Little An whooped, laughing and squirming enough that I had to carefully adjust my position to avoid overbalancing.

“This is great, Big Sister!” she called.

I grinned, not that she could see it. The wind rushed past my face, and I had to shake my head to get a few errant strands of hair out of my eyes. “Careful, or I might drop you,” I warned her.

My little sister didn’t seem to hear me. Instead, she turned her head from side to side, clearly watching the countryside rushing past us. We were coming up on the mountains, so I pumped my wings harder, rising further into the air. Since I was carrying her weight in addition to my own, I was using a bit of air qi to help me fly.

A few guards accompanied us, though they kept some distance. I hadn’t argued with Aston about that. If I should by some freak accident drop An, I wanted them able to catch her. Not that that was likely. I’d lengthened and modified my arms and legs somewhat to suit my current occupation, and she was held securely within a set of bird-like claws with comfortably soft lining.

“Hold still for a moment, and I’ll try something new,” I suggested, slowing down and coming to a stop in midair.

She nodded and managed to hold still long enough for me to disengage one of my arms, grab two lengths of rope from my storage ring, and get them in place with the help of my domain. I could have tried to use shapeshifting, but the more I diverged from a normal humanoid form, the harder it was for me, and I probably wouldn’t be able to handle moving these extra protrusions in more complex motions very well. After a minute, I had the base of my wings tethered to her arms.

“Now you can actually guide our flight yourself,” I said. “I’ll move with you. Come on, try it out.”

She didn’t leave me waiting, but immediately flapped her arms a little too quickly. I had to compensate for her motions myself before we went spiraling off. It took a few tries for An to get the hang of it, but soon, we were gliding through the air, only a little more wobbly than before.

“This is awesome!” she called.

I smiled again, and resolved to find other fun things to do. After months in the south, going from the jungle to army camps to battlefields, playing with my little sister was a great way to get some rest and relaxation.

We looped and twisted our way through the air for over an hour, until the sun started to paint the horizon red and the sky noticeably darkened. Despite An’s protests, I turned to head back. While the dark wouldn’t be a problem for me, it would take half the fun out of it, and she should get back inside.

As we landed on an outer terrace of the palace, Yarani pushed off the wall and ambled towards us. “You look like you had fun,” she commented.

“It was great, Aunt Yarani!” An exclaimed.

My girlfriend winced theatrically. “Please, don’t call me that, I don’t feel that old. Yarani, or Sister Yarani if you want, that would be more fitting, I think.” She smiled at me. “But you really made me think about trying that for myself at some point.”

“You should,” An agreed. “It’s a lot of fun. I’m sure Nari would take you, right?”

“Of course.”

“And I see you got a replacement for the rope you carry around,” Yarani said with a twinkle in her eyes.

I glared at her for a moment, but luckily, An didn’t seem inclined to ask why Yarani knew I carried rope. “I try to be prepared, and it can come in useful.” Of course, I hadn’t before I started venturing into rough living without the convenience of my own quarters, but with a lot of boring waiting, accompanied by my partners.

“I know,” Yarani agreed seriously. “You’re always prepared to take on trouble.”

An seemed to get bored of the conversation and started to amble away, so I stepped closer to Yarani. I allowed myself a small smirk and said in a quieter voice, “You’re just asking to get to know it better, aren’t you? If I have to get it replaced again, I’ll be really cross.”

Yarani smiled with a less than repentant gleam in her eyes. “Tonight?”

Before we could make any plans, Aston cleared his throat. If he hadn’t pulled his aura in a little further than usual, I wouldn’t have realized he felt at all awkward, or anything besides bored, listening to us. “Your Highness, we’ve just received a message. The Chancellor requests your presence at your earliest convenience.”

I rolled my eyes, but nodded. “Alright, I’m on my way.”

I bid a quick goodbye to Xiaodan, who was now examining a particularly pretty flower, and left. Yarani stayed behind and started talking to her, but I only picked up the first few words before I focused my attention on other matters. I hurried up, since this sounded like it might be urgent. The Chancellor’s aura was easy to locate, around where his office would be in the main building.

