A Familiar Face in the Shadows

Helio’s POV

I had finally drawn the short stick in the relatable duty game, but it was a welcome distraction from everything that had been going on.

The morning sun hung low in the sky as I walked into the village’s main market. The smell of freshly baked bread and vibrant blooms mingled in the air, along with the scent of dirt and unwashed bodies who couldn’t afford the time it took to fill a bucket of water. Chickens squawked behind their wooden fences, and people milled about.

I painted on a smile and shook hands with the common people, trying not to wipe my palms clean every time I did so. I wore the cheapest, most unadorned clothes I owned, but they would never recover if I got whatever was on this woman’s hands on them.

She fluttered her eyelashes. “Your Highness, you’re ju……