Hina’s family was a modest, middle class one. While they were not rich, they were comfortable enough with both parents working hard to support their family. Of course, some luxuries had to be sacrificed, like new fashionable and cute clothes for Hina. Most of the clothes she had received from her parents had been hand me downs from her mother, who kept her older clothes as they were roughly around the same size. They definitely had mom vibes and weren’t cute at all, just comfortable and functional, which were great for everyday wear.

  So it was always a surprise when Hanako would give her her clothes from when she was younger. Cute and adorable, frilly clothing that were more Hina’s style than her friend’s.

  “My mother used to enjoy dressing me up in whatever she thought would get everyone’s attention,” Hanako had explained offhandedly. “I think I’ve worn most of these only once. They’re taking up room in my closet, so you can pick out whatever you think is nice.”

  They were having a rare moment of hanging out at Hanako’s house, a large manor compound with many connecting buildings through covered walkways. Servants ran around taking care of the daily upkeep. It reminded her of the homes of samurai from period dramas. Hanako’s parents were currently overseas at the moment, so there would be no disturbance from the two of them.

  Hina was glad for it, since they often looked at her like she was trash, despite using friendly words. They made her feel so uncomfortable, as if they were mentally willing her to leave and never speak to Hanako again.

  The two of them were able to spend a happy day together, pulling out clothes from the depths of the closest and Hanako actually showing the photos that she could find of herself in them. Hanako said she looked terrible in such clothes, but Hina honestly thought her friend looked cute. She was used to seeing her best friend in uniforms for the most part, or sporty clothes that suited her very well.

  “The best looks for Han-chan are the ones that show off her long, long legs,” Hina said, after having seen several childhood photos.

  Hanako smirked at her friend, leaning in. “Oh? Have you been staring at my legs? Didn’t take you for a legs girl.”

  Flabbergasted, Hina tried to quickly cover up what she’d said. “W-well, you’re just so pretty, you know? If I were a guy, I’d definitely be staring, hahaha. Guys like a girl with long legs like a super model.”

  “If you were a man, huh?”

  Hanako leaned just a bit closer, and Hina could see quite clearly the flecks of garnet within those deep brown eyes of her friend, framed by long lashes. Truly, Hanako was a carefully cultivated beauty, like a lily being cared for in a greenhouse. A flower you couldn’t help, but to stare at and admire.

  They remained like this for the longest time, until Hina started feeling a little uncomfortable. But before she could say anything, Hanako drew back, going into the closest to dig around once more to try and find something else that she could pass onto Hina. There was certainly a lot and so much waste created by someone else who treated their daughter like a dress up doll. But Hanako had grown up like a weed and was tall and willowy, so she had outgrown her clothes very quickly.

  Hanako pulled out a pretty blue sun dress, with little bows at the shoulders and a length that would reach Hina’s knees when she tried it on. The material was light and airy, very comfortable and had a satisfying swoosh when she spun around to look at herself in the mirror. She felt pretty wearing it and was so pleased with how she looked in it.

  Hanako was smiling at her, too. “Perfect. I knew blue would look good on you.”

  “I really like this one, Han-chan!”

  “Then you’re definitely taking that one with you to our trip to Okinawa.”

  “Oh, yeah, that’d be perfect!”

  “Just give me another spin.”

  “Okay!”

  Hina, glowing happily at her new gift, spun around once more for her best friend, only stopping when she heard the snap of a phone camera going off. Freezing in mid spin, she whirled on her friend to see what she’d done.

  “H-Han-chan?!”

  Grinning, Hanako just held her phone close to her with the biggest Chesire Cat grin. “Sorry, you looked so cute, I couldn’t resist.”

  Blushing, Hina tried to snatch the phone away so she could get rid of the photo, however it may have turned out. It was useless since Hanako was so tall, easily keeping the device out of reach by holding it up in the air. Even using the taller girl’s shoulders for leverage was completely useless. In the end, she had to give up trying and concede that Hanako could keep the picture.

  “I plan to cherish this cute photo of my sweet Hina, forever.”

  “Oh, geez.”

  On the fourth day, Soleil was not allowed to leave the grounds yet again.

