The capital city of Songdo was even bigger than Jia had imagined it to be. The walls seemed to stretch from horizon to horizon, and Jia couldn’t help but gawk at the enormously high towers. They’d been impressive enough in the distance, but up close they seemed to reach impossibly into the sky. Constructions like that had to be impossible without magic being involved somehow—as befitted the seat of power for the magical colleges of Goryeo. The city was so large that its shanty town had a shanty town. The makeshift constructions extended so far outside the walls of the city that there was an entire second slum of people too poor to even make their way inside the shield formation—scrounging up what they could in order to eke out a meager existence at the edge of the wilderness.

Jia was surprised that they hadn’t received another sudden visit from Jianmo on the way to the city, but her capricious master presumably had her own ineffable business to attend to. Besides, it wasn’t as if there had been a wealth of opportunities for privacy on their journey. The military escort had been much more strict than before—insisting that Jia and her associates stay within the perimeter established by the soldiers. It was annoying, but Jia had caused trouble for them in Yangye, and arguing would only make more trouble.

Han Shin, the lieutenant who had previously complained about Eui, was particularly vocal to anyone who would listen to him about the obvious noble nepotism at play—safely out of his captain’s earshot, of course. He argued that Jia and her associates were acting like they were above the law, and flaunting their status as diplomats to abuse the laws however they wished. At one point, he even claimed that Ja Yun should have been court-martialed or executed for being complicit to their crimes, rather than simply transferred. It was a little bit troubling that most of their military escort seemed to agree with him, but Jia and Eui had other things on their mind.

Eui wrung her tail nervously in front of her as Hayakawa and Captain Sagong So negotiated their entry to the city with the local guard, which was much more strict than any other city Jia had ever been to. She’d been fretting nonstop ever since the city came into sight, constantly checking and double-checking her hair—making sure it thoroughly covered her right eye, even though she’d already covered the brand both with makeup and illusion—fussing over her clothing, and then fussing over Jia’s clothing. Eui practically vibrated with nerves, and Jia could feel the turbulent mixture of fear, anticipation, and longing roiling away in her partner’s soul. Jia pried one of Eui’s hands off of her tail to take it in her own.

“Relax, Eui. Your parents are going to be delighted to see you. I’m sure they miss you as much as you miss them.”

Eui tried to swallow, though her mouth was dry.

“I-I know—we’ve already talked about this. You and Jung have both said that a million times.”

Jia bumped Eui with her hip, smiling wryly.

“I’ll say it a million more, if I have to. Your family loves you, Eui.”

Eui nodded absentmindedly, though Jia could tell that her words were falling on deaf ears. Jia gave Eui’s hand a reassuring squeeze, and left her to her quiet ruminations.

As with their arrival to Yangye, things moved very quickly once they were inside the walls. They were escorted directly to the embassy—a huge building near the center of the city purpose-built to house Yamato diplomats specifically. The construction actually resembled the castle back in Noguchi, and was clearly designed with Yamato sensibilities in mind. Once settled into their accommodations, Jia and Eui were called into the debriefing with Rika, Hayakawa, and Captain Sagong So. The captain met them with an easy grin and saluted as they entered the spacious meeting room.

“Allow me to be the first to officially welcome you to the Yamato embassy. Normally, this would be where we part ways, but my unit has been reassigned to provide additional security here during your stay. You are free to avail yourselves of the amenities provided at this facility, and the city of Songdo is open to you and yours—with some caveats.

“Nobody is to leave this building without at least one escort personally approved by me. I will also require thorough itineraries to determine the nature and duration of any trips into the city. This applies to every member of the envoy with the following...exceptions.”

Sagong So’s smile grew stiff as he spoke the last word through his teeth.

“I’ve been informed that as landowning citizens of the city, we are not to restrict the movements of Lee Jia or her family, including Lee Jung, Lee Narae, and An Eui. Naturally, you may continue to stay here at the embassy, or your own estate at this address.”

The captain handed Jia a slip of paper, but she didn’t really know how to make sense of the address written on it. Sagong So’s face relaxed back into its usual smile.

“That’s all, unless anyone has any questions?”

Most of them shook their heads, but Hayakawa crossed her arms and frowned.

“I won’t keep the others, but I have a few things I need to discuss with you, Captain, if you’ve got a moment to spare.”

The captain nodded, and the rest of the girls accepted the tacit dismissal, leaving the two to have their discussion in private.

