It was just past noon when they set sail. Leona was enjoying the sights one last time before the ship sailed too far from the coast when Cecile approached her with a smile on her face as she asked.

“Enjoying the view?”

The vast waters reflecting sunlight with the different hues of blue in the horizon as Leona turned to answer.

“Yeah. I have never been to the coast, nevermind the ocean. I only read books describing what it looked like in Londria before the freeze, but this exceeded all my expectations.” They were leaving the Asteram docks behind with a few soldiers and citizens waving towards them. She felt a bit bittersweet. “It is no exaggeration to say that I want to protect this place as well.“

“That’s great to hear.” Cecile leaned on the wooden railing with her back while crossing her arms. Her cheerful expression gave place to a more worried look. She bit her lips lightly as if thinking how to word what she was about to say. “Princess Leona, do you remember the conversation we had about my parents last night?”

She nodded in response, albeit a bit concerned with her change of tone, she asked.

“Yes, was there anything else you wanted to say?”

“I just couldn’t bring myself to say this in front of your servants since I wanted to know your own opinion, but… my parents, my father more specifically, he was a devout paladin.”

Paladins, a noble title given to an individual of remarkable accomplishments. There were a few in Arcadian history but the title itself originated from Zenith and its devout paladins of the dragon lords. Fearsome knights wielding both magic and the blade, they faithfully served their draconic masters in exchange for their power, at one point, a single paladin was able to defeat entire armies of foot soldiers.

History books would deem the elven race to be the most reverent to their deity, citing that one could go as far as massacring entire populations to appease the dragon god. Obviously Leona knew that didn’t apply to every single elf or half-elf for that matter, but the fact she wished to conceal that revelation from the others made her a bit uneasy.

“Then, the pretext to find your father…”

“No! All that I said yesterday was the truth! I swear to the goddess I never once lied to you, Princess Leona.” Cecile instinctively had both of her palms open as a way to redouble her denying efforts. “He may have been a paladin at one point but when I remember his smile, I just can’t bring myself to hate him. He and my mother are all the family I have left so please, could you grant him mercy?”

Leona was obviously conflicted. Arcadia went through two major conflicts up until that point. The dragon war that lasted for a thousand years and the human demon war which lasted a hundred years.

A thousand years of conflict and suffering was brought by the legendary dragon Akantor, while wishing to rule the land and everything in it, he destroyed humans and demons both. The elves’ reverence to the dragon god spared them from destruction and as they embraced dragonkind, so did their powers embrace elvenkind.

Aligning oneself to a dragon paladin could be considered betrayal of the highest order in Arcadia. Needless to say the unrest if the general populace knew of such a thing.

Leona bit the underside of her lip in a sign of stress.

“I… I will need to consider it. I’m sorry Cecile.”

Instead of looking sad or pleading for her cause, the half elf simply smiled and bowed down to her.

“Thank you, Princess Leona.”

She adjusted the rifle’s sling on her shoulder and headed downstairs. Leona pinched her nose bridge while frowning her eyebrows. She sighed.

‘I’ll give this issue proper consideration when the time comes.’ She thought as her gaze returned to the endless horizon. ‘For now, I must focus on what’s ahead of me.’

Phoebe observed her from the other side of the deck with her left hand loosely hanging around her own waist. Leona was like a puzzle for the high elf. Not only she didn’t understand why there was so much riding on the shoulders of someone who barely knew of battle, but also why her master would specifically pick her out of so many better options.

‘Even Eleonora herself would’ve been a leader.’ Her left fingers instinctively popped the latch of her satchel open before closing it again, a habit when she was deep in thought. ‘Having someone so inexperienced shoulder all this responsibility by themselves is simply too much of a gamble.’

She reached for the wooden box that was tied to the right of her hip and pulled out the prismatic pendant from it. Looking closely, the chains seemed worn and rusted as if left without proper care for a long time.

‘And this thing… it can’t be a replica with how it reacts to magic, but then why does it look so old despite looking the same?’

“What is it that troubles you, Miss Phoebe?”

The male voice beside her prompted her right hand to pocket the pendant back in the box as she concealed it with her coat. Who addressed her was Percival, he wore a gentle smile with both of his hands in front of his body as if ready to serve.

“It’s nothing that concerns you.”

Despite his military uniform, he seemed more or less what a butler should look like given his mannerisms and will to serve. In response to her blunt answer, he simply smiled and continued.

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“Oh but surely an old butler such as myself can be of some use to you. It would trouble Miss Leona and Miss Charlotte to see someone in a sour mood, no offense intended mind you.”

“You really know how to be nosy don’t you?”

He bowed with his right hand on his chest and a smile on his face.

“It’s a necessary trait for the position I hold.”

Seeing how they seemingly were getting along made Leona feel bittersweet as she kept watching. It wasn’t loneliness but she felt uncomfortable looking at them from afar after last night’s argument.

While Krieg’s suspicions were founded and his words rang true; Leona couldn’t help but wonder if that was really the way. After last night’s argument it was obvious there was a rift between them now and she knew it was inevitable the two parties involved would hold grudges against one another. It was obvious that it wouldn’t do them any good to remain distant as they were, but Leona scarcely knew how to deal with relationship problems such as that. She was a tactician not a counselor.

