Chapter 18 - Girl Talk

Lilly sat back down on the couch, happy to have dodged that cannonball of a responsibility. She sighed as she took another sip of tea, thinking through her plans for the coming days.

“You’re welcome to visit us for tea any day, Adelia. We’ll be a bit busy before the full moon, but we have time in the evenings.”

Adelia’s expression first showed excitement, but a worried glance at Claude made it clear that she might have other duties.

Claude smirked. “Our dear Princess has agreed to help her uncle with the investigation, in addition to the lessons she has promised to take while visiting her friend. So I’m afraid she will be busy in the evenings.”

Adelia looked frustrated. “Would it be so awful to skip those lessons, Claude? I only agreed to do them so that I could come here.”

“If I didn’t think you need them, I would possibly agree with you...” Claude replied, looking like a tired tutor.

“It’s just some stupid courtroom rules and history! Who cares about what dukes we had centuries ago? And my courtroom image is passable, isn’t it?”

“It’s passable for a young princess that everyone adores, but not for a queen. And if you’re seeking allies, it helps to know their history. If they know you don’t care enough to learn it, they’ll be less likely to support you.”

Adelia pouted in response to Claude’s words, but she quickly changed her expression as she looked back at Lilly. “I think we might have to wait with the tea until after the full moon, then… I hope you won’t feel the need to make anything extravagant for me; I’d love to see the normal routines you have.”

Lilly nodded, understanding her wish not to be treated like a princess all the time. “I’ll make sure we use the most normal tea we have. I’m going to bake something good, though, so you’ll have to accept some royal treatment.”

Adelia smiled at her confidence. “Oh, how unexpected! Pastries from the Vermilion Enchantress herself! I’ll be looking forward to it!”

Lilly got out of the couch again, preparing to take her leave. “Then if there’s nothing else…”

“You’re leaving?” Adelia asked sadly.

Lilly stopped her movements, unsure how to respond. “Well, unless you have anything else you’d like to discuss?”

“Oh… I… was kind of hoping we could just chat for a while. I’ve been reading some books on enchanting while I was home, or maybe we could have some… girl-talk?”

Lilly was intrigued by both of her suggestions, but the thought of Eolande chasing Beak around the house in frustration made her pause. ‘Well, Elly can handle him, I’m sure.’

She sat back down on the couch with a cheeky smile. “Well, in that case, I have plenty of time,” she replied while glancing at Claude expectantly.

Claude seemed a bit unsure of what to do, which was a first. He looked at Adelia, and some form of silent communication occurred between them before she turned to Lilly. “What about Claude?”

“Uhm, girl-talk. Claude seems a bit too male for that,” Lilly pointed out, not understanding their confusion.

“... But he’s Claude; he’s always here. Is it a rule of girl-talk that it can only be heard by girls?”

“Yes! That’s the only rule! He can listen to us prattle about taking over the country all he wants, but girl-talk is girl-talk!” Lilly replied passionately.

She was rather new to the concept herself, having only recently learned about it from Eolande. But Adelia seemed like she might need the experience. Besides, Lilly was mightily curious about her relationship with guys, especially Claude. He couldn’t stay for that.

Adelia chuckled carefully, looking at Claude like she wasn’t quite sure what she had gotten herself into. “I guess… you’d better leave the room for a while then, Claude. And don’t listen!”

Claude seemed a bit shocked as he started leaving, putting the kettle of tea on the table before walking towards the door. He turned around once, seemingly casual, but Lilly thought he seemed like a lost puppy.

Adelia nodded firmly to him, which made him open the door and leave.

After making sure that Claude closed the door behind him, Lilly turned back to Adelia. She seemed a bit lost at first, but then seemed to realize something. Her eyes shot to Lilly with an urgent look.

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“What can I do?” she asked.

“... What do you mean?” Lilly asked back, not understanding her question.

“Like, what… Is it fine if I lie down on the couch while we talk?”

“Uh, go ahead.”

Adelia seemed excited as she leaned to the side, dragging her feet onto the couch as she rested her head on the side. “Ahh, I shouldn’t get used to this.”

Lilly thought the question of lying down was just a casual one, but stared to wonder after seeing Adelia’s excited expression. “Was that your question? If you can lie down?”

“Yeah… This feels great.”

“Adelia, you can stand on the table for all I care. Does Claude make you sit straight all the time?” Lilly asked, feeling a bit worried.

“Yeah… I was very bad at sitting still when I was young, or doing anything I was supposed to, honestly. That’s why Claude was tasked with following me and making sure I acted properly.”

