NOVEL NEXT Chap 198: An Unexpected Visit.
"Who is it?" Someone has arrived at the dome — they're knocking on the door right now. I check the clock; I've been in here training for more than a day, only resting when necessary. At times I wanted to lie down and check the news or something — it's a problem not having smartphones in this world.
Should I buy one of those tablet-like things? That device is like a flat plate you eat from; you can play music on it and the news updates twice a day in short posts. It's the latest tech product from one of the continent's best companies, the problem is that the information they publish depends entirely on their sources.
Some news might take several days to arrive while information from remote places is verified, or maybe over a week if it's very detailed or far away. For local topics it's perfect — a medium of distraction and information — but the problem is the price. While I think about whether I should get one, I head to the door to see who's waiting.
When the door slides open I see a familiar face. She's wearing a floral dress to the knee and yellow sandals that match her clothes and hair perfectly. A polite, perfect smile is painted on her face while those gray eyes look at me like they're analyzing everything about me.
"Pr- Brendu? How did you get here?" I'm a little stunned; I almost forgot to call her by her name from the surprise. How did she find me? No one should know exactly where I am — I didn't tell any of my friends where I'd be or what my free days' plans were.
"It wasn't complicated — a bribe to Shawu with her favorite pastry and a few questions here and there until I figured it out." She says it completely naturally; I remain frozen at how easy it was. Shawu shouldn't know where I am, and asking at random shouldn't turn up my location.
"What? I don't understand." I'm blunt and sincere — I need an answer to know how she did it.
Brendu tucks a lock of her blonde hair behind her left ear and her smile widens a little. "I'll explain, but you know it's rude to leave a guest waiting outside." I look behind me to check for anything odd I shouldn't see; after verifying with my Personal World I invite her in.
She pulls out a sofa that looks very comfortable and has runes from her dimensional bracelet. I'm a little jealous of her lovely — probably perfect — sofa. "I could order one for you if you like it that much." I blush a bit for staring at her sofa too long. After a deep breath I notice something bad — I smell sweat.
"No need, don't worry. Before I ask you again, let me go take a shower." Luckily this room has a small shower section; I now carry soap and shampoo in my dimensional bracelet in case I get trapped in a dungeon again — I once had the bad experience of showering only with water and some plants.
She only nods; I move like lightning to the showers. I hadn't realized until now how sticky I felt — better to wash off all the sweat from these hours of training. The shower is relaxing; it clears my head and my body feels renewed from the hot water. I dress in a simple white shirt and shorts.
Brendu rests her arm on the sofa and props her head on her hand. "You look very handsome and sexy just after a shower." My heart flutters at hearing her voice; I avoid looking her in the eyes while I finish drying my hair.
"Thanks…" Her direct lines remind me of Marga, her way of expressing herself like Sol, and her behavior like Arisa. She's a combination of the three, but she has something none of them have: a maturity and majesty in every movement and word. "Can I ask how you found me? No one knows where I am…"
"Oh, right." She relaxes on her sofa, losing her majesty in a second — now she looks like a normal woman, and I feel much more comfortable. "I went to your apartment once yesterday and again today. It was a surprise when I didn't find you, and when I asked at reception they told me they hadn't seen you all day — not yesterday or today." She went to my room? I didn't expect that… now the whole world has seen a princess asking about me.
"Imagine my surprise when I discovered that. Then I thought about asking Areci or Shawu; I found the latter quickly and after some negotiations she sold me out for a daily portion of her favorite dessert for a week." Shawu sold me that easily? I won't forget this — I'll pay her back with a prank when I can.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
"She figured you'd be training in some dome — she called you 'the kid who lived training and had no friends.'" Brendu can't help laughing and I stay frozen; I had told them about my childhood and how much I like training. I'm not mad at Shawu for that; after a few weeks of knowing her I can imagine her calling me that.
"I went straight to the professors' domes. After asking at the main office they refused to give information about who was inside." At least they didn't sell me out. "But you know, being a princess has its privileges. I just asked which dome had been active for more than 15 hours and they grudgingly told me after I pressed a bit."
"That's how I found you." She looks proud of her actions, like a secret agent capturing a fugitive. At least only she and a few others could get me — first you must be close to Shawu to get my info, and second you must have princess status to extract information from those in charge of the domes. Impossible for 99% of people at this academy.
"Being a princess has many privileges." I say it without thinking much, and immediately notice how informal and complaining my tone sounded.
She just shrugs. "Yes — if I use them for something good I don't see the problem." Luckily she isn't annoyed, and she's right: if you use power wisely there's no problem.
"What am I good for, Princess?" I emphasize the last word; she looks a little annoyed and sighs. "After bribing people and abusing your authority a bit to find me, you must have a good reason." I'm gambling a lot with that comment — I just want to tease her for the effort she made to find me.
She doesn't seem angry; quite the opposite, she looks happy. "This is my charity project of the week: letting a simple low-rank noble see me and admire my presence." Her answer paints a smile on my face — I didn't expect that wonderful move. I notice at the corner of her mouth she's holding back laughter. I'm the first to laugh and she follows; our laughter rings through the dome.
"Jokes aside, there isn't any special reason." I tilt my head at her answer. "I just wanted to see you, talk to you, and thank you for being a gentleman when I stayed the night at your place." Her smile is very natural, not forced or painted — it's the second time I've seen such a lovely smile from her; the first was that night under the moonlight.
"I like when you smile so naturally." The words come out before I process them; my cheeks flush immediately. I'm not the only one — she also freezes mid-word, her face pinkening and a sharp smile forming in the second.
I don't want to give her time to attack me. "So you only wanted to see me… it's a great honor to host the princess of the Juka kingdom while I train. I feel grateful to share a few words with such an eminence." I had already promised to talk to her whenever she wanted; she only needed to find me and I'd be there — I won't break my word.
"I'll let your comment slide, but I won't forget it." She winks before crossing her legs. "We can talk while you train — I just want to distract myself a bit from some responsibilities and I don't want to interrupt you much. Just keep training; think of me as the statue of a goddess you can talk to or admire." I fetch a cushion to sit across from her.
"It would feel wrong to keep you too long — you're very popular and must have many plans on your free days." I'm honest; I'm happy to see her and have company, I just can't imagine a boring plan for a royal in such a big, lively city.
"Don't worry. I came by my own decision and I'll leave when I think it's necessary." My doubts and wrong ideas are cleared with that single sentence. "Let's drop the unnecessary stuff. Tell me how your first week as a student and teacher went." She gets even more comfortable on her sofa and I recall the events of the first day.
Brendu shows interest in every story I tell: how my first classes went, my impressions of each, putting an insolent noble in his place, and the increase in students in my last class — I expect more people in the coming weeks.
We talk for a few hours, eat something together, and keep each other company. She actually uses that plate-like device to check daily news while I train; there are now sections for fashion, new vehicles, etc. Only rich people can access this technology, and they're the only ones who can buy what's advertised.
By almost nightfall on the last day of the week it's time to return to our apartments to prepare for the new week of classes. On the way to leave her at her residence I ask, "Brendu, what is your affinity — or affinities?" She saw me practicing with my three affinities today; I also want to know a little about the person in front of me.
Brendu looks at me oddly for a moment. "The same main affinity that the entire Juka royal family has — and I was lucky to have Poison affinity at the same level. The two make a perfect combination." She poses proudly; it makes sense to feel that way with such a good combination.
"Wood and Poison affinity… quite lethal and impressive." We stand at the door of the huge building before saying goodbye and promising to see each other every day possible. "I think I'll be in big trouble when they find out…" A sad smile lingers on my face.