"After spending time together with someone so opposite to you, one might start to experience changes, one of them is the ability of seeing life in a new way, not necessarily better, just new."
For as long as it took to pass the first week of Vahe's life as Prince Nikias, the next three months were uncomfortably quick, he started building his business at the center of the Capital, he gave missions to his knights, learned more things during his lessons on etiquette and mana history and even started learning how to hold and shoot a bow and play the piano. A few days dragged while others went by quickly, yet none was as stressful as his first week in this world, maybe it's because he has been adapting and all the shock of the first week is why it took so long to go by. Or maybe because he had something to wait for, as Lyor's letters were almost daily back then.
Now, he is a few weeks without a letter, they did exchange a few during his time away in the conquest, but not near as many as they did before. Slowly Nikias is learning how to open up to someone who is to be his future husband, as they'll spend the rest of their lives together, or that is the plan at least. The last letter he sent was after Lyor took a detour from the Osas Kingdom to the Wada Kingdom, combining the conquests, a few weeks ago.
In the first week, Nikias wasn't able to identify the restlessness he was feeling, but now he can, he's scared of Lyor's death, even if he is aware of the man's prowess with the sword and mana, and his strength being almost comparable to a god at the moment. Even with all of those facts inside his brain he couldn't avoid being scared, so he tried to keep contact, to exchange letters in order to ease his mind. And at first it worked, the letters took a while to be responded, but the few they exchanged were able to ease Nikias mind quite well, but when Lyor said he was going to conquer the Wada Kingdom after the conquest of the Osas Kingdom was completed, the letters became scarce and stopped after a couple weeks.
So when the sound of the letter magic circle fills his room, Nikias can't avoid it but to run towards the table in his room, the moon high in the sky and the only other sound in the room is Petal sleeping inside her doll house. The robe on his body almost falls off as he rips open the letter, to read it, his breath unstable and his heart beating so fast he can almost feel it on his head.
To my beloved Nikias,
Words can't even begin to describe how sorry I am for delaying the answer to your last letter, even though I wished to reply to you quicker, the conquest on the Wada Kingdom was quite strenuous, a few of my soldiers passed away and others got deeply injured, I, myself, am well, but dealing with the grief and informing their families was something I had to do before going back to the Castle.
Even after so many battles, I can't get used to the death of my subordinates, even if the people don't blame me for their deaths, I can't avoid seeing as such. Even if the motive is noble, a life shouldn't be taken so easily, that's also why I avoid killing others as well, even though the hostility in this new conquest made it impossible to do so.
I followed your advice and took the life of all of the Royal family of the Wada Kingdom, they didn't fight after we took over the castle, but I could see the thirst for revenge in their eyes, even if I wished you to be wrong and taking their lives to not be necessary, I had to do it.
Thank you for worrying about me, and I hope to see you soon, as I'm already back in the Kingdom, we can settle your visit to be as soon as possible. I really want to see you again, even if our face-to-face meeting was short, our letter exchange made me feel closer to you and optimistic for our life partnership.
Glad to know you read Commonality and Causation, indeed it is quite the subjective book, yet the words there also evoke different feelings inside me whenever I read it, so I hope you come to enjoy it upon a second reading.
It's amusing how relationships develop, we exchanged a few words months ago and then just spoke through letters, yet I feel like our level of understanding of each other is already outstanding. I was caught thinking about how we never feel relationships changing, yet they do slowly.
I've known Cypress, my aide, for a few years already, however we're not childhood acquaintances like some of my other subordinates, yet when we arrived from the conquest he just knew how to proceed, preparing my bath and bringing a bottle of wine to my room to discuss how it went. Sure, it is his job to know these things, but it isn't something I ever requested of him, he just picked up my habits and followed suit. The conversation also flowed calmly, as I described my actions and he documented everything for the official report.
Our relationship went from employee and employer to friends after the report ended, with him asking about my feelings, of course I had to tell him about your letters and the picture you sent me. Can you imagine what he said? Well, he nagged me for sure, something about being more careful with sensitive information and that I was relying too much on the words of a stranger.
Funny that from his perspective perhaps he is correct, both of us share too much sensitive information with each other, and that can be harmful in the long run, if one of us were to stab the other in the back we could do so quite easily.
Even with that perspective, I can't seem to believe you'd ever do so, maybe I'm too emotional, or perhaps my gut feeling is just perfectly on point. But, my lovely Nikias, we exchanged an oath in those letters, and I sign my oaths with my blood.
So I choose to believe you.
This letter is already quite extensive, but I don't want to end it just yet, so I'll share with you a little secret about me.
Every saint hears the voice of their god in their head every now and then, in the form of what most call it 'oracles', yet I hear them almost everyday, nagging me with my choices and trying to influence me to make certain choices, like parents guiding their child. When I was small I thought they were the voice of my dead parents, speaking to me through their soul to raise and take care of me. I followed their every word, until they said I should go live in the Temple. For context, I lived in the Temple until I was five and then ran away, just to return at age ten because of what the voices said. It was then that I was identified as a saint and locked up to train to become the future King.
