Chapter 21- The Last Step To Town

After the shocking scene that happened in front of the caravans healing personnel, they were momentarily asked to wait on the porch while the “Lady Jane” was given a moment to compose herself. It was suggested that the healers please hear them out before taking any “strange rumors” to the rest of the camp. No one objected to waiting on the porch of the building, but they had a great deal of consternation about hiding anything from their group. Most of the healers had deep ties to their groups. Even the two who provided Jane with the magical healing had a contract from the church to the merchant’s guild. So they shouldn’t do anything that would bring danger to the clients. Most important they had to know what was seen when he identified this “Lady Jane”.

He explained he’s not great with using it to identify people or their abilities. Most of his education has been put forward to identify goods, items, and rare material. If it were his teacher then they would have been able to learn more. But from what he’s able to guess at what he saw. He is certain that she’s not just a “Lady Jane”, but she has a title that says she’s a Queen. She must be an amazing person because of another title about being the younger sister. It’s impossible that any younger sibling would be made Queen unless they are special in their own right. Everyone can agree to that assumption.

This Queen is even more impressive because she has so many skills. Her talents are both industries like the dwarfs but she is also been taught to fight. He hasn’t seen anyone with such a list. Only some of the dwarf’s crafters are well capable in several fields but those scholars are not able combatants at the same time. He concludes the explanation with her race. She isn’t just a young bird kin based on the wings. Her race said Celestial, one of those who descended in times of great trouble to help the people. There is likely some evil trouble plaguing the world for a Celestial Queen to come personally. Another person of their group points out that she’s accompanied by many of the races. Not everything can be hidden from the authorities but they should at least hear this person out before spilling such private information. In the wrong hands this information could cause evil people to come for her life. Given her debilitated state she’s not likely able to fend off a well organized attack. While considering this they agree to keep secret what they can for now, and see what the Celestial Queen Jane has to say.

The group was interrupted when the door slid open and they were invited back in for an audience with Jane. Most of them eagerly went back into hear her out. A few of them were afraid of causing a diplomatic issue and still would rather have someone else like the Caravan’s master attend this in their stead. But they reluctantly followed along. Once everyone was gathered inside they were shocked at another magical spectacle. The once round table along the wall was now elongated and there were enough chairs for everyone to sit at it.

“Please have a seat and hear us out.” Jane gestured to the chairs on the opposite side of the table from her. Sakura helped Jane sit down in a fairly plain chair. After a moment she helped to slide in Jane’s chair. Then Sakura stood behind Jane’s right side, and rested her hand on Jane’s right shoulder. All of her other servants are then seated to Jane’s left and right.

All the healers noticed how at ease the environment inside was. They took it as a good sign and chose an open seat. Once everyone sat down one of the humans who helped her with the channeled heal spoke up.

“Lady Jane… My name is Augustus. We are glad you have recovered… well recovered this much. But as we said to your attendants we are not able to do anything about your leg. You need someone who’s more powerful than us. We are more than happy to introduce you to the people you need to see regardless.”

“Thank you Augustus, and everyone for your help. I was told briefly the same thing from my servants. In truth our current supplies are limited, but we are happy to help your group or leaders in exchange for the assistance. We have this as a down payment for your help.” Jane explained that and gave a signal to Knox.

Knox lifted a thin plank of wood that is almost a meter long. The plank has 2 pegs that extend from the top corners and 2 on the bottom that keep the silk from sliding off. A great deal of silk thread was wrapped around the plank until it bulged from the center. Knox leaned forward and placed the bolt of silk on the guest’s side of the table before slipping back into her seat.

Being given the opportunity to inspect the bolt's quantity and the quality they were surprised at the smoothness and strength. Eventually the merchants assistant touched it and used his “Inspection” skill to appraise it and found out the entire bolt consisted of pure spider silk of “Good” quality. He realized how extremely valuable it is. He estimates it is equivalent to the silk provided by the spider people called “Ah-nanzi” and their spider kin. He couldn’t tell if the bolt came from the giant monsters that had some human characteristics (the Ah-nanzi), or if this came from their almost entirely human relatives (the spider kin). Spider silk of this type is almost completely monopolized by them. After he appraised it the best he could he tried to stop their conversation.

