After the treaty was signed by both the Stavrovian State and the Ramayan Empire publicly, the news began to spread to the other parts of the archipego. Many people disliked the news, as if the said State’s actions reflected their antagonistic stance against Grantierra itself, against the temple who wholeheartedly supported them all this time.

  Duke Streya expected the backsh yet he firmly stood his ground because none could shake this iron wall of a man that every opinion thrown towards him fell into deaf ears. He kept Stavros from falling apart during the time of crises until the controversial auction came to light. This time, he must do it again for them to strive on their own, not letting the outside waters into their boat.

  The temple remained silent, however, in the light of the incident. It definitely reached them and with their initial stance about abandoning Stavros altogether after the unraveling of the auction, it somehow turned out to be a sp to their faces.

  The other cardinals, on the other hand, chastised the Pontiff for his inaction yet again—not just about Stavros, but also Shirazi. Everything they built up within thousands of years slowly escaped their grasp because he neglected his duty.

  The Pontiff endured their harsh words and remained silent throughout their council meetings and only spoke concisely unless needed. Other than that, he nearly became mute that even the prayer sessions he usually held decreased and were led by a cardinal instead.

  His action now led the empire to gobble them up, akin to a monster hunting its prey. Obviously, he didn’t like the idea but it’s far too te to do anything. He let it befall them after all.

  On the other hand, the master and the bodyguard continued to travel around Grantierra as per what their contract stated. Karel, like he promised, also took Kani to Ramaya in between their work-reted travels. His arrangements delighted Madam Sanjana and Elder Orazio adored the brunet more as well.

  Within those adventurous days, Kani often protested about their little side trips since his work also required him to sign paperwork. Nevertheless, he’s unable to admit it aloud that he enjoyed every moment with his bodyguard.

  “Karel… wait a minute…” Kani stuttered and faltered in his steps. The taller man reached out his hand, intertwined it with the brunet’s and pulled him closer. “Are you cold?”

  “When you say winter in Ramaya is unforgiving, I didn’t know it’s like this.” He puffed another breath and scooted closer to the blond.

  “Once we reach my home, I’ll keep you warm. For now, bear with it.”

  “No carriages?”

  “Unable to pass through the thick snow.”

  He huffed. “Teleport?”

  “Uncle banned teleportation in the estate for security reasons.”

  Kani whined, heaving more deep breaths as the cold seeped into his clothes.

  After passing through the area where no usage of magic was allowed, they teleported in front of the estate’s gates, passed through the main mansion, traversed the covered pathways above the frozen manmade pond and Kani breathed a sigh of relief once he saw Karel’s mansion.

  In the end, he carried the brunet to his room, warmed up the bath and let him soak in the tub.

  “I’ll get clothes from your room.”

  “My room?” He asked, puzzled. “I have a room here?”

  “You don’t want a room?”

  “I can share your room? It’s spacious enough.”

  “Whatever, I need to get your clothes.”

  “Since when did I have clothes here?”

  “I asked them in Kuju to make lots, don’t worry!” his receding voice shouted.

  Kani mumbled something under his breath and rexed in the bathtub. He held onto the sides and looked at the nearby window clear of snow and yet blurry from moist.

  Both men found their setting—well, whatever this might be—comfortable. It put them at ease to be intimate to the point they ignored how others perceived their retionship.

  No matter whom you asked, using one room during their travels, sleeping in the same bed and borrowing each other’s clothes definitely showed intimacy. They held no blood ties as families and yet they do that sort of thing.

  “Kani, here’s your clothes,” the baritone voice remarked from beyond the bathroom’s door.

  “Thank you, Karel.” He grasped onto the side of the tub. “Can I sleep here? Your room is warm.”

  Karel chuckled. “Anything the master wants.”

  When the next spring dawned on them once again, only Kani returned to Norn.

  His lone figure exiting the carriage confused everyone but no one dared ask aside from Cashile and the head maid, Hendrika. Kani blurted out excuses with a straight face, admittedly used to it now thanks to his training as an apprentice, knowing his bodyguard’s identity could be at risk if information leaked out.