After that I started defying the voices, the gods, it all started with a few small acts of rebellion, and to be honest, none was as impactful as when I chose to help you that night at your ball. They spoke inside my head, planted dreams and even attempted to sway the Priests to change my mind, my lovely Nikias, they truly hate you, and I think I suspect why.
Gods are territorial, when Cypress moved from the Whisperia Kingdom to here in exile, his god was furious, and so were mine, they kept telling me that taking him in would 'taint' the Kingdom, begging me to change my mind in hiring him. And so was Cypress' god, telling him to choose a different path, a different Kingdom.
It might sound like a wild guess from me, but Nikias, are you blessed by a god? If you're unsure, the easiest way to find out is to visit a few Temples.
When a saint enters the Temple of their god a symbol appears on their forehead, you have no idea how annoying it is, although it is a surefire way to tell if someone is blessed in such a sense.
Either way, I chose not to believe their words, and honestly? I'm pleased with every choice I made by myself, even those I made out of spite.
Accepting your proposition is one of them, and I couldn't be happier.
With a heart filled with joy,
Lyor.
The words in the letter were heavy on Nikias mind, he sighs with the relief of learning that Lyor not only succeeded in his conquests, but also that he is safe. When he received the letter telling he would go to the Wada Kingdom, Nikias had to reply immediately, even requesting Lyor's aide to send the letter with urgency. So it fills him with relief to know everything worked well in the end.
However Lyor's other words also trouble the young Prince, he also suspected something after his lessons on mana, even if his soul is different it shouldn't be possible for him to have mana simply because of such. And his teacher explained that there were occasions where a god would bless someone and they would suddenly have mana. Another hint towards that possibility was Aelius' diary and why Nikias was able to read it, pointing towards their mana being similar, that it shouldn't be possible unless it had the same origin. And considering that Vahe isn't a soul linked to Aelius, like the original Nikias would be, there are fewer possibilities as to why such a thing is possible.
He bites the inside of his cheek, thinking. He wants to check, he truly does, knowing if he was a saint or not would be something that could help him a lot in his future ventures. But there is the negative side of it all, if it is true and he enters a Temple to find out, while his engagement with Lyor isn't 100% official yet, they could use his blessing in order to keep Nikias in the Exos Empire, especially Alkaios, he would definitely use such a fact against the engagement.
So I should wait until we sign the contract before doing such a test. For now, all Nikias can do is keep reading the diary and train his mana. He managed to learn how to control a mana leak and also how to light a candle without the need of matches, yet he has not found out his own mana property.
Besides a mana size and color that can influence one's capacities, everyone has a different mana property, be it healing, poison, speed, or even water, fire and air, all it depends on a person's soul. Of course their mana property can be tempered with, just like the color of one's mana, just like Lowe and Raphael had theirs changed through experiments when they were children at the Magician's Northern Tower.
At first Nikias thought that maybe in Aelius Diary he could find the answer about his mana property, since they share the same type of mana, but neither the diary has mentioned by far nor any of the records in the Palace's library. So the only way of finding out is doing experiments with his own mana and body, yet he's not desperate enough to hurt himself in order to trigger his mana property to show up. Especially considering Nikias hates getting hurt or being in imminent danger.
He takes a deep breath, he still has time, Vremes return in the book was accelerated by Emperor Magnus going crazy, so now everything is relatively fine, it should take at least eight years for him to be completely reborn through his followers ceremony, and if all of the investigations Nikias is conducting work out, he might be able to stop his rise completely. I could also speed things up, he thinks with a groan out of frustration, the more he walks the less he seems to be getting closer to his objective. His gaze goes to the letter on his hands again, at least he knows that he isn't alone, and that someone promised to protect him.
Not that I can just trust his word, he thinks, going against what he promised himself once he did the deal with Lyor, to trust him and depend on him, it's hard for him to just turn off the part of his brain that was constantly in fight or flight mode back when he was Vahe. Should I propose a mutual mana pact at our engagement? He asks himself, already knowing the answer to his own question.
He sits down, the moonlight illuminating his desk, as if mocking him and his actions. His cold hands touch the pen as he swiftly writes in the watermarked paper he got just last week after he spent all of his three months ago. The symbol of the Second Prince of the Exos Empire at the bottom of the white colored paper, reminding him who he is now. For a moment he hesitates as he starts writing, unsure of how to proceed, should he go against his own instinct and just trust Lyor, or try to feel safer in this exchange that it was from the beginning unbalanced?
At the end of the day, his future will depend on his choices, them being right or wrong, he won't be able to know until the consequences arrive at his doorstep.
Dear Lyor,
My heart is relieved to know you are safe and sound and at the same time it aches to know so many died for this conquest to end. Rest well in knowing you did your best and your ruling in that Kingdom will be far greater than the one they were having.
What you pointed out about relationships is quite on point. I have also observed such things surrounding me, be it my knights or servants, that are slowly adapting to my demands and personality. However, how can one befriend a subordinate? Isn't the nature of the relationship unbalanced at the end of the day? I am certainly ashamed to admit but I have never had friends, so I'm unable to distinguish when one relationship changes from just employee and employer to friends.
Of course I can identify how our relationship is changing, but from the start the nature of such has never changed, just our feelings regarding it.