“Excuse me… I don’t mean to be rude Lady Jane. But this material is amazing, and this is very hard to come by. It will exceed by far the amount of aid our group has provided. Our services could be considered between 10 and 40 gold coins. But this bolt is probably worth several hundred gold coins. In all honesty I have never had to appraise this much spider silk before.” He explained while nervously setting it back down on their side of the table.

Jane shifted her attention to him tried to ease his concern. “I understand your reluctance to accept something with such a value. Mister…? I’m sorry I didn’t get your name.”

“Please Lady Jane, Just call me Ethan. I’m just an apprentice worker for the Merchant’s Guild. I only substitute as an appraiser when shops have need of me. Anything of this value I would recommend seeing my mentor… rrr I mean my master Kato. He’s far more capable than me. He spends most of his time secluded at the Adventurer’s Guild. He is a little obsessive over rare items. I heard he’s been requested for a lot recently, but I could put in a request to see him.”

“Ethan, then. I insist this material is a token of our good faith for your assistance. You may bring this trade good to your people and take out the cost of your aid from it. Anything left over we simply request it be used to help in my recovery. If your leader likes he may even take out of it a referral fee.”

After Jane said this she smiled kindly to the guests letting them digest the latest statement.

“Of course we have a few other things that we may trade with as well, but we would rather exchange some of our skills for the time being. Our present goal is to reach town and settle down for a time. If we are allowed to stay in a place that maybe in need of repair then we can provide the cleaning and construction that is needed. This would leave any place we stay at in better condition than it is when we arrive.”

The healing group was shocked at the willingness of someone who should be a Queen to stay at a broken down building. In addition they claim the capability to refurbish such a dwelling. That is something sturdy and capable people are required for. Augustus shook his head in refusal.

“No Lady Jane, we couldn’t suggest to our people to let a Quee…” Augustus choked the word queen back. “I mean any foreign dignitary shouldn’t be placed in a rundown building. And you are all are girr… Young women. How could we tell our people to house you like that and expect hard labor for your stay? This would be an embarrassment for us and disrespectful to you!”

Jane clearly empathized, but denied it kindly with the tone she used.

“Mr. Augustus, I sincerely appreciate your kindness and gallantry. But look at our current state. This unusual group of unknown females are seeking a place to stay. Worse off we don’t have an unlimited supply of gold, we have no proof of identity, our clothing is rough, we are not familiar with the town or people we are asking aid from, and I am hobbled with the loss of a leg. Until I am able to contribute my fair share these ladies are going to have to help me and help make up for the lack of my help. It is easy to understand the world does not run on charity, so we are not asking for hand outs. We are asking for aid and are willing to share our expertise until we are able to stand on our own.”

Jane realizes after the words are out how it relates to her condition and winces in embarrassment.

“If you understand what I mean by that. With this I am requesting of your caravan someone to help us when we get to town. Our little group will require a place to lodge, a little food because we lost a lot in a recent fight, and someone to help explain how things work around town. Someone like a guide to locate supplies and goods we are going to need. Simply put I don’t want these ladies getting lost in a strange town. None of us have ever been there before, and we don’t know what dangers to expect there. This is why we are willing to be cooperative with anyone willing to be this kind to our group. And I hope someone finds the skills we can contribute to be worth the aid we are asking for. After all this is not charity but a mutually beneficial relationship we seek.”

Jane looks each member of the healers group in their eyes with a hopeful demeanor.

Augustus shared a moment of acknowledgment with all the people sitting on his side before responding.

“Lady Jane, we understand your character, but we need to understand your situation. As you said before there is a lot of unknown about you. One of our people discovered you are a Queen. It is not that we aren’t willing to help you but we need to know what we can tell our people. What is your situation? Where did you come from? And why shouldn’t we tell everything to our people? Any Queen is royalty and should be treated as such. But here you are not pronouncing it to anyone. While at the same time you have four different attendants. This is so unusual it boarders the bizarre. You are clearly cared for, but what are you doing here and how did you get so injured in the first place? Our people will want to know at least something before agreeing to provide you with what you are asking for. I mean why not have your kingdom soldiers come to help, or provide the funds you need? Besides no one would want to help someone in conflict that could span an entire country. We need to know the situation and what we can tell our people.” Augustus explained the serious issues that his side would face if they tried to help but then found out she is in a precarious position.

Jane took a deep breath and started the explanation of their position.