When I arrived, his secretary ushered me into the office right away, while Aston and the others peeled off to stand guard, and Gen rose from behind his desk with a smile. It was quite big and cluttered with papers, but still looked small in the large space.

He bowed. “Imperial Princess. Thank you for coming so promptly. Please, have a seat. Would you care for refreshments?”

I sat down and shook my head. “No, thank you. It sounded like this was urgent.”

He chose a chair facing me at an angle in a more comfortable nook rather than sitting behind his desk. “I suppose it’s not all that urgent, really, Your Highness. But I would prefer to deal with this matter right away. It concerns your husband, Prince Kajare.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Oh? I thought he’d integrated rather well into Imperial society and the court.”

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

“He has,” the Chancellor agreed, “generally speaking. He’s quite popular with most of the younger nobles, even if some of the more conservative elements dislike his foreign origins. Or question his masculinity or backbone, not to put too fine a point on it, given the … situation with your consorts.” He cleared his throat.

I pulled a face, but nodded. I didn’t like it if some sexist old nationalists wanted to denigrate Kajare, but it didn’t sound like a big problem, and he’d probably want me to stay out of it and let him handle himself.

“Be that as it may, Your Highness,” Gen continued, “he has always behaved in just the proper way. Until recently, at least. Some recent events have been brought to my attention that might prove to be a problem, especially if they came to be commonly known.” He looked even more uncomfortable. “I would hesitate to cast any aspersions on his honesty or fidelity, of course. Nevertheless, I’m sorry to say there seems to be at least the possibility that there is reason for concern.”

I frowned. Hopefully he wasn’t trying to tell me that Kajare had cheated on me? For a given definition of ‘cheating’. I leaned back in my chair and cocked an eyebrow. “How so?”

He seemed to take some heart from my calm reaction. “He has spent quite a lot of time with a young lady, especially in a private setting. Strolls through her clan’s gardens, that sort of thing. On two occasions, he even sent his guards away to ensure privacy.”

I frowned again. “I don’t really see a problem. But, Chancellor, why are you the one telling me this? And where did you learn of it?”

“I was approached by Wei Min,” he confessed. He shrugged a little. “The young lady in question is Lord Wei’s cousin, Wei Shu. He appeared honestly concerned, and given the delicate situation, I completely understand why he would worry. He said, given that and the scope of the matter, he didn’t quite feel he should bother the Regent with it.”

“And I presume he didn’t go to Kariva with it because he was afraid how she would react and wanted to protect his clan,” I realized. And she might really think in terms of removing the problematic element.

I tapped my fingers on my chair, considering Gen. I think I may have underestimated him. I wouldn’t have expected him to take the role of go-between for such a delicate matter, or to have the delicate touch it required.

“I’m far from convinced that there’s anything to worry about,” I said. “But thank you for bringing it to my attention, and I’ll talk to Kajare about it as soon as he gets back from the coast. I suppose I should talk to Wei Min, as well. Is he here?”

Gen shook his head. “No, Your Highness. He was called away on an urgent matter to clan Wei’s estate. He informed me that he’d return soon. Likely around the same time that His Highness will. That is why I intended to talk to you now.”

I nodded. If there might be even a small chance of some kind of confrontation between them, that made sense. And he might want to let me keep this meeting discreet, come to think of it.

“Well, I should probably talk to Kariva, then. Not to be rude, but if you know about this, I wouldn’t bet against her knowing as well.” I stood up.

Gen rose politely. “Of course, Your Highness. I’m at your service if there’s anything else I can do.”

“Thank you. I’ll remember that.” I smiled at him, then turned and left the office.

As I walked through the corridors of the palace, trailed by Aston, I barely noticed the passing officials and secretaries. This sounded like it had the possibility to be a bit tricky. I really should have talked things out with Kajare, made sure we have established guidelines and boundaries. I frowned a little to myself. But this is probably more of a problem in terms of public perception and reputation.