  She had also not attended the third night of Emperor Roman’s birthday celebrations, despite the implied invitation to her by Prince Darius. Actually, most likely because Prince Darius had suggested it meant that she had to avoid going at all cost. If he hadn’t been there on that fateful first night as she should have been and Soleil had been accosted and harassed as a result, she was not risking it ruffling more feathers by making an appearance wherein he made a beeline for her. Childhood friendship or not, that was a recipe for more harassment.

  At any rate, she didn’t have another dress she could wear that was fitting for such an opulent setting. She had plans to make herself a fool, but only during the Saint trials, not to high society at large. So there was definitely nothing that could possibly convince her to go.

  However, she was also in no mood to read either, having pushed herself to the point of giving herself a headache with the constant reading and circular thoughts.

  Nothing was going the way she thought it was, no matter how many times she tried replaying the scenes from the Saint’s Thorny Road in her head to reconcile with the events that were currently unfolding. There were so many worrying things that happened that one could lose their mind trying to keep track of everything. Soleil was not a genius after all. Boy, did she wish she was some kind of OP protagonist, who knew and understood everything.

  Unfortunately, that’s not in the cards.

  “Maybe I should just take things as they happen? No, no, no. Prevention is better than being reactive,” Soleil told herself. It was better for bad things to be avoided than to fix them after the damage was done. “Hmm…at the very least, I can think about the very next story note.”

  One of the plot points in the Saint’s Thorny Road was the case of the missing girls right before the Saint trials were to be held. The main reason why Soleil wasn’t allowed to visit the capital on her own, even with Marianne in tow. In this case, all she had to do was to stay put at Rose Villa and she would be safe. Dangerous death flag avoided! However, she hadn’t gotten nearly enough resources for what was to come – the big reason why Alperene and her fellow saints had been executed unjustly, the plague that would ravage the whole Empire. And while she certainly had a small pile to work with already, her own home of Lorainne lacked access to these important resources and she needed more before they had to go back.

  There were only a few days left before she and her father would be returning to Lorainne and her plans to grab more information was thwarted by her father being too busy to go with her.

  And trying to sneak out was nearly impossible.

  Though she could easily pass by the guards with no issue, since she had a visitor’s pass which allowed her in and out privileges from the palace grounds to out in town, it was Marianne herself who stuck to her like glue, just like the day previously, until a set of knights escorted her to visit the imperial family at the palace. In all likelihood, her father had most likely given her orders to keep her out of trouble as Soleil had a habit of getting into things when she was younger. Soleil had strength to rival most men, but it was not like she was a trained warrior. Considering her past track record, she would cause more of a mess if she ever got into trouble.

  It probably was for the best that she was stuck at the Rose Villa, but the anxiety of knowing of things to come without having an outlet to deal with it was frustrating.

  Even going out onto the balcony was accompanied by a hovering maid. Soleil knew Marianne was just doing her job, but she felt suffocated. Back home Marianne had many other duties to attend to aside from taking care of Soleil, but here as guests of the palace, she only needed to be her lady’s attendant. At least she could convince her to stay inside the suite instead of standing attentively on the balcony with her.

  I could probably ask the Emperor for some guards to follow me, but I feel like I really shouldn’t, Soleil mused, recalling how the imperial couple had treated her. That was something she also needed to figure out, but her mother was back home and the only other person who would reveal any information was in a lot of meetings with the other lords. Another dead end for the moment.

  Looking out over the garden, some of the guests were milling about. Foreign words floated into the air, indiscernible to her, but clear enough for her to realize she understood nothing. Being on the third floor, she had a great view of the nearby villa and the roads that connected them all. There was someone riding a horse at a trot, sitting tall and looking very at home on it.

  It took her a second to realize who it was, riding with an elegance that most nobles could never hope to attain while wearing plainer clothes than her status gave her.

  Before she knew it, she’d shouted out,

  “Duke Florian Sinclair!”

  It was foolish, as the distance was further out than the garden below and she could barely hear the people there. Most likely the duke would continue her ride without hearing her.

  And yet, as soon as the last syllable left her lips, Florian looked up straight at her with a bit of surprise. It soon transformed into a pleasant, happy smile and she raised a hand to wave at Soleil.

  Involuntarily, she waved back out of habit.

  The duke looked well. It was still odd to think of the woman with a title that normally went to a man, but honestly what did it matter in the long run if everyone recognized her with that title? If she was capable, then there should be no problem.

