The next morning, Derek and Ro were preparing to leave. The Princesses, Ashlyn, Courtney and Edeline boarded one carriage, while Ro and Derek would take a separate one. Ro boarded first, as Derek was was about to enter the carriage, he was approached by the king's messenger.
"Wait, cobbler." the messenger called.
"Yes?" Derek walked up to him.
"From His Majesty, the King," the man said, offering it to Derek.
Derek opened the scroll. It was brief.
For services rendered to the Crown—namely, the peaceful and permanent removal of Miss Ro from courtly affairs—please accept this token of gratitude. May your travels be swift and your silence enduring.
Inside the chest: gold coins. More than Derek had ever seen in one place.
Derek was shocked. "I don't understand. I was ordered to make shoes for Miss Ro and the Prince already paid me for my services a day ago. What is this money for?"
"By taking the island girl away from here, you are doing the royal family a huge favour. They were worried the island girl was distracting the Prince from his royal duties and stopping him from marrying Princess Luciana." the messenger explained. "Take this sum, and don't ever return with that girl."
Derek awkwardly accepted the money. Though grateful, he definitely knew not to return to this place ever again. He thanked the messenger and boarded the carriage.
"Is everything alright?" Ro asked as Derek sat down next to her.
Derek looked intently into Ro's eyes, glimmering in the morning sun, glimmering from the hope of her new life ahead. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and pulled her close, now that they were concealed in the privacy of their carriage.
"Everything's more than alright, Ro."
Antonio watched the carriage roll away. The ache in his chest deepened into something heavier. He stayed on the balcony long after it disappeared from view. When he finally turned away, Luciana was waiting in the hallway, holding a cup of tea.
"I thought you'd want this," she said, too sweetly.
He didn't take it.
"I'm not thirsty," he muttered, brushing past her.
Antonio found himself wandering to the greenhouse—the place he had last seen Ro. Her footprints had long faded from the soil, but he still looked for them. He sat on the bench she had used, staring at the patch of sunlight she once occupied.
He remembered her laugh, her fire, the way she never pretended to be someone else. With Ro, everything was real.
He clenched his jaw. He had failed her.
He had wanted to speak to her last night. To explain. To apologize. But Luciana had monopolized the evening, and his parents kept him on a leash tighter than ever.
Now, it was too late.
The room felt colder. His heart heavier.
He turned, paced. He couldn't focus on anything. Not Luciana's voice. Not his duties. Not the fact that in three days, he was expected to marry her.
He didn't love her.
He never had.
He loved the way Ro smiled with her whole face. The way she made mistakes and laughed at them. The way she lit up when she saw the world.
He should've told her.
He should've stopped her.
He punched the wall, hard. Pain blossomed up his knuckles. He didn't care.
She was gone.
And he had let her go.
That evening, during dinner, he barely touched his food. His mother chattered with Luciana about fabrics and floral arrangements. His father praised Luciana's posture and poise.
Antonio said nothing.
His eyes burned.
He didn't belong to this world either—not really. He had tried. Obeyed. Played the part. But now, it all felt like ash.
He looked out the window again, long after the cart had disappeared.
"I'll find you," he said softly, to no one.
Not today. Not tomorrow. But someday.
And when he did, he'd be ready.
Even if it meant tearing down the palace walls.
After two days of being on the road, Ro arrived at the kingdom where Derek lived. Their first stop would be at the palace to drop the princesses off. While they were on the road, Ro got to know some of the princesses who were kind enough to let her join their carriage for some part of the ride. Ro got to learn some of their names and hobbies.
Ashlyn was the eldest of twelve sisters. Twelve! It baffled Ro that she had so many siblings. Ro wondered how many siblings she had, if she ever knew her family, or if her family was alive. But she decided to leave the thoughts of her island in the past. Her new future would only involve Derek, and the world he'd show her.
Ashlyn loved playing instruments like the flute, while Blair liked riding horses. Courtney always had her nose stuck in a book. Edeline liked playing sports; she explained a sport called javelin, which involved throwing sharp sticks with the aim to throw them the farthest distance.
"I did something like that, on my island," Ro said. "I used a spear to cut fruit from the trees," she continued. "And while I didn't ever ride a horse, I did often ride the dolphins around the sea. It was so much fun."
Her stories about her life on the island certainly interested everyone. Ro was friendly and there was something about her energy and laughter that made her stand out in the best way. She even sang for them once, her voice light and clear like the ocean breeze, and the carriage filled with cheerful chatter afterward.
As they reached the palace and dropped the princesses and their belongings off, Derek could finally take Ro home.
"Please, Ro, I would like you to meet the rest of my sisters, first," Ashlyn insisted.
The rest of the sisters came down the stairs, and one princess that took Ro by surprise was dressed in white and pink. She looked so much like her. They had the same hairstyle and everything. She came down the stairs and then stopped in her tracks when she saw Ro and Derek together.
Ro was confused, and she saw Derek avoiding her gaze. She was distracted when Ashlyn called the rest of the sisters and introduced them to Ro.
"This is Ro. She was shipwrecked on an island. Cousin Antonio found her and brought her to his kingdom. Derek met her there and now Ro and Derek are getting married," Ashlyn explained.
Ro felt shy being introduced like this, but from the corner of her eyes, she saw the princess dressed in pink and white quickly go back into the palace. She wanted to ask Derek what was up with the Princess she recalled being named Genevieve, but Derek seemed to be unaware of what was going on—or perhaps he was purposefully ignoring it.
He held her hand. "Let's go home, Ro."
Upon hearing this, Ro forgot everything she had just seen with Princess Genevieve. The idea of being alone with Derek excited Ro. She wouldn't have a reason to come back to this palace and she didn't need to. It was fun getting to know the princesses, but now she just wanted to be alone with Derek.
"Alright, let's go."
It had been two days since she left Apollonia. Antonio had probably already married Luciana by now, but she didn't want to let any thought of him cross her mind. She thought of her animals; they were probably doing fine as well. She just kept her mind on Derek, and only Derek.
Derek lived in a home that didn't really look like a house at first glance. He lived in a two-storied building that appeared to be a shoe shop. Ro saw more beautiful shoes on display as Derek entered the shop, a small bell ringing as he went inside.
"Come inside, Ro," he held out his hand. Ro took it with a smile and entered the building, finding more and more shoes and a younger boy working at the back, cutting leather to make more shoes.
"This is Greg, my apprentice," Derek introduced him to Ro. "He was looking after my workshop while I was away."
"Hi, I'm Ro." Ro waved at the boy who was stunned to see her.
"I'm... Greg... pretty lady," he said slowly, clearly in awe that Derek would ever bring a girl into his home, let alone a girl as beautiful as one of the princesses.
"Alright, Greg," Derek rolled his eyes. "We've had a long trip. I'm ready to close the shop for today."
"O-Oh, yes, of course, I wouldn't want to interrupt your alone time with—"
"Beat it, Greg," Derek said, annoyed.
Ro laughed as Greg practically ran out the door. Derek just sighed and locked the door before pulling the blinds down. His shop was closed for the day.
"So... this is where you live." Ro looked around the workshop.
"Most of the day, I'm here. Making and mending shoes. This is my shop where people come to buy shoes, get theirs fixed as well," Derek explained.
"I see, it's all so interesting." Ro said, holding up a pair of shoes before putting them back on the shelf.
"But if you were wondering... I do have a nice bed for us upstairs." Derek smirked.
Ro felt warm all over. "Then take me there, Derek."