Chapter 4 - I Think I Hate Princes

The sword came down in a crack of black lightning.

“Shit!” I dove sideways, leaves exploding where my head had been a second earlier. The blade sliced through branches like they were wet paper. “What the hell is your problem?!”

No answer. Just another swing—wide, fast, aimed directly for my neck.

“So we’re not talking. Great!” I hit the ground hard, dirt jarring up my spine, and rolled just in time to watch the sword cleave through empty air where my torso used to be. “STOP TRYING TO KILL ME!” I yelled as I scrambled back to my feet.

Nothing. No hesitation, no pause—just pure, murderous intent.

Snow burst into white shards, reforming into a dagger midair. I grabbed it and barely managed to meet the boy’s blade. The impact rattled my bones.

The dagger wasn’t stopping anything. He was stronger. Faster. And very committed to the homicide thing.

Panic spiked through me. I activated Blink.

The world snapped out of place. Trees smeared into streaks of colour. Ground, sky, everything twisting as my stomach lurched like I was being yanked through a vacuum. Then it all slammed back together.

I reappeared several meters away.

The boy stumbled when his sword hit dirt instead of me. But the surprise lasted a grand total of half a heartbeat. He spun toward me, violet eyes blazing.

“You,” he snarled, sprinting forward with terrifying speed. “Did he send you? Did my brother finally decide to get rid of me?”

“What?!” I blinked again on instinct, vanishing before he reached me. This time, I reappeared behind a thick tree, chest heaving. “I don’t even know your—”

A hiss cut the air.

“Duck!” Snow shrieked.

I dropped flat.

A beam of black lightning slammed into the tree, drilling straight through the trunk. The explosion blasted bark and splinters across my back. The tree groaned, split, and toppled in a shower of debris.

I lifted my head just enough to glare over the fallen trunk. “Oh, perfect,” I muttered. “He’s insane.”

“You’ll have to try harder if you want to kill me!” he shouted, voice cracking with fury.

“I DON’T EVEN KNOW YOU!” I screamed back.

He didn’t care. He lifted his sword again—black lightning arcing along the blade—and fired another bolt straight at my face.

“Oh, for—seriously?” I hit Blink again.

This time, I didn’t run away from him.

I ran into him.

I reappeared directly in front of him—close enough to feel the heat of his breath. His eyes widened in shock.

“Will you just LISTEN—?”

I slammed into him before he could react.

My legs hooked around his, twisting. His balance shattered, and we crashed to the ground. His sword flew out of his hand, tumbling into the underbrush.

I landed on top of him, straddling his hips, thighs pinning him down. My dagger pressed to his throat.

“Stop,” I panted, face inches from his. “Just listen for two bloody seconds.”

He went absolutely still.

His gaze dropped, right to my chest and lingered there for a mortifying beat before jerking up to my eyes. His cheeks went crimson.

I blinked, thrown completely off by this idiot changing from homicidal maniac to suddenly acting like a flustered schoolboy. “So? Can we talk now?”

He swallowed. A very audible gulp. “Y-yeah.”

I exhaled hard and eased the dagger back. “Great. Finally. Now—who the hell are—”

“Uh…before that…” he murmured, voice a little shaky. “How long are you planning to keep me…pinned?”

“Until I’m sure you’re not going to try to kill me again.”

“I won’t. I swear. But maybe you could…um…cover up first?”

“Cover—?” I looked down.

And died inside.

My soaked dress clung to every curve I had, neckline dipped so low my entire chest might as well have had a spotlight on it. The skirt was torn up my thigh, and because I was straddling him—

Oh. Oh no.

“AH—!”

I punched him. Right in the eye.

“Ow—!”

I launched myself off him like he was made of molten iron, arms flying up to cover everything I possibly could.

He sat up slowly, rubbing his face. “Was that really necessary?”

“It’s your fault!” I sputtered, mortified, furious, and freezing. “You—you were—UGH!”

I spun away, ready to walk straight into the woods and never return.

A hand clamped around my arm, pulling me back toward him.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry,” he said, hands raised. He shrugged off his jacket and draped it over my arms before I could protest. The fabric was warm, soft, smelling faintly of pine and mint. “Maybe I was… a little paranoid.”

“A little?” I arched a brow.

He had the audacity to laugh. “Can you blame me? I find a girl watching me in the middle of a dark forest. Kind of suspicious, don't you think?”

I tightened the jacket around myself, letting the warmth chase off the worst of the cold. “Fine. Then maybe you can explain why ‘kill first, questions never’ was your strategy tonight?”

“That,” he said dryly, “is exactly the kind of thing my brother would arrange.”

I groaned. “I don’t even know who your brother is.”

He studied my face like he was searching for a lie. Then he let out a disbelieving snort. “You really don’t.”

“I literally said that,” I muttered.

His expression shifted into a mixture of confusion, surprise, and something like amusement. “Then… do you at least know who I am?”

I gave him a once-over. “Hmm. A sword-happy lunatic with anger issues?”

He froze.

Then burst into laughter. A genuine laugh that shook his whole body. When he finally caught his breath, he wiped his eyes and said with a smug tilt of his head. “What if I said I’m Asher Lerciert?”

I stared at him.

Blankly.

Because I genuinely had no idea who that was supposed to impress.

Before I could admit that, Snow’s voice chimed dryly in my head. “He’s the second prince.”

Oh. Well, crap.

I squinted at Asher again, then sighed so hard it felt like my soul left my body. “So your brother... would he happen to be a blond dipshit dripping self-righteousness with an aggressively punchable face?”

Asher’s mouth twitched. “So you have met him.”

That was all I needed to hear.

I groaned, turned on my heel, and started walking. “Okay, Your Highness. Fantastic chat. I’m done.”

“Wait—!” He reached out, but I activated Blink before his fingers touched me, reappearing several meters away.

“Nope,” I called, already heading out of the clearing. “I’ve faced enough royal temper tantrums for one night. I’m retiring from princes. Permanently.”

“At least tell me your name!” he shouted after me.

I paused, let the silence stretch, then answered without turning around. “Raven Vidier.”

Then I kept walking.

Snow scurried up beside me in fox form, tail flicking like he was too amused for his own good. “You’re just going to leave him? He could be useful.”

“I think I hate princes,” I muttered.

We reached the forest edge. The academy loomed in the distance, lit by cold moonlight and too many bad memories waiting inside. I didn’t know where I was going—my legs just kept moving, dragging the rest of me along.

Anywhere quiet. Anywhere warm. Preferably somewhere with a hot bath and a soft bed.

“Just one night,” I whispered to myself. “One night without a death threat. Is that too much to ask?”

Snow snorted. I pretended not to hear him.

I pulled the jacket around my shoulder tighter and realised I had forgotten to give him back his jacket. Guess he just has to live without it. I never wanted to see him again.