  Florian’s horse was pushed to go faster and Soleil watched as she raced along the path. The other woman actually looked quite good on a horse, very dashing even. It was actually quite a pleasure watching her ride so fast, dark hair whipping behind her and jumping over the shrub walls of the Rose Villa garden –

  Wait.

  Soleil’s jaw dropped as Florian jumped several walls as if she were in the midst of an equestrian trial instead of riding through the palace grounds. Her sheer audacity was awe inspiring and terrifying (especially for the poor people who had gotten jumpscared by a random horse).

  “Good morning, Lady Soleil!” Florian called from under her balcony, cheeks flush from riding quickly.

  “G-good morning, Duke Florian. Were you on your way somewhere?” Soleil asked, unable to find any other words. While it had been amazing to watch Florian’s ability on a horse, she had to wonder if people were going to lodge a complaint at the duke later, if they recognized her.

  “I was just taking a morning ride,” Florian replied pleasantly, voice loud enough to be heard by others. Some nobles who were narby were not being subtle in eavesdropping on their conversation. “And what is the lovely Lady Soleil doing on such a fine day stuck in her room?”

  “I am–”

  “Oh, wait a moment. I’ll come right up.”

  “You – WHAT?!” Suddenly, Florian was on the balcony’s edge, having left her mount to somehow jump up to the third floor. She’d most likely leapt from the lower sills and balconies, but that was fast. It shocked her to see how quickly the duke made her way up. “Eek! You scared me!”

  Florian laughed, carefully lowering herself onto the balcony proper, not looking the least bit winded. “My apologies, my lady. I was simply too excited to see you again.”

  Moving forward, Florian took Soleil’s hand, giving her a greeting by way of bowing her head over it, which doubled as a sincere apology, before releasing her.

  It was actually pretty gallant and really played to her romance loving brain. Soleil couldn't help the mushy smile that was pushing through at the display.

  “You flatter me.”

  “There is much to flatter,” Florian said, without missing a beat.

  Soleil couldn’t help mentally fistpumping, because truly, there was no compliment like one made genuinely by another woman. Sure, it was nice when a man said you looked nice or complimented you, but there was something empowering when another lady came up and said it to your face.

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  “Well, what can I do for you today, Duke Florian?” Soleil asked, moving along before she started acting all twitterpated.

  “Actually, I was wondering what I could do for you,” Florian turned it around. “You look hale, but your face says that you feel unhappy.”

  “Oh, is it that obvious?” Soleil chuckled a little. Scratching her cheek, she gave the older woman a nervous little smile. “Well, I wanted to visit the town, but my father wouldn’t let me go, because it’s too dangerous.”

  Florian just stared. “Well, it is.”

  Blunt, so very blunt! She didn’t even try to soften the blow, Soleil thought.

  However, what she said and did next was against all of the young noblewoman’s expectations.

  Leaning closely, the duke playfully said in that low, husky voice of hers, “Shall I kidnap you then?”

  Not a single finger touched Soleil, Florian’s hand folded behind her back. The taller woman’s breath tickled her ear and heated up her skin when she whispered those words. Pulling back a little, there was this little confident, almost arrogant, smirk that the duke wore, belying the impish mischief she was suggesting.

  “I…er…” It was difficult for Soleil to form words.

  Florian was quite the expert in flustering Soleil; it was both fun and just a little irritating, but the kind of irritation you could only feel with a friend. Like banter you would fall into after knowing them for years. Though their acquaintance was short, it felt right. Even if Florian was extremely odd.

  Florian showed off the sword at her hip, giving the hilt a little tap. “If it’s an escort you need, I can accompany you with my own men. Your father should have no problem with that, I think.”

  “Really? It wouldn’t be a bother?”

  “Considering I am here and not at the meeting with all of the lords of the Empire, I don’t think it would be a bother.”

  She was right! Normally a meeting between the lords would require all of them to be present, including those of ducal ranks. So why was Florian here instead of attending the meeting with everyone else? As if knowing what was on her mind, the duke answered her nagging question.

  “A representative is currently standing in my place at the meeting,” Florian explained, eyebrows pinched as if remembering something unpleasant. There was a small shake of her head before she presented her hand over to Soleil. “Worry not, Lady Soleil. It isn’t something for you to be concerned about.”

