Touching the fading cut on her nose, which would be gone by the next day anyway, she remembered a scar she had in the same place when she was Celia. It was also a remnant of the time when she had no clue how to handle herself.

'What a stupid way to repeat history.' Looking at herself, she felt like a fool, even if this time the friendly reminder wouldn't remain as a permanent scar.

She had done all this to free herself from responsibilities she didn't want to take on. Now that she thought about it, she went in without a plan, fooled around, and got lucky.

But now she was told that she was not supposed to marry the Emperor, but his son instead? And if he didn't say he was against it, did she still have to marry him? She had thought that the Emperor was the final boss.

Rowena wasn't sure what to make of Emperor Alejandro's words. He always seemed so nice when he spoke, but the way he phrased it was obviously a trap. He made it sound as if he was going to let it go, but not really.

But why? She was sure that she hadn't even made a good impression. Because his son saw her using Mana?

There was that problem as well. Just one more thing to think about. Her brother had seen her. She hadn't even talked to him yet, because they were busy writing those treaties that were the reason for this political mission to begin with.

Behind her stood Norina, looking as infuriated as the day before. When they had arrived late at night, Norina and Ava had been notified to take care of her, as Sir Sean thought she would be more comfortable with them.

Sir Sean and Sir Yaakov hadn't said anything either, especially after her maids came running and saw her dirty dress with a bit of blood on it and the gauze covering her whole nose, making it all look more serious than it was.

They all just looked at her with varying degrees of complicated expressions on their faces and then left to let her rest for the night. And now she was still there, with nothing settled.

Her brother had also seen her bow. He must have recognized the foreign technology and wondered what it was. But he let her pick it up and bag it before anyone remembered to take a closer look in the chaos.

She sighed as her maids exchanged worried looks. That's when suddenly the sound of knocking filled the otherwise silent room.

"Please, open the door," she said as she sat in front of the wooden mirror.

It was probably a servant trying to tell her when dinner would be ready so she could prepare herself. They had been bugging her before about her wardrobe for the banquet the next day. She kept forgetting that it was something she had to attend as well.

Only a surprised sound that escaped Ava as she opened the door made the young noble turn around. What she saw was a tall figure, crowned by a mass of jet-black hair and a pair of ominous crimson eyes.

Blinking, she rose from her chair and approached her brother. "What brings you here?" Was it time for her to pay for her own stupidity yet?

"I wanted to ask if you would be interested in taking a walk around Kadena with me," he offered with a stiff expression, "We could have something to eat if you like."

There was no way she could refuse him now. "I would be glad to," she replied, "will you wait for me to get ready?"

He nodded briefly and stepped back. "I'll be at the end of the hallway."

She was already wearing most of the things she would need, just a pair of outdoor shoes and some money if she was going out.

She didn't even need a coat, the weather was quite pleasant. And yet, the thought of going outside made her shiver.

"If you need more rest, I'll tell the young lord that it won't work after all." She knew it wouldn't be that easy, but she could be very convincing if necessary.

Rowena had to laugh at the face she saw. It was refreshing, as it took a load off her mind.

"I have to go now, I don't want to keep my first brother waiting too long."

"I understand. Please take care of yourself." The last time she had said that, her mistress had returned bloody.

"I will." She left the room, inhaling and exhaling deeply, before walking down the corridor where Alam stood as he had told her.

As soon as she approached him, he moved, so they would walk side by side as they left the Ivory Palace, being watched from all sides. It seemed normal to her by now.

They ventured through the streets of Kadena, took a boat near the palace, and enjoyed a slow ride on its waterways.

"It's beautiful," she finally commented, "is there a destination to this trip?"

"I thought we were going to ride the boat until you saw something you liked."

"Oh, I didn't know." Though she had looked around, she hadn't really taken in what she saw, recognizing only the superficial beauty in shapes and colors.

"It's my fault, I didn't make it clear." He hadn't taken his sister into the city since she was a child. "I'm sorry. Is there anything you wish to do?"

He had taken Arabella a handful of times, and she always nagged him for something if they saw a fancy coffee shop, a jeweler, or a high-end tailor. Alan thought that was the way it should be and expected Rowena to act the same, but they were two different people after all.

"Pardon me," the ferryman broke their awkward silence and asked with a smile, "if you don't have a destination in mind, why don't you visit the main square in the center? There is a festival going on all week."

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A festival? Right, she hadn't been able to fully enjoy the one in Eisenwacht because a certain someone had to crash the party with his drake.

"That sounds nice."

"Then it's decided," Alan said, "take us there, please." He took a few coins out of his pocket and handed them to the man with the paddle, who was quite taken aback by this kind of generosity.

"Isn't that too much?" They hadn't even arrived yet.

Without much difference in his expression, he closed his eyes and leaned back a bit. "It's just a tip. Take it."

The elderly man nodded, a little confused, but went back to rowing, only this time with a purpose.

The plaza was incomparably larger than that of Varnhagen, perhaps even larger than that of the capital of Arlen, since they had to share their space with a great temple. And it was lively.

Rowena's eyes widened at all the people dancing in the middle of the street, and at the music - she had heard it from afar, but to see where it came from, she was fascinated.

"Isn't it too early to be dancing?"

The old man laughed at the young lord's skepticism. "We all have reason to dance. People from all over the Empire have been flooding Kadena for days. Isn't that why you're here?"

"Because of what?" Rowena wondered.

"There are rumors that we might get help soon. I have to say, I have been living comfortably here, but I have family on the frontier. It's not as safe as it used to be."

