"For most places, it was a rare occasion to be celebrated when the leader of a different nation graced their city with their presence. For people who lived in Paradise, that was just a fourthday." - Widely circulated saying about Paradise.

"So you came at last, huh, brat?" said Cal as she saw Xain walk through the teleportation gate that led to Al-Shan. The young emperor had grown from a boy into a man in the past five years, though it still amused her to see the sparse facial hair he tried to grow on his lips and chin.

She was naturally forewarned on when exactly Xain would arrive - an emperor like him couldn't just visit a foreign land on a whim after all - which was how she already awaited his arrival for the past half hour or so.

It was late in the twelfth month then, the last month of winter, and Cal had spent the past couple months as she mostly trained Ying Xiao harshly. It was to her and Aideen's satisfaction that the girl was as prepared as she could be, for the future that she would have in Al-Shan after Xain brought her home.

What caught Cal's attention as Xain walked through the gate was that he had not walked to her as usual, but instead carefully helped someone walk through the gate, as he held their hand and guided them. As the figure walked through the gate Cal could see why.

Layla carefully stepped through the gate behind Xain, her pregnancy prominently visible under her loose clothes. Cal was no expert, but she'd have guessed her to be six to seven months pregnant or so, which explained why Xain was so careful with her.

"Congratulations," Cal said sincerely as she walked over and wrapped the two gently in an embrace. To say she had no feeling over the news would be wrong, as she had after all watched and looked after the two of them since they were toddlers before. Cal shared in their joy as they just wordlessly hugged each other - though carefully so as not to press against Layla's belly - and savored the moment. "So… is it a boy or a girl? Or still too early to tell?"

"Mother said it's likely a girl, though it is still a bit early to be certain," answered Layla as they separated from the embrace. She felt some relief, then giggled to herself as she noticed that the guards at the gate hub had politely looked elsewhere during their moment of affection. Since when was she so wary to display affection openly like this?

"Come, I'll take you two somewhere more private," said Cal as she led the two away. Xain took the other side as they walked together, Layla protectively nestled between them. "I heard you wanted to speak with me?"

"We do, yes. It pertains to Ying Xiao," replied Xain with a touch of nervousness to his voice that he tried to hide. Cal knew him all too well to miss the subtle tell, however, and she looked at him questioningly with a raised eyebrow. "We'll speak of it somewhere more private."

"All right," replied Cal with a nod. She brought them to a small pastry shop. It was early in the morning, so there were several people in line at the shop, but most of the outdoor tables were unoccupied. They made an order, then seated themselves by one table on the side.

It was not long before a large therian man came and carefully placed their order at the table, bid them to enjoy, and left. Xain flicked a finger and from the outside it looked as if there was a sheet of something that separated the table and its surroundings from the world outside.

A simple space affinity barrier that stopped voice from being heard outside its confines, and one of the simpler applications of the magic. Even so, the ease with which Xain conjured it spoke of his diligent practice even with his responsibilities as emperor which vied for his time, so Cal gave him a subtle nod of approval.

Xain and Layla then laid out what they had discussed beforehand, about their possible future plans for Ying Xiao, and why they had sought her approval for it. For her part, Cal just listened, and only asked them to clarify a few things she was uncertain of, as she was not well versed in political matters.

"You know I do not understand politics that well. Nor do I want to," Cal said bluntly after Xain and Layla were done. Both of them looked nervous, almost like children who sought approval from their parents. "That said, for matters like these, it is not up to me to decide. You should ask the girl in question yourself, though knowing her, she would mostly likely agree with whatever you asked of her."

"I told him as much, but you know how he is at times," Layla said with a slight sulk as she sipped on her tea and smiled approvingly. She then cut a part of the confection on the plate before her before she brought it to her mouth and chewed. "Oh! This is really good. They use honey here, I believe?"

Sweets were generally a luxury in Alcidea, especially those made with honey. There was cheaper sugar as well, made out of some sort of beet, but its cultivation was not widespread and sugar in general remained a luxury good in the continent.

In contrast, Al-Shan mostly extracted sugar from the sap of several types of palm trees in the more temparate south east, and while not every island was conducive to their growth with the harsh winters, what they produced was enough for domestic consumption.

Those in the frigid north-west enjoyed a thick syrup made from the sap of a coniferous tree endemic to the cold regions, considered a rare delicacy. Honey was favored by the nobility, and was naturally more scarce and therefore expensive.

Meanwhile, in the southern continent of Ur-Teros their main sugar crop were sugar canes, and it was cultivated widely over the continent, which made sweets a common thing there. Some coastal areas also made palm sugar like in Al-Shan, but such practice seemed to be absent in Alcidea.

"One of the best places in town to enjoy some sweets, yeah," replied Cal as she enjoyed her own snack, a small cake piled high with a cream that tastes strongly of sweetened chestnuts. "Take your time to enjoy the food. I'll bring you two to Ying Xiao after this."

"I dare say that the girl has awaited for this day to come for a long time now, even."