  Karel, on the other hand, remained in Ramaya as he attended to his official duties, especially with Stavros now under his jurisdiction. While he volunteered to handle Shirazi, it remained under Her Imperial Highness’s clutches due to the pns about the said desert kingdom be converted into one of the empire’s own territory.

  His absence would be indefinite, Karel told his master beforehand and also promised that as soon as he settled everything else on his end, he would definitely return to his side. Kani held onto those words, reassured, also clutching onto his chest while remembering the contract they upheld.

  He’s a man of his words. He will return.

  Weeks passed uneventfully for Kani as he settled back into the mundane routine he familiarized himself with. This might have been the longest time Karel had been away and honestly speaking, it stressed him. His anxiety soared with the thought that he would be deyed further and be left alone to fend for himself. While not incapable as he’s told, the reliable figure of his bodyguard had already carved his pce in his heart, settling in it, not even bothering to leave. Perhaps, he relied on the blond too much.

  The pen he held scratched against the paper, slightly tearing it. After he discarded it to the side, he leaned back and looked at the ceiling.

  Twelve years had now passed with Karel by his side. Thanks to him, he learned the ways of the world and he’s also a Heptacaster, now on the same level as his mother back then. He observed the intricate magical array surrounding his study; another one like it encased his bedroom. Only now he understood how Karel managed to slip past the ban on using magic arbitrarily, because his own magic far surpassed whatever Astadvran recognized as magic.

  “Master?”

  “Cashile?”

  The assistant entered, closing the door behind him. He walked towards the master’s desk and held out his hand. “Someone addressed it for you.”

  He scrunched his nose seeing the velvety case handed to him. “From who?”

  “Anonymously. We’ve seen nothing aside from the letter K.”

  Karel? He mused. He never gave me gifts this way though.

  Kani reluctantly received it, thanking the assistant and immediately went on his way. Deft fingers opened the velvet box and Kani raised his eyebrows seeing an expensive bracelet sitting prettily on it. The gold shone under the light and he examined it closely.

  After determining it’s safe to wear, he tried it on his wrist, still enticed by its gleam.

  Karel pulled his insignia badge from his robes abruptly and smmed it onto his desk which thankfully didn’t buckle itself down from the sheer force he exerted.

  He’s just gd he warned Kani of his prolonged absence but he didn’t expect them to be far apart for this long.

  One of the reasons he lessened appearing publicly, or seldom to not at all answering imperial summons was because that den of vile beings threw him more work than he should have. In the first pce, it’s beyond his jurisdiction to work for the said court; and secondly, submitting a resignation letter posed as a better solution if they couldn’t handle their duties properly.

  He ruffled his hair again, frustrated and mentally exhausted. A minute passed and he discarded his gloves on the table to ease himself up. The cravat around his neck loosened, buttons undone on his outer coat then followed by an exasperated sigh.

  Karel unceremoniously sat down on the nearby upholstered chair, picturing the brunet smiling at him endearingly.

  Kani, I want to see you.

  The following day, a thunderstorm rained upon Maya City much to everyone’s chagrin.

  Amidst the raging gales and torrential rains accompanied by the deafening thundercps, the Imperial Court remained solemn throughout the session because of the two Imperial Princes now in attendance—one with an impassive look on his face as he leaned back casually with arms crossed on his chest, and one smiling sinisterly while twirling a pen in his hold.

  The Emperor commented nothing about their behavior and even reminded the officials  about the w he signed a decade into his reign about the remaining five royals of the past regime who must not interfere with the Imperial Court’s proceedings. Nevertheless, due to their undeniable contributions, they ended up being awarded with honorary titles alongside authority and jurisdiction of the empire’s external matters extending to the vassage and intercontinental affairs.

  Clearly, even that simple missive couldn’t be comprehended by these nobles.

  In the end, the Grand Duke of Sol, holding the highest peerage among the noblemen, broke the tense silence. “Whether we like it or not, we must abide by the ws and rules. After all, no one is above the w, isn’t it?”

  The Grand Duke of Liu chimed in a sing-song, “Speak louder so everyone can hear you from the back.”

  The nobles grimaced at those provocative words.

  The Empress chuckled in response, however. “How mischievous, you two. They clearly need to be reminded but don’t scare them, alright?”