With that, the siblings understood the real reason for this festival. The banquet in honor of their delegation was one thing, but for the people, it was the reason for their delegation that made them want to dance.

She hadn't thought it was that bad. From an outsider's point of view, at least in "The Saintess' Unbreakable Shield", Lodden remained unshaken, even after their negotiations with Arlen had failed.

"Right, that's why we're here." She said it with a vague smile, happy to let him misinterpret her words, just before they got off the boat.

Alan stepped onto the latter first, climbing the distance between the water's surface and the footpath, then held out his hand for Rowena to take. It took a second for her to understand, then she accepted his offer and let him pull her along, only having to step on the old steps once or twice.

There were so many people on the street. Standing there made it seem even more crowded, people bumping into them now and then, laughing.

"They really are positive thinkers."

"It would be more true to say they are believers," Alan corrected, offering his forearm for his sister to safely hook under.

"Believers... I suppose that is true, but believing that everything will be all right is still positive thinking to me."

"It's all about how you perceive it. Positive thinking makes you sound naive," he explained, "whereas believing feels more natural, almost virtuous. People are happy to believe in a number of things before they grow too jaded."

"Why are you explaining this to me?" He didn't seem like someone who would spend so much energy just for the sake of it.

"Because you came here to learn about politics. This lesson is part of that world," he said calmly, "and I think you are mature enough to understand that world now."

His voice seemed to touch a sense of sorrow she couldn't fathom. Her feet stopped, as if they were frozen.

With an uncertain look, she stared up at him until he met her eyes with his. He seemed so sad, yet proud of her.

It was as if she wasn't supposed to receive that kind of sentiment. Not only because she had behaved like a fool, but also because it would have meant too much to the real Rowena.

However, her heart felt heavy instead. Why did she even care? She shook off the feeling and smiled.

"I came here hoping to learn, dear brother."

As they walked in silence, they found a nice café a bit away from the noise to sit down and have a chat.

"I knew about your ability to handle Mana from Colin."

"Ah," she started, then the words caught in her throat, "oh."

"You also need to expand your vocabulary," he thought about the incident in the conference room, "it's very colorful, but a bit limited. You should talk to Mr. Ballinger about that."

There was a strawberry tart in front of her that she tried to hide behind as the words hit her. She really wasn't showing her best side there.

"I told the committee that the salt was indeed your finding, not His Grace's," he dropped a bombshell without warning as his sister had just lost herself in embarrassment or her actions.

"What?"

"This will not only put you in a better position to negotiate your political bond, but it will also take the pressure off the family."

He said it as if he had used her as a scapegoat, because that's how it felt. He had to tell himself that it would help her, too, to be the sole benefactor of the Empire.

Rowena, on the other hand, didn't know whether she liked this honor or not. Either way, she could hardly blame him. Since she had dug this grave herself, she would have to die in it.

One thing was still bothering her. "What do you mean, pressure?" It sounded ominous.

"There would come a time when Count Klein would return to the Empire and deliver a report. If that report stated that the Grand Duchy had withheld information as great as a natural repellent for the Visitors, they would hold us accountable." Particularly since they decided to reveal it to another Empire first.

If it was the naive findings of a young girl that hadn't even been verified, it was something to talk about.

While the words made sense to her, as she put another fork of something sweet she barely tasted into her mouth, she wondered: 'What is the Varnhagen Grand Duchy on the scale of the Arlen Empire?'

It was supposed to be the largest noble house in the entire upper region of the continent, the only Duchy of the Empire that no one could touch. But a little bit of unverified information could shake the trust put into them?

Her brother, as if reading her thoughts, looked at her across the table. "Our family is not weak," Alan said, "but we cannot afford to rest on that. And we cannot afford not to look over our shoulders all the time."

"You mean to say that we are powerful, but we could still fall at any moment?"

"I am saying that the higher you wish to stand, the deeper you are bound to fall."

"I will remember that." It sounded like the wisdom of a fortune cookie, but it wasn't going to be that easy, was it?

When she was almost finished with her dessert, he waved a waiter over who came down with a smile and a receipt. After paying, he looked at her again as they got up to leave.

"I heard from Colin that you asked him about the relocation of Eisenwacht in the past." She linked her arm with his, as she had done before. "Naturally, since you didn't take the opportunity to learn before..."

"Are you trying to pick a fight?" she asked in an unsophisticated manner, as her ears perked up.

He just chuckled at her reaction. "I am simply acknowledging what you can and cannot know as of now. But there are things in our history that you should learn. It is better for you to study them diligently once we are back home."

She nodded. It wasn't a bad idea, but she still felt a little sad about his judgment.

As they entered the packed square again, it looked even more crowded as time had passed. It reminded her again of the banquet.

"I can't even dance," she remarked without thinking.

"Dance?"

"I meant at the banquet tomorrow. I don't have a partner. And I can't dance." She shrugged her hunched shoulders. "I probably shouldn't go."

"I think you should." Not only because she couldn't avoid the Emperor that way. Also because she would have to go at some point.

He knew that she hated being around a lot of people. Just because she behaved differently than before didn't erase his memory of all the grief the family and servants had with her.

He knew it was hard for her to admit when she was scared or overwhelmed. Instead, she would scream and get angry to cover it up until everyone had left her alone.

"It will be a good opportunity to gain experience." Without having to deal with the nobles who had their eyes on the duchy.

Rowena didn't know much about what he was thinking. Instead, there was only one thing on her mind.

"But I still can't dance."

Suddenly he let go of her arm, forcing her to look away from the dancing crowd and up at him.

He held his hand out in front of her. "Want to find out if it's as hard as you think?"