Sorin was halfway to the door when his path was blocked by what looked one of the officials.

“Officer Ulfric, is it?”

Sorin paused and unknowingly frowned which unsettled the official.

“I’m Secretary Dunbar, with the Ministry of Works. I guess we have you, young ones to thank for keeping our valuable resources safe.”

“We’re merely serving the empire to keep all our families protected,” replied Sorin and the Secretary nodded.

He couldn’t quite get a read on the young man, so he wasn’t sure how to approach the situation.

Irrelevant of which side the soldier could be swayed, it was good to get general information about the situation directly from someone who had been on the battlefield and lived in the region.

“So, you’re an Ulfric, which branch of the family are you from?”

The conversation was interrupted when someone bumped into the older man. He turned, ready with a reprimand.

“Who dares to- Your Highness,” he suddenly said, changing his attitude like an obedient dog that had suddenly been ordered to lie down.

Khayri smiled at the man who was spoiling the only entertainment he had found the entire night.

“I apologise for my clumsiness Secretary Dunbar. This Prince will get you a drink,” he casually stated.

The man almost scowled at the way the youngster was casually talking to him but before he could find a way to indirectly object, the prince had already called over one of the waiters with a tray of wine.

“Officer Ulfric, right? Khayri, at your service.”

Sorin looked at the young man then bowed to him since he had heard the Secretary address him as your Highness meaning it was likely that he was a prince. Several people were seated around throne area and due to having his attention on Kamaria who was immediately in front of him at the time, he hadn’t noted the rest of the family.

If he was a prince, he was a strange one. It looked as if the imperial family was not short of troublemakers.

“If your Highness and Secretary would excuse me,” said Sorin before walking away.

Secretary Dunbar was about to say something when Khayri shoved a drink into his hand with a smile. The man gritted his teeth at losing the opportunity to talk to the officer.

“Now Secretary, I hope you enjoy your evening,” said Khayri while patting the man on the shoulder and then sauntering away, satisfied with himself.

“Oh, to be young,” he whispered with a smile resembling an old man remembering his youth.

Kamaria was sitting in a small quiet courtyard while silently savouring her drink. The moonlight was carried in the sparkle of her crown and the halo of the radiance from her white gown. This was the enchanting scene Sorin came across when he finally caught up to her thanks to Lili hinting the way.

The warm sunlit temperament was now replaced with something a little colder and more mysterious in the light of the night. Without the defiant and troublemaking tendencies, it was not hard to picture her as a princess. Her elegant way of speaking even when being sarcastic made sense.

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When she heard someone approaching, she turned while he walked up and sat opposite her.

“You didn’t tell me you were…you know,” she said with a slight pout which made him inwardly smile.

“You didn’t tell me you were…you know, either so I guess we’re even. Why’d you ask me out here, to bribe me into not telling anyone that you sneaked out of the palace? How exactly do you plan to keep me quiet?”

She stared at him for a while, then finally blinked before smiling and turning her attention to the table. There was a transparent crystal teapot with a drink that had a colour of what could be described as light raspberry.

Kamaria stood up and went around to his side of the table to place the cup in front of him. When she took the pot, he realised what she was about to do but before he could protest by covering the top of his cup, she poured the drink.

“Princess, why-”

“This is exactly why it was so much better that night. I just served you the best plum wine I have, stop thinking about it too much,” she said while walking back to her seat and adjusting her kaftan sleeves and dress before sitting down.

She picked up her cup and looked at him expectantly while he studied his own cup. He knew that she was referring to the fact that as a princess she shouldn’t have served him.

Who was he to even think of sitting at the same table as a member of the imperial family never mind being served by them? When taking titles into consideration, the distance between them was oceans apart though they were sitting at the same table.

While he reflected all these things, there were also rules she had ignored. Pouring a drink or serving someone anything while beside them was considered rather intimate or it was taken as too forward and ingratiating if the parties didn’t know each other well.

“What? Weren’t we eating at the same table and from the same serving bowls just the other night? Where did the arrogance of testing my martial skills and serving me food go? We’ve cleansed in sanctified water and made offerings at the temple together. Now you can’t have a drink I’ve served you because of a man-made title?”

When she put it that way, it made him seem somewhat silly to hesitate. He had never cared so much about rules, earning him his current reputation. Making offerings together was certainly more intimate than having a drink.

She had gone through the trouble, why not just go along with the troublemaker? He picked up his cup as well and they held their cups up to each other before downing the wine in one drink. She was about to pour another round when he insisted on doing it.

“Count yourself lucky, I never bring out the best for just anyone.”

“And where does this best come from?”

“Well, this… It’s an imperial secret. You’d be charged with treason for knowing such a thing. We couldn’t afford to lose such a promising young soldier,” she said with a barely-there smile as she slowly sipped on the semi-sweet drink.

In the small courtyard, besides the usual night sounds of nature they could still hear faint music from the banquet hall. The palace was not short of empty residences with private courtyards and Kamaria had chosen one of the closest.

Looking back, she almost slapped herself when she realised who Sorin was. She had been comparing him to the commander the entire time without thinking that he could be a soldier as well and a commanding officer at that. Clearly, she was so relaxed that night that her usually sharp observation skills had somehow taken a nap in the face of beauty. Weak, she said to herself in disappointment.

Kamaria glanced over her cup as he took another sip of the wine.

‘Sun-tanned skin but surprisingly no scars on his face yet,’ she thought.

This time his hair was gathered in a single unadorned braid at the back and secured with leather straps but there still wisps of hair gently swaying about his face giving him a bit of a wild look even in the formal uniform.

“How is it? You looked enough Princess? Is there anything you’re dissatisfied with?”

There it was; the arrogance she had seen the other night. If Kamaria admitted to this fellow that she was indeed quite satisfied with this view, she would never hear the end of it, so she smiled a little at the playful comment. It was better than them acting awkward just because of their titles.

Despite his military reputation, how could she possibly fear him after their time at the festival? They had somehow met again so it was better to just make an acquaintance of him seeing as he had also accepted the drink.