Chapter 78: Disappointed.
Thank you so much @ Jennifer Goliah,@ Linda 1276 and @ Simona_Ursache for the Golden Tickets.
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Morning arrived quietly over the Elven Kingdom.
Golden sunlight filtered through the towering emerald canopy that shielded the hidden realm from the outside world, scattering shimmering patches of light across crystal pathways and dew-covered gardens. Somewhere beyond the palace walls, birds greeted the new day with cheerful songs while servants moved through the corridors carrying baskets of fresh flowers for the wedding preparations that seemed to occupy every corner of the royal residence.
The entire kingdom hummed with gentle excitement, yet within one particular guest chamber, two young women were occupied with an entirely different concern.
Saline carefully lifted the wooden box onto the small table beside the window, her movements slow enough to suggest she was handling something infinitely more precious than carved cedar. Morning sunlight spilled across the polished lid, revealing the delicate grain of the wood beneath her fingertips. For a brief moment she simply stood there, looking down at the gift they had searched so diligently to find. She could already imagine Florence’s face when she finally opened it. The thought drew an unconscious smile to her lips. Behind her, Lilian was far less sentimental. She pushed a chair beneath the table, stepped onto it without ceremony, and reached toward the highest shelf built into the stone wall.
"Hand it here," she whispered, stretching as far as she could.
Saline raised an amused eyebrow. "You’re making this look suspicious."
"It is suspicious," Lilian muttered, waving her fingers impatiently. "If one of the palace maids finds it before the wedding, the surprise is ruined."
Saline laughed softly before passing the carefully wrapped box upward. Lilian accepted it with exaggerated seriousness, sliding it behind a stack of dusty decorative cushions that had apparently remained untouched for years. She climbed down with surprising satisfaction, dusting invisible specks from her hands before placing both palms on her hips.
"There."
She nodded once.
"Even Queen Calista herself wouldn’t think to look there."
Saline tilted her head toward the hidden shelf.
"You’ve thought about this before."
"I’ve lived in this palace long enough to know where nobody cleans."
The answer made Saline laugh again, the quiet sound filling the room before she quickly covered her mouth. Neither of them wished to attract unnecessary attention. Outside the chamber, servants crossed the corridor carrying embroidered fabrics toward Florence’s apartments while somewhere farther away a seamstress loudly insisted that wedding robes could not simply "finish themselves." The palace was wonderfully distracted today, and that distraction presented an opportunity neither girl intended to waste.
Lilian crossed toward the window, cautiously lifting one corner of the curtain to peer outside. The palace gardens stretched beneath them, vibrant beneath the morning light. Several royal guards walked their usual routes along the eastern walls while gardeners busied themselves trimming flowering hedges for the coming celebration. After watching for nearly a full minute, she finally lowered the curtain again and turned with a satisfied grin.
"The eastern patrol has changed."
Saline immediately understood what that meant.
"They’re following the wedding schedule."
"They are."
Lilian folded her arms proudly.
"Which means Commander Kaelion has reassigned half the guards to help with preparations."
Saline smiled despite herself.
"So security is lighter."
"For today."
Their eyes met.
Neither needed to say anything else.
Within minutes they had quietly slipped from the chamber, moving through the palace with practiced ease. They exchanged polite greetings with passing servants, smiled innocently whenever someone looked their way, and never once behaved as though they were attempting anything unusual. That, Saline had learned, was often the easiest way to avoid suspicion. People noticed those who acted guilty. They rarely questioned those who behaved normally.
Crossing the palace gardens proved even simpler than expected.
The increased activity surrounding Florence’s wedding had transformed the usually disciplined palace grounds into organized chaos. Florists hurried between courtyards carrying enormous baskets overflowing with blossoms while musicians argued cheerfully over rehearsal schedules beneath flowering trees. Stable boys led decorated horses across the western lawn, nearly colliding with cooks transporting crates of fruit toward the banquet kitchens. Everywhere they looked, someone seemed preoccupied.
No one noticed two young women quietly disappearing into the eastern forest.
The hidden cave welcomed them with its familiar silence.
