A week had passed since I started talking with Hazeel about Dantae. It wasn’t easy to start speaking at first, as regret bore down on my shoulders from the moment I thought of things to say. I couldn’t help but to blame myself for not recognizing how dangerous that someone I perceived as powerless could be.

In the meantime, Hazeel and I had been going from our inn to the castle frequently to freelance for Bella. So far we had defeated a lesser wyvern that had been terrorizing the Cobalt Prefecture, and slain an Abyssal; extremely large, whale-like creatures that occasionally obstructed fishing and trade routes with their massive bodies.

On the other hand, we had also been doing some diplomatic work. There were a few loose ends that needed to be cut, so we did just that. The majority stepped down from their positions of power after being threatened, but a few were a little more stubborn. We made their deaths look accidental and then installed one of the younger, more progressive thinking sons or daughters to succeed them.

After the chess board called, ‘politics,’ was finally set up in Bella’s favor, we visited the Queen of the Azure Empire once more. “Now entering: Leon and Hazeel!” A squire announced us from behind the door. The large doors of the throne room opened to reveal Bella, clad in soft-looking white robes and a large golden crown on her head. She shot us a smug smile as we stepped in, and spread her arms wide.

“Welcome, loyal subjects! Bow before your new queen!” The three of us just stayed there in awkward silence for a good minute before a gung-ho knight walked up to us.

“You filthy commoners, how dare you disobey your queen!” The knight raised his sword, only to poof out of existence a moment later. Following soon after, the rest of the room’s occupants disappeared without a trace, leaving just Hazeel, myself, and a very disgruntled queen.

“Come on Leo, you knew I was joking.” Bella ran her hands up and down her face in disbelief.

Shrugging, I pointed to the empty air where the boisterous knight had been a few moments prior. “He wasn’t though. You really should mind the company you keep.” Bella rolled her eyes and leaned into her throne.

“Duly noted, and thinking those exact same thoughts at the moment.” She said, looking me up and down. “Leo, for the sake of recovering my people quicker, can you tell me where you sent them?”

“Downtown.” Hazeel said promptly, handing me over a piece of paper in the process. When Bella gave her a puzzled look, the wood elf shrugged. “We had a bet going about whether or not we would get attacked after coming here. I told him that if we did, not to put anyone anywhere dangerous.

“And you just gave him…?” Hazeel smiled and stood up straight.

“A command coupon! Aren’t I a genius! They can be redeemed to give a person one order that they must follow.”

“Is it just me or have you two grown closer?” Bella rubbed her chin in thought and I shrugged.

“If it looks that way it’s probably because we had something of a heart to heart earlier in the week. It did wonders for getting us onto the same page regarding our upcoming journey.” “Yeah, about that, and these coupons…” Shifting her gaze between Bella and myself, Hazeel rushed to Bella’s side before whispering something into her ear.

This caused Bella’s face to light up scarlet, and she quickly shooed the wood elf from beside her. “Gods damn you! Horny, perverted elf!”

Her outburst caused Hazeel to let off one of her dazzling smiles-

I shook my head and took a deep breath. It was hard enough to win the mental battle against her constant use of her… assets, for lack of a better term. It would be that much harder to control myself if I actively started thinking about her as attractive.

Likely noticing my plight, Hazeel smiled and made her way back towards me before facing the throne once more. After recollecting herself, Bella relaxed, and she bore a much more dignified look than only moments before.

“Thanks for coming regardless, Hazeel and Leo. You two are the people I trust the most, which is why I wanted to ask a final favor of you two before you set sail for the Gold Continent.”

Ruffling through her clothes, Bella pulled out a blue envelope and held it out. I took it and inspected the front and back, which were both blank. “Who is it for?”

Sitting back in her throne, Bella drummed her fingers on the armrests. “My grandma. It’s of the utmost importance, but unfortunately my grandmother sent me a letter telling me that she’d be busy until tomorrow morning.”

Bella leaned over, resting her head in her left hand. “As soon as the first light comes, I’d like for you to deliver that letter. It would make good timing as well, since your identification papers and letters of travel should be finished processing by the day after tomorrow.”

I nodded and pocketed the letter in my dimensional space. “Is there anything else I should know?”

Bella looked upwards, but apparently not finding the correct words, she shook her head. “Nope, none that I could think of. However, my Grandma has a tendency to be secretive at the worst of times, so just bear that in mind and have a healthy amount of caution when you head over.”

The new queen shrugged and smiled at us. “Other than that, enjoy yourselves!”

She waved us off and sent us on our way. By herself of course, since her guards were at least 500 megards from the castle. I could tell how she felt by the vein that popped up on her forehead as she opened the throne room doors herself, but her pride didn’t allow anything less.