I do believe we are becoming more intimate and are more familiar with each other after exchanging these letters, although I am not sure how it will translate to in person once we meet.
About my visit, if possible I would like to arrange it for tomorrow, as I wish to see you as soon as possible, and also soon the Palace will enter the preparations for my brother's engagement, so I won't be able to leave for at least a week.
As for his knights still consider me a liability to their safety.
Together with this letter I'll be sending the invitation for their engagement, this invite will allow you and your aide to attend if so you can. If you do, please wear a golden colored piece of clothing, so that we can match, as it would be our first time appearing as a couple after my 18th birthday party.
On birthdays, when is it yours?
I eagerly await your answer,
Nikias.
❥
It's a little over three in the afternoon, when Nikias enters his new office accompanied by Fleuri, Raphael, Jiwon and Dacre, his head pounding by the non-ending meeting he has had the past few days and also his pounding heart, eagerly waiting for Lyor's response.
His new office is close to his bedroom, just like Alkaios' is close to his as well, just a few doors over, the room isn't as spacious as his quarters, but it is just as luxurious, the walls are carved with images of the founding of the Empire, and the ceiling has a detailed painting of the sun and moon, showcasing their similarities and differences. Before it was transformed into his office, that room was used as the private prayer room for Nikias, not that he ever used.
Now instead of a statue of the god of the Sun and a few prayer benches, there is two hardwood desks, one for Nikias and one for Fleuri, a few bookcases with all the books he bought in the last months, two sofas with a coffee table in between for meetings and a display case where Nikias placed the bow his brother gave him. On his desk there is two small piles of documents, an open book he was reading on finances, a small pillow where Petal sleeps when he's there and an empty picture frame he got from his mother that had a picture of them as a family when Nikias was six, but he took the picture off, since he isn't going to stare at a memory that doesn't belong to him.
The five men sit on the two sofas close to the door of the office, after a few moments, Lowe enters the room as well, with a trolley that has tea and cookies for the meeting. Part of his training as a butler was doing services that, once they move to the Morke Kingdom he would be ordering maids to do these things, but for now he's the one that must do so. As taught by Hannah, Lowe places the teacups on the coffee table gracefully, his stance always perfect, his eyes never lingering in any of the participants of the meeting, he must act as if he is invisible. Once he finishes, he bows and leaves the room, going to another one of his lessons.
The three knights are wearing the uniform made for the Golden Phoenices, just like Nikias envisioned, the uniform is mostly black and has a few details in gold, including the symbol of the order of knights, if no one stopped to pay much attention they might not be able to distinguish them as knights, exactly Nikias idea. To make them mostly inconspicuous, yet once you pay enough attention you can tell that those are part of the Second Prince's order of knights.
Dacre is the one to break the silence between the five men. ''I haven't seen Lowe in a while, he's looking like a proper butler now, tidy hair and black suit to the tee'', his comment earns a smile from Raphael, who might just start boasting about his brother before Jiwon speaks, not allowing him to.
''I, for once, would like to go straight to the point'', he isn't rude most days, he knows when to stop before crossing the line, yet it is clear in his eyes that he doesn't trust Nikias or the other knights. Jiwon doesn't seem like a bad person, just overprotective of his King, something by Lyor's letters, Nikias imagines all of his subjects to be like. In the course of the three months he didn't attempt to prove Jiwon's misconceptions to be lies or even try to butter him up, after all there is no need to. The only person he cares about is Lyor, and his opinion isn't going to be swayed by his knights, if it were going to, he would have already broken their engagement.
His comment does earn an eye roll from Dacre and Raphael, who seem to be more used to Jiwon's way of cutting to the chase while being incredibly rude. ''Says the guy who ditched bonding time to hit on girls at pubs'', Dacre whispers loud enough to everyone to hear, clearly not even attempting to not be heard.
''Bonding time with knights I only have to talk to temporarily has no positive consequences in my life'', Jiwon fires back, clearly already forgetting about going straight to the point. Raphael only looks at the ceiling, tired of always breaking off the two knights, who seem to always find themselves in pointless discussions.
''Joke's on you, playboy, once our Prince gets married to your King, you and I will be in the same team, so I don't see why bonding with us would be pointless'', Dacre says, mocking the knight. ''Or maybe you think you're better than us?''
''I don't think I am'', Jiwon answers with a snort. ''If they get married, I will still be part of an elite team, while y'all are still going to be trainee knights''.
Nikias doesn't usually correct Jiwon's false remarks on him, however there is a line not to cross. And Lyor gave him permission to discipline his knight as he pleases, so when needed he has not avoided calling the man out, and this situation isn't different from it. ''Assuming you can question if Lyor and I are getting married or not is quite bold of you, Sir Jiwon''.
Jiwon turns to Nikias, his black eyes widening before he closes them with a sigh, unaware of what he said, forgetting he isn't arguing with Dacre in private as they most times do back at the dormitory where they share the same room.
''My apologies'', he says, bowing shortly, he doesn't seem truly sorry, yet Nikias doesn't bother, he's looking to make sure the man stays in his place, not getting a real apology.
