“Can we go now?!” Lisa squealed, her voice brimming with excitement. It might’ve been adorable—if I wasn’t currently being smothered.

I mumbled something in protest, but let’s be honest, I wasn’t putting much effort into it. I had… two good reasons to let it slide.

“This conduct directly violates imperial protocol!” the attaché declared, his voice crisp and authoritative. “Such behavior toward nobility constitutes a grave breach of court etiquette. The Imperial Court expects representatives to maintain decorum at all times, regardless of circumstances.”

At his outburst, Lisa loosened her hold just enough for me to breathe again, her head tilting in confusion as she glanced at him. “What’s wrong?” she asked, blinking innocently.

I had to fight back a grin as I finally got a proper look at her. She was wearing a fiery red mage outfit that looked like it was designed for a battle and a catwalk. The plunging neckline, the high-cut sides, the long thigh-high boots—sorry, I mean fire boots—screamed sexy.

Thanks, game.

The attaché, however, was having none of it. His face turned a shade of red that almost matched Lisa’s outfit, and he trembled as he pointed a shaky finger at her. “This is no way to treat imperial nobles!”

Meanwhile, the rest of the room barely reacted.

Lola was scribbling notes like she was oblivious to the chaos, Lucas was engrossed in rearranging the map pieces, and Mila? Mila just glared at the Lucas like he was considering making him the map’s next casualty.

Lisa cocked her head and released me entirely. Then, with a sudden shift into serious mode, she dropped into the most elegant bow I’d seen all day. “I apologize, esteemed lord,” she said, her voice full of exaggerated sincerity. It was fake politeness, but damn, she sold it. “My behavior is inexcusable, but I will correct it at once.”

The attaché froze. “The bow is acknowledged, though it scarcely mitigates the earlier impropriety,” he stated, his tone clinical and precise. “A full report of this incident will be dispatched to the Imperial Court for formal review.”

Meanwhile, I straightened up, brushing myself off and trying to regain a shred of dignity. “I’m sorry, Lisa,” I said, clearing my throat. “The teleport will be ready tomorrow evening.”

But, of course, Mr. Fancy Clothes couldn’t resist jumping in. “No, the teleport will be ready around tomorrow afternoon,” he corrected, puffing himself up like a rooster announcing dawn.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. “Ah, I wasn’t talking about that,” I said, turning to Lisa with a small smile. “I meant my personal one.” As I shrugged, I gave her a playful wink. “I promised to bring her to a powerful… let’s say mage.”

Lisa’s face lit up like me at the Patrick’s. She nodded enthusiastically, practically vibrating with happiness. “Yay! Thank you, cute princess!” she chirped, clasping her hands together.

“Personal teleport?” Mila asked. His gaze narrowed slightly, as if calculating the potential. “It would be advantageous.”

Oh, yeah, it would. Too bad the Prince was sleeping like he just ran a marathon and only three times a day. I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, the door swung open, and Katherine sauntered in, her presence as subtle as a meteor strike.

“Ahoj, people!” she called out, her voice bright and cheerful.

The attaché mumbled something under his breath—probably another complaint about decorum—while Lucas immediately yelled his usual over-the-top greeting and moved a horse-shaped figure on the map. Mila, the disciplinarian, promptly plucked it off and put it back outside the map boundary without so much as a glance at Lucas.

The man was the symbol of no-nonsense.

“Hi, Katherine!” I said, grinning at her as I turned back to Mila. “So, Mila, about the teleport—unfortunately, it’s extremely limited. No military application. Sorry.” I gestured toward Lisa and Katherine, who had finally stopped moving long enough to take in the room. “But these two are the ones I mentioned earlier. One’s my court mage, and the other…” I let the words hang dramatically before smiling. “My court flag-bearer.”

Katherine blinked, looking utterly lost. “Wut?” she asked, tilting her head in confusion. Her armor—if you could call it that—was as impractical as ever. It clung to her like a second skin, leaving very little to the imagination. “Wat’s a flag-bearer? Wat flag?”

[Player Lisa is now your court mage.]

Before I could respond, the attaché took it upon himself to educate her, stepping forward with all the self-importance of a lecturer addressing a classroom. “The flag-bearer,” he began, his voice practically oozing reverence, “is a very important position. A valiant warrior who bears the flag into battle. They are the first to meet the enemy and plant the flag, boldly inviting them to engage in honorable combat.”

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

It wasn’t exactly accurate. Okay, it wasn’t accurate at all. But as Katherine’s face lit up with excitement, I decided to let him have this one. Why ruin her mood?

[Player Katherine is now your flag-bearer.]

“Beautifully said, attaché,” I lied, giving him a polite nod. “Katherine, you’ll need my banner attached to something, but don’t worry—I’ve already prepared a letter for the quartermaster. Just show it to him, and he should help you.” I stressed the should because, knowing my luck, the quartermaster would be just as passionate as the rest of the fort’s staff.

“Thanks! Yar awesome!” Katherine exclaimed, her enthusiasm practically radiating from her as she sprinted toward me. Before I could react, she wrapped me in a hug so tight it could’ve qualified as a grapple.

“Heey!” Lisa chimed in. She followed suit, throwing her arms around me in a hug of her own. “And me?”

Pinned between them, I was officially under siege. I raised my hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, enough!” I laughed, extracting myself with as much dignity as I could muster. “Lisa, you’ll get your class tomorrow. Now, both of you, listen up.”

They stepped back, and somehow they calmed down their antics.

