From the shore, they walked towards the town and most of the people greeted Karel cheerfully. Pensri noticed how the people adored him and they often asked him if he would want to marry their daughters or granddaughters. She won’t deny it, this man was definitely a bigshot just by his looks alone.

  After the little ambush by the elderly, Karel led her to the inner town. She noticed the buildings and her eyes sparkled when she realized the unique architecture.

  “What kind of architecture is this?”

  “Mostly were of the Ramayan Architecture. Some buildings are also simir to that of Astadvran.”

  “I like this! I want to know who designed them!”

  He chuckled, seeing her excited. “If you perform well, you might meet them.”

  Pensri looked around in awe. “Are you sure you want me to be here?”

  “Of course. I promised you after all.”

  “No takebacks!”

  “I am a man of my word, Pensri.” He chuckled. “Come, follow me. I’ll introduce you to someone.”

  Pensri fidgeted, clearly containing her excitement when he saw the rge mansion ahead. “That’s! That’s Ramayan Architecture, yes?”

  Karel nodded with a smile on his face.

  “I can live here forever!” she excimed and ran towards the gates in excitement.

  Walce greeted Karel upon his entry and noticed the woman following him. Pensri excitedly looked around, wanting to touch the walls, even the floor and the ornaments dispyed in the Great Hall.

  “This is Pensri, an architect from Stavros.”

  “I was the State Architect,” she chimed cheerily while examining the gss window with her finger.

  Walce smiled. “Master Kani would be delighted to know that someone as talented as her joined us.”

  Karel smiled then nearly dragged Pensri towards Kani’s study, still distracted by everything she passed by.

  After the introductions, Kani voiced another concern, “We also need a builder. An engineer, in your terms.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Even Karel furrowed his eyebrows.

  “The one we hired suddenly backed out, even refunded the initial payment we paid them.”

  Karel looked pensive then turned to Pensri. “Do you have someone in mind who could help us?”

  Pensri hummed, looking at the pns id before her. “I made a friend when I was studying in the academy and we complemented each other. Sad thing was, we decided to not see each other because of his engagement.”

  Pensri frowned while looking at the pns again and mumbled, “It’s a good thing the duke never forced me to do any of those things.”

  The two men shared a knowing look, then turned to her again.

  “Where can I find him?”

  Pensri shook her head. “I just know he’s from a noble family in Valerya.”

  “Name?”

  “Xavier Cortez. If I remember correctly he’s the second son of the House Cortez.”

  Karel nodded. “I’ll visit tomorrow.”

  “You should rest for a while, Karel. I will talk to Pensri about the pns first then you go find that man.”

  He bowed. “As you wish, Master.”

  Kani turned to Pensri with a smile on his lips. “Welcome, Pensri. I hope you will like it here.”

  Pensri lit up, grinning widely then bowing to him in earnest. “I like it here! Thank you, master!”

  The Castle of Livariel, Stavros—

  “I only wanted to seek an audience with Duke Streya. Is there something wrong with that?” A man’s stern voice echoed around followed by the disagreement of the guards stationed outside his office.

  Duke Streya who just woke up from his nap perked up. Only a day after his ward’s departure, another problem came his way? The duke sighed at the thought, making himself presentable then opened the doors of his office. “What’s the commotion all about?”

  Seeing the duke, the man shouted, “Your Excellency! I seek answers about Lady Pensri’s dismissal!”

  Duke Streya sighed again and told the guards to let the young master follow him inside.

  Once they sat and the tea served, Duke Streya immediately stated: “Pensri left on her own accord.”

  “Why would she…”

  “If I remember, you’re one of her friends. What’s your name again?”

  He saluted. “I am Xavier from the Valeryan House of Cortez.”

  “Now, I don’t know where to find him,” Karel muttered to himself upon seeing the state of the House Cortez.

  There’s a commotion up ahead and just by how loud their voices were, and thanks to his acute hearing as a Ramayan, he heard their conversation, if it’s even called one.

  After breaking his engagement, the second son Xavier relinquished his status as a Cortez, and the said family trying to control the damage left by the canceltion of the engagement, became the talk of the said State.

  As he walked away, he heard the Count cursed his own son for his selfishness and foolishness.

  Karel scowled to himself, deciding to just go bother Duke Streya for the meantime as he pondered on how to find the said engineer.

  And when he arrived at the Duke’s office, however, His Excellency remarked, “Oh, fate seemed to really have brought you here, Xavier.”

  “This man is Xavier?”

  Saluting Karel, he introduced, “I am Xavier of the Valeryan House of Cortez.”

  “You said they casted you out,” murmured Duke Streya.

  “Ah, well.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I’m just Xavier now. And you are, sir?”

  “I’m Karel.” He sat down adjacent to the duke’s chair. “Are you friends with Pensri?”

  He nodded. “Do you know where Pensri is?”

  Both older men perked up at the concern in his voice and looked at each other. As Pensri’s legal guardian, the duke ought to give warnings to this man.

  “I know both you and Pensri are good friends. I just hope that you—”

  “Don’t be like that, Duke Streya.” Karel sipped his tea. “I’d rather have Pensri be with a man who knows her worth than work with the vile architects your State highly regarded.”

  Palpable silence descended in the room save for the teacup clinking on the saucer.

  “You are angry.”

  “Not angry. Just annoyed.”

  Xavier nervously looked between them, torn about what to do.

  The Duke relented, not wanting to earn the ire of this Ramayan. He knew what would befall the State if such being was enraged. What happened during the auction years ago fshed in his mind again, eliciting a shiver down his spine.

  After recollecting his thoughts, Duke Streya suggested, “As they already casted Sir Xavier out of his house, you should take him to Mapiya. He worked with Pensri more often than not in the past years.”