“Yes, that is true. I do indeed have a title of Queen. But at present there was a trouble that came to our land. We left to learn what we can in order to repair what was destroyed in our land. These ladies have lost much. So in order to find the answers to rebuilding, they willingly came with me to seek it out. I care about our people, and volunteered to find a way to rebuild. But it is a complicated issue and not something anyone here cares to talk about. Fear not the trouble that has killed many and destroyed so much. It has already departed and we don’t know where it has gone. No one is actively seeking us out to do harm. And we are not bringing anything that would plague your land. What remains of our land will remain until we are able to return. It is just when we do return; we hope to have learned what we need to recover what was lost. If there are others from our home then we are sure they are seeking the same thing. My presence will not matter to those remaining. This is why we are not interested in announcing the situation. We have already had a number of encounters, and we lost a lot of gear in getting to this point. Maybe if we prepared better then we wouldn’t be in such a dire situation. As far as where we came from; then we came from beyond the hills. For many days we have traveled, and in the most recent encounter it cost me this leg. But at least we still have each other. ”

Jane gestured in the general direction toward the mountains back the way they came. As Jane finished the explanation she looked back to them with watery eyes and a hopeful expression. All Jane’s attendants kept a hard stoic expression. Sakura had a sad expression she was trying to prevent from showing. Even with the moment of silence Jane continued the hopeful look shifting from guest to guest.

“Does that answer your concerns?”

The group was not pleased to hear about such a tragedy, and then to hear how much more these ladies lost just getting here. It was enough to tug at their heart strings. Plus with Jane’s pained expression some of them started to get watery eyes as well.

Augustus nodded. “Alright then, I won’t mention the Queen part. How about the rest of you?”

One by one each of them agreed until the whole group was complying with her request.

“I guess we can stick to the facts of you ladies need some help, and you are not from around here. If you are willing to barter for aid and exchange crafter type skills then I would guess the dwarf Kun Smith is your best choice. A few of our people came from the Dwarves. When our wagons go out we like to keep a couple of able bodied repair men available for large caravans. Simply put they are amazing at repairs and few humans are able to match their skill. We can speak to them and see if they are willing to help introduce you.” Augustus suggested.

Ethan agreed about the dwarf Kun Smith, “But I also think someone in the Merchant’s Guild, or maybe one of the craftsman groups could as well. The only group that would not be a good choice is the Church. They would likely try to arrange a marriage for you with one of the kingdoms. They are heavily invested in the human royals. The other kingdoms have their own inner politics and the Church has less influence in all the other races.”

After a few more members spoke up the beast kin, and elves were tossed in for some serious potential. While beast kin are not as mechanical as the dwarves they are industrial with their own special talents. And the Elven Kingdom often seeks out non-humans for support specialists. However everything would change if they found out your status was listed as Queen. But only the beast kin leaders are treated as leaders. They don’t respect anyone who isn’t a leader and care nothing about royalty. It would only be a problem with them if you chose to try to be their leader. Then other beast kin would challenge you. Point by point is submitted for Jane to decide who to seek for help. But no matter what way Jane chose to go the elves would have totally different expectations when they found out she was a Celestial race, and the beast kin would expect her to participate in all the trials to become their leader. But the status of queen is something that is a huge deal for humans, and to a lesser extent for the Cast system the dwarfs use.

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A while later Jane made up her mind. “Very well then, please have them try to introduce me to the dwarf Kun Smith. If he’s going to be the most relaxed out of the lot of them, then that’s the approach we will take. Besides I’m probably more able to help them with those craft related projects than anyone else.”

The caravan welcomed back the people who spent so long with the strangers in the shelter and waited for supper to be served before getting into the situation. As each of the healers group took turns explaining out their interpretation of everything all the leaders asked their own questions. The bolt of silk was presented as something to help barter their way for help and access to the town. The silk caused a serious stir in the group of merchants. While all of them wanted a cut of the silk profits only a few people were even capable of taking on the requests the ladies had. The primary was shelter, food, guide, and potentially more. For a simi permanent housing only a few people had enough real estate related to their business for such a request. But introducing the ladies to someone with access to healers strong enough for recovering a leg, only one merchant was able. But even he became frustrated when he heard the ladies were told about the dwarf Kun Smith.