  “But, we’re merely telling the truth, Your Majesty.” The Grand Duke of Sol replied cheerfully and inquisitively gnced at Kelzo. “I don’t want to see Kelzo ruining our hall, you see. I still haven’t gotten over the fact that he destroyed my home once.”

  “Grand Duke,” Kelzo called sternly yet the sinister smile remained pstered on his lips.

  The Emperor stood up. “Some of you are even more experienced than I am when it comes to these matters and I can’t comprehend why you must not follow the ws. Were they just made as decorations?”

  “No, Your Majesty,” they replied in chorus.

  He harrumphed, walking down the dais towards the exit. “Court session is adjourned!”

  The opposition eyed the cousins in disdain and Karel only beamed at them as they exited.

  “Kelzo, I have somewhere else to be. How about you?”

  “Returning to my bodyguard duties,” he replied as he stood up, straightening his coat.

  “I’m reminding you again—”

  “And thank you for the concern every time, Tybalt.” He sighed as he held his younger cousin’s shoulder, squeezing it. “I chose this and I need to see it to the end.”

  “Even if it breaks—”

  “I’ll tackle that problem when I get there.” He walked away and waved goodbye.

  “Tall blondie!” the cheerful voice called from amidst the cacophony.

  Karel smiled as he approached the excited dwarf. “How are you, Balen?”

  “Good! Very good! I’m excited about this!”

  He presented one ring to him. It had a simple design but with just a look he could tell that it’s still made from a high quality material.

  “It’s still a prototype! Although I made several in case it breaks during the infusion. Why don’t you try it?”

  Deft hands examined it, twirling it against the light as he smiled. “I’d rather do it outside of your city, Balen. Care to accompany me?”

  Half a mile away from the aboveground entrance to the dwarven city, there stood a group of bcksmiths headed by Balen and Karel now stood a safe distance away from them. The bcksmiths noted Karel’s meticulousness and specuted about how powerful he was.

  “He really is a considerate man. I believe he’s—”

  A gasp erupted from the group as a surge of immense magical power came from Karel’s position. A portion of the void hovered above him before the floating ring absorbed it. After a few seconds, silence enveloped the surroundings and they noticed the blond’s frowning expression.

  “What happened?” Balen shouted from his position.

  “It broke.”

  “Yes?”

  “The ring broke.”

  Chaos erupted from the group and Balen brought him the other prototypes he made. It’s a good thing he made several of it, thinking it may go awry at some point.

  “Why don’t you lessen the magic you imbue in it? The ring probably broke because of your immense power.”

  He hummed. “That might be the case.”

  Balen gave the others the broken ring and they examined it further while Karel worked in the distance again.

  “Chief, I think he’s really strong to be able to break one of our finest works,” another one remarked as he stared at the broken shards on his palm.

  “I know.” He sighed. “I often forget that he’s still one of the imperials.”

  After a few more attempts, Karel managed to infuse at least ten more rings. They exchanged input about the said matter and Balen, alongside his group, promised to make more in the future.

  Karel agreed to discuss the distribution of the said product once he submitted the proposal and other official documents following the standard procedures. Excited by the prospect, the dwarves cheerily agreed to make more, positive about the approval of their project.

  He smiled to himself, pleased. “I need to return home now, Balen. I’ll visit you again soon.“

  “Oh! Before I forgot!” Balen rummaged through his belt bag and gave a velvet box to Karel.

  “This is?”

  “For your elven companion, Kani was it?”

  He opened it and his eyebrows raised in delight. “Thank you, Balen. He will definitely like it.”

  Pleased with their achievement, Karel hummed a soft tune to himself as he walked the dirt road leading to the western entrance of Norn. He returned as soon as he could, also satisfied with their output.

  His measured steps filled the serene night as he walked a bit further in and noticed the bright moon hanging above in the night skies. It illuminated his figure and he couldn’t help but be drawn to it. He rarely saw the moon in Ramaya due to their wintry climate and he smiled foolishly to himself thereafter, clearly anticipating Kani’s surprised face when he’d see what Balen created for him. He fiddled with the box and smiled to himself.

  Once he walked onto the familiar cobblestones, the blond treaded on light steps as he approached the estate. As he stepped closer, a stench of familiar odor permeated the air and realized what it pertained to.