  “Is it because you’re a woman?” Soleil blurted out. She quickly realized how insensitive that may have been and apologized immediately. “Oh, I’m sorry! I just…this is the first time I have ever met a female duke.”

  “As you should. It isn’t normally the title of a woman, but here we are.” The duke shrugged, a sense of helplessness in the action. As if there was nothing she could do about how things turned out. Soleil was intensely curious about the whole story of why Florian was the duke of Sinclair and no one else, but wisely remained silent about it.

  She simply placed her hand into the other woman’s to accept her earlier proposal of ‘escaping’ the palace grounds together.

  “Well, if you are not needed elsewhere, then I accept your proposal of leaving.”

  “Excellent. I’ll leave you a moment to make your preparations. I’ll wait right here.”

  Excited at the prospect of getting out and about, Soleil went to tell Marianne the good news. Of course, when the maid was told of her lady’s plans, she seemed stunned. Absolutely flabbergasted, as if her lady had gone insane. But the moment she showed her servant the duke leaning against the balcony railing outside their suite, she believed it, although warily.

  “Not that it’s my place to say anything, my lady, but are you sure you can trust her?” Marianne asked, sneaking glances at the Duke. The way her maid was so suspicious was heartwarming, but wholly unnecessary. Florian had only treated her kindly so far, even saving her from Nicolette’s crazy attack during the first night of the gala.

  “It’ll be fine, Marianne,” Soleil assured. “If my father comes back before I do, just tell him I’m with Duke Florian and being escorted by not just her, but some of her men as well.”

  Marianne didn’t look convinced, but nodded in understanding. “Yes, my lady. Be careful. Come straight back before dark.”

  “I will, I promise.”

  With that settled, Soleil went to Florian to tell her the good news.

  “So, you’re ready to go then, Lady Soleil?” Florian asked, peering at her purse and quick change of clothes for visiting the town.

  “Yes!” Soleil chirped. Marianne had helped her get changed so she wouldn’t force Florian to wait for too long. Plus daylight was burning and if she needed to be back by sundown, then she had no time to dress up. Just a decent dress and proper walking boots and she was good to go!

  “Understood. We shouldn’t tarry. Then, excuse me…”

  Really, Soleil should have known better. Should have understood what kind of strange behaviour and actions that the duke was prone to, just because of all the interactions they had had so far…

  Without any preamble, Florian tucked her arms under Soleil and swiftly lifted her up, effectively sweeping the young lady off her feet. Startled from the sudden move, she yelped and grasped onto the older woman, wrapping her arms around Florian’s neck out of fear of being dropped. While she was trying to recompose herself and get a grip on her rapidly beating heart, the duke had the nerve to laugh. This was no laughing matter.

  “D-Duke Florian, just what do you think you’re doing?” Soleil demanded indignantly.

  “I do believe I already made it clear,” Florian told her, slowly making her way to the balcony’s edge. Soleil’s blue eyes widened as it slowly dawned on her what was going to happen. The Duke held her a little closer and securely just as they got there and Soleil curled tightly in fear.

  “Y-your Grace….!”

  Smiling like a fallen angel, this was the last thing Florian said before jumping their way down to her waiting horse:

  “I’d said I’d kidnap you, didn’t I?”

  “I apologize, Lady Soleil.”

  “.....”

  “You weren’t harmed at all, Lady Soleil.”

  “.......”

  “Given the moment, I thought it would be exhilarating for a young lady such as yourself.”

  “.........”

  The ride into town had been filled with a tense silence on Soleil’s part as she sulked through it, no matter how Florian decided to explain herself. She also had to blame every single webtoon and light novel she had ever seen and read – what about being swept off your feet and being carried around was supposed to be romantic? Then again, maybe it was because it had been a woman doing it and not the man of her dreams? Was that the key difference? Being so blinded by emotion that the rushing of blood to the head as they plummeted quickly was akin to the feeling of love?

  When this is all over, I want a proper romance. Maybe then it wouldn’t be so scary…no, no matter what, who honestly likes that kind of showboating romantic trope! Give me romance on the ground. Romance with feet firmly planted on terra firma, please!