“Is something bothering you, Princess Leona?”

Leona turned to her right only to notice Luka standing with his left hand holding the sling of the rifle over his shoulder. The soldier was wearing a faint smile on his face as he adjusted the weapon before leaning against the wooden railing. Leona on the other hand seemed sad while looking at Phoebe with distant eyes.

“We… we had a fight yesterday. I don’t know how I should approach her now…”

Luka let out a snort akin to a laugh which made her look at him with a confused expression.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make fun of you but for someone so accomplished as you to be stumped in a matter of relationship with your servant, it just seemed a bit surreal.”

“Huh?”

She didn’t understand, but the answer seemed obvious to him.

“Princess Leona. Don’t you think it is strange for someone to be accompanying you despite you having fought with them?”

Leona looked away and grumbled.

“It’s not like she has another option…”

“Even then.” Luka stepped in front of her with a faint smile on his face. “If she truly despises you; do you think she would be within reach like that?” He glanced at Phoebe which made the tactician follow his gaze. “All you need is the courage to take the first step.”

He opened his left arm as if paving a way for her to walk towards the high elf before she leaned against the railing one more time.

“You make it sound so easy.”

“When you have to deal with Khalid almost every day, you too would get used to mending relationships.”

His cheerful nature reminded of her father. Despite facing all kinds of problems he too, was smiling until the very end.

“Very well…” She clenched her fists as her arms extended firmly as if making up her mind. “I suppose there is no harm in trying.”

“Go get ‘em Princess.”

With his parting words, Leona made her way over to the two. Phoebe noticed her from the corner of her vision and stopped talking to turn slightly at the incoming tactician and Percival followed her suit.

“Phoebe, can we talk?”

The butler knew he should leave the moment she uttered those words and as a sign of respect, he bowed before taking a few steps away to leave them to themselves. Seeing him leave without a word made the high elf realize Leona was serious and in response, she simply raised her arm towards the front of the ship.

“By all means.”

They walked a bit to be just outside earshot of everyone before they could start their conversation in earnest. Phoebe had a lax stance as she leaned with her back against the wooden railing while both elbows supported her as she left herself completely open. Leona couldn’t tell if she was doing that on purpose or if it was simply that the high elf didn’t feel threatened by her even at sword range as she had an irritating mocking expression on her face.

“Phoebe, I am aware of what I told you yesterday, but after thinking thoroughly today I’ve come to realize I said many unnecessary things. I’m sorry.”

She placed both her hands on each of her thighs before bowing. That not only made her flinch, but her expression changed completely. The once smug and mocking Phoebe was now hard pressed to find any words she could utter in that situation.

“W-wait, what are you doing-?”

“If you weren't back there in Londria I don’t know what would’ve happened to me and Krieg.” She interrupted her while keeping her head low. “I honestly felt bad how we treated you so accept my apologies.”

“Enough of bowing already.” She held both of her shoulders and lifted her face up. “I told you before, I’m only doing this for myself. You don’t need to concern yourself with an outsider like me.”

Her face was beet red despite saying those words which made Leona let out a short laugh as their eyes met. Phoebe averted her eyes from embarrassment but that just made the young woman be even more persistent in making amends as she stepped to where she was gazing in order to look her in the eyes.

“You say it like that but you are a good person at heart, Phoebe. I hope you’ll continue to keep me safe alongside Krieg.”

For a while, the only sounds she could hear were the ocean waves crashing against the ship’s hull and the cries of hungry seagulls flying above them.

“I… I’ll do my best, Princess.”

She covered her mouth with her left hand as if trying to hide her troubled expression. It felt like heavy weights were lifted off Leona’s shoulder; she relaxed once she finally said her piece. With a smile on her face she reached for Phoebe’s left shoulder and squeezed her tightly.

“I’ll be counting on you too.”

Though short, their conversation was plenty to mend the rift between them. Most of the people on the ship’s deck didn’t understand why the two were so close like that but it did bring some joy to those who saw them making amends.

Leona felt like she was being stared at but couldn’t tell where the strange animosity was coming from as she looked around.

‘Was I imagining things?’

“What’s wrong Princess?”

Phoebe asked, seeing how she seemed troubled.

“No, it’s nothing. Let’s head downstairs, I still have to give Krieg an earful too for what happened.”

She started stomping her way to the staircase with the high elf following right behind her.

“No, no, no need to do that! Princess?! Princess!”

As the others returned to their chores; a cloaked figure shifted to the shadows from the back of the ship. A wounded but alive Kaeli was making use of the small space behind the captain’s quarters that rarely was checked by the ship’s crew.

She was wearing the same Asteram uniform from the soldier she had killed in-land with her long straight black hair tied in a bun with hemp rope; from a distance, she seemed like an ordinary soldier.

“Dammit… she really did a number on me…” She bit on a piece of tough jerky as she muttered under her breath. “Still, I can’t kill her in this condition.”

She opened her hand and a few faint sparks of electricity jumped outwards.

‘She must be going to Nara.’ She thought while munching on the chewy jerky. ‘I’ll bide my time until I recover my magic. I’ll then finish this in one fell swoop.’

Her deep blue eyes had a glint of determination in them.