''Ha, tell him Nikki!'' Dacre almost yells, making Fleuri wince in response. For a little more than a month, Dacre has been using Nikias nickname instead of the formal 'your highness' he should be using, at first he used the Prince's first name, as a test to see how far he could go during their moments alone as he was guarding him in his outings to check the building he is using for his business, after he noticed the Prince didn't care, he started crossing the line more and more until he started calling the man by his nickname.
To be completely honest, at first Nikias was bothered, he wanted to tell him not to cross the line, just like he constantly does to a lot of other knights and even a few maids in the last months, but his actions didn't come from a place of undermining him or trying to ignore his social stance, they came from a place of trying to belong and attempting to get closer to the Prince. Maybe if he didn't have signed a blood contract that described he can't even attempt to think about betraying or undermining Nikias authority over him, he might think Dacre was attempting those. The contract gave him the security he needed to allow Dacre to cross a line not even Raphael and Lowe did. And he does trust the twins considerably more.
''If anything, speaking like the Prince is your friend is the biggest offence here'', Jiwon says.
Dacre shrugs, ''And you act as if you think your opinion affects the King's decisions''.
''That's because his majesty hears and respects his knights, he takes everything we say into accountability'' the retort isn't wrong, Lyor is a kind King, he is fighting to stop slavery in his continent and is constantly attempting to fix the problems within his Kingdom, the poverty and lack of resources, attempting to do what most wouldn't just to make sure everyone has food at their table. Being labeled a Tyrant just because he put a stop to a few Kingdom's history of abuse, he always takes what his subordinates say, sometimes even allowing them to make full strategies and assault plans for their conquests. Even the soldiers that don't partake in the Spectres' elite knights, sing Lyor's praises.
''So you think you can make him break things off with our Prince?'' Dacre says his words make Raphael jump into the conversation, noticing that his role as a Captain must be used at that moment. And just like Nikias thought, Raphael was a clumsy yet good leader.
''Dacre, you musn't say those words outside this room, you know his highness tolerates you a lot, but others might use your words to attack him'', with Raphael's words, Dacre retracts himself, of course he would never speak like that in a public setting, one thing the pink-haired boy is, is aware. He knows how and when he should speak and to whom. Regardless, he just nods to his Captain and becomes silent. At least he acts with Raphael just like he should, Nikias thinks, pretending to be offended, as if it wasn't him who allowed the 18 year-old to treat him with a casual tone. ''Let's start the meeting, no more bantering from the two of you'', he says, Jiwon and Dacre nod, it seems that Raphael is doing well as the Captain, even Jiwon is listening to him without a word. Nikias observes, unaware that the knight's fast progress was due to his brother's lessons on authority and his nights spent awaken reading books on leadership.
After all, one thing the twins are, is hardworking. Both working to the bone to become useful to the Prince, and not only that but jumpstart the life it was promised to them, a life where their past of abuse and pain can't catch up to them any longer.
''After tailing a few of Duke Sawdon's servants, I noticed they seem to disappear every Monday for a few hours between sunset and sunrise'', Raphael begins the report. ''Usually they would go home, but this time they would stay at the mansion and once they left at sunrise, they would have a few bruises in their arm''. Raphael grabs a few papers, placing them at the table. ''Here's the full hourly report, however I haven't managed to find the reason for their bruises. With Miyuki's words we can assume they're halflings and are having their blood drawn.''
''Barbaric'', Fleuri comments with a sigh, lately he has been mostly silent at the meetings, especially when the abuse of halflings was the subject, Nikias wished he could ask why his aide has such a glooming expression whenever the fact is bright up, but he can't, not because he isn't close enough to the employee to do so, but because he can imagine the reason and doesn't want to make the man say it with his own lips.
''We can't be sure if I can't enter the mansion, though'', Raphael continues, ''Last week I visited the plantation Miyuki mentioned, but I couldn't find a single trace of illegal activities, it seems they're just planting soy?'' His statement is more of a question. ''The plant is similar, at least, but the sample I brought back smells weird''.
''What' do you mean by weird?'' The Prince asks, placing his empty teacup on the table, Dacre moves to fill it up again for him.
''It smells like smoke, as if the plant was burning? Yet it is completely green and fine'', Raphael states, ''I asked Lowe about this…''
''Why would you involve your brother?'' Jiwon cuts him, to be fair the only information he has on Raphael's twin was his name and that he is training to be Nikias butler.
Raphael glances at Nikias, waiting for his approval before answering the knight's question. ''My brother is well-versed in poison, so he knows most poison plants'', he answers, continuing his words. ''He stated that a property in the soy plant leaves has been chemically changed to be poisonous,'' he reaches into his pocket to grab a vial. ''This is the extract of the leaves I brought back, unfortunately the sample is too small to say exactly what the poison does, Lowe said that a poison like this wouldn't kill even a baby, so it must have a different purpose''.
The liquid inside the vial is too little to even be considered a drop, the color is light green, like someone blended the leaves with water to make it watered down. Why would they need a weak poison mass-produced? Nikias questions himself. Could this be something related to Vremes rising? He can't answer either of those questions with the pool of information he has, so for now all he has are unanswered questions, piling up like snow in peak winter.
I should just focus on what we can do, he thinks.
''It could be a targeted poison'', Fleuri comments, making Raphael nod.