  She shouldn’t stay too mad at the Duke, she had obviously just been trying to be playful, a little mischievous, following the exact words she had used when suggesting they go out to town together. However, Soleil figured her new friend needed time to properly reflect on her actions, so she remained silent until they reached their destination.

  Back to the Royal Quill to purchase more books!

  The Duke had brought guards as promised, sending them off to different locations to keep watch while she would accompany Soleil through the bookstore, to be used as a pack mule. The Duke had been surprised, but accepted it as part of her penance for giving the younger woman the biggest scare of her life. She even gave suggestions on titles to look at when she realized what Soleil was looking for.

  Around the sixth book, the two women were now speaking normally, the incident at the balcony completely forgotten as they scoured the medical section of the giant bookstore.

  “Are you interested in becoming a healer, Lady Soleil?” came the obvious question from the Duke as she followed dutifully with the mountain of books Soleil had picked out. It was as much as she had picked out the other day with her father, yet Florian did not complain at their unwieldy weight, able to move around without bumping into anyone.

  “Ah, no, but my mother is always sick, so I thought I’d learn a thing or two to help her,” Soleil replied with a little white lie. This was actually all her research into making medications to help combat the plague that was coming, but firstly to help identify it.

  “You’re a very kind girl, Lady Soleil.”

  Soleil laughed off that comment. “Not really. Honestly, all this may just be my selfishness.”

  It was all for her own survival. It was just a nice side effect that she would be able to use her knowledge to help some people as well.

  “I still think you are kind,” Florian insisted as another book was added to the pile.

  “You haven’t known me for very long,” Soleil pointed out.

  “True, but from what I do know about you are traits that belong to a gentle girl.”

  Hearing that made Soleil blush, but she didn’t say anything about it as they moved to another shelf and she picked another book to quickly leaf through, scanning for anything interesting before selecting it or putting it back. Nothing was more annoying than not returning a book to its proper place.

  They were passing through to another section about botany, when the young lady noticed some newspapers of the day. Though it wasn’t the largest part of the article, she did notice a familiar name. Nicolette Eglantine Beaumont’s name was plastered all over the front page, alongside that of the Crown Prince. The article mentioned the first night of the gala and the subsequent dissolution of the engagement between the two. So, even without Alperene being there, their union got broken off.

  Nicolette must be steaming, Soleil thought. Hopefully this means I won’t have to see her for a long time.

  “Oh, that was quick,” Florian’s voice broke through Soleil’s reverie. She smiled ever-so-cheerfully. “It would seem that Lady Nicolette has lost her position as future Empress.”

  …Why did Soleil not trust that smile nor the happy-go-lucky way she had said that?

  “I see they mentioned her lack of magical ability as one of the reasons behind the engagement being called off. Goodness, the press can be harsh, but it will be for her own good.” Again, spoken with a suspicious spring in her step. It was almost as if there was a history between the two; considering everything she had been learning recently, maybe there was some more hidden lore Soleil didn’t know about.

  “Have you and Lady Nicolette met before?” Soleil inquired, moving on from the newspaper displays.

  “Heavens no.”

  And Florian was not going to elaborate more, from her tone of voice. The exchange that night had probably been the first time they met and it had been quite unpleasant for her, too. Soleil touched the back of her head, still remembering the sting of the hysterical noblewoman’s fan.

  “Lady Soleil, will you be attending another night of the gala?” Florian asked, voice now softening. There was a sweetly quiet quality to how she spoke just above a whisper, intimate, but not pushy. “I will be attending tonight out of duty. It would be lovely to see you there as well.”

  “Oh, I would, but I don't have a second dress to wear. And even though I’m from the countryside, I know it’s a faux pas to wear the same dress twice for this sort of thing.”

  She did have her own funds, but they were currently being allotted to her purchases today, since her father was not accompanying her to foot the bill. And as cross as she had been before, Soleil was not mad enough to consider making Florian pay for her books.

  “Is that all? Then we can get you one,” Florian stated, as if it were the most obvious answer in the whole world.

  “I haven’t brought enough to get these books and a new dress, even if I wanted to go–”

  “Then I’ll get it.”

  “Huh?! No, no, no, I couldn’t accept that,” protested Soleil.

  “It’s a dress, Lady Soleil, not the whole store,” Florian countered, laughing a little. “Seriously, I would like to have a friendly face by my side tonight. And if it means I must part with some coin to see you there, then it’s worth it.”