A Yamato-style castle, it turned out, came with Yamato-style baths. While they didn’t have their own private bath as they had back in the actual castle, there was a huge communal one that had all the same advantages of the one they had enjoyed in Noguchi. The water was warm, soothing, and pleasantly scented as the girls washed away the dust and grime from their travels. Eui tried to relax, but not even a hot bath surrounded by cute girls was enough to take her mind off of the upcoming reunions.

It wasn’t just her parents, either—though they were foremost in her thoughts. Seong Eunae would also be in the city, presumably living in the absurdly ostentatious royal palace. The palace was a huge, sprawling complex in the center of Songdo—practically an entire town unto itself, embedded within the city. Jia had even considered trying to use the speaking stone to contact her, but there had been a number of xiantian domains tracking them since the moment they entered the city, and Jia had agreed that they should be patient.

Eui never really got along that well with Seong Eunae. Aside from being a mage and a noble—two groups that both garnered her instant hatred back then—Eunae made Eui uncomfortable. She was sweet, cheerful, friendly, a little bit pushy—and completely fake. Every part of Eunae’s personality was—to Eui—a transparent facade, hiding something darker lurking underneath. In the time they’d spent together, Eui had gotten to know the princess a little better, seeing both the earnest ideals supporting that facade, and more of the darkness that it covered up. In many ways, Eunae and Eui were very much alike.

Eui’s thoughts were interrupted by a sudden splash of water. She spluttered and wiped her face as Narae and Heian giggled at her. Jung sternly chastised the pair for horsing around, and they apologized before going back to playing together in the spacious baths. Jung offered Eui a conciliatory smile.

“Sorry about that—Narae’s never experienced something like this, and she’s a little overexcited. Admittedly, it’s a first for me as well.”

Eui shrugged, making a point of keeping her eyes glued to Jung’s. It wouldn’t do to get caught ogling her own sister-in-law—Jia would never let her live it down.

“It’s fine—it’s pretty new for us too. I was surprised that Heian came out for this—she normally hates bathing.”

Jia suddenly hugged Eui from behind, resting her chin on Eui’s shoulder.

“I think she just likes spending time with Narae. It’s cute!”

Eui smiled, hugging Jia’s arms around her abdomen and idly wrapping her tail around Jia’s leg. Normally Jia struggled with that sort of skinship, and Eui could tell she was putting forward an extra effort to help her relax—she appreciated it.

“Not as cute as those two.”

Eui nodded in the direction, where Rika and Ja Yun were chatting in their own private corner. Rika had a mischievous expression on her face, while Ja Yun sank down to her eyes beneath the water—something told Eui that the redness of her skin had nothing to do with the temperature of the bath.

Jung followed her gaze, then covered her mouth and gasped.

“Oh my! You think there’s something there?”

Eui shrugged.

“If Rika wants it to be. I don’t know how far she’ll be willing to go with Seong Eunae right around the corner, though.”

Jung’s head whipped around to meet Eui’s eyes with the unmistakable glint of a career gossip picking up on a juicy tidbit. It was an expression she’d seen often during her time in the preparatory school before her life had fallen apart. Jia just sighed—she didn’t have much of a taste for gossip.

“Rika’s not going to still be pining over Eunae, Eui. She took her rejection in stride back at the academy. I don’t think she’s the type to get attached like that.”

Eui nodded in acknowledgement.

“That’s true, but I don’t think her feelings for Eunae were shallow either. But who knows? There’s plenty of Rika to go around, don’t you think?”

Jia snorted.

“That’s terrible, Eui. Besides, I think you’re only talking about this to dodge the subject of meeting your family. As nice as this bath is, I’d like to see this house I apparently own and move my family in.”

Eui sighed. Jia was right—as usual. As much as Eui loved her, it was occasionally an enormous pain in the ass to have a girlfriend that could all but literally read your mind.

“Alright, alright! I know we can’t avoid it forever. I just—I don’t know. What do I even say to them?”

“Hello? I missed you? I love you? I’m still alive?”

Eui elbowed Jia in the side, and Jung giggled at the pair.

“Those are all good suggestions, yes. But Eui, if you’re really so concerned about what they might think of you, may I offer a suggestion? A bit of fun that might help you ease into things.”

Jung’s words piqued Eui’s curiosity.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Well, you’re mages right? I’m not sure how feasible it would be, but...”

As Jung explained her plan, Eui’s eyes grew wider and wider, and Jia giggled.

“Oh, that’s just too silly. We’re not actually going to do that are we?”