Before I even look away from the door, Cari bursts back inside, head bowed, face redder than a tomato.
She makes a point of completely ignoring our stares as we watch her go from the entrance to her room.
In her pajamas.
Her bedroom door clicks shut, the sound echoing through the dorm room’s dead silence.
So far, this has been a fantastic morning.
After sharing giggles and snorts, we split up to change as well.
Nearly half an hour later, we’re off.
Of course, Bella looks unfairly pretty today.
Not overly formal—not Princess formal, anyway—but elegant in that effortless sort of way only nobles seem capable of. Dark red fabrics layered with black accents, silver jewelry catching the morning sunlight every now and then as we walk.
Meanwhile, I’m... me.
Simple clothes. Simple boots.
Tail swishing hard enough to qualify as a weapon.
Bella notices me staring almost immediately.
“You look beautiful,” I say, utterly unrepentant.
Her ears turn pink.
“...Thank you,” she murmurs. “You look nice too.”
Slowly but surely...
The tea shop Bella chooses sits along one of the quieter corners connected to the Shopping District. Warm light spills through broad windows, and the entire place smells faintly of pastries and herbs.
The moment we step inside, Bella visibly relaxes.
Not completely, but enough that I notice.
“You come here often?” I ask as we settle into a small booth near the back.
“Occasionally, between classes,” she admits. “It’s peaceful.”
Fair enough.
Despite the small crowd within, the place is quiet. Of course, there are clearly magics at play to ensure such, but I’m almost certain that even without them, the place would barely be louder than a breeze.
When the waitress arrives, Bella immediately launches into what I can only call ‘an advanced lecture on tea’.
I stare.
Bella notices halfway through ordering and falters slightly.
“...What?”
“You know tea words.”
Her cheeks flush.
“I should hope so.”
“No, I mean you really know tea words.”
Bella straightens slightly.
“I enjoy refined things.”
“I noticed.”
She narrows her eyes at me.
Then orders something that sounds absurdly expensive, despite effectively being soggy leaves.
What even is a first-harvest cloudleaf reserve? Why does when it’s harvested matter? It’s leaves.
And why in the hells would it need to be triple-steeped?
Thankfully, I’m not left to wonder at the snobbery of tea-folk.
Conversation flows easier here. Maybe because there’s less pressure, or maybe because neither of us is going anywhere any time soon.
Either way, the awkwardness softens into something gentler.
We talk about simple things at first. Books, classes, the Academy...
Apparently Bella enjoys romance novels significantly more than I expected.
“...You read the book I got you, right?” I whisper in delight.
Bella nearly chokes on a pastry.
“Emilia, this isn’t the time—”
“Oh, it absolutely is.”
She seems about to protest again, then gives up.
“Yes, I read it. Happy now?”
“Did you like it?” I probe.
Her cheeks flush that gorgeous shade of pink I’m coming to love, and she huffs.
“It was dramatic.”
My ears droop. “Aw. I thought you’d like it.”
She panics for a split second before realizing what I’m doing.
“You stop that, you little minx. I’m not going to fall for your tricks today.”
I perk back up instantly, a cocky grin wielded like a blade.
“You sure about that?”
Bella hides her burning face behind her teacup while I grin victoriously.
I might become addicted to flirting.
Later, somewhere between pastries and Bella attempting to defend herself from slanderous accusations, she asks, “How did you and Cari become so close?”
The question softens my teasing immediately.
I lean back slightly in my seat, considering.
“It took a while,” I admit. “I wasn’t exactly... approachable back then.”
Bella snorts softly.
“Yeah, yeah,” I wave her off. “Anyways, Cari was the opposite. She wanted everyone to be family. Didn’t matter how old they were or where they came from. She just... adopted people.”
A smile spreads across my face before I can stop it.
“She even told me I wasn’t much of a beastkin because I wouldn’t snuggle with her at night.”
Bella laughs quietly into her tea.
“I can see her saying that.”
“She basically forced herself into my brooding bubble until, one day, it just... popped,” I say. “After that, we were stuck together like glue.”
My tail swishes lazily behind me.
“She’s the whole reason I’m affectionate at all, honestly.”
That earns me a strange look from Bella. Like she’s trying to imagine a version of me that never learned how to hug.
I don’t like the thought very much myself, so I reach across the table and poke her hand lightly instead.
