The couple of following days in the Golden Pace went by rather uneventfully, with a few exceptions.

  Valeria didn’t have any other leads regarding the attack on the caravan to follow, so she was back by the Princess’ side for most of the time, while waiting for Felix to do his part.

  Oriana, on the other hand, seemed to be having a much rougher time, as the very next day after the aforementioned fight with the Commander, Her Majesty, the Queen, informed her that Kyra will be temporarily assigned to Lin Xuen.

  Apparently a mysterious sickness had befallen Shun Ming, and she had to be sent back to Liung-Mun.

  Since the news reached her right after hearing the rumors about the supposed closeness between the Commander and Lin Xuen, Oriana couldn’t help but feel that she was losing the people around her to the Dragon Princess one by one.

  — First that Bastard and now Kyra. She’s taking everything from me. — the Princess sobbed in her bed after receiving the news.

  Fortunately, Valeria didn’t leave her, even for a moment, and Kyra still came by whenever she had some free time, ciming that she needed to make sure that Pau was doing a good job being her substitute. Between that and the Prince coming to talk to her nearly every day, Oriana slowly started to regain her usual liveliness.

  One morning, seeing how her daughter was in a much better mood, the Queen got an idea.

  — Such nice weather today. How about you show Prince Emil and Princess Xuen the ke, hm? You can even have a little picnic. — she said while patting Oriana’s hand.

  — There’s a ke nearby? — Lin Xuen asked. She was already impressed by the amount of attractions around the Pace, so hearing that there was even more to do, she couldn’t help but be impressed.

  — There is. The Modice Lake is located within the Pace’s grounds, so there’s hardly anyone around. A perfect spot to rex. — Queen Hester expined.

  — That sounds wonderful! Princess, what do you think? — Xuen asked, with childlike excitement written all over her face.

  Oriana wasn’t too thrilled with the possibility of spending a full day in the Dragon Princess’ company. Even though the storm in her heart had calmed down enough to let her look her in the eyes again, she still had a hard time spending too much time with her.

  On the other hand, she also enjoyed being by the ke a lot, and this year, she still didn’t have the opportunity to go.

  Eventually, knowing that Xuen wasn’t the only person who would accompany her, Oriana agreed.

  The ke was indeed a wonderful pce. Spanning across the Pace grounds, away from the bustling streets of Lucetta and the politics of the royal court, it was the perfect spot for an aristocrat to unwind.

  Oriana and her entourage, consisting of Emil, Lin Xuen, Valeria, Kyra and Pau had spent quite some time walking around the ke while chatting and enjoying the view.

  It wasn’t until a couple of hours ter that they finally picked a spot and set down a bnket in the shade of an old ash tree.

  The Queen personally supervised the kitchen in preparing the food, and so the baskets were overflowing with various breads, fruits, pastries and other delicacies. Even for six people, it would be a challenge to finish it all.

  Having eaten to the fullest and getting a bit of rest, the company was ready for another round of activities.

  This time around, their choice nded on a pair of boats moored at the little pier by the shore.

  Nevertheless, seeing how there were only two vessels avaible while there were six of them made the situation slightly complicated. Luckily, upon realizing what the issue was, Kyra assured them that she and Pau were more than happy to stay on the shore. The sentiment wasn’t shared by her friend, who was hoping to get a better view at the inevitable, in her mind, romantic moment between her favorite couple - in her mind.

  Somehow, the only possible pairing for the boats that Pau could think of involved Valeria and Oriana together, so when she saw that the Princess went with the Prince while the Commander accompanied Lin Xuen, she couldn’t be any more heartbroken.

  The azure blue sky was free from even a single cloud, meaning the bright summer rays spread as far as eye can see, enveloping everything and everyone in its warmth.

  Lin Xuen, unused to the Aelian weather, took refuge under the light umbrel that Kyra thoughtfully brought for her.

  She was sitting across from Valeria, enjoying the view.

  Ever since they left the shore, the Dragon Princess didn’t say a word, which made the Commander be on her guard even more than usual. She was expecting her to use the opportunity to probe her past again, but being met with complete silence, she felt at a loss.

  She studied Lin Xuen carefully, hoping to get a glimpse of any tricks that she could have been hiding.

  Looking at her properly for the first time since her arrival, Valeria had to admit that the Dragon Princess was indeed truly a beautiful woman.

  No wonder my troops were so excited when she came to the training.

  Sensing someone’s focused gaze, Lin Xuen turned her head and met Valeria’s eyes.

  — Careful, Commander. You’ll make me blush if you keep staring so hard. — she said, amused with the embarrassed expression her companion made.

  — I was just thinking that you are awfully quiet today, Your Imperial Highness.

  — Are you feeling neglected, Commander? Should I pamper you a bit? — Xuen teased.

  — No, thank you, Your Imperial Highness. I’m more than happy to keep things the way they are. — As Valeria was saying this, a colorful butterfly nded on her shoulder, to which she was oblivious.

  For the Dragon Princess, it was a perfect opportunity to torment the Commander a little bit more. A punishment of sorts, for making her task so difficult.

  She carefully got closer to her, and reached her hand to Valeria’s cheek, while looking deep into her shocked eyes.

  — You are? — she said in a low, seductive voice.

  It was safe to say that Valeria nearly jumped out from the boat.

  — What are you doing?!

  — You had a butterfly on your shoulder, Commander. — Xuen answered, while making an expression so innocent that even a child would look suspicious next to her. The colorful butterfly was sitting on her fingers, proving her words. — What else could I be doing?

  Valeria was too fbbergasted to answer.

  Seeing the pure terror in the Commander’s eyes, the Dragon Princess couldn’t hold in a ugh.

  — Tch. You’re acting as if I’m out to steal your purity, Commander. — she said with a dramatic fir.

  — You’re not? — asked Valeria suspiciously.

  — No, I’m not! — Xuen sent her a chastising look — As it so happens, I am looking for a certain person, and I thought that you might be the one.

  — Who are you looking for exactly?

  The Dragon Princess thought briefly about her answer. In the end, she decided that there was no point in beating around the bush.

  — I’m looking for someone who would help my father and me rebuild Faolán.

  Valeria had her suspicions about the reason why Lin Xuen was so interested in her, but hearing the words directly from her was no less shocking to her.

  — I think you are mistaking me for someone else then. I’m just some guard. I can’t imagine that any of my skills would be useful in rebuilding a nation.

  — Is that so?

  — Mm.

  Xuen watched as Valeria started rowing again, taking them back to the shore.

  We’ll see about that, Commander. I’m not done with you, yet.

  DannyTheDaikon