“How was Alfheim?” Embla asked.

Embla bit off a piece of bread. Yuki had been gone for nearly two weeks. Judging by her face, she must have had a swell time reuniting with her family. It had been nearly three years for her after all. It reminded Embla of her own reunion with her older sister after seven years. She smiled. Yuki must have some fun stories to tell about her family, she thought. Embla reached out and grabbed another piece of bread from the basket.

“It was great. I got to see the Palace. People were happy to see me. I made it in time to see the Sakura Viewing Festival. I even got three years worth of presents from everyone for the three Rinne Matsuris that I missed. I also had a fun time seeing everyone again. I saw Dad for the first time in three years. That’s something I looked forward to and regretted all at the same time,” Yuki said.

“Why’s that?” Cal asked.

“Well, my dad is very public with his affections for me and Ryuusei. Even more so with Mom, though I don’t think Mom minds. She never says anything and just stands there like a blushing school girl,” she said.

“So what did Lord Jun do?” Red asked.

“Oh, he almost broke my spine. And my ribs. And my neck. Let me tell you guys, if you ever come visit Alfheim, never ask or accept hugs from my dad. It’s the quickest and most painful way to die. My dad hugs harder than a swamp boa and those things have a coiling pressure of three commercial carriages stacked on top of you,” Yuki said.

“So your dad’s a big hugger?” Embla asked.

“Oh yeah. I think the worst after Dad’s hugs… well, I liked Dad’s hugs so it’s not that bad but Dear Freyja, seeing Aunt Lilia again was so awkward! I sort of ditched her during one of the tournaments when she came to oversee it,” Yuki said.

“Did Lady Lilia punish you or anything?” Red asked.

“Well… depends on how you define the word punish. If you mean training me so hard that I was bedridden for an entire day because of muscle pain and generalized weakness, then yes, that was punishment,” Yuki said.

“What about Prince Ryuusei?” Red asked.

“Eh? Ryuu? Ryuu’s fine. My baby brother’s all grown up! Speaking of, I heard that the Valkyria had dinner here at our house! How was it? Having Embla’s older sister here?” Yuki asked.

“Hah! Boy do I have a story… no wait, stories for you! She told us so many stories about Em when she was a kid! Man, wait til you hear the story about Em’s first Yuletide. It’s hilari- oof!” Cal felt the air get knocked out of him.

Embla had a blush staining her face in crimson. She glared heatedly at Cal with eyes that warned him not to go any further. For further emphasis, Embla stomped on his foot, causing his jaw to clench in pain.

“Was it embarrassing because if it is, I do want to hear it,” Yuki said.

“Aww, come on! Not you too, Yuki!” Embla exclaimed.

“Heh. Well, as older siblings, it’s a job given to us by our parents to embarrass our younger siblings so I understand where your sister is coming from when she tells the stories,” she said.

“Mmmm! Everyone’s out to get me!” Embla lamented.

Pandora chuckled and patted her friend’s back. “Aw, come on, Em. At least you’re not alone in this. Cal told Lady Valentina some stories about me too, remember?” she said.

“You’re right. Pandora, let’s unite and fight back against the tyranny of our older siblings!” Embla declared, grasping her friend’s hand.

Yuki took a sip of her coffee and leaned back in her chair. “Well, I’m back for good that’s what I’m gonna tell you for sure,” she replied. She smiled at the team, causing them to sigh in relief.

“What’s with the security detail though?” Cal asked.

“Yeah, what’s with that? I didn’t get word from Lady Mizore or anyone about this,” Red said.

Yuki clapped her hands and bowed her head. “Sorry! It’s just Mom thought it would be a good idea for me to bring them along and you know how Mom can get!”

“So you brought Kaguya too?” Embla asked.

“Kaguya’s my Lady-in-Waiting so I kind of had to bring her with me,” Yuki said.

“Ah.” That was all that left Embla’s mouth. Truth to be told, Embla was slightly apprehensive against the senior ice user. Their fight had left a bad taste in her mouth that she couldn’t seem to wash off. She grimaced slightly, feeling the phantom pain in her left shoulder. Even after it had been fully healed, the scars of battle still remained, even if they weren’t visible.

“Anyway, I’m not going back into the party for the time being though,” Yuki said.

Her words caused them all to freeze. The house went dead quiet. The silence was thick and suffocating. The ticking sound of the clock and the beating of their hearts was what served as background noise amidst this uncomfortable space.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“What…? What do you mean by that?” Pandora asked.

“Well, I mean exactly what I mean by that. For now, I can’t rejoin the party,” Yuki said.

“Eh!? Why!?” Cal exclaimed.

“Well, for now, it has to do with the reason as to why I have an entire secret service detail with me,” Yuki said.

“What is it?” Red asked.

“I don’t want to say. I know how uncomfortable it makes you because of your family,” she replied.

Embla raised an eyebrow. She had been a silent spectator for now. Her eyes caught the sight of Red’s body tensing slightly. Whatever Yuki was going to say was clearly affecting him. Yet, Embla could make out a flame of resolve in Red’s eye.

“Just go ahead. It can’t be that bad,” Red said.

“Well, for starters, I need to give you some background that Mom… well, whatever Mom could tell me for the time being,” Yuki said, sipping her now empty cup. The sound of her drinking calmed her nerves a bit, even if there was nothing at all in the cup.

“The Draugr.”

Everyone went stiff at the mention of the name. Embla narrowed her eyes. Alfheim was taking interest in them? She bit her cheek. Perhaps she should pester Valentina later during their training session about this.

