I looked around the room, now bathed in a warm pink glow. It was modest but homey.

  There was a bed on the far back wall next to a crossbow. A little to the right was a stove, the kind that had a fireplace underneath and a metal top.

  Next to that was an icebox.

  Aside from that there was a large shelf on the right wall, packed with books, medical supplies, and other miscellaneous items.

  And finally, next to the door was a bathroom.

  Kalie approached a closet opposite her bed and began undressing. “So, tell me about this fiancée of yours.”

  I spun around and faced the opposite wall. I don’t know how she was so comfortable changing in front of a guy she just met, but I refuse to peep.

  I’m a man of honor, plus Meridian would probably cry if she found out.

  Funny, she’s powerful as hell, but something as small as that would break her heart.

  “She’s gentle,” I began. “Really gentle and kind. Well mostly anyway, there was that one time when we first met and she tried to kill me.”

  “She what?”

  “She wanted to spar.” I explained, “She’s immensely powerful, and because of that she didn’t really have a lot of friends. Or any for that matter.”

  I sighed.

  “Anyway, when we first met, I was around five and she was six. She wanted to spar, but what I didn't know at the time was that she had this ability called Eternal Balance. Had it hit me, I’d have been dead a long time ago.”

  “At six, your girl was throwing moves around like that at six?” Kalie stepped past me, dressed in a nightgown. “How’d you survive that?”

  I chuckled nervously. I definitely wasn’t going to tell her I had a dragon that spammed cheat codes for me. “Just got lucky I guess.”

  Kalie gave me a skeptical look, but didn’t push further.

  She approached her ice box and reached inside to retrieve a piece of meat and a few vegetables.

  She tossed them onto the stove top and grabbed a knife.

  “So, you survived your first meeting with her, how do you go from that to exchanging rings, especially when you didn’t know she was a girl at first?”

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  I smiled. “Actually before we started sparring, she offered me her hand in marriage as the prize for winning.”

  “And you agreed?”

  “Yes.”

  “Even though you thought she was a boy.”

  “…”

  Kalie glanced at me over her shoulder.

  I averted my gaze as my cheeks got hot, until finally I exploded. “She egged me on! She called me a fraud and I couldn't let that stand! I had to defend my honor! I swear I didn't want her because she was a guy!”

  Kalie snickered.

  “Fine, so who gave whom a ring first?”

  “…”

  Kalie glanced at me again. “It was you?”

  I licked my lips. “Okay look, I didn't give her a ring because I thought she was a guy. It was a promise ring that she just so happened to take as an engagement ring.”

  “Right… at this point I’m starting to wonder if you were a little disappointed when you found out she was a woman.”

  I frowned.

  “Actually by the time I found out I couldn’t do anything with it, Lilith had knocked me out.”

  “Lilith.” Kalie rolled her tongue in her mouth as she grabbed a match and struck it, before tossing it into the stove and closing it. “She’s that imperial dragoon captain right? I heard stories about her.”

  “Stories?”

  The meat and vegetables on the stove began to sizzle. Kalie grabbed a cutting board and a few spices.

  “Mhm, like how she assaulted the princess for looking at her son. I remember there was this big stir about her fallout with a man named Philip too, he had cheated on her with a woman from the Equili kingdom. A darkness user.”

  She tilted her head as she flipped the meat on her stove. There was a long moment of silence before she finally turned and looked at me.

  “Wait a damn minute, you’re Lilith’s son.”

  “Don’t call me that,” I replied with a frown.

  “It’s the truth, isn’t it? That explains everything. I bet when she returned from the war she saw you with your little girlfriend and flipped her shit and dropped you off here as punishment.”

  She turned to face me fully.

  “And your girlfriend, I bet that’s Marcus Ti Equili, a light and darkness user who just made his debut in the Royal Academy. Isn’t it?”

  “I don’t know Marcus.”

  “But you do know a Meridian, who matches his description to the letter.” She pointed a finger at me, “You’re not just nobility, you're a piece in a very important puzzle.”

  “How do you even know all of this?”

  Kalie grinned. “The merchants, all they do is gossip about imperial or Equili affairs. They have to, those are the biggest traders around the inner sea.”

  She placed a hand in her hand. “Still, if Marcus is your wife, you should try to get back to the Equili kingdom no? If you go back to the empire, you’ll run into Lilith.”

  “That’s the point,” I grumbled and crossed my arms. “I have to fight her.”

  Kalie shook her head and turned back towards the stove. “That’s suicide. She’ll win that fight in seconds.”

  “It’s a possibility.”

  “No, it’s a fact. You don’t become a dragoon captain if you can be beaten by an eleven–year–old. Besides, I’m sure your wife misses you.”

  “It doesn’t matter if she misses me. If I go back to her without dealing with Lilith she’ll just separate us again. And who knows where she’ll drop me off next time. Besides, I don't want to live the rest of my life hiding from her.”

  I tightened my fists.

  “Either I kill her or she kills me, either way I’m ending this. It has to be done.”

  Kalie scooped up the meat and vegetables, dropping them on the seasoned cutting board.

  She then opened the stove and within a few hand gestures, used her wind Ouro to put out the flame.

  She then closed it and turned to the meat, further cutting into it.

  “You’re insane,” She finally replied. She grabbed two wooden bowls and filled them.

  “But I suppose you’re right, if she’s the obstacle to your happiness then you need to deal with her first.”

  She brought one of the bowls to me. I looked down, my hands cupped around it. The smell was wonderful.

  Kalie walked over to her bed and took a seat. “However, I think you should work with your wife on this. Two heads are better than one, right?”

  I swallowed.

  “Maybe, I just… I don’t want her to get hurt.”

  “You think she wants you to get hurt?”

  I sighed, shaking my head.

  “No.”

  Kalie smiled. “You’re thinking about a lot so I’ll let you eat in peace. Just, keep in mind how Meridian feels too, okay?”

  I gripped my bowl.

  “Alright.”

  — — —

  The next day Kalie and I woke up bright and early and headed towards the guild.

  Once inside she took her place at the receptionist desk and I went into the basement for maintenance.

  I did the same thing as yesterday plus a little more. As I worked I found myself mulling over my conversation with Kalie.

  Would it really be better to link up with Meridian first? I don’t know, I feel like she’d do anything in her power to stop me from leaving.

  She knows how strong Lilith is just as much as I do. Not even Phillip could stop her.

  I could try opening another seal but I don’t really have the free time. Between cleaning up at the guild and learning in the afternoon I have a lot on my plate.

  Right now I just need to focus on surviving and getting paid. The answers to everything else will come in their due time.

  I hope.