“Commander Mila is in charge of the fort’s defenses,” I said, gesturing toward him. “You’ll report to him. He knows the layout and can tell you where you’ll be most effective in leading other players during the defense. Got it?”

Lisa and Katherine nodded in unison, their excitement palpable. “Got it! Flag!” Katherine said, practically bouncing on her heels.

Mila looked less thrilled but nodded curtly, his gaze shifting to the two women as he folded his arms. “Follow me. I’ll show you the positions and outline the strategy,” he said, his tone clipped but professional. “If that’s all, Lady?”

I nodded at him, and he left with a bow. As they followed Mila out, Lisa shot me a thumbs-up and a grin. “Thanks, Princess!” she called over her shoulder.

“Ya, thanks!” Katherine added, and took out her enormous sword, imagining waving a flag.

I turned to the attaché, forcing a polite smile onto my face. “Thank you for attending this meeting. It was…” I paused, glancing toward the door where Lisa and Katherine had just exited, leaving a trail of chaos in their wake. “…not exactly what I imagined, but I hope we can work together.”

To my surprise, the attaché actually smiled—a genuine one, not the smug smirk he usually wore like a badge of honor. “From the recent imperial records and preliminary reports, I anticipated… different characteristics,” he said, each word carefully measured. “While your methods deviate from standard procedure, you demonstrate a marginal competence that may prove acceptable to imperial standards.”

I wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or a backhanded jab, but I took it as the former. “Thank you,” I replied, inclining my head slightly. “I’ll be ready at the teleport tomorrow.”

Then, in a moment of formality I hadn’t planned but felt oddly right, I bowed. Just a small one, enough to show respect without overdoing it. The attaché’s expression softened further, and he gave a small bow in return before excusing himself.

As I watched the stupid attaché retreat, his steady footsteps echoing faintly in the hall, I couldn’t help but appreciate the newfound quiet in the room. The earlier chaos had settled, leaving behind an almost peaceful atmosphere.

The only sounds now were the faint swish of Lucas shifting pieces on the map and the rhythmic scratch-scratch of Lola’s quill as she furiously scribbled notes nearby. It was oddly soothing.

When he was gone, I turned toward Lola. “Hey, Lola?” I said, my voice a little less formal now. “What do you think? How was it?”

She closed her notes—already so full of scribbles they looked like an ancient scroll—and smoothly stored them in her inventory. Her expression was calm and measured, but there was a glint of approval in her eyes. “Lady, you’re a natural,” she said simply. “And I hope to serve well.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but the words caught in my throat. She’d stolen the wind right from my sails with that earnest tone, leaving me blushing like an awkward schoolgirl. “I…” I stammered, my thoughts stumbling over themselves. “Thank you, Lola. Truly.”

She smiled at me, soft and genuine, before giving a small nod. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll attend to the paperwork.”

“Actually,” I said, gathering myself enough to sound somewhat composed, “could you leave me here with Lucas for a while?”

Lola’s grin turned sly, and she gave me a playful wink. “Of course, Lady,” she said with a teasing lilt to her voice. “Enjoy your chat.”

I stared after her as she left, wondering just how much she was reading into this situation. Shaking my head, I turned to Lucas, already steeling myself for whatever nonsense was about to come out of his mouth. “Alright,” I said, folding my arms. “We need to talk.”

Lucas placed the demon army piece directly in front of the fort on the map. He turned to me, his expression a mix of guilt and awkwardness. “Is this… about the… fear?” he asked hesitantly.

Who knows?

“Not exactly…” I began, unsure how to broach the topic. I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to talk about with him, but since he brought it up, I figured we could start there. “But yes, we can address that. You should have asked, Lucas.”

He nodded, his shoulders sagging a bit. “I should have. I know I screwed up. But…” His face suddenly split into that ridiculously cute, foolish grin of his. “Isn’t it kind of funny, though?”

I tried to hold onto my frustration, but his grin was contagious. Before I knew it, I was grinning back. “Yeah,” I admitted, the memory of earlier suddenly bubbling up. “I asked those couriers to deliver some letters, and when they came to my office, they just stood there. Totally terrified. Like I was about to smite them on the spot.”

Lucas burst out laughing, and I couldn’t hold it in either. “And then,” I continued between laughs, “when I handed over the letter, they bolted! They almost broke the hinges on the door trying to get out!”

“They were fast, at least!” Lucas wheezed, clutching his stomach as he laughed along with me.

“Yeah!” I grinned, the laughter lifting the weight I hadn’t realized I was carrying. As the laughter began to settle, a thought struck me out of nowhere. “Hey, Lucas,” I said, tilting my head. “What do you actually need to do to identify items?”

He was still chuckling, but the question made him pause. “Huh?” He shrugged, his grin not entirely fading. “I just need to touch them and focus. It’ll work eventually.”

I nodded. I wasn’t sure if this would work, but there was only one way to find out. “Lucas,” I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper. “Can you… identify my cape, please?”

His laughter died down as the words registered. “Uh, okay…” he said, shrugging again and extending his hand toward me.

I shook my head and gently took his hand, guiding it to rest on my shoulder. His fingers tensed slightly as they brushed the fabric of the cape, but he didn’t pull away. “O-okay…” he murmured, his voice dropping to match mine.

The room seemed to grow quieter; the moment stretching as we both stilled. I could feel the faint warmth of his hand through the material, and for some reason, my pulse quickened.

What was I expecting? Something to explode?