“What about them?” Red asked.

“Well, Mom said that they have a suspicion that someone’s involved in helping them get from country to country. We looked up their names. The names Sigrun and Hati were never found in any registry in Alfheim or Midgard. It’s like they manifested into existence,” Yuki said. “So Mom asked me for help in gaining help… or gathering information from one country in particular but she didn’t tell me why. For all intents and purposes, this is my first diplomatic job.”

“Diplomatic job?” Embla asked.

“Yup! My first royal duty in three years and it’s just a run of the mill one. I am to open trade relations with the Federation… are they still even a Federation? Well, whatever, I have to start trade relations with the Country of Muspelheim,” Yuki said.

The sound of glass shattering all caught their attention. Red was looking at Yuki with wide eyes. He had dropped his glass of water onto the floor and just sat there with a shocked expression on his face.

“Woah! Red! Are you alright?” Pandora got off her seat and levitated the glass shards with a telekinesis skill. She threw the shards in the bin and checked for any wounds.

“Red?” Embla asked.

“Hey. Big guy!” Cal snapped his fingers in front of Red’s face.

“Huh?” Red’s eyes refocused and he shook his head. “What’s going on?”

“What do you mean what’s going on? You completely blacked out,” Pandora said after she determined there were no wounds on Red’s feet.

“Red… I…” Yuki said.

“Muspelheim huh?” Red asked.

“What’s the deal with it anyway? Yuki said it and you suddenly went catatonic,” Embla said.

Yuki bit her lip and looked at Red. He sighed and placed his hand on the table. “It’s nothing much. It’s just that… well, my family is originally from Muspelheim. They fled to Alfheim after the Civil War between the Dragon Tribes began,” Red said. “It’s not something I remember since I wasn’t born yet but it’s a sore topic for my family. My mom’s sister is still there in Muspel. We haven’t heard a word from her since they fled and I’ve seen the toll it takes on my mom back when I still lived in Alfheim.”

“I see,” Cal said. “So Yuki going there, doesn’t that mean we can find your aunt?”

“That’s right. Red, there’s a possibility that we can find your aunt there,” Yuki said.

“I don’t know guys. I just feel uneasy with you going to Muspelheim. Especially since the Civil War is over now. We don’t know which Dragon Tribe won the power struggle. For all we know, the Black Dragon Tribe could have won,” Red said.

“That’s jinxing things. I’m sure it’ll all be fine. Which brings me to my next topic,” Yuki said. She reached over and grabbed some bread from the basket. “I’m supposed to be staying over at the Sage’s Manor for the duration of this trip but meh, mom’s not here so expect some of Alfheim’s troops to come check on me every now and then. Kaguya’s the only one staying there and if someone visits, she’s gonna use Physical Masking to disguise herself as me.”

“You and your schemes to shirk your work,” Red said. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“From what Red is doing, I’m guessing this is typical Princess Yuki behavior,” Embla said.

“Oi. I can be responsible when I want to be. But no, wait, that’s not what I wanted to say,” Yuki said. “I’m going to Muspelheim and I have an entire detail of knights with me handpicked from Alfheim’s… I want to say finest but these guys are just the sons and daughters of the Gentry. They’re all so flimsy. I feel like I could tap one of them and then they crumble to dust. So that’s why I decided to go behind the nobility’s backs and get Mom’s approval to hire a detail once I get here!” she clapped her hands together and smiled.

Embla looked around and saw the same uncomfortable look she was wearing on her face. Her ears perked up when Pandora bravely spoke up.

“Um, Yuki, what detail are you talking about?”

“Well, since I don’t trust anyone here and all the parties in Midgard’s Ataraxia are just dicks looking to fill their pockets with bullions, I decided to go to Midgard’s best and brightest,” she replied.

“So you decided to co-opt the Midgard Military?” Cal asked.

“Oh, Cal, you know that I don’t want to involve someone as slimy as Midgard’s Prime Minister in Alf affairs. No, if they want to establish trade relations with Muspelheim, then they can do it themselves,” Yuki said.

“Technically, my sister said that this is a joint project that was proposed under the Gladsheimr Association. Vanaheim, Nidavellir, Svartalheim, and Niflheim want in on this too,” Embla said.

“Eh? What!? So why’d they send me!?” Yuki slammed her hands down on the table.

“Well, you’re the Sage’s daughter,” Embla replied.

“And you’re the Sage’s apprentice! And the Valkyria’s sister!” she retorted.

“Yeah but I’m not a political figure and Master is more like a hobo than a sage. His apprentice is also a literal hobo who went around living in people’s barns for seven years straight so I’m not the most dignified person to choose to explore trade relations. Also, I don’t know anything about the economy,” Embla said.

“She’s right. You might be bad with money but Embla’s an idiot when it comes to this kind of stu-”

“I don’t need you to throw that back at my face,” Embla said. She grabbed Cal’s cheek and pulled on it.

“Wet wo of my fwace!” Cal said.

“I see you two have gotten closer since I left,” Yuki said.

Embla immediately let go upon hearing Yuki’s comment. Her face turned slightly red.

“Me? And her? Closer? Are you on that famous Ao weed?” Cal asked.

“No. Anyway, since you guys asked who my detail is, I’m officially submitting my request tomorrow to hire a certain party to help me out and explore Dragon Country,” Yuki said.

“Which party are you hiring?” Pandora asked.

“Well duh, I’m hiring Memento Mori of course!”