COMPLETED, liliya was an inferni and one of general kirigan's closest advisors. she was not the conventional soldier, she didn't always listen but general kirigan liked her. however, when she jeopardises a mission to shu han, things change.
shadow a...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE.
The Little Palace was crowded with people. Each room was full and Liliya felt mildly suffocated. The only thing that was keeping her grounded was the hand on her back from Aleksander as he guided her through the crowds. Alina wouldn't be coming out for a little longer. They had to wait and time this perfectly. She would still converse but they had to be careful. Liliya knew this. She just hoped that nothing would go wrong.
As she walked around with Aleksander, they drank a glass of wine each before he was called away to King Pyotr. Liliya continued her circuit around the area, speaking to those who approached her while mainly observing the room. It was strange. There were so many people. Grisha and nobility. Soon enough, many of them would be dead.
The redhead jumped when a glass of wine was placed into her hands. She didn't recognise the guard who had given it to her but she took it gratefully.
"General Kirigan told me to give this to you," The guard said. There was something odd about the man. His hair seemed too long to be in the official royal guard and the way he held himself was different. It was almost as if he was struggling to stay upright. Liliya nodded her head and glanced down at the wine. It looked exactly like the one she had been drinking before so rather than question the poor guard that was likely overwhelmed, she walked away. The wine in hand.
As she strolled around the room, she spotted Lord Yanovich. She took a sip of wine for strength and then walked over to him. Her finger tapped against his shoulder and he whipped around. The man looked almost exactly like how she had last seen him. His military uniform was just as pristine and the childish sparkle in his eyes hadn't left.
"Lord Yanovich," She said with a smile. He returned that smile and explained to his companions that he would be back in a moment. With a quick gesture of his hand, Liliya knew that he meant for them to walk. So, she joined his side. The two walked in time, the guests parting for Liliya and gave Yanovich odd looks.
"Liliya, how are you?" He asked as he turned his head to look at her. The redhead didn't know what to say and simply shrugged. She took a sip of her wine.
"I am... well," She decided after a moment. He nodded in response, "How are you? How is Lisenka?" She added after a moment. It had been over a year since the two had spoken properly. It felt strange. They had once been acting as daughter and father and now everything felt odd. The unspoken truth lingered between them even if they didn't recognise it.
"Lisenka is coming out of her shell and I am apprehensive. This business with the Sun Summoner worries me," He explained. His eyes scanned over the room and he watched as everyone talked and chattered. The room was abuzz with it. Loud shrieking laughter and polite conversation with people that they truly despised suffocated everyone.
"How so?" Liliya asked after a moment, distracting the man from the crowds. She was aware of how many eyes were on them so she did her best to focus on Yanovich. Nobody else mattered. She just had to listen to his voice. It still sounded like honey and it made her feel safe even with the grim topic they were discussing.
