-Kashion-
Kashion opened the message from FoxPriority:
"The noodles! Kassia said that's your favorite dish. They really are incredibly delicious. But everything else here is wonderful too."
He smiled.
Your favorite dish.
She knew it. And she liked it too.
He would have liked to see her while she was eating the noodles. Then he remembered how enthusiastically she had eaten the strawberries.
"Better than strawberries?" he asked.
-Prior-
Prior burst out laughing when she read the message.
Strawberries! The way he liked them so much.
But that was something they clearly had in common.
FoxPriority:
"Nothing is better than strawberries."
kashion233:
"Actually, there is something better."
FoxPriority:
"And what?"
kashion233:
"For example, Saturn rings with strawberries."
-Prior-
Prior laughed out loud again.
FoxPriority:
"So they were good?"
kashion233:
"They were. And I had to fight hard for them, too."
-Prior-
Prior felt flattered that Kashion liked her Saturn rings. She grinned.
But hard-fought?
She bit her lower lip and thought about what she could reply.
Should she ask him what he meant, or just give a funny response?
Suddenly a new message appeared from kashion233:
"Tomorrow the most important part of the negotiations begins, and all the envoys from the other countries are arriving. I'll be so glad when it's all over."
Oh. The fact that he shared that with her.
It probably really wasn't easy for him. All the pressure he was under.
And now that she knew more about him, she saw him with somewhat different eyes.
-Kashion-
He didn't really know why he had written that to her.
Maybe because it always felt as if she expected nothing from him — as if she truly saw him for who he was.
FoxPriority:
"I believe you. That can't be easy. But I think you'll manage everything well. From what I've heard, things have gone well so far. I think King Tioff made a good choice in selecting you as the main trading partner. The princess is on your side too. So everything will surely turn out fine."
-Kashion-
Prior's reply actually calmed him a little.
It sounded somewhat diplomatic and not quite so personal, but she wanted to encourage him — and for the moment that was what mattered.
kashion233:
"Thanks for the encouragement, Prior. Let's play another round, okay?"
FoxPriority:
"Okay."
-Prior-
Shortly afterward the message appeared:
"kashion233 has sent you an invitation."
Prior opened it and saw that Kashion had chosen black again.
She shook her head.
"Incorrigible," she said to herself with a grin.
Then she made the first move.
This time she tried to play better, carefully examining the pieces on the board and thinking about all the possible consequences.
-Kashion-
This time the game was more difficult.
Prior seemed to be playing more thoughtfully.
Kashion loved the challenge. It completely distracted him from everything else.
When he lost the game, he wasn't disappointed — he felt satisfied.
He didn't want to end the connection yet, but tomorrow was an important day. He should sleep.
And he would see her the next day anyway.
-Prior-
Prior beamed because she had won the game.
After that there was no message and no new invitation.
He probably still had something to prepare or was tired.
Her fingers twitched to open the chat window again.
But she reconsidered and tried to sleep.
The next morning Prior was sitting in the living room with the other women.
She had already put on the turquoise dress. It fit her perfectly and made her eyes shine.
Aliror was currently braiding individual strands into her hair, weaving in small metal rings and ribbons as well. She had insisted on doing it and clearly enjoyed it.
"This already looks very good. Afterward I'll do your makeup," Lina said.
Prior swallowed.
She already felt extremely conspicuous with the dress and hairstyle. She wasn't used to dressing up like this or having someone help her.
"Just… not too much, please. I don't want to stand out too much," Prior said.
Kassia laughed.
"You will stand out. But in a good way."
"I'll keep it very subtle," Lina said.
When Aliror finished, Lina immediately began doing Prior's makeup. It didn't take long before she held up a mirror.
Prior looked completely different.
Lina had truly kept it subtle. She looked fresher, and her facial features appeared softer.
She liked it.
Yina came running in and stared at Prior with wide eyes.
"You're really beautiful," she said.
Prior only shook her head, but she had to smile.
Soon it was time to leave so they would arrive in Lantian on time.
Prior went to her room to collect her things. She looked once more at Kashion's wooden figures and joked:
"Nice meeting you all. Farewell!"