After exiting the castle, we passed by some of the guards who I sent downtown earlier. With dejected sighs, they tried their best to avert my gaze and scramble back to their workplace. Shaking my head, I handed a grinning Hazeel a coupon. “Ha, I have all three again!” She gave me a grin and asked, “Want to know what I told Bella I’d use them for?”

Thinking about it, I thought it would be better for my sanity and self-control if I didn’t, so I shook my head. “Nope. I don’t want to know to be honest.”

Hazeel scowled, and pinched me. “You’re an ass sometimes.” She pouted. “How am I supposed to believe that your heart is capable of love and kindness like that.”

I rolled my eyes as we continued walking in the bustling streets of the Azure Kingdom. As it turned out, having a new queen had been a shot in the arm for a limp and dying economy. Now that there was new leadership, and a demi-human one at that, many species that had left the Azure Kingdom came back to see if the changes were truly genuine. Looking around, there were some disgruntled or depressed people, but such expressions were vastly outweighed

We didn’t have much to do following the meeting, so we decided to just rest easy at the inn until dawn. It had been busy this past week, so as soon as we bathed and our heads hit our pillows, we both fell asleep within minutes.

I stirred after what felt like hours, and snapped my head left to see the window. With a sigh of relief, I noticed it was still dark outside and turned my head back to the right, only to see Hazeel’s sleeping face, almost nose to nose with my own. I studied her oval face, her dark-pink lips, her long lashes, and her long-tipped ears. I had no idea how someone like this had fallen for me, or at least, thought me worthy enough to have sex with.

I would have continued looking at her, but her twitching ears gave away the fact that she was aware of my gaze. I smiled, and lifted my hand to caress her cheek. She melted into my hand, but it wasn’t long before I took it away and used it to give the elf a flick on the forehead.

She let out a very cute noise, before opening her eyes. “You! You’re laughing!?” She sounded furious, but I just shook my head, our faces still nose-to-nose.

“I’m the one who should sound upset. Please tell me, what’s that?” I pointed behind her and she turned around. When she turned back, she had a slightly red face.

“Ah, uhh, a bed.”

“No, dummy. That’s your bed. Why’d you sneak underneath my covers?” This time the blush spread to her ears as she swung around and returned to her own bed. She was, of course, completely naked, so for the greater good (of keeping my own desires under control) I turned my gaze back to the window.

I heard a soft, “You know why,” followed by the rustling of sheets as she got under her covers. I took a deep breath. Ever since I became aware of sex, (which sadly, wasn’t that long ago,) Dantae had been keeping me company, and never let my own, or her desires, for that matter, build up too much. In her absence, however, I had to admit that keeping my sexual desire under control was a rather difficult challenge for me.

Of course, I would never admit to, or show any expression regard those feelings, but they were always present. A warm feeling in my gut whenever Hazeel snuggled up close. However, I now realized how much trust one needed to consent to sex with someone, which made me cherish Dantae even more.

Closing my eyes for a short nap once more, I sighed. It was going to feel like a very long time before we left for the gold continent, wasn’t it?

—-

I was up before long, and as dawn broke I snapped my fingers and teleported us to Jane’s house. Hazeel just stared at me, and I gave her a curious, “What?”

“Why’d you snap your fingers? You never needed to do that before, right?” I looked down at my own hand and shrugged.

“Just felt like it, I guess.”

“Felt like it?” Hazeel gave me her predatory eyes as she looked me up and down. “I would hesitate to breath it into existence, but I finally think you’re subconsciously opening up to me.”

She gave me a grin, and I paused to think about it for a moment. I gave her a smile that made hers falter, but before she could say anything I erased it off my face. “Stranger things have happened, I guess.”

I started walking towards the mansion’s entrance, as Hazeel followed along. “That wasn’t fair Leo, I didn’t- I wasn’t prepared for that! Smile again so I can remember it properly this time!”

Ignoring her cries, I opened the door of the mansion and went stiff as a board as two poppers exploded in my ears. “Surprise!” Jane and Conrad stood at the sides of the door, and Conrad’s two generals, Jeannis and Flora, held a cake in front of me.

“Uhh, thanks?”

I was slightly confused, but that wore off as soon as a cry of, “Cake!” came from behind me, and a very incensed Hazeel brushed past me to get a slice of the dairy treat.

“Thanks for coming Leon.” Jane smiled at me, and I looked around at all the decorations lining the manor.

“You’re welcome… I was told by your daughter you have important business.” Jane’s smile grew weak as she nodded.

“That I do. I’d like you to transport Belladonna’s inheritance to the royal capital for her, but there’s no reason for us to not celebrate our last meeting together. Let’s have a party first, business can come after that.”

She pointed to a figure who had eagerly sat in a seat in the kitchen. I sighed at the sight of Hazeel’s back, and followed Jane into the kitchen. We’d been in Songrande for so long already, what was one more day of festivities?