“No tragic Princess thoughts allowed.”
Bella startles slightly.
Then sighs.
“You’re annoyingly perceptive.”
I grin. “I try.”
Bella speaks of her own childhood after that.
Carefully, though. Like she’s trying not to make comparisons where none are needed.
But I still learn things.
Her mother was present. Loving. Overprotective, even.
Apparently little Bella once cried for nearly an hour because she found a dead flower in the palace gardens.
“You liked flowers that much?” I ask.
Bella looks mildly offended.
“Of course I do.”
Her words are proven true once we make our way to the botanical gardens. A short flight on a platform to one of the Garden Islands, and I’m stunned into silence.
The gardens turn out to be utterly ridiculous, but in the good way.
The moment we step onto the floating island, I’m hit with enough color and scent to overwhelm my senses entirely.
Flowers in shades I didn’t even know existed stretch out across carefully maintained paths. Fruiting trees cast shifting shadows over benches and streams. Vines curl around sculpted arches while glowing little insects drift lazily through the air.
“Wow,” I breathe.
Bella watches me instead of the gardens.
“I had hoped you would like it.”
I glance over at her.
Then back at the impossible sea of color.
Then back to her again.
“A flower girl, indeed,” I accuse.
Bella lifts her chin slightly.
“I appreciate beautiful things.”
Gods, she walked directly into that one.
My grin spreads slowly.
Bella realizes her mistake almost instantly.
“...Don’t.”
“Thank you for the compliment. I even tried to put on a little make-up for you this morning.”
Her face turns the exact shade of a nearby crimson blossom. I take her hand in the chaos and start walking. Slowly, though, so we have time to enjoy this place.
Eventually, once she seems composed enough to function, I speak.
“Which flower is your favorite?” I ask innocently.
She gives me a suspicious look for a fraction of a second, but quickly points to a flower with icy blue petals.
“Snowbells,” she says quietly. “I love bluebells in general, but these remind me of my magic. And they glow.”
She chuckles then.
“Did I tell you I was afraid of the dark when I was little?”
I shake my head.
She smiles. “They let off the softest glow. My mother would bring these to my room every night, and when she left, the room would be blue instead of black and... well, I loved it.”
My gaze drifts from the flowers to Bella herself.
Then back to the flowers.
Then to Bella again.
Another slow grin spreads across my face.
“So your favorite color is ice blue?” I ask innocently.
Bella nods automatically.
“It’s pretty.”
I let out an immeasurably pleased hum.
“Mm, it sure is.”
Her crimson gaze meets my own icy blue, and her steps slow as realization dawns. Then she freezes entirely, crimson flooding her cheeks.
“Personally, I think I'm partial to red,” I say, not bothering to hide my devilish smirk.
“You are a menace,” she grouses.
I burst into laughter.
The gardens are large enough that we rarely encounter anyone else. And somehow, somewhere along the winding paths and quiet little bridges crossing narrow streams, the conversation drifts toward more dangerous territory.
Us.
“So... what exactly are we now?” I ask finally.
Bella nearly trips over herself.
Smooth.
“I figured we should probably establish that before I start dramatically referring to you as my beloved Princess or something.”
Bella goes scarlet so fast I almost worry for her health.
“E-Emilia!”
“What?”
“You can’t just say things like that!”
“Why not?”
“Because—because—”
She squeezes my hand hard enough to almost hurt. Then sighs in defeat.
“...Because I like you,” she admits quietly. “And you saying things like that just makes it worse.”
My heart does a silly thing in my chest, and for a moment I worry it may have exploded. Then it begins racing.
I squeeze her hand back, and for a little while after that, neither of us let go.
“But I’m also terrified,” she continues softly.
The humor drains from the moment a little at those words.
“Because of your father?” I ask.
Bella lets out a quiet breath through her nose.
“Him. The court. The other nations. Everything.”
Her gaze drifts toward the distant skyline beyond the gardens, expression turning thoughtful.
“I was raised knowing exactly what my life would look like,” she murmurs. “Who I would likely have to marry. What alliances I would support. Which smiles were genuine and which were strategic.”
I wrinkle my nose.
“That sounds exhausting.”
“It is.”
There’s no hesitation in the answer, and that alone makes my chest ache a little.