Soft blue crystals embedded within the ancient stone walls illuminated the narrow passage, casting gentle reflections across the underground stream flowing beside their feet. Saline had once found the cave mysterious. Now, after crossing it several times, it felt strangely familiar. Even so, she couldn’t completely ignore the flutter of anticipation settling somewhere deep inside her chest as the magical tunnel gradually carried them toward the human world.
She immediately frowned.
Anticipation?
For what exactly?
She was merely going to hear what Xandros had discovered about the mysterious woman.
Nothing more.
Lilian glanced sideways as though reading her thoughts.
"You’re awfully quiet."
Saline kept her eyes ahead.
"I’m thinking."
"I know."
Lilian’s smile became suspiciously knowing.
"You’ve been thinking a lot lately."
"I’m wondering about yesterday."
"So am I."
"No, you’re wondering about something else."
Lilian laughed under her breath.
"I wonder about many things."
"Mostly annoying things."
"They’re usually the most interesting."
Sunlight greeted them the moment they stepped from the cave.
The forest beyond shimmered beneath the late morning sky, warm rays filtering through towering oaks whose branches swayed lazily in the breeze. Birds scattered overhead as they emerged, and somewhere nearby the familiar sound of running water drifted softly through the trees. The path leading toward the village remained exactly as they remembered, its packed earth lined with wildflowers that nodded gently whenever the wind passed over them.
Neither spoke much during the walk.
Their conversation came only in brief fragments before comfortable silence reclaimed the journey.
By the time the village finally appeared beyond the trees, the marketplace had already begun filling with people.
Vendors arranged colorful fabrics beneath striped awnings while farmers displayed freshly harvested vegetables in neat rows. The warm scent of bread floated through the air from the bakery they had admired the previous day, mingling with roasted nuts, polished wood and fresh herbs until the entire square smelled pleasantly alive.
Saline’s eyes instinctively searched the crowd.
Just once.
Only because...
Well...
He had told them to meet him here.
Nothing more.
Lilian noticed immediately.
Her lips twitched.
She wisely said nothing.
The great stone arch marking the entrance to the marketplace stood exactly where Xandros had indicated.
They walked toward it together before stopping beneath its broad shadow.
The bells of the nearby clock tower chimed softly overhead.
Midday.
"He should be here soon," Saline murmured quietly.
Lilian leaned comfortably against one of the weathered stone pillars, folding her arms as she observed the bustling crowd moving endlessly before them.
"I’m sure he’ll come."
Saline nodded once.
He had been the one to suggest the meeting.
Surely he hadn’t forgotten.
Minutes slipped quietly past.
Then more.
The crowd changed constantly as merchants greeted new customers and travelers wandered through the marketplace, yet no familiar figure with grey eyes ever appeared beneath the archway.
Saline found herself glancing toward every tall man approaching from across the square.
Each time...
It wasn’t him.
The smile gradually disappeared from her face.
The first fifteen minutes passed quietly.
Neither girl seemed particularly concerned. Villagers continued flowing through the market entrance in an endless stream, merchants called out attractive prices from brightly decorated stalls, and somewhere nearby a little boy laughed loudly after managing to steal a sweet pastry from his older sister before sprinting into the crowd. It was an ordinary afternoon, alive with the comfortable chaos of everyday life.
Saline shifted her weight from one foot to the other, absentmindedly smoothing the folds of her pale green dress as her gaze wandered once more toward the busy road leading into the square.
Nothing.
She glanced toward the sun.
"He might simply be delayed."
Her voice sounded far more casual than she actually felt.
Lilian looked sideways at her, one eyebrow lifting almost imperceptibly.
"Perhaps."
She didn’t sound entirely convinced.
Another ten minutes slipped by.
A merchant wheeled a cart loaded with polished clay pots past them. Two elderly women paused beneath the stone arch to discuss the quality of fresh vegetables before continuing on their way. A pair of children chased each other around one of the supporting columns, laughing so loudly that even several nearby traders smiled.
Still...
No sign of Xandros.
Saline folded her arms.
A tiny crease appeared between her brows.
"I don’t understand."
Lilian tilted her head.
"What?"
"He was the one who chose the meeting place."
"He was."
"He even chose the time."
"He certainly did."
