Chapter 38. Wait and see

— Why did you do that? — Liana Daehsin's voice sounded incredibly smooth.

With the northern princess leaving, not much time had passed and the tense atmosphere had dissipated. After being examined by the physician, the emperor felt better and finally took the throne. The banquet continued as if nothing had happened. Except… One person couldn't just let this situation go.

The young head of the order gave the man opposite her a hard stare. He, in turn, grinned crookedly.

— What did I do wrong? — The guardian asked a counter-question, as if he really didn't understand the essence of her claim.

Liana's hand continued to clench on the glass. It seemed as if it would break into pieces right in her palm.

— You hurt the princess's honor in front of everyone. What else do you call it?

— «Affronted her honor»? Don't talk like I'm some kind of villain. I was only concerned for His Majesty's welfare.

That excuse seemed ridiculous to the girl.

— I don't think so. I think you just wanted to do it.

Benedict Samuel furrowed his brow.

He held a respected position in the order. Even His Eminence reckoned with him and heeded his advice from time to time. Therefore, he could not simply accept that such a young person could address him in such a disrespectful tone.

— Young head, although you undoubtedly hold a special position, you are not yet a head. Therefore, do not forget the boundaries of what is allowed.

When the old man dryly stated this fact in front of her, Liana Daehsin laughed coldly.

— Thank you for kindly reminding me of that. You are right. You have no reason to report to me.

The tower guardian smiled strainedly as well.

— I'm glad we understand each other.

From the outside, the two of them seemed to be having a friendly conversation. Except that no one suspected that their gazes were actually sparkling with lightning.

— By the way, young head… — the guardian was leisurely going through the rosary on his chest, — This is not the time for you to worry about others.

The Guardian hinted at the incident that had happened not so long ago in a very direct manner, and the girl's smile grew even wider.

— Of course. You don't have to worry about that. I will definitely be responsible upon my return to Glensia.

Last time, the old man's promise to tell the lord everything wasn't just empty threats. The next day, he actually came and honestly told Halias Daehsin about everything. More specifically, her dubious connection with the newly minted northern princess. The supreme astrologer listened attentively to him completely. But what his reaction to it was, it is truly unknown.

However, on the same day, the head of the order summoned his eldest daughter for a «preventive talk».

— You seem to be having fun lately,» Halias muttered, standing with his back to her and brewing a strong tea.

The girl was on her knees and was not allowed to raise her head.

— Father, I have no excuse,» Liana replied meekly, «You can punish me as you see fit.

— So do you realize that you made a mistake?

«…»

The man in the long robe of satin silk looked formidable and majestic. Even his daughter was no exception and had to address him respectfully. Halias lit a stick of incense, and the peculiar fragrance wafted around the room. After a while, he looked at his daughter indifferently. Liana was silent and stared at the floor.

— Since you admit you made a mistake, you must be punished for it.

— I understand…

Liana didn't contradict her father and simply agreed with him. The authority of the Supreme Astrologer was too great to try to challenge him. Especially even when he didn't show it, but the man was clearly angry.

— As punishment, you will not be able to return home for three months,» the head of the order said nonchalantly.

— What?

Liana raised her head for the first time.

— You will be responsible for the education and training of the young adepts. The qualification exam to be held in the spring is very important. I'm putting all the responsibility for it on you. You should do your best to get the best results.

The girl pressed her lips into a thin line.

Training new adepts was indeed an important task. Normally, astrologers of at least the highest rank were in charge of it. But her father had suddenly decided to entrust it to her. Liana had never had this kind of experience before. However, even so, the slightest mistake was unacceptable.

— Given the importance of the task, you can't be distracted by extraneous things. You'll stay in the central tower for now. In the spring, if I am happy with the results of the exam, I will consider your return.

The Supreme Astrologer was described as a cold man with a pleasant smile. Despite his outward friendliness, he was actually a rather ruthless person. He had the same attitude towards both the servants who worked for him and members of his own family. Any mistake or show of disobedience deserved severe punishment. The only person who was bypassed by this rule was his youngest daughter Gardenia.

Liana shuddered involuntarily. She understood perfectly well why her father was doing this. After all, the worst punishment for the girl was not excessive work and busy schedule, to which she had long been accustomed. It was the inability to see her little sister. She and Gardenia would have to be separated for several months.

Khalias Daehsin was indeed cruel.

Nevertheless, the girl had to obediently answer:

— I obey, father.

Steel gleamed in the emerald eyes.

— You better remember what happened today. I'm only punishing you so lightly because it was the first time. You've never disappointed me this much before. But if it happens again…

Hearing the warning tone in his tone, Liana involuntarily swallowed. The head of the Order never said anything for nothing. And she knew it well.

— Father, I swear that I will never fail you again!

The heiress of the order had to say this to avoid the worst consequences. But in truth, deep down, she felt a longing.

She was like a bird that, after a brief moment of freedom, had been caged again.

The short time spent with the princess of the north was pleasant and something akin to a dream. However, any dream sooner or later comes to an end.

Liana had something to risk. Even if she felt sympathy for this girl, she couldn't forget about her little sister. Besides, Remesis was her fiancée's sister. If they spent time together, the socialite society would definitely be filled with dirty rumors. And their families' reputations would suffer.