While Kun Smith is an up-and-coming influencer he’s also a surly fellow. He is soft on all dwarven kind, but a nasty negotiator with everyone else. What makes it a bigger problem he’s cunning, and got many of other races to “Owe Him One” while he was took on the reluctant provider role. Kun Smith is a traditional dwarf, and when their technology and practices started to leak to the other races he single handedly campaigned, and turned the situation around. He convinced everyone it was for their own good to not open share or open source their techniques or anything that the dwarfs could use to stay ahead of the other races. He figured after all lots of the beast kin and beast races do it with their biology. They sell toxins, silk, and material. So the dwarfs could hold firm on their contracts and laborers.

Over all, the caravan leaders were satisfied with the answers they got to their questions. There was only a little hesitation because there were no good answers to where they came from, or how far they traveled. But if they came from the other side of the mountain range then there is no telling how far they came from. Even so the one merchant wanted to meet with the mysterious ladies. He refused to give up the opportunity to make some serious coin off this negotiation. So it was arranged and he was permitted to meet them that night.

Tents were set up and dinner was finished. The whole caravan was settling in for the night when one merchant had finished his plans. With a few helpers in tow the merchant Gradulf Amschel was brought to the door of the shelter. After introductions he bid to enter and meet the Lady Jane. He was shocked for a number of reasons. He listened to the previous negotiations and assumed it was an older woman by how the healers responded. But she looked too young for that. Her clothes were horrendous compared to her beauty even with the fact she is missing most of a leg. He assumed they would look as well as the building they modified and completed but they don’t. Their clothes are in worse condition than a group of adventurers that have been out for a month. But all the females are attractive in one way or another to the eye. Everything about it created a sense of discontinuity. The expectations he built up about these women especially Jane have started to crash down. This hiccup in his plans set his nerves on end. Deep down he blamed the healers for their inadequate descriptions. But he was invited in and welcomed to sit. So he used the moment to breathe and try to recover from this. Still they are stupid inexperienced females. This should be easy.

Grandulf straightened the long collar on his outfit. Releasing his pent up stress he stroked his suit downward like he’s cleaning off his immaculate over coat upon sitting down. He gave their leader Jane the most charismatic look he could while leaning forward at a slight angle. As if he is presenting himself to her and only her. It would normally touch the heart of every young lass who has this much direct eye contact and see’s his strong Royal like figure.

“My dear Lady Jane, Let me formally introduce myself. I am the great merchant Grandulf Amshel.” He let the words roll off his lips with such fluidity in his rich sultry bass voice. “I understand you and your people have come from a distant place and have suffered unimaginable hardships. But those hardships are over. I brought a few things as a sign of good faith.”

Grandulf made a little signal for his helpers to come forward with their items.

The first is a small box mixed in one half with sweets and the other half salty snacks. Another person sat down two fine glasses and a third sat down two bottles. One was a potent human red wine, and the other was a golden sweet nectar wine, both are popular for negotiations.

“This is part of my private stock and I think you’ll enjoy it.” He opened the small wooden box to show the little fancy snacks and slid it into her arms reach. Then he made another quick gesture.

“Do you like something sweet or something with a robust flavor? This one is a delicacy from the Elves Kingdom. But this one is from my homeland in the Bankers Guild territory. We make an amazing wine there.” In a conspiratorial way he leans forward and says, “Don’t tell anyone but the secret is in having a rich fertile soil.”

Presenting the two bottles out for her choice he exudes a confidant friendly feeling.

Jane’s wing tips periodically twitch during his words. Only Sakura can feel how rigid her small wings have gotten because they occasionally rub her arm every time Jane shifts position in her chair. While breathing very slowly Jane keeps her cool. And to avoid answering right away she grabs a little snack and tosses it in her mouth. After chewing a bit she smiles faintly and nods at the snacks.

“You have some pleasant snacks Mister Gradulf Amschel. But there is no need to open a fine bottle for this conversation.”

“OH nonsense. I insist it is well enough to keep the tongue moist while we talk. It’s easy for me to share this with you.”

Jane made a slightly strained smile before responding. “Just drink what you like. As I said we are limited on gifts and can’t share things so extravagantly. But my personal taste does go toward sweet. And as far as wine goes… I never had one I liked.”