Saline let out a slow breath through her nose before looking toward the crowd again.
"So where is he?"
Lilian studied her friend for a long moment before smiling faintly.
"I thought you said yesterday that he talked too much."
"He does."
"And that he enjoys appearing where he shouldn’t."
"He does."
"And that you found him irritating."
"I do!.... obviously."
Lilian’s smile widened just a little.
"Then why do you sound disappointed?"
Saline immediately looked at her.
"I don’t."
"You do."
"I don’t."
"You’ve checked the road seventeen times."
"I have not."
"You checked while I was counting."
Saline blinked.
"You counted?"
"I had nothing else to do."
She shrugged innocently.
"I became curious."
Saline sighed, shaking her head.
"I am not disappointed."
"No?"
"No."
She looked away again.
"I’m annoyed."
"That’s different."
"It is."
"He should’ve kept his word."
The conviction in her voice surprised even herself.
Lilian noticed.
She simply chose not to comment.
Instead, she pushed herself away from the stone pillar and stretched her arms above her head.
"I think we’ve waited long enough."
Saline hesitated.
Her eyes drifted toward the road one final time.
Perhaps...
Just another few minutes...
Before she could suggest it, the bells overhead chimed softly again, marking another quarter of an hour.
The sound seemed strangely final.
She lowered her gaze.
"...You’re right."
They remained only long enough to convince themselves that he truly wasn’t coming before quietly leaving the market square.
The walk back through the forest felt considerably quieter than the journey there.
Neither girl spoke very much.
The cheerful excitement that had accompanied them earlier had somehow faded into thoughtful silence.
Leaves rustled softly beneath the afternoon breeze while sunlight flickered between the branches overhead, painting shifting patches of gold across the narrow woodland path.
Eventually, Lilian spoke first.
"Maybe he forgot."
Saline frowned.
"He doesn’t seem like someone who forgets."
"Maybe something delayed him."
"...Maybe."
She paused.
"...Or maybe he simply changed his mind."
The possibility lingered uncomfortably between them.
Neither liked it.
When they finally stepped back through the hidden cave and returned safely to the Elven Kingdom, the palace remained just as wonderfully chaotic as before.
Wedding preparations had become even busier during their absence.
Servants hurried through the corridors carrying embroidered fabrics while Florence’s laughter drifted faintly from somewhere deeper inside the palace.
No one questioned where the girls had been.No one even noticed they had left.
Yet later that evening...
Long after dinner...
As Saline sat quietly beside the palace window watching silver moonlight settle across the gardens...
He unexpectedly surfaced inside her thoughts once again.
She frowned at herself.
"...Annoying."
The word escaped almost unconsciously.
Across the room, Lilian glanced up from the ribbon she had been untangling.
"Hm?"
"...Nothing."
She quickly looked back outside.
Absolutely nothing.
Earlier.....
Another pair of grey eyes had watched them leave until they disappeared completely beyond the forest.
Xandros remained seated comfortably upon the roof of a weathered warehouse overlooking the marketplace.
His elbows rested casually upon one raised knee while the afternoon breeze stirred loose strands of dark hair across his forehead.
He hadn’t moved.
Not once.
He had seen them arrive precisely at midday.
He had watched Saline glance toward every approaching figure.
Watched her wait.
Watched her convince herself that he would eventually appear.
Several times...
He had almost stood.
Almost.
His fingers tightened briefly against the rough wooden roof before relaxing once more.
"No..."
His voice remained little more than a whisper carried away by the wind.
"...Not today."
He had spent weeks waiting for her.
One afternoon...
Would hardly kill her.
The thought should have satisfied him.
Instead...
He found himself wondering whether she was still standing beneath the archway.
Whether she had finally left.
Whether she had looked disappointed.
A quiet smile touched his lips.
She had come.
Just as he had expected.
Curiosity had brought her.
Tomorrow...
He wondered whether concern might do the same.
He leaned back against the sloping roof, closing his eyes briefly.
Everything was unfolding exactly as he intended.
Or so he believed.
Unbeknownst to him...
Somewhere else within the village...
Fate had already begun preparing something neither calculation nor patience could entirely control.
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