even fully opened.
She didn't look back. Later that day, Darin mentioned it casually while sorting supplies.
"The prince came by earlier."
Elara kept her eyes on the herbs in her hands.
Pretended not to hear.
But her grip tightened slightly.
A few days later, Kaelen returned.
This time, Darin was the one who met him.
"Elara's helping Father on the western road today," Darin said easily.
It wasn't entirely true. Elara was only a short distance away, inside a smaller storage tent, carefully organizing bundles of dried herbs. She didn't step outside. Didn't speak. Didn't even allow herself to breathe too loudly.
Only when the sound of footsteps faded and the air seemed still again did she finally move.
Another afternoon, she caught sight of him riding through the main street.
He was surrounded by guards, his posture straight, composed—every bit the prince the kingdom expected him to be. For a moment, she simply stared.
Then she turned sharply and walked the other direction, her steps quick, almost uneven. It became easier after that.
Or at least, that's what she told herself.
She learned the times he usually passed through the district. Learned which paths he favored, which routes the guards often took. She adjusted her own movements without thinking, always one step ahead, always just out of reach. It became a safe routine.
But not once did it feel right.
Because no matter how carefully she avoided him…
She still noticed. She noticed when he didn't come.
She noticed when the guards passed without him.
She noticed the absence. And it lingered.
Still, sometimes she wondered if Kaelen had realized what she was doing.
If he noticed the way she disappeared whenever he drew near.. If he understood.
Or if he simply chose not to press it.
After several days, he stopped coming as often.
The visits grew fewer and shorter.
Until one morning passed…
Then another… And another without him.
The healer's tents felt quieter because of it.
Less tense. She told herself it was a relief.
That this distance was what she wanted.
That it was better this way. And yet— Something about it felt… wrong and unsettling. Like a silence that shouldn't be there.
One evening, as the sun dipped low and painted the sky in soft gold, Elara sat just outside the tent, sorting through a bundle of herbs that no longer needed sorting.
Her hands moved, but her mind was elsewhere. The streets were calm.
The noise of the market had faded into a distant murmur.
For once, There was nothing to distract her.
And in that quiet, the thoughts she had been avoiding finally caught up with her. She exhaled slowly.
Why did it matter? Why did his absence feel heavier than his presence?
Her fingers stilled.
She closed her eyes briefly, frustration tightening in her chest. This wasn't supposed to be complicated.
He was the crown prince. He was promised to someone else.
And she—She was just…
Elara. A healer's daughter.
Someone who didn't belong anywhere near him.
That was the truth. It had always been the truth.
So why did it feel like something had shifted?
Like something had already begun—Whether she wanted it to or not?
She opened her eyes again, staring out at the quiet street.
For a moment, she almost wished he would appear.
Just once. Just so she could—
She stopped herself. Shook her head slightly.
No.
That was exactly what she had been trying to avoid.
And yet…
As the days continued to pass, and the celebration drew closer—The silence between them didn't fade. Instead it grew.
And with it— Something unspoken. Something neither of them had chosen. But neither could ignore.
KEALEN'S POV
At first, Kaelen told himself it was nothing.
People were busy. The city was recovering.
The healer's tents no longer overflowed with wounded soldiers, and Elara had her duties—as she always did. There was no reason to question it.
And yet— The first morning he went to see her, she wasn't there.
He arrived just after sunrise, the light barely touching the rooftops. The air still carried the quiet calm of early morning, and for a brief moment, he expected to find her exactly where she always was—moving between patients, her voice soft but steady, her focus unwavering. But she wasn't.
Instead, Darin greeted him.
"Elara stepped out earlier," he said, almost too casually.
Kaelen nodded. Didn't think much of it.
At least, not then. He stayed only a few minutes longer before leaving, telling himself he would come back another time.
But when he returned a few days later—
She was gone again.
"Elara's helping Father on the western road today," Darin said. Kaelen studied him for a moment.
Something about the answer felt… rehearsed.
Still, he didn't press. "Of course," he said simply.
He left again. But this time, the thought lingered.
By the third time, it was no longer coincidence.
Kaelen arrived earlier than usual, before most of the tents had even begun their work. The streets were quieter, the usual noise of the market not yet awake.
He walked through the healer's camp slowly, his gaze shifting from one tent to another.
Searching, expecting to see her and then there was nothing, no sign of her not even a trace.
He stopped near the entrance of one of the tents, his jaw tightening slightly.
"She was here not long ago," one of the healers mentioned, noticing his silence. Kaelen gave a small nod. But something about that only made it worse.
She was here.
Which meant— She had left again.
This time, he didn't stay. As he stepped back onto the street, a quiet realization settled in. She wasn't just busy. She was avoiding him.
The thought was unexpected and yet undeniable.
For a moment, he almost turned back.
But he didn't.
Instead, he let out a slow breath and continued walking, his expression carefully composed. If she wanted distance— He would give it to her.
At least, that's what he told himself.
Days passed.
Kaelen stopped going to the healer's tents as often.
Not because he didn't want to—
But because each visit only confirmed the same thing.
She was always just out of reach.
And he wasn't sure which was worse— Seeing her leave… Or not seeing her at all.
So he adjusted. He focused on his duties instead.
Training sessions with the royal guard became longer, more intense. Meetings with his father stretched further into the evening. Reports, patrols, preparations for the upcoming celebration—he buried himself in all of it.
Anything to keep his mind occupied. Anything to avoid thinking about her. And it worked just for a while.
Until one afternoon— He saw her. It happened suddenly.
He was riding through the main street, surrounded by guards as usual, his attention only half on the path ahead.
And then, There she was. Just ahead.
Walking along the edge of the street, her head slightly lowered, as though she was deep in thought.
For a brief second, everything else faded.
The guards, the noise, everything. It was just her.
Kaelen slowed his horse instinctively.
"Elara—" He didn't even realize he had spoken.
But before he could reach her—
She quickly turned. Too quickly.