“I heard about what happened at the Festival of Hunting,” he continued. “I thought this is something you needed more, as a noble lady capable of fighting and who carried out her role of protecting guests from another country. It’s a symbol of our friendship because you have done so much for me.”
“I see. Thank you. I will treasure it,” I said.
“Hey, do you really think that’s just a symbol of friendship?” muttered Evan.
“Of course it isn’t. Are you an idiot, Prince Evan?” jabbed Tiegel.
“Evan, if you don’t do something, you’re going to lose Lady Selena,” said the king.
“Evan, you’re too timid. You’re never quick to make things how you want them,” chided the queen.
The four of them, even the king and queen, were buzzing. But Shaghad said it was a symbol of friendship, so that’s what it was. Well, less friendship and more a student-teacher relationship.
“Thank you for welcoming me here, Your Majesties, Prince Evan, Lady Selena, and you too, Tiegel. My country will not forget the debt we owe you. When I have become king, I will come to return the favor.”
Shaghad gave a deep bow, then climbed into his carriage and left for Rienbul.
✦ ✦ ✦
†††
“I can finally relax a little.”
I let Bruce out into the garden from the veranda and threw a stick out to him. Marin told me before that dogs like to play a game where they fetch a stick you throw for them, and Bruce seemed to hate me, so I decided I should do something to improve our relationship.
I thought of him as a mongrel when Rosemary brought him to our mansion, but I learned he was smarter than I thought. He could probably become a decent guard dog who could kill a ruffian with a bite if you trained him well enough.
“You seem to like that quite a lot. That ruby brooch,” said Tiegel. I had no interest in gemstones, but Tiegel seemed to admire it as it glittered in the sun.
“Not really. I am curious about the possibility of a mere stone having protective powers,” I said.
“You don’t have to rely on a rock. I will eliminate all your enemies.”
This boy who did nothing but cower in a cell before had turned into something quite reliable. “Guess I don’t need this ruby then.”
“No, you don’t.”
For some reason, he seemed happy as he took the brooch from me and put it in a drawer. Someone who didn’t know him would still see him as expressionless, but the emotion on his face struck me deeply since he was far more expressive than when we first met.
Becoming involved in another’s life, training them, pouring your own strength into them, and watching as they changed brought certain emotions. Did my teacher feel those things when it came to me?
I took the stick from Bruce once he happily returned it, then threw it again.
“What is so fun?” I wondered as I watched the stick fly through the air and thought about how I’d go about my next project of training him into a war dog.