Gradulf only twitched an eyebrow to her last words before he immediately slid it aside and gripped the elven wine in both hands. With a tool he popped the top easily and a faintly rich smell drifted from the bottle. He easily poured a half glass of each and slid the first one to her side.

“Well miss I’m sure the Elven’s brew will be to your liking. Red wine is more a mature acquired taste after all.”

Jane raised a small cloth from her lap and kept it between her hand and the glass when she raised it and smelled the contents. After a moment she raised the glass and poured a bit into her mouth without touching her lips to the rim. After confirming the taste and the potency of the drink she downed the rest of it. While it was very sweet it still had a slight fermentation flavor. Over all this was the best alcohol between both worlds. But there was no potency between this and a type of moonshine. It was probably on par with a beer. Back home the only alcohol that was palatable was a hard liquor like vodka or schnapps mixed with something like cherry flavoring and pineapple juice.

“This is a nice drink. But it still has a bit of fermentation taste that lingers in it.”

Gradulf was totally bewildered by Jane’s actions and critique. Not a single person has ever said such a thing in his entire experience. Everyone who liked the elven wine absolutely loved it. No one has ever said it is nice. To further his consternation what wine doesn’t have a fermentation flavor? This makes no sense. Before he’s cought off guard he needs to continue with his plan. Only later can he mull this over.

“Well… Jane.. If I may be so forward?”

“Sure Mr. Amschel, you said it was important to see you this very night. Do tell me what is so urgent.”

“Well as you can tell my business is well connected, and well funded. These fine things are easily in our reach. And if you are indeed a talented person, and your people are reasonably able to work with dwarven construction then you could have a very lucrative position with our group. I could also guarantee you that our family would be able to get you some of the best possible prices for your trade goods. For example that bolt of silk your group has passed on to our fine caravan. We would be able to auction it off, or even bring it back into the human kingdom and sell it to the Royal family. You may not realize this but that type of silk is sturdy enough to use it to make regular clothing into something that could resist a certain amount of weapon damage. But that is before being enchanted. With the right processes it could be as sturdy as leather and some rumors say like iron.”

“I see…” Jane says with an absorbing demeanor.

“Our family is extremely successful at what we do. So clearly there is no one else who can provide you with what you really deserve. That’s why I want to offer you a position within our business. But you can’t wait. You should take our offer before someone in Verde with less scruples deceives you and gets you to agree to something disadvantageous. Verde is known for having people of all sorts there. And you will need someone who knows the ropes of trade.”

With another gesture Gradulf other assistant brings forward another fine box. He slides it around and opens the lid slowly while it faces Jane.

“While you are away from safety everyone in our business is armed with at least this much. We are worried about our people because danger lurks around every corner in both the cities, and in the wild. This is one of our businesses blades. It will help to identify you as one of our people. It carries certain perks I can’t really talk about. But this would be yours just for joining us.”

Jane nods understandingly. She reaches for the blade in the box and pauses for effect.

“May I examine it?”

“Sure, see for yourself the craftsman ship, the intricate design around the hilt, and the jem embedded in the pummel. It is a fine blade.”

Jane examines the whole blade, hilt and pummel. But the fire light provided by the fire place casts a romantic glow not a light good for close inspections.

“Is the blade a fixed full tang?”

“Huh.” Slipped from Gradulf’s lips.

But Jane did more than that to surprise him. She passed the blade back to Sakura by holding onto the blade rather than the hilt.

“Please see how it cuts the pelt?”

Gradulf watched in further surprise as everyone turned to see the cutting test Jane asked for.

With a few strides Sakura got to the end of the bed. She picked up an edge of the thick hide, and started to saw at the edge with the blade. Even though the fur was pliable the blade was barely cutting it with the sawing motions. Dee the Halfling came over to help hold the fur even more firm and Sakura kept on sawing at it with very little difference.

After a bit Jane prompted Sakura with a stabbing motion.

With not even a breaths wait Sakura raised the blade up above her head and plunged it down with her body weight. Dee was yanked off the bed as the pelt plunged toward the floor. And while Sakura kept the blade from hitting the floor Dee tumbled over the top of Sakura from the force. She raised the pelt as it was stuck to the end of the blade and only 3 of the 14 inches of blade was able to penetrate the pelt.

“Hey, what kind of pelt is that? That’s not a realistic test.” Gradulf objected to the excessive display.

Sakura returned to Jane, and passed the blade back.