“But then you appeared,” she continues quietly. “And suddenly everything became... complicated.”
“Complicated how?”
Bella gives me a flat look.
“Emilia.”
“What?”
“You are the single most politically dangerous person I have ever met.”
I stare at her for a moment.
Then I snort.
“As if. I hate politics. How could I be politically dangerous?”
She gives me an exasperated sigh. “This is what I meant when I said you were... you know.”
I wince. “Short sighted?”
Bella nods lightly, though it’s clear there’s fondness lingering beneath the exasperation now.
“You being who you are is just as much a problem as it is a solution,” she says. “What do you think would happen when the other nations learned that you and I were...”
Her face flushes a shade of red matching several nearby flowers.
“...Together,” she finishes after a breath.
She looks at me expectantly.
I consider the question seriously for a moment, then shrug.
“They’d probably try to cozy up to your family?”
Bella actually laughs. “If only.”
Her fingers tighten around mine again.
“No, Emilia. They would do everything in their power to take you from us.”
The amusement leaves her voice entirely.
“Some would offer treaties. Marriage proposals. Wealth. Territory.”
I blink.
“...Marriage proposals?”
“You are effectively a living strategic weapon capable of reshaping the balance of power between nations,” Bella says flatly. “Yes. Marriage proposals.”
Nope. No way. Not happening.
The thought of being dragged away from Bella hits me with a sharp, instinctive panic so strong I nearly trip over my own feet.
Bella notices instantly, a slow smile spreading across her frustratingly pretty face.
“Oh,” she says softly.
I narrow my eyes suspiciously.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
She’s entirely too pleased with herself all of a sudden.
Then her expression softens again.
“And the nations less interested in diplomacy may attempt force instead,” she says quietly. “Or coercion. Or worse.”
A cold knot settles in my stomach.
“I worry some would even declare war,” she admits. “No nation would want another to possess an advantage like you unchecked.”
“I hate politics,” I mutter.
Bella bumps her shoulder lightly against mine.
“Good thing you have me, then.”
The words leave her mouth confidently enough, but the violent blush that follows a heartbeat later ruins the effect entirely.
She immediately looks away.
“You know,” I muse, unable to hold back the crooked grin. “That sounded suspiciously close to ‘we’re a team now.’”
Bella groans softly into her free hand.
“You are impossible.”
“But you like me.”
She narrows her eyes at me.
“Smugness doesn’t suit you.”
The fondness in her voice says otherwise.
Before we leave the gardens, I slow just enough to put to words the thing between us.
Because I know that if I don’t, she’ll put it off for as long as she possibly can. And I don’t want that.
I refuse to dance around one another with no end in sight.
“Bella,” I begin.
She stiffens, sensing something is up.
“I like you. A lot. And you chose me. Now, I want to see where this goes, and you’re... frankly, you’re a disaster of shyness.”
She blushes, but her eyes narrow into a glare.
“So I’ve decided to make use of my newly discovered political dangerousness.”
I take a deep breath, firming my resolve, and then firming it some more just in case.
“From here on, we are girlfriends.”
I say it with the confidence of a tyrant.
Then immediately backpedal.
“Unless you don’t want to be.”
She fidgets.
“You can’t just declare that.”
“I just did.”
Her composure visibly deteriorates.
“That’s not how relationships work!”
“You still haven’t said no.”
She makes a strangled noise and bites her lip, unwilling to meet my gaze any longer.
“You are unbelievable.”
Then, eventually...
“...Fine.”
She says it so quietly that I almost think I imagined it.
But I didn’t. I know I didn’t.
Before she can recover, I dart forward and press a quick kiss to her cheek.
She makes the most adorable noise I’ve ever heard in my life.
Then I smash into her with a tight hug and a squeal of delight, only barely keeping myself from hopping in joy.
For a moment, Bella freezes entirely beneath the assault.
Then her shoulders soften, and she hugs me back.
Authors Note:One more chapter of fluffy good warm heart yummy awesome gooeyness, then back to something... a bit more chaotic.
I so glad you guys have enjoyed these chapters! I was so worried that I would underperform on the relationship payoff, but you all seem to absolutely love it.
Thank you <3
Edit: Sorry for the rough editing at the time of posting this! I was a little too eager to drop the chapter, so I missed a few simple tweaks I shouldn't have >.<