Chapter 15: Chapter 15

“King-”

He cut me off with a wave of his hand. “I told you before to call me without pleasantries when it’s just us. We’re practically family.” He finished with a grin, to which I returned.

I carefully strode towards him and engulfed him in an embrace. “What brings you here in the mortal realm?”

“I came here to pick up my baby sister?” The way he was smiling innocently and batting his lashes somehow made me suspicious.

“You’re here for Jen, aren’t you?” I crossed my arms over my chest and smirked at him.

“Oh my my. You are smarter than your sister!” He laughed. “To be honest, I really am mostly here for you. I may need your opinion on something.”

“Is it about the potions that I made?” I asked.

He shook his head. “No.” He then got something from his pocket. It was a small red box. I wasn’t a fool that I wouldn’t know what it was.

“You’re serious?” A huge crack of a smile parted my lips, and I felt like I looked like a clown.

I must have looked silly because Nate started to laugh. “I guess it’s time. What do you think?” When he opened the small box, I saw a rose gold band with a ruby red gem sitting in the center. It was a plain design, but it was beautiful.

A crowd of curious gasped and murmurs were heard around us and when I looked up, I almost cursed. How could I have forgotten that we were still in front of the school?!

Shit.

“O-oh! Wow. What a pretty ring to propose to my big sister Jen!” I said it out loud for everyone to hear before I closed the box and grabbed Nate’s hand. “Why don’t we go now and show it to her!?” I snatched Nate's hand and yanked him out of the crowd. I don't want any strange rumours to start spreading. When Nate showed me the ring, who knows what was going on inside their heads.

“Did you just come here to show me the ring?” I interrogated him when I was sure that we were far enough from the crowd.

Nate smirked at him and laughed, “I swear, your sharpness compared to Rose still amazes me.” He says and patted my head. I frowned and swatted his hand away grumpily. I know that the King of Thalia loves me like a little sister, but sometimes, he can just be a little clingy like Ace is to Nora. “I came here to ask you for a favor.” He says.

“What kind? Depending on the task and my skills, I might decline if I think that I can’t do it.” I told him honestly.

“Do you think that you can use your magic to make a magical setting when I propose? And can you make an ice crystal that won’t melt for a month? I want you to place the ring in a sort of blue gem crystal until I propose.” He asked me with a hopeful look in his eyes.

“The setting might not be that difficult, but if you are talking about encapsulating the ring in an eternal freeze, then it might be difficult. I will have to consult some of my magician friends.”

“How long do you think it will take?”

I crossed my arms and tilted my chin up as I calculated the process, “I have to measure the weight of the ring and then I have to find a suitable metal plate and chain to mold it into a necklace. And, depending on the difficulty, the magicians might take a while. Unless you ask King Fred for help. If that’s the case, I think it will be at least two to three days.” I estimated.

“Two to three days,” Nate repeated before looking at me with a grin. “Sounds like a plan. I thank you in advance, Stella. How much do I owe you for your commission? Of course, you can send me all the receipts and also your food bill if you ever get hungry on your journey, so don’t hold back. I can’t have my little sister doing me favors and not eating well.”

I laughed, “Wow, that’s so generous of you. I might just take you up on that offer.” I grinned, “But as for the commission, I have something else in mind.”

“What is it?”

“I want information.” Nate must have seen the change in my expression because he suddenly turned serious.

A mixture of worry and edge replaced the playful look on his face. “Sounds serious.” He noted, “Why don’t you come with me to my office so we can discuss this?” He suggested while pulling out a similar key that I have to travel between realms. I gave Nate a curt not to tell him that I agreed and silently followed him until he found a door wherein he used the key to make a portal back to the other realm.

Nate turned to me and gestured for me to head inside. “I almost forgot. Ladies first.” He gestured to the portal behind the door.

I smiled at Nate as I entered the door. Once I got inside, I found myself standing in Nate’s office in Thalia. The place where he usually conducts his studies and works. A huge table at the far side of the room had a few pieces of paper stacked on top of them. Red and golden furniture decorated the room, and long red curtains were drawn back to allow the sunlight to naturally illuminate the place.

“Someone’s been doing their work,” I said, while eyeing the small stacks of paper on the table. I vaguely remember seeing the desk full of papers back when my aunt used to rule Thalia. And it was up to Ren and Nate to finish it all up for her. Ace could have helped, but at that time, he lost his memories, so there was nothing that he could do.

I heard Nate chuckling and the door closing behind him while he made his way to the chair behind his desk. “Have a seat, Stella.” He gestures towards one of the chairs on the opposite side of the desk. “So, what kind of information are you referring to? Depending on the secrecy and your intentions, I might not be able to give it to you.”

I headed for the seat and placed my school bag on the floor before I turned to him. “The rogue faction. I want to know what happened to the project about relocating them.”

