Light from the Shadow

Chapter 13

"I am sorry for coming unannounced." Kuan apologized to Ayna. He had come to Remblan for another diplomatic visit and thought he could use this chance to meet his last dance partner. To his excitement, the princess allowed him to meet her without prior notice. He noticed something off in Ayna.

"Are you sick, Your Highness? You look pale."

Ayna waved her hands. "It was just fatigue from all the lessons I took but I am alright now."

"I heard you took the top place in the national exam. You are incredible." Kuan praised her. His eyes showed admiration.

Ayna thanked him for the compliment. She assumed he did not know the fact that she failed the same test for the past 5 years. They continued to chat in the garden until Aria came to announce the king had come to visit.

"Father? Why are you here?" Ayna asked as soon as she saw him. Kuan quickly greeted the most important man in the kingdom.

King Ekua looked at his daughter with worried eyes. "I haven't seen you lately. Just come to check how you are doing." He eyed the Solbaru prince. "I see the two of you are getting on well."

Kuan smiled. "The princess is a wonderful person. I have a great time talking to her." He glanced at Ayna. The king noticed how the young prince looked at his daughter. He nodded.

"If you don't object, Your Majesty, I would like to see Princess Ayna more often from now on. I wish... to know more about her." The king nodded again with a smile.

"Please come see me again, Your Highness." Ayna smiled at Kuan. "I would love to listen to your story about Solbaru."

"Your Highness..." Kuan was touched.

"Please call me Ayna, and I'll call you Kuan from now. We are friends, aren't we?" Ayna shook his hands.

"Friends... yes, let's start from there." He muttered. His cheeks turned pink. "Thank you, Ayna..."

***

As they agreed to pause their training for a while, Rishi had spent most of his time in the Grand Library after his last meeting with Ayna. He sat there looking at all the books and paper around him.

"I'm bored..." He mumbled. He was thinking of slipping away from his desk job to go hunting when he heard someone knocked at the door.

It was the royal knights' captain, Lord Jyaga.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Rishi said, smiling at his guest.

Jyaga ignored his sarcasm. He took a seat in front of him without being invited. He looked troubled.

"Can I help you, My Lord?" Rishi asked.

Jyaga was silent for a while. He then took a deep breath. "It's about the princess."

"What about her?" Rishi asked, trying not to show any emotion. Inside, he felt uneasy every time someone mentioned her name.

The captain looked flustered. "A Solbaru messenger came to deliver a proposal from their emperor. It looks like they want to marry their second prince to Princess Ayna."

Upon hearing the news, Rishi felt it was as if his world suddenly crumbled.

***

Both Jyaga and Rishi did not say anything for a while. The captain noticed the change in Rishi's expression. The usual condescending look on his face was gone. Instead, the black eyes behind his glasses turned... cold.

"I don't like you." Jyaga began. "But I don't trust the Solbaru. We all know what they did to the Mehari... If this union is just a farce to make Remblan theirs..." He looked frustrated.