Bernard turned slowly, scanning the crowd with narrowed eyes, trying to locate whoever it was that had caught the attention of the young prince so completely.
"Which girl are you talking about, my prince?" Bernard asked, his voice low but urgent as he shifted his position to better observe the flood of people.
His eyes moved carefully over the women in the crowd, taking in the vendors and the noble ladies in embroidered silks, even the more flamboyantly dressed travelers from distant regions. Yet, nothing in particular stood out to him, nothing he considered worthy of a royal's unbroken focus.
Sion did not answer immediately. Instead, he inclined his head slightly in the direction he was already staring, his gaze sharp and unwavering.
"That one over there," Sion said at last, his tone even but with a hint of curiosity behind it. "Black hair, blue dress, gray eyes. Who is she?"
Bernard followed the line of his prince's sight with renewed urgency, now narrowing his search with the specific details provided. His eyes darted from person to person, before they landed on a young girl standing near a small cart stacked high with colorful cones of cotton candy.
Her dark hair shimmered under the sun as it spilled over her shoulders, a striking contrast to the simple sky-blue dress that ended just above her knees. Her large gray eyes were wide with delight as she inspected the puffy cloud of spun sugar in her hand.
She was entirely oblivious to the scrutiny, too absorbed in the cotton candy to realize someone was watching her with such intensity that it might bore a hole through her skull.
Bernard frowned and turned sharply back to Sion, confusion clear on his face.
"The one by the cart?" he asked, not entirely sure he had understood correctly.
"Yes," Sion answered, his tone clipped and matter-of-fact.
Bernard looked once more toward the girl. She could not have been more than ten or eleven years old. A child. Just a child, savoring a sweet treat and chatting cheerfully with the older woman beside her.
"I don't know who she is, my prince," Bernard admitted cautiously, still baffled by the entire situation. "But I can go find out."
"No," Sion said swiftly, cutting off the suggestion before it could even take root. "Dont do that. It will only draw attention to ourselves, and we do not want that."
Bernard's mouth parted slightly, stunned by the command. He shifted his gaze from the girl to the prince and back again. If anyone was drawing attention, it was Sion, who was staring so openly that a blind man could have seen the intensity in his eyes. Bernard nearly pointed that out but quickly thought better of it.
Then the prince muttered under his breath, his voice just loud enough to reach Bernard's ears.
"My, she's so beautiful. And her voice... Something about her voice."
Bernard almost tripped over his own feet.
He straightened immediately, brows drawn together in alarm. "Umm… my prince, she's just a child," he said slowly, carefully, hoping the reminder would correct whatever line of thought Sion was veering toward.
But his words were not received well.
Sion tore his gaze away from the girl and locked eyes with Bernard, his irritation stark and immediate. His eyes had narrowed, and the smoothness of his jaw had tightened as if the suggestion itself had been deeply offensive.
"Educate me on the thought that gave you the idea that I didn't know she is just a child." Sion said coldly.
Bernard stiffened, already regretting every syllable that had left his mouth. He lowered his head slightly, adopting the posture of a man keen to pacify rather than provoke.
"I apologize for misthinking, my prince," Bernard said, his voice humble and measured. "It was a slip of thought and tongue. I did not mean to insinuate that you were either blind or suffering from a lack of understanding."
Sion held his gaze a moment longer, and for a heartbeat Bernard feared he had still not said the right thing.
At that precise moment, the young girl's voice rang out again, her tone brimming with delight, forcing the prince to turn his attention back toward her.
"Mmm… this is so good, Bertha," she said happily, her words muffled by the mouthful of cotton candy she had just taken. "And it melts in my mouth! Thank you so much. I love you!"
Bertha chuckled warmly, her eyes softening as she reached out to hold the girl's free hand. "I love you too, pumpkin. Now, let's head to the tea shop. We don't want to stay out too long."
She gently tugged on the girl's hand, and the two began to walk deeper into the market, disappearing slowly into the crowd. Stalls blurred past them as they moved further into the heart of the square.
Without thinking, without even realizing it, Sion's feet began to move. He stepped forward, slowly at first, then with greater purpose, following the girl and the older woman through the tide of people. His stride was fluid, his posture regal, but his focus was that of a hunter trailing an unseen quarry.
Bernard's eyes widened, caught completely off guard. He rushed forward to match the prince's pace.
"Where are you going, my prince?" Bernard asked, his voice barely above a whisper but laced with disbelief. His brain raced as he tried to understand what had come over Sion. Following a child through a market was hardly standard protocol, especially not when they were there for an important matter.
"I need to find out what she is," Sion replied calmly, still walking, never once turning to look at Bernard. He needed to know how she was able to shake his entire being without even noticing him.
Bernard stumbled slightly at the answer, his mouth opening and closing before he could form words. "How do you intend to do that?" he finally asked, hurrying beside him.
"I have no idea," Sion said curtly. "But I'll come up with something. Just stop whining like a mosquito in my ears."
Bernard recoiled slightly, not at the insult but at the complete detachment in the prince's voice. He was serious. Entirely serious. And clearly, nothing Bernard said was going to stop him.
"My prince, we have a mission to complete," Bernard reminded him with exasperation, though he tried to keep his voice respectful. "We came here for a reason. What do I tell Ezra?"
"Tell him to hold on," Sion said, his tone sharp and final. "And tell him not to do anything yet. In fact, tell him to stay very far away from the trigger. Nothing must happen to that girl. If he touches that trigger by mistake, I will make sure he dies seven times."
Bernard opened his mouth to protest again, but the look in Sion's eyes silenced him. There was no use in arguing. The prince had made up his mind. Whatever this girl was—whoever she was—she had shifted Sion's priorities entirely.
Resigned to the situation, Bernard let out a heavy sigh. This, he knew, was a losing battle. The only thing he could do now was follow and watch carefully. And more importantly, make a call to prevent things from going terribly wrong.
As they weaved through the thick crowd, Bernard reached into his coat and retrieved a small silver phone from the inside pocket. He pressed a few buttons quickly and raised the phone to his ear, walking a step behind the prince.
He listened to the ringing on the other end of the line. His eyes never left the prince as he waited for Ezra to pick up.
Sion paused when the girl and the woman ahead paused at a spice stall, where a vendor enthusiastically waved a stick of cinnamon beneath the girl's nose. She giggled and shook her head, retreating closer to the woman. It was such an ordinary moment. And yet, in Sion's eyes, it was something else entirely.
But the atmosphere quickly changed when he saw her suddenly freeze and widen her eyes.