“So… he’s with you all the time to make sure you act properly? Even now?”

“He does a lot of stuff now, but that’s still his official job. Once, after he had been with me for a while, he asked to be given another task. But I stopped acting like I should as soon as he left, so he was asked to continue.”

Lilly imagined a chaotic little girl forced to sit still all the time and felt sorry for her. “But that’s so unreasonable! I can understand wanting you to sit properly sometimes during meetings, but all the time? That’s torture, especially if you want to move around!”

Adelia sighed as she got up from the couch and started walking in circles around the sitting area. “I’ve gotten quite used to it now. It still bothers me during long meetings, but I’ve learned to keep that urge mostly under control. And I am the princess, after all. I should be proper.”

“Still… But how do you feel about Claude, then? I thought there might be something romantic between you since you asked me not to say his name when I was sensing your emotions, but that didn’t seem to be the case.”

Adelia sighed again as she stretched her arms in the air, still walking. “I used to hate him. But now… I don’t know anymore. He’s almost always present, and he does everything a butler would usually do. But there’s still the pressure of knowing he would admonish me if I did something weird. I think… I didn’t want you to ask because I didn’t know my own emotions.”

“But there’s nothing romantic, then?” Lilly asked, watching her walk back to the couch.

Instead of replying, Adelia started climbing onto the couch, and then she continued to the table. She gently pushed the teapot aside with her foot and positioned herself in the center of the table, looking down at Lilly. Then she crouched down, making their eyes level. “How would I know?”

Lilly had to admit she was being distracted by her movements, but she tried to ignore them. “Well, in my case, I didn’t know before I started thinking about it. And even then, it took a kiss to make me sure.”

Adelia blushed as she looked at Lilly. “I would prefer a different method. What else made you sure?”

Now it was Lilly’s turn to blush. “Well, like… lust can be a hint. If you’re imagining… touching him or seeing him naked, and you enjoy it. Then maybe there’s something?”

Adelia shook her head slightly, still blushing quite a bit. “I… have imagined. But not just with him. Does that mean I don’t have those feelings for him?”

“I’m not sure, Adelia. I have very little experience. But… I feel like you would know it if you did. I can’t imagine a life without Mia now, and it’s a very strong emotion. Would you die to save his life?”

Adelia had been climbing down from the table as Lilly asked, and her foot slipped down, causing her to land heavily on the couch. “Oh, that surprised me. Don’t worry, my protection works well.”

She seemed to consider the question seriously. “No, I don’t think I would. I care for him, but I wouldn’t give my life to save him. That settles it, right?” She looked at Lilly with a hint of hope in her eyes.

Lilly nodded half-heartedly. “I think so. Or, it’s not a serious romantic emotion, then. But you’ve never felt that way for anyone before?”

Adelia shook her head, now sitting still on the couch. “Not that I can think of. I guess I’ll have to find someone if I become queen, but it’s not something urgent, right?”

“I guess not. You can take your pick at that time, or even host tournaments for the honor of taking your hand if you’re into that sort of thing. People would fight quite desperately for your hand, I’m pretty sure.”

“Yeah, they would,” Adelia replied, looking sadly down at the table. “But I’ve been curious; you and Mia. How do you… you know.”

Lilly was curious about Adelia’s former comment, but she understood it was something she would rather not talk about. “Well, you see…”

The rest of the afternoon was spent talking mostly about enchanting, about phoenixes, and other stuff. Lilly eventually left in a good mood, feeling like their friendship was strengthened by some time alone.

She met Claude on her way home, finding him sitting on a bench near the training ground, looking at the soldiers practicing combat.

After seeing her, he got up and bowed slightly. “I trust your conversation is finished, then?”

Lilly nodded at him, considering what she should say. She felt something had to be said but struggled with the how. “Claude… You should let her move around sometimes, especially if you care about her. She still fears your response.”

Claude seemed lost in thought, standing perfectly still with his eyes fixed on the ground. “I… didn’t think she still…”

He sighed heavily before looking back at Lilly. “Thank you, Lady Lilly. I’ll… I should have spoken to her about it sooner. Please have me excused.”

Lilly smiled, glad to see a misunderstanding get fixed. “I thought you should know. I’ll leave you to it, and I’ll see you both later!”

Claude stayed bowing for a while after Lilly left, but she heard his hurried movement before she started flying back home. ‘Maybe something might bloom once the illusive chains of the past are broken? Or maybe I should keep my nose in my own business? Who can say?’

She smiled, humming a tune as she flew over the rooftops on her way home.