''Yes, I thought so too, so I used a sample of Miyuki's blood, to check if it is targeted to halflings, but I still haven't reached a conclusion'', he says.
''Good work'', Nikias says, grabbing the papers and reading the detailed report. He even wrote the specific times people entered and left the mansion. ''What about the slave-trade downtown?'' He directs his question to Jiwon, who is there specifically to assist them with tracking down the slave-trade, as he is more knowledgeable in such, due to the nature of his missions back on the Morke Kingdom. Or at least that was what was written in the report about him Lyor sent Nikias three months ago.
Jiwon sighs, ''The slave traders here are different from back at Morke,'' he starts, sounding annoyed. ''They're so brazen because they don't think they'll get caught'', his words are carried with disgust. ''I have found enough evidence to lock up at least six nobles, yet you say they aren't enough, so I caught one of their slaves and tried to convince them to relay more information to me, do ya know what he answered?'' His accent shows through his words the more worked up he gets. ''He said 'why try if the Crown Prince is more worried about getting his dick warm than the people he's supposed to rule?', that started pissin' me off, then I told him the Second Prince was interested in ending the slave trade and he laughed at me!''
Dacre snorts, ''You shouldva just agreed with them and said you were trying to catch one of the traders''.
''I tried that with the second slave, he gave me an address'', he sighs, giving a piece of paper to Nikias. ''He said that's where most of the slaves work, it's a pub under another pub, for exclusive people, they do sexual favors and other works in exchange for information'', he states. Jiwon sighs, ''I don't know why isn't your brother doing this instead of you, if you're marrying to another Kingdom in two years you have no responsibility with those people''.
''I don't want to end the slave trade out of my noble spirit'', Nikias answers, reading the paper. ''The slave trade is a piece I need to end in order to create a domino effect and get to my true goal''.
''You think they're related to that god?'' Raphael asks, his voice low, aware that their conversation can't be heard even more now that they're talking about Vremes.
''I don't think'', Nikias says, ''I know'', and his confidence comes from his knowledge of the future, nowhere in all the books Evangelia stated that the ringleaders of the slave trade were connected to the cult of Vremes worshipers, however one of the slaves she saved in the fourth book told her she was too late, as she could've saved her before if she just searched long enough, as they were trapped just a few meters away from the cult den they raided in the second book.
A lot of fans were creating theories about the connection between the two, so much so that even the author said it was true. Not that I know exactly how or where they are connected, but if I demolish the slave-trade, I can for sure halt the operations of the worshipers.
''Can't you bring this up to the Emperor? I'm sure he would be interested in ending slavery, considering it is against the law,'' Jiwon states.
''No, father probably already knows about the slave trade'', Nikias states.
''So why doesn't he do something about it?'' Jiwon questions, baffled.
''Because a lot of nobles are involved, high-ranking ones, politics isn't as black and white as one would assume, sometimes you need to turn away from slavery to not run the risk of being dethroned'', Nikias says with a small snort, he finds it just as ridiculous as Jiwon, and even if he understands the risks of going against high-ranking nobles, if they as those in complete power, don't stand up for the people they rule over, who will? And even if he wishes he wasn't in that position of absolute power, he will be even more in two years, taking the chair of Empress in what will be the Morke Empire in the future. So he must act according to his morals, even if his reasons aren't as noble as they should be, the end result will be the same.
And if people are going to be saved, who cares if he did so for his own gain?
''That's so stupid'', Jiwon mumbles, he, as a previous Prince, knows well how nobles can ruin Kingdoms, but after spending time with King Lyor, he can't avoid but see how everything can be solved if the one in power cares enough. It's not everyone that can say they're powerful enough to eradicate slave trading in the whole continent.
''Wasn't your parents killed by a Duke from your own Kingdom?'' Dacre asks sarcastically, Jiwon rolls his eyes.
''We're talking about an Emperor, not a King'', he states, ''The power Emperor Magnus exerts is considerably bigger than what my parents had''.
''Regardless if it is something that makes sense or not, the slave trade would end in a few years, I just want to speed that up'', Nikias says, giving the documents he was holding to Fleuri and taking his teacup again to drink the already cold tea Dacre poured for him.
''Why will it end in a few years?'' Jiwon asks.
''Because Evangelia is investigating it as well'', he says in between sips.
''I don't get if, if the Crown Princess is investigating it, what holds the Emperor from doing the same?''
''First, it will take her more or less five years to do so, second, she's currently working on other investigations''.
''Such as?''
''Mana stone black market'', Nikias says, putting down the empty cup. ''You don't need to know details to do your job, Sir Jiwon, you do your part and report to me, you're here to follow orders, not question our politics''.
''My apologies,'' the knight answers, troubled. ''I just wish to know the purpose of my work''.
''The purpose is making sure we know every single location of the slave trade so we can go in later and blow them up into pieces,'' Nikias answers, his tone low and cold.
A knock on the door interrupts the meeting and prevents the men from discussing further. The door slowly opens, Irene puts her head in, looking straight at the Prince. ''I apologize, your highness, but my report is urgent'', Nikias nods.
''We are finished for today, either way, just continue your duties and report back in a week'', he says, dismissing the knights, however Dacre stays in the room as Nikias and Fleuri move to their desks, as he is on duty for protecting the Prince that afternoon.