“OH, it was my blanket. It was all that was left from our last encounter.”

Gradulf swallowed nervously.

“Sakura please cut the edge of that with your blade, and then do a little stabbing test too.”

Sakura did as instructed and her blade sliced into the pelt several inches for every inch of downward movement. And when she plunged the blade in, it broke through the hide with only a few pounds of pressure. Dee sat steadily on the bed during this test.

“This pelt is identified as a mutated animal; it is a dire or dreadful black wolf. The cunning type from the forests that boarder the mountains.” Sakura explained.

Gradulf got a cold chill when hearing this. He knows cunning animals never hunt alone.

“Wait, what about the rest of the pack? Where are they, if you escaped they could be here any time.”

Sakura answered before Jane could. “This pelt was the only one we could use.”

Gradulf shook his head in disagreement. “Wait are you telling me you fought a pack of those monstrous creatures?”

After Sakura rested her hand on Jane’s shoulder, she continued speaking.

“Let me just say, it was a harrowing encounter. It was unpleasant, and it cost me a leg. So please ask me no more. I don’t like to think about that encounter.”

The attendants acted right away and did as directed by Gradulf. Only two of the remaining mystery boxes were sat on the table. But Gradulf was almost shaking from this revelation. He no longer felt safe in this house like shelter, and he felt like horrible beasts could emerge from the woods at any second. Everything about her words brought more rejection into Gradulf’s mind. He could only refuse to believe all of this. By this time he started to sweat and was on the verge of a type of mental break.

“Little miss, I must have eaten something unpleasant for dinner. Please consider it seriously coming to our Business instead of any other. After all it is easy for someone like you to fall pray to uncivilized folk in the big cities. We can keep you safe. And these trinkets are for you. Now if you’ll excuse me. I need to retire for the evening.”

“Mr. Gradulf Amshel, Just so you know I will let those willing to help us present their offer when we get to town. That way it is fair for everyone who is interested. But I hope you are well enough to travel in the morning.

With an over eager flurry he gathered his people and boxes. Then after he got some nerve the aid opened the sliding door to exit. He sent out three people before exiting himself then was followed by the remainder. His group didn’t even close the door.

Knox closed the door after peering outside and all the ladies gathered at the table for a late night talk. They got their goals set, and Sakura conjured some odd and end food for Jane. But the bottle of wine was recorked and stowed for later.

After the wolf pelt was explained to the Caravan leader more guards were prevented from sleeping well that night. Even though the worry and tension was high, the night passed by uneventful. Morning brought about the same routine as always. But when things were loading up for travel a mysterious group of ladies joined up with one of the wagons.

The Caravan Master spoke with the ladies and Jane briefly. It was just to make sure this will not hinder their travels. For the caravan’s leader it was a minor bump. But the report from the wood about the destroyed clearing, and then the mysterious ladies who joined their group it could be a slightly larger hiccup if he has to make a report of this journey. That entirely depends on the Mayor who leads the Central Trade City of Verde. If he thinks this is all too much and wants to make something of it then a report will be mandatory.

The city rolled into view and they arrived at the gates that day after more than 20 miles. It was getting awfully late, and no one wanted to chance being outside when they heard that Dreadful Black wolves were seen locally. But the guards did not share their sentiment. This was one of the largest human bound caravans that traveled to and fro in the south. And there were more than a dozen wagons with persons to inspect just before they closed this gate for the night. It was entirely aggravating.

But a group of ladies nibbled on a small redish fruit blissfully ignorant of the guard’s frustration. No one has noticed where those foods came from. But a night stay is just beyond the walls of Verde.

Sakura, and the Master of her core Jane are finally able to start their life in a humanoid settlement. Their first steps are over, but will their dreams come true. They are already a leg behind, but now face such great potential and danger. It is enough to quiver in excitement.

“Sakura, stop that. You look like you need to pee. And wipe that smile off your face, you look like you are about to do something stupid, or get into trouble.”

“NO, that’s not so Mistress. I was just thinking..”

“Remember you should discuss it with me before going out and getting into trouble.”

“You doubt me Mistress. That hurts.”

“Fine, I’m sorry Sakura. Later we can have a nice bath together when we can manage our own place.”

“I am really looking forward to it Mistress.” Sakura’s smile returns to the contented grin like a Cheshire cat.