Nate seemed taken aback when he heard the name. A concerned look immediately crossed his face when he looked at me, “Stella, that’s kind of a topic for the leaders of the realms. I’m not sure if I should even discuss this with you. Hell, I’m not sure what Rose would do if I told you anything about it.”

I sighed, “My sister is already aware that I know that rogues still exists. I was attacked by them a while ago. They were demanding that I hand over Kellar.”

“Hand him over?” His brow shot up in question, “But we don’t even have him.”

“Exactly,” I agreed. “But they made it sound like we do. Please, Nate. My sister and Ace barely tells me anything. I don’t even think that. I may be a princess living a double life, but I am still a royal. It’s my right to know about the status of the Kingdom.”

Nate eyed me skeptically and leaned back in his chair. “Do I have to ask what you’re going to do about the information?”

“I’m pretty sure that you don’t have to ask about that one. Plus, I’m a much more reasonable and responsible person to be doing something reckless.”

Nate nodded, “True. We’ve had plenty of troubles with your sister, but not with you...yet.” He muttered before pushing himself off the back of his chair so he could lean on the table. “But to tell you the truth, the rogue relocation program isn’t doing very well. Admittedly, most of the head royals are cooperative and welcome the rogues. But that doesn’t mean that the people would agree to the arrangement. There are plenty of citizens who still harbor ill feelings towards the rogues for years. And that’s one thing that even leaders like us can’t change.”

“So,” It was my turn to lean against my seat as I weighed the information that Nate just told me, “The rogues were just retaliating because of the treatment of other people towards them? But other rogues in the kingdom are living happily and some of the citizens.”

“Those people are more fortunate. Fred told me that rogues who had families and friends before they were banished were more likely to be welcomed compared to those who didn’t. Unfortunately, the latter seemed to be more common since Ren told me that it was also the same for Sanver.”

“So, what’s the plan for this? The revolting rogues obviously want to rebuild Tereau again. And from our experience, it’s not going to be pleasant.” I watched the subtle movement of Nate’s eyes. The moment I mentioned Tereau, his gaze shifted momentarily to avoid mine before bringing it back after I spoke. “Nate, what is it?”

“Hm? What is what?” He feigned innocence.

“You just averted your gaze, which is something that you usually do when you’re nervous and uncomfortable. Does it have anything to do with Tereau?” I pressed on.

“Stella, this isn’t something that I should be discussing with you first. I only got this intel recently. If you want to know more, you will have to wait for your sister to bring you into the leadership summit. I have no date for it yet, but rest assured that I will be sending a letter as quickly as possible.”

“But I’m not sure if Rose or Ace will take me with them.” I grumbled.

“You don’t have to worry. I’ll send a letter of request to them to bring you along. Of course, Rose will probably kill me for abusing my powers, but I think that you are old enough to join in these kinds of meeting. I mean, you have to get used to it because you might become queen one day.”

I gave him a strange look. “Queen? What are you talking about?”

As creepy as this sounds, Nate began to giggle like a school girl facing her crush, “You and Chace. I mean, the ice boy obviously likes you a lot and I heard that he’s sending you marriage proposals. Plus, I heard that you and him have been hanging out a lot. Hell, you two might even get engaged first before me.”

A blush creeped up my cheeks at how casually Nate just said it all, “What...How…” My tongue kept slipping at the words, “How the hell do you know all that? Are you stalking me?”

Nate pressed a hand to his chest, “Ouch. You call it stalking, but I call it being concerned for my little sister. So, what do you think about the Ice Prince?” He grinned at me teasingly while batting his eyelashes.

If he didn’t have a buff body, I’d think that he’s a girl looking for juicy gossips.

I could feel my cheeks burning with embarrassment. No one can tease me and make me feel bashful as much as Nate does. “You’re just trying to distract me from asking you more questions.”

“Am I? Oh, I’m so sorry.” He grinned, “Go on and ask me a question, Stella.”

I gritted my teeth because he obviously knew that I had long forgotten what I wanted to ask. Nate surely knows how to push my buttons, and he was taking advantage of that to keep me from grilling him for any more info.

I got up from my seat, still feeling the heat on my face as I did. “Fine. I’ll wait for the stupid summit.”

“That’s my little sister.” He chuckled and handed me the ring the moment I headed over to him and opened my palms out.

“I’ll make sure to buy the most expensive materials and eat the most expensive food.” I threatened him.

Nate simply laughs, “I rather you do that then. Thanks again, Stella. You head downstairs and inform Edward that you need a carriage to Gija.” He says.

“Yeah, thanks.”

“Have a safe trip, my cute little sister.” He cooed.

I paused by the door and stuck my tongue out at him as a response, earning a loud chuckle from him before I left.