After Raphael and Jiwon leave, Irene enters the room, closing the door behind her. ''So, I was doing a few experiments together with Miyuki,'' she states, ruffling the papers she brought, trying to find a specific paper. ''Here,'' she hands a paper to Nikias, ''We found a way of making the location device you asked for, using a few magic circles inside a watch, however we need a specific stone as the conductor,'' she searches for another paper before handing a diagram to Nikias, it was a paper showing a lot of calculations and magic circles drawn inside a watch. ''The stone is called wisdom pearl, it can be found in the Gypsum Kingdom. I know they're allied to the Empire, but I'm not sure if they would trade it with us, considering it is sacred for them''. She sighs. ''The stone is only produced in their temples and it is blessed by their god directly''.
Fleuri gets up from his desk to look at the diagram on Nikias' desk before speaking. ''They are focused on knowledge, I don't see why we can't exchange technologies in order to acquire the stones''.
''That is a good choice, yes, but if they deem our exchange to have no value, we might never be able to get the stone, they're quite short tempered as well''.
''I heard their Princess, Saffire Lapis is quite the mana stone collector'', Dacre comments, ''She constantly visits the Empire to get the stones, word on the street that she hides it from her family'', he continues, ''A guy I was blow…'' he cleans his throat, ''Talking to, said he traded a few black market mana stones with her for refined salt''.
''We could approach her with a good trade if we know how to bait her'', Fleuri states with a nod.
''Let's proceed with that, get Scarlett to assist you, on the budget for the mission, pass it on to Lowe before making the purchase of the mana stones'', Nikias comments, putting the papers he received on his drawer. ''Anything more to report?''
Irene shakes her head, her eyes are deep and she seems to have been lacking sleep, however she never complained, after naming her Captain of the magician's division she had been quietly working hard together with Miyuki to achieve what was asked of her.
And Nikias certainly has been asking a lot.
''Very well, proceed with that then''.
❥
''I'll be going to Morke tomorrow morning'', Nikias comments to Fleuri after he finishes reading Lyor's response to his letter, it's already late in the afternoon, and there is a procedure to use the teleportation portal, however that is not stopping Nikias from asking his aide to settle the proper procedures either way. ''You'll be going with me, so will Jiwon and Dacre'', he continues, ''While you're there familiarize yourself with the Kingdom, its atmosphere and also talk with Lyor's aide, Cypress, so you can understand how the Kingdom works, it'll be helpful once we go there''.
Fleuri nods, already saying goodbye to his warm bed, as he'll need to spend the night filling up forms for the Prince's use of the teleportation circle. ''Will we be staying long?''
''Two days, so pack light'', the Prince answers while entering his closet, ''Inform the knights, so you may leave now''.
With a bow, Fleuri leaves the room to go to the place he dreads the most: the training grounds. As a good genius scholar, the half-elf isn't athletic or even enjoys being around those sweaty knights, he very much prefers staying up all night filling up forms than running a lap. Yet together with his responsibilities as the Second Prince aide, he must be in constant contact with the knights, at first he was fine with it, as it is part of the job.
However, after a few days, weeks and now months, he dreads the time he must walk to the training grounds, as the knights have been trying to overfamiliarize themselves with him. Fleuri couldn't care less if he has friends or lovers, all he wants is to be alive, safe and have a proper job, things he managed to get from Prince Nikias.
Not that he wanted that job, he was coerced to take it and sign a magic contract, yet now he can't avoid but enjoy it, he has a schedule, a proper place to sleep and his safety doesn't rely on a pervert count trying to paint himself like a righteous man that is sponsoring a poor child. The thought of Count Auclair makes Fleuri have goosebumps, after he entered the Palace he hasn't heard from the man, yet he can't shake the feeling he's just waiting for the right moment to barge into his new peaceful life.
Fleuri isn't meek, he tends to fight back when he feels like someone is trying to break him, however when said person isn't only a noble but also the only reason he got access to higher education, it makes it very hard to do so. When they call you at night, touch you with words like 'don't you feel grateful?', it makes it very hard to just say no, to scream and even use his blood to get out, like he most often did.
The night is cold, the end of summer approaching, it feels like it was just yesterday when spring ended, the gardens of the Palace at night smell like roses and tulips, the color of the flowers being blessed by the moon lightening them up as the half-elf passes through them. He always worked hard, from when he was a child, earning money delivering newspapers to local businessman, to when he entered a math competition to earn a couple bucks to pay off his street debt, he doesn't know what blessings are, even when he thought he was going to hit it big with the sponsorship from Count Auclair, he was just being trapped inside a nicer cage.
And now, he just belongs to a different noble, so what truly changed? Did he go from a cage made from wood, to one made of silver to finally one carved in diamond? At the end of the day he's just as trapped.
Prince Nikias spoke of freedom, but what does he know of such?
He never had to hide his very own essence in fear of being killed just for existing.
He didn't have to be born to his dead mother.
Fleuri shakes his head with a sigh, he doesn't want to think about his birth, as a half-elf, the things he inherited from his elven blood are more a curse than a blessing, and being aware of himself since birth is one of them. Knowing how he was born, where and to what, knowing his own blood murdered his human mother and his deranged elf father kept her body alive so that he could be born…
Again, things he shouldn't be thinking about.
