I looked over at Oanez as the prince lounged about near the window with a book about horses in his hands. It was only the two of us who were standing over a map showing the locations of both Geraldia and Naja, as well as the other two kingdoms which were a fair distance away.

“In Pellin Jade’s last letter to the Queen, he mentioned some kind of new mineral which he had discovered in Geralddia’s forestry.” I nodded my head as Oanez rubbed his forehead as he pointed to several points on the map. “He called this mineral Puint which is a horrible name but no one else could think of a better one so we went along with it.” I chuckled as Oanez grinned at me.

If they had discovered a new resource in the Kingdom, it was going to be more difficult to please the Geraldian Queens. Our goal was to create trade relations with them but since they had discovered a new resource, they wouldn’t care to trade with Naja anymore.

There were Eresdia and Drinla  in the South, but they already had somewhat better relationships with Geraldia than they did with us. So, expecting any kind of political relations with them was a faraway notion. And then there was the matter of how we had to convince the Geraldian Queen for trade. Geraldia being the only Kingdom spread on three sides of the Najan kingdom was also a major factor. The geological location of Naja was as if it was being clutched tightly by the other kingdom.

It was a difficult situation, indeed. But as my eyes raked over the map, I thought of a solution which would coincide with the Queen’s previous statements.

“The Queen mentioned the prince meeting with the Geraldian Queens.” Oanez nodded with a frown, and I continued. “If we were to have the princess make friendly relations with them instead, we could turn that into a political alliance through time, without them finding out that we have ulterior motives.”

“You propose we use the princess?” I glanced over at the prince awkwardly, and when I saw how he was still looking at his book, I turned back. “Not use as such but let her be involved with political matters as well. She’s a bright and intuitive woman, and I believe she can be better at forming relations than the prince.”

Oanez’s eyes widened as he leaned closer to me and spoke in a hushed voice. “You’ve been bad-mouthing the prince too much, Elena! You must be careful regarding that.” I rolled my eyes at his off-handed worry. We were discussing a more serious matter than that. And besides, I still believed that the princess was more suited in communications than the prince.

“The princess formed a good relationship with the orphanage out of her own accord, and she did this without any motive. Now imagine if she had a motive behind her actions. She could achieve so much more for the Kingdom.”

Oanez seemed to think about this as he glanced at the prince and then at me. His eyes sparkled after a moment, and I smiled at him. “I never thought of it in this way!” Nodding my head, I leaned forward further. “But if we choose to bring the princess into this matter, we will need the Queen’s explicit approval. We both know what the prince’s answer would be if we bring this up to him.”

Fortunately, Oanez understood my concerns as he nodded his head. “I will ask the prince for an audience with the Queen regarding this matter.” That was the best approach to this. “We can also discuss how long our objective could take the princess to complete. Relationships are tricky to maneuver around, especially political ones.”

His words were wise since I, myself, couldn’t maintain a good relationship with my own father. Sometimes, I wondered if there was any love within our bond or if it was just in name.

Perhaps Oanez could read my dark thoughts on my face as he placed a hand over mine with a sympathetic smile. “Do you want to talk about the princess?” My eyes widened immediately. “What about the princess?” I wasn’t even thinking about her, even though her behavior towards me during the morning was still clear in my memory and quite hurtful as well. I had to talk to her if I wanted to make things right with her. And now there was another reason for an apology since I had dragged her into this Geraldian mess.

“I could tell that there was some kind of discord between the princess and you.” Of course, he could tell. I was certain that everyone in the dining hall had been aware of our little falling out. “You two had been so close just yesterday and then the princess was treating you coldly. It was quite obvious what could have happened.”

I nodded my head before sighing in exhaustion. I was tired already and it hadn’t even been noon. It was just the matter with our estranged neighboring Kingdom, and then there was the matter with my rising feelings for the princess. And to top all of that, now I had to convince the princess to go along with this plan if it got approved by the Queen.