  “Thank you for the recommendation, Your Excellency.”

  He nodded defeatedly. “Serve this man with all you’ve got, you hear me? Or else, you’ll be food to the Ramayans.”

  “Wha…” He seized up at the realization that Karel was a Ramayan.

  Karel stood up. “Come on, we need to get going.”

  Xavier shuffled to stand up, snatching his luggage before thanking the duke once again then followed Karel.

  “You know,” Xavier spoke up immediately as they reappeared on the isnd. “I’ve told Pensri many times over that she should have fought back.”

  “She is kind.”

  Xavier defeatedly chuckled. “Undoubtedly so. Perhaps, it’s because of what she had gone through. That, no matter how cruel the world is to her, she wouldn’t go out of her way to let others taste that same bitterness.”

  Karel hummed. “But, even such a kind person has their limits.”

  “That’s true.” Xavier smiled wryly before turning to him. “And if Duke Streya trusted you, I have to trust you too. That you won’t mistreat her like they did there.”

  Nodding, he promised, “That could be done.”

  Xavier also nodded. “Then, thank you.”

  They walked in silence until they arrived inside the estate’s walled vicinity.

  Seeing the familiar ravenette up ahead, Xavier hastened his steps and shouted her name, “Pensri!”

  “Huh?”

  “Pensri Streya!”

  Pensri, now standing amidst the gardens with Kani, looked at the people approaching them. Seeing the familiar figure of his friend, Pensri was overcome with relief. “You…”

  Xavier discarded his luggage, ran towards her next and tightly embraced Pensri as they met. “I’m gd to see you again, Pen.”

  “How…” She turned to Karel, amused by how fast they met.

  “I tracked him down in Stavros. He was talking to Duke Streya when I arrived.”

  She smiled at him, truly grateful about their reunion. “Thank you, Karel.”

  As they parted, Pensri frowned. “Wait, how about your engagement?”

  Xavier sighed. “I hate the woman, alright?” Then suddenly, his tone changed. “She’s a psycho! You were right all this time!”

  Pensri gasped then checked Xavier from head to toe, even twirling him around. “She didn’t hurt you, right? If she did, I’d ask Karel to whoop her ass!”

  Karel snorted, amused. “I’m not whooping someone’s ass just because you wanted me to.”

  Pensri then presented Xavier to Kani who stood near them with a pleased smile on his face. “Master Kani needs your services.”

  “Huh? You mean…”

  “The isnd is in dire need of designers and builders. Now that there’s the two of us here, we should make this isnd popur for its architecture.”

  Xavier chuckled. “You never changed, Pen.”

  She grinned back at him. “So are you, Xav.”

  With the newest additions to their ever-growing household, Pensri and Xavier were finally introduced to the others.

  Walce appraised them quietly and hoped they could work together harmoniously as he was also tasked to oversee the construction with them while Mersya kindly accommodated them, telling them not to be a know-it-all to avoid future accidents, adhere to safety protocols and observe discipline.

  Pensri and Xavier also grew fond of the werewolf twins almost immediately, patting their heads and offering them more food.

  When they convened in the next few days, Karel asked the question, “When do you think you can start?”

  Xavier tapped his pen on the table. “I’ve id off my team before cancelling my engagement so that they won’t be caught up in my predicament. I doubt I can pay them too.”

  Pensri frowned hearing his words.

  “It’s just me now.” He heaved a breath. “If you have a working force on your own, maybe I can borrow them for a while. If not, I can teach them.”

  While Pensri worked as the State Architect of Stavros, Xavier taught engineering in the Academy for a few years before returning to Valerya. He’s not as renowned as Pensri but he also had achievements attached to his name, one was the famous gsshouse of the Valeryan House Gallinal.

  “Are we rushing?” Karel asked.

  Kani gnced at him then shook his head. “Not really but the fourth phase is still a residential area so I was keen on finding builders as soon as we can.”

  Karel frowned, pensive for a few seconds before saying, “Maybe I can ask for some help from Pals and Ize. The dwarves and the werebeasts are craftsmen and hard workers too.”

  “Must you use your authority then?”

  The friends looked at each other in confusion upon hearing those words.

  “There’s no need. I’ll just ask them to send some capable people and we’ll just pay them. We have enough?”

  “Yes.”

  Karel nodded then turned to the two. “Revise the pns if needed and I’ll hire the people you need.”

  “Alright! Time to work then!” Pensri cheerfully remarked before sitting in front of Xavier.

  “Master, I’ll be going.”

  “Sure.” The brunet waved his hand at him. “Be safe.”

  Kani sat again on his chair, not minding the two discussing on the nearby working table.

  “Well, Master. I’m curious.”

  “Yes?”

  “What do you mean by authority?”

  Kani raised an amused eyebrow.

  “Karel’s authority.”

  “Oh.” Then, he smiled. “Karel isn’t just your average Ramayan. He’s a Grand Prince.”

  Both of them froze and Xavier dropped his pen.

  “No way!”

  Kani chuckled. “But, he is.”

  “I just know he’s a Ramayan because Duke Streya said so.”

  “He rescued us before too!”

  “Rescued?” Kani and Xavier echoed.

  Pensri lit up. “Duke Streya said Karel helped him with the auction in Stavros before and rescued us.”

  “Pensri,” Xavier called in concern. “Are you—”

  “It’s fine, Xav.” She smiled at him. “They’re good people. They won’t hurt me.”

  Kani smiled at her. “It’s an honor that you think of us that way, Pensri.”

  Xavier sighed. “She’s always been intuitive, Master.”

  “And it helped her a lot, I presume?”

  He defeatedly nodded in agreement.

  “I’m gd to have you both here. Truly.”

  “Then, we’re in your care, Master Kani.”

  He nodded. “Yes. So, goodluck to you, two.”