Just like that when he reaches the training grounds, the night makes the knights less active, even if most of them are devotees of the Moon goddess, so the amount of people there are scarce, however the knights he was there to talk to are there, doing what they do best, argue.
When Raphael complained to Fleuri a few weeks ago that all Jiwon and Dacre did was argue, and that he couldn't assign mission to them together because of it, the half-elf admits he thought the man was exaggerating, but after witnessing a few times during meetings, he owes the Captain an apology.
''...I already told you, you can't go around hooking up with random girls at bars in that neighborhood, are you trying to get killed?'' Dacre yells, his new crossbow he got from Nikias shaking as his hand waves around, by the amount of arrows on the target in front of him he seems to be training for a while. ''I know what I'm talking about, I'm from there ya know?''
''I heard you the first time, and I already told you I'm doing field work'', Jiwon answers calmly, unsheathing his katana. ''I'm not weak, ya know''. He mocks Dacre's way of speaking. Fleuri stands there, watching the two banter, wondering if he should really interfere as he can't be bothered to interrupt the two's conversation.
''Field work? How many girls did you fuck in the last week?'' The boy asks, exasperated.
''Oh, why? Jealous?'' Jiwon mocks, turning to his target practice, attempting to start training.
Dacre's face turns red with the comment. ''I'm not into girls'', he mumbles before shouting again, ''And even if I were, I wouldn't be jealous of you, I'm more than capable of getting someone to fuck, ok?'' His comment only makes the knight laugh. ''Shouldn't you worry about your honor as a knight? Didn't you know that your actions reflect who you serve?'' His words, even though coming from a place of pettiness, do have some truth behind it. Fleuri finds himself nodding along.
Jiwon turns, the tip of his katana almost grazing Dacre's chin. ''Don't speak of honor, don't you think I easily heard about the pink haired slut at the pubs I went to?'' His words are crude and seem to anger the boy.
''Fuck you'', Dacre spews, spitting on Jiwon's katana to display his anger. ''You don't know shit about me''.
''Wonderful, I don't, neither do you,'' Jiwon retorts, cleaning his katana. ''So stop talking to me, we're temporary colleagues but I am not your friend, nor I intend on being'', he continues, his black eyes seem to turn bright pink for a moment, but it was so quick, Fleuri wonders if it was a trick of light. ''I am not going to take your remarks much longer''.
Dacre takes a deep breath, seemingly trying to control his own feelings, but maybe because he's young, or because he's used to using his emotions as weapons instead of hiding them, however he fails miserably. ''You know what?'' He says with an angry smile, ''Be a fuckboy all ya want, I'm not gonna stop ya, however, choose another pub to go to''.
''And if I don't want to?''
''Then I see no choice but to tell on ya to Nikki'', his words sound like a threat, but Fleuri doesn't think it's as effective as Dacre would like it to be.
''I honestly don't care if you do'', Jiwon says, starting to slash the target, his moves are graceful and precise, as if he's dancing. ''Could you fuck off now?'' He asks, and once Dacre doesn't speak or move, he continues, crossing Dacre's line again. ''Or do you need a dick to suck on so that you leave? Did all your clients cut you off?''
And with those words, Dacre jumps on Jiwon, just like he does in any situation he can't stand anymore. Three months ago with the Silver Crows' Captain he did the same thing, always dealing the first blow when someone opens their mouth in a way he doesn't like. However it's always the young one being beaten up.
Jiwon punches Dacre's face, making the boy fall back, but the boy doesn't take it quietly, biting the knight's leg, only letting off once there was blood on his lips. Jiwon could very well swing his sword at Dacre, hitting the boy or even killing him, but he doesn't do so, because if he did, he might suffer the consequences Dacre was threatening before. Instead he kicks Dacre's face, making the boy's nose bleed, he gets up from the ground, yelling. ''Are you fucking crazy?''
Dacre is sitting on the floor, a mix of his blood and Jiwon's on his face. ''Yea'', he answers laughing, ''Is it that hard to just do what I ask of ya?'' His voice is lowered, he doesn't look at the knight, insisting on what he was asking.
''Why are you so insistent on this? Scared I'll tell what I heard about you there to the others?'' Jiwon asks, shaking his head. ''I won't, satisfied?''
Well, it is too late for that as both of you yelled it to the whole training grounds a few minutes before, Fleuri thinks, considering if this is the right moment to interfere or not.
''I don't give a shit about that, do you think the Prince doesn't know I am a… slut?'' Dacre speaks, he doesn't seem keen on the word, but he says it nonetheless. ''I enjoy sucking people off for money, so what?'' He continues, ''Can't I do something I'm good at to try to pay off my debt? Is better than doing it for free''. As usual the boy can't seem to stop himself from oversharing. ''I'm still a virgin, ya know, just because I'm good with my mouth doesn't mean I'm good with my ass too''.
Jiwon stops him, ''Stop, I don't give a shit''. He sighs. ''You're oversharing, do you really want everyone to know you will suck anyone for a few silver coins?'' He lowers his tone so that the whole training grounds can't hear, not that he was worried about that before.