I blinked, realizing that I’d taken a right turn only a second after I actually had. The way to Kariva’s office would have been straight ahead, but I could dimly sense her presence ahead and above. I hurried up and left the building through a side door onto an upper terrace.

Kariva didn’t seem particularly surprised to see me when I joined her on a little alcove that was positioned to overlook most of the palace grounds and the side of the mountain. It was sheltered by a few trees, and I felt her put up a qi shield as she turned to face me.

She bowed. “My lady.”

I smiled and inclined my head. “Kariva. Do you have a minute?”

She returned the smile. “I’ll take that as a rhetorical question.”

I settled down on a conveniently placed boulder, watching as Aston and his guard detail distanced themselves somewhat. Kariva looked at me with an expressionless face.

“Do you know anything about why Wei Min might have conferred with someone at the palace?” I asked bluntly.

She didn’t twitch at all. “I suspect I do, yes. If he has concerns about the company your husband has recently kept among his clan, when he dropped by their townhouse. Who did he talk to? Kiyanu? No, I don’t suppose so. Gen?”

I raised an eyebrow, suitably impressed. It was probably proof of his own old skills that Wei Min had managed a private conversation here without her knowledge. Unless she’d known all along and was putting on a show. I wouldn’t put it past her.

“So, do I have any reason to worry?” I asked.

“I can’t be entirely sure what would prompt you to worry, my lady.” Kariva smiled with what might be genuine humor. “But I doubt it. He hasn’t done anything very indecorous.” She paused, and her gaze sharpened. “Or did you mean me? I rather dislike being thought of as a loose firearm, you know.”

I crossed my legs, waving my hand dismissively. “I don’t, of course.”

“Of course.” Kariva smiled again. “And it was simply caution and curiosity that caused you to go straight to me, to see if I might know or have acted on something further.”

“Pretty much.” I met her gaze steadily. I really didn’t think of her as a loose cannon. The idea was ridiculous. She was too cold and calculating for that. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t act on her own.

“Oh, I know.” She took a step closer, crossing her hands behind her back. “And I don’t suppose I should be surprised, given everything. You do handle your people well, generally speaking.”

I narrowed my eyes. Ever since our last somewhat blunt conversation, I felt like the dynamic between us had shifted a little. I didn’t know if she felt we were in a pissing contest, or if she was testing me, or just messing around. Maybe all of it. But I didn’t really mind.

“How so?” I asked.

Kariva raised an eyebrow. In a dry tone, she said, “Did you think it wouldn’t occur to me to wonder how a naturally reclusive introvert managed to, somehow, form a friendship with the sea dragons, get not one but three romantic partners, build and effectively lead several research teams, gain the loyalty of various highly skilled people, and actually defeat much stronger cultivators using nothing but words on several occasions?”

I paused. Laid out like that, it sounded pretty conspicuous. And I couldn’t really quibble with any of her points. “Because of the Moon’s bloodline, obviously?” I suggested.

She waved a hand dismissively. “That might be, but it’s beside the point and not of much practical relevance here.”

I suspected her point was to show that she’d figured me out. “So, you think I’m secretly a good manipulator, or what? Or that I lack strength?”

Kariva rolled her eyes. “You’re never going to be more than middling as a fighter, Princess Inaris. Oh, your talents and abilities let you compensate for that very well. But if someone like, say, your little brother, had your bloodline abilities, then, in a direct fight, he could kill you in five different ways before you finished your first attack. And I could care less about it, personally. But face up to it, my lady. Your real strength is in inventing things and in getting people to do what you want.”

I looked at her thoughtfully. She was the first person who’d ever said that in so many words, but it wasn’t like the sentiment came as a shock to me. “And that’s obviously better?” I asked, more of a rhetorical question.

“Well, which skillset do you think is more useful for an empress, that or a warrior’s?” Kariva shook her head and stepped back. “I do have work to get back to. If you’ll excuse me, my lady?”

I nodded and watched her go for a few seconds. I think she does have me figured me out pretty well. Not that that should come as a surprise.