Any way you look at it, any kind of relationship between them is simply impossible.

And perhaps… It was at this moment that Liana Daehsin fully realized that.

Since it would be best for both of them, the young head decided to retreat first. She left the northern princess a parting gift. However, the girl never wore that dress. Seeing this, Liana came to the disappointing conclusion that Remesis no longer wanted anything to do with her either. «Well, it's for the best…» The girl even thought she had accepted it.

But…

Even though Liana had decided to stay away from her, today's incident couldn't leave her indifferent. Seeing the tears glistening in the corners of the girl's eyes, something trembled in the depths of her heart.

Although neither her status nor her surroundings allowed her to hold the senior astrologer accountable for her words, the girl could do nothing at all. After finishing her conversation with the tower keeper on a «friendly» note, she suddenly started to go somewhere.

— Where are you going? — The banquet is not over yet.

— Please excuse me,» the young head smiled kindly, «I have important business to attend to. I'll be back soon.

— It's… — as if realizing something, the old man frowned, — You're not going to…?

— You understood me quite correctly.

Anyway, she's already been punished. So what is there to lose?

Benedict Samuel did not have time to add anything else, as the girl had already disappeared from his sight.

Liana left the banquet hall with her usual gait and then ran swiftly down the stairs. Her sprawling steps took her to the main exit of the central palace in a matter of minutes.

Once in the front courtyard, the heiress of the order breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Remesis had not gone far enough, and her small figure could be seen in the half-light of the lanterns. She had only a few more steps to take before she was out of the garden.

Liana quickly caught up with her.

— What… What are you doing?!

Remesis panicked when a stranger's hand suddenly grabbed her wrist. She began to scream.

— Let go. Let go of me!

— Princess.

Liana Daehsin's voice was calm.

The girl flinched because she recognized it. Glittering emerald eyes and soft facial features appeared in her field of vision, shimmering in the faint lantern light. The night breeze fluttered his long brown strands.

When Remesis realized who was in front of her, she calmed down a little.

The next moment, fear was replaced by anger.

— What do you want? — I don't want to talk to you!» she said firmly, «I don't want to talk to you!

Liana noticed that the girl was trying hard to suppress her tears. She did not succeed in suppressing her tears. This sight made the young head's heart squeeze.

She tried to say it as gently as possible:

— Shh, calm down. Everything is fine now.

— I don't need your support!

To confirm her words, the princess sniffed her nose, quickly coming to her senses. She brought her hand to her eyes and wiped away her tears. All she wanted was to go home. She had no desire to stay here a second longer.

Besides, she didn't have the energy to see this person right now.

— Just leave me alone.

Spitting out those words, Remesis abruptly turned away from her.

She tried to walk past but was stopped.

— Are you sure you can walk on your own in this condition?

— I told you to leave me alone! — Right now Remesis was not in control of her emotions and shouted at the whole garden, forgetting about the rules of decency.

Liana looked at her silently and pressed her lips tightly together.

— Then at least take this.

Without letting go of the girl's hand, the heiress of the order took something out of her breast pocket and handed it to her.

It was a white handkerchief with a beautiful pattern on it.

Remesis regarded it for exactly one moment. Her first impulse, of course, was to throw it to the ground. But, as if anticipating her intentions, the girl resolutely placed the handkerchief in her palm. Even if Remesis had wanted to, she wouldn't have had the strength to break free.

«…»

The girl remained silent as she still had to accept the handkerchief after a brief resistance.

Liana was still looking at her.

— Princess, may I ask you a question? Only you must answer honestly.

— …

— Do you hate me?

— Yes,» Remesis answered without hesitation.

The young head grinned unhappily.

— I knew it. Well, you have your reasons.

— So what now? — The little lady frowned, -I don't think you care about my feelings. You've just come to laugh, haven't you?

— No,» the girl's unexpectedly firm answer made Remesis tense up.

— Then…

Liana sighed heavily.

— From the outside, it might seem like I have a lot of power, that I can do whatever I want. But I don't. Right now, I'm very… Very… Very helpless.

Since she was still being held down, the girl had to listen to her, even though she didn't understand what it was about.

— I… I just want to say that I don't treat you badly.

— It doesn't matter to me.

— I know,» she smiled weakly, «And yet I thought you should know that.

A short pause followed. It was unusually quiet in the night garden of the Imperial Palace.

After a while, as if she had mentally made a decision, Liana Daehsin continued speaking. She chose her words carefully:

— Before, I wasn't sure, but now… Princess, I ask you to believe me just once.

— What?

Remesis frowned.

— Wait for me.

— Hmm?

Remesis stared at her incomprehensibly. «Wait for me? What should I wait for?»

Meanwhile, the young head's steady gaze made her tense up. Her worried face was illuminated by the moon's glow. It seemed as if there were some words left unspoken in the depths of her soul.

— I want to say that one day I will be stronger than I am now.

«…»

— Just wait and see it.

A faint smile touched the corners of her lips. For a moment, Remesis couldn't take her eyes off the sight.

They looked at each other just as they had that night at the festival.

Although the northern princess didn't quite understand what those words meant, it seemed that the answer had already been prepared in the back of her mind.