Dacre stops for a moment, thinking. ''That would be good, I have a debt to pay, ya know''. Jiwon laughs in disbelief. ''That isn't the point, though, I don't care about what they're saying about me'', Dacre says, unphased, even though he was quite worked up before for a person that doesn't care. ''The pub you're going to belongs to a very vicious gang, and the girl you slept with last night was the gal of the boss''.
''So what? I didn't know nor cared if he was in a relationship, it's her choice to sleep with someone else, I'm not the one in a relationship''.
''Heavens, you're unbearable!'' Dacre yells, leaning down on the dirty floor. ''If you get killed the Captain will be held responsible, ya know.'' He says finally calming down. ''And the Prince might get in a fight with the King''.
Jiwon approaches the boy laying down, staring at his bloody face. ''You seem to care an awful lot about the Captain and the Prince, do you like them?''
''Of course I do!'' Dacre says, sitting up, his face becoming close to the knight's. ''The Prince is my only friend and the Captain is kind to me. They're like… My light, ya know'', he continues, ''I've lived in the slums for all my life, and not once someone gave me a gold coin, even as a pity alm. I don't know how it is where you came from, but here, people don't help others''.
''Clearly they only help you to gain something'', Jiwon rebuttals.
''But they helped me, so I'm just returning the favor with loyalty, because my body is worthless'', his voice carries a pinch of self-pity and self-loathing, something he usually doesn't show externally.
Again, like a mirage, Jiwon's eyes change color for just a second. That's weird, Fleuri thinks.
''...I won't go again'', he sighs, defeated, leaning back up, staring at the boy on the ground. ''And shower at the public bath, I don't want dirt in our room again''.
Dacre laughs, ''Sure, playboy''.
''Stop calling me that'', he answers with a quiet smile.
They get along well enough, Fleuri observes, finally walking over, once the show is done.
''Sir Jiwon, Dacre,'' he says, announcing his presence, Dacre gets up from the ground, and Jiwon puts his katana back to its sheath. ''The Prince asked me to tell you that tomorrow morning we'll be leaving for the Morke Kingdom, we'll stay there for two days, so pack lightly''.
His words seem to catch the two by surprise, but especially Jiwon, who doesn't seem ready to go back at all. ''Tomorrow?'' He asks, in disbelief.
''Woah, I never left the Capital, it'll be fun!'' Dacre comments with excitement, ''I'm going to pack right now'', he runs away with those words, entering the knight's building.
''Fuck, he's not going to clean himself before going to the room again,'' Jiwon comments under his breath, just for him to hear. ''Did he say the purpose of our travel?'' He then turns to Fleuri, asking it with a displeased expression.
''Do we need to know? They're lovers visiting each other'', Fleuri comments, ''You and Dacre are his personal knights and I am his aide, it's obvious why we're accompanying him''. He says with annoyance.
''I get that, but it doesn't make sense, I don't think the pink-haired kid should go'', he voices a concern which Fleuri doesn't understand.
''Why so?''
It seems that there is more to the knight's relationship than what appears to those on the outside.
''It's not possible that you can't see, he's a liability! He opens his mouth to spew nonsense at the very first opportunity and he crosses the line with the Prince all the time! And now you want to take him to meet the Prince's fiance?'' Jiwon says, angry. ''Can't you see the problem?''
''Is the King a jealous lover?'' Fleuri's question seems to make Jiwon freeze.
''I don't think so, but that's not the point''.
''I'm failing to understand, are you jealous then?'' For someone that dislikes being in the middle of scuffles or troubling himself, Fleuri seems to enjoy provoking others.
''Jealous of what?''
''Your roommate'', the words of the half-elf trigger another change in Jiwon's eyes, but this time the color doesn't come and go, but stays. The tips of his black hair are also becoming slightly pink. Fleuri doesn't need to think much to understand that the man's mana is leaking.
''Don't ever say that again'', his words are threatening, and Fleuri doesn't doubt he could act on such a threat, yet he is utterly too tired and confused to deal with it.
''Me not saying it doesn't mean it isn't clear as day''. Something Fleuri and Nikias do share in terms of skills is being annoyingly observant. Dacre is certainly equally annoying to everyone, and he is good with social cues, always crossing the line just enough to not get killed. But that doesn't justify the knight's constant feeding of their banter, for someone who doesn't care, he certainly spends an awful amount of time near the boy.
Of course, it's all conjecture on Fleuri's part, he doesn't know the man's feelings nor he cares for it, he just wants to anger the man for saying stupid things while he's already doing a task he hates.
''You don't know what you're talking about'', Jiwon says.
''And neither do you, Dacre, you and I are going tomorrow with the Prince, and that's final''. Fleuri states. ''If you have any unresolved feelings, save them for when you're both alone, I don't think Dacre cares, but everyone could hear your conversation''. With those words, Fleuri turns to leave, but he hears Jiwon whispering to himself before he does so.
''There's something wrong with me'', the man whispers, something clearly not made for the half-elf ears, yet he hears nonetheless, being left with the small thought of what the knight meant, but he didn't care enough to let it bother him, thinking about his duties soon after, occupying his thoughts with the paperwork he must do.