  The duke paused a bit, looking Soleil up and down in an assessing motion, silently considering something before making a suggestion.

  “I think you would look lovely in blue,” Florian said, surprising the younger lady.

  “Blue?” Soleil breathed.

  “Yes, blue. Something in a lighter hue. Yes, the colour of your eyes, I think. With bright yellow flowers. It would be a good match. The very picture of spring.”

  Soleil blinked. “That’s a very specific assessment.”

  Florian gave her a very pointed look. “I have very specific tastes.”

  Soleil blinked again, trying to process what was said before giggling nervously. It almost sounded like she was in the midst of being flirted with, but realized the Duke was being playful again. Her heart calmed, as she hadn’t realized it was beating so quickly. Truly, Florian had a talent for making women flustered and feeling good about themselves. Even though it came out of left field, hearing that she would look good in blue pleased her a lot. Since she was now Soleil and not Hina, she never expected someone to say she would look good in blue ever again, as her colouring was not vastly different from before.

  They wrapped up Soleil’s book search, ringing everything up. The amount paid made her cry at the moment, but she would eventually rebuild her allowance once more soon enough. Florian spoke to her men who had gathered once more to accompany them. Four had come with them from the palace grounds, but only three returned, one being sent off somewhere. Most likely on an errand on behalf of the Duke. The ride back was much more comfortable, with the two talking about Soleil’s selection and Florian’s own surprising knowledge of plants…

  Nicolette was upset.

  All because she had been a little upset, she was no longer allowed to marry the Crown Prince, something she had looked forward to since she was young.

  She had seen the Crown Prince for the first time as a little girl following after her father to the palace for a visit with his fellow lords to talk about boring subjects concerning the Empire. He had been such a beautiful vision, with his pale-almost white hair glistening in the afternoon sun, wearing gold, the colour of the imperial family, as if the colour belonged to him and him alone. He glowed like a star and she had fallen head over heels in love.

  Nicolette had badgered her father for months before he finally promised her he would speak with the Emperor about uniting their families. When her father told her that the engagement was arranged, she just about flew to the moon with joy. Unable to hold it in, she wanted to go meet her future husband, sure that he would love her back as much as she loved him, since the engagement was agreed to so easily.

  She had been severely disappointed when he treated her kindly, but also distantly. Nicolette had not been allowed to get too close. The prince wasn’t cold, but truly, there had been a distance even her young mind had understood, which served to make her upset all over again. Especially as he treated her the same as any other woman in the Empire.

  Politely, kindly, but at arm’s length. Like she was nothing special.

  She hated it. And she slowly came to hate him. However, since he was irrevocably hers, she would not tolerate anyone else getting his attention at all. She would isolate him, keep others from getting too close to what rightfully belonged to her. Her father gave her the prince, so whether or not he would come to love her at all, he was hers.

  When she was told in no uncertain terms that she could no longer marry Prince Darius, she threw a fit. Her vanity was upended, pillows ripped open, curtains torn from the walls and a vase even shattered, with water pooling with flowers on the carpet of her room.

  All she did was to show the welp who spoke to the Emperor and Empress where her place was. That pink haired nobody had no right to speak to them. They belonged to her as her future in-laws, as much as Darius had, by proximity. Why did anyone care about what she did? The decision had already been made, they shouldn’t be allowed to take it back.

  Let alone for the reasons stated.

  Unruly behaviour? It was her right to exert her rank.

  For her lack of magical ability? Well, that was to be rectified soon enough.

  Yes, that had been one of the obstacles her father had needed to jump over concerning the initial negotiations about the union of House Beaumont with the imperial family. Normally, brides needed to have some modicum of magical ability before being allowed to be taken in as the future Empress, for purposes of continuing the family line with strong breeding. The Beaumonts had not seen a drop of mana in generations. All they had to boast of was their title, which was only outranked by a scant few.

  Nicolette bit her thumb in aggravation, breaking the skin and causing it to bleed.

  She was livid. Utterly humiliated and enraged.

  Well, soon enough, she would be proving them all wrong. She would become the Saint of the Empire and the imperial family would have no choice, but to bow down to her!

  No matter what it took, she would get what she deserved.