She let her gaze wander around the room once more before returning to the others.
Then they said goodbye to Aliror.
Aliror naturally took Prior into her arms and even kissed her on the cheek.
It actually hurt Prior a little. In such a short time she had really grown fond of this woman.
After that they boarded the hover, and Emi set the course for Lantian.
-Kashion-
Kashion was already standing in the hangar early in the morning, waiting for the first guests.
Count Kashk Rutz would arrive first, then Rein of Firefields, and finally King Mandach of Ostrand.
Oren stood beside him, constantly checking that everything was proceeding according to plan.
Kashion's parents were also present, along with Princess Evlina and Talina.
Evlina had positioned herself next to him.
"Now things are getting serious," she said.
Kashion nodded. He thought about Prior's words.
"It will surely all work out."
Soon the first hover arrived. It bore the coat of arms of Terland: a hawk inside a yellow triangle.
The door opened, and Count Kashk Rutz stepped out, followed by four other people from Terland.
His wife was not with him, but Kashion hadn't expected her to be.
The count was about the same age as Kashion's father and had a gaunt appearance.
"Welcome to Tingdao," Kashion said, making the traditional greeting gesture with both hands.
The count merely nodded and stepped closer.
Then he stopped in front of Evlina.
"A true beauty. What a pity I'm already married."
Everything inside Kashion tightened at such a disrespectful and inappropriate remark.
Evlina simply bowed slightly.
"A pleasure to meet you, Count Kashk Rutz."
He then greeted Kashion's parents, whom he had known for decades — though their relationship could hardly be described as friendly.
When the greeting was finished, Oren said:
"Count Kashk Rutz, please allow me to escort you and your entourage to your quarters."
The count nodded and followed Oren.
When he finally left the hangar, Kashion felt himself relax slightly. But with Evlina there, he couldn't openly show his dislike.
Rein of Firefields was expected within the next half hour, so there was little point in leaving the hangar. The small group sat down on a few chairs that had been set up.
Evlina sat beside Kashion.
"You've prepared everything for this evening, haven't you?" she asked.
Kashion nodded.
A large reception and banquet were planned — similar to the smaller banquet for the Saturians.
"I think it would make sense if we opened the dancing again," Evlina said.
That was something Kashion hadn't planned in detail yet. He hadn't considered it important who opened the dance.
He looked at her.
She smiled.
"That way we can demonstrate the connection between Tingdao and Saturn. I think it would be good to show clearly where we stand."
"So you stand on Tingdao's side?" Kashion asked.
Evlina nodded and seemed about to place her hand on his forearm.
But he noticed and quickly lifted his arm, running a hand through his hair instead.
He thought for a moment.
"Thank you. I think it's fine if we open the dance to show that Tingdao and Saturn are ready for a trade agreement."
After all, it would mean nothing.
It was only a dance.
-Prior-
In the hover, Prior thought it had been a completely wrong idea to wear the Gekserkh traditional dress.
She felt strange in it and only hoped no one in Lantian would notice her wearing it.
It was surely very noticeable, and she didn't like drawing attention.
"So what else is planned today?" Lina asked.
Lina sat beside Prior, opposite Kassia and Yina. Emi sat slightly apart, checking the route.
"There's the big reception tonight," Kassia said.
The big reception.
Prior didn't even want to think about it and sighed loudly.
Lina began to giggle and nudged her playfully.
"It'll be over before you know it."
"At least I know more people now," Prior said.
"Exactly," Lina replied. "And if you feel uncomfortable, you can always come to me or Kassia."
Prior smiled.
It was nice to have allies.
"For Kashion it's even worse," Kassia added.
Prior looked at her and immediately thought about his message from the night before.
"He always wants everything to be perfect. And today all eyes will be on him again. If anything goes wrong, they'll blame him."
Prior truly felt sorry for Kashion.
Now she could see much more clearly the person hidden behind the prince.
She looked down at her tablet.
He hadn't written again since last night. No message, no invitation.
Was he that busy? He was probably very tense.
It wouldn't be so bad if she invited him this time… would it?
Without thinking any further, she sent him an invitation.