In my eyes, the princess was the best bet for Naja if we hoped to establish a political alliance with the other Kingdom. The princess knew how to handle her situations, and she was genuine in her interactions. There was no rush in her words, or any kind of hidden agenda. Although she would have to work with the basis of creating a political bond with the Geraldian Queens, I knew that she could handle it as well.

I placed all my faith in her.

Seeing how I hadn’t answered Oanez yet, I sighed again before whispering the truth. “I asked her a question I shouldn’t have.”

“What was it about?” My cheeks darkened as he stared at me curiously. “About her p-previous relationship.” Oanez’s eyes widened in surprise, and I groaned at how horrible it was of me to even ask a princess something like that. Something she had been shamed on by her own mother and the entire kingdom.

Of course, Oanez held the same opinion as he shook his head with furrowed eyebrows. “You have to apologize to her immediately.”

“Yes, I am aware, I shouldn’t have--” I was interrupted when I felt a presence beside me now. Quickly turning my head, I found the prince standing there with a wide smile. “What shouldn’t have you done, Elena?”

The question caught me off-guard but before I could answer the prince, Oanez was already speaking up for me. “She was showing remorse for her behavior towards the prince yesterday.”

“Oh, was she now?” Sensing the situation’s gravity, I nodded before bowing my head towards the prince. “Yes, your majesty, I wanted to sincerely apologize for my rude behavior towards you.”

The prince looked at me for a while in complete silence and with a seriousness which was unnerving. It was obvious that he didn’t believe me, which was expected from him. I had been quite clear on my stance in defending the princess and I still held the same opinion. But I had to think multiple times before anything. It was part of my work, to be intuitive and thoughtful.

“Hm, you were being protective of the princess. I can understand that. She does have a certain way of charming people around her.” I nodded my head subconsciously which didn’t go unnoticed by the prince. “However, the princess is not the heir to this Kingdom.”

His words were true though it was not enough for me to change my opinion regarding him.

“I understand, your majesty.” I kept my head bowed, less out of respect and more so out of caution. If anything, he was still someone with power and I was a mere advisor. Advisors were meant to weigh the good and bad before sharing their opinions on any matter. They were not supposed to become part of the matter themselves.

I guess, this was the difference which I had to learn if I wanted to be a better advisor to the princess. A repeat of what happened yesterday could not be afforded by me.

“Hm.” I sighed in relief when the prince chose to let this matter go and turn his attention towards Oanez. “Have you figured out a way to find favor with the Geraldian Queen?” I glanced at the other advisor as he nodded his head at the prince. “Yes, your Highness, we have weighed out the best solution, though we would require the audience of the Queen to discuss it further.”

The prince visibly frowned as he folded his arms. “What is this mysterious solution?”

We glanced at one another. I wasn’t going to handle the prince’s questions because he clearly didn’t believe me. And Oanez had told me already that he would handle the prince himself.

I watched with a frown as Oanez stared at the prince for a few moments, and the prince surprisingly relented. “Very well, I will ask the Queen for this discussion.” My eyes widened at how easily Oanez had handled the prince, and with no words spoken between them. The interaction was odd, but I couldn’t ask the man about it since the prince was still there, looking down at the map with a sigh.

“If only the King of Eresdia had accepted the princess for marriage, or even the general from Drinla had taken her.” I frowned at the sudden mentions of the two Kingdoms as the prince turned to me suddenly. “Did you know, Elena, both the rulers refused the princess?” I glanced over at Oanez with rising curiosity, who shook his head, which was exactly the answer I relayed to the prince. “No, your majesty.”

The prince’s eyes gleamed with a certain emotion as he smiled. “She was presented to both rulers and yet they rejected her as their spouse. In their defense, no man would want someone else’s seconds.” I couldn’t identify when this rage had begun to burn inside of me as I heard of the prince’s vicious words. His expressions remained amused as if this discussion was a trivial chat over tea.

“Your majesty, I believe we should--” Oanez had begun to speak but he was quickly interrupted when the prince leaned closer to me in a friendly manner, clearly unaware of how disgusted and enraged I was at him. And even at myself.

“Who do you think told the two rulers of the princess’ misadventures with another man?”