Finley Cai Aies Hall May 3rd,20XX

I flew away from the scene as quickly as I could, needing to calm down but also not wanting to take the mood to the otherworld. The faint sound of a pair of wings coming in my direction caught my attention but I wasn’t in the mood to look around and confirm its source. There wasn’t anyone I wanted to right now.

I banked around to the fields and flew around the near-empty palace, trying to lose my potential assailant

Eventually, they seemed to give up and flew into the other direction, but I still didn’t feel safe enough or calm enough to find a place to transport back to the human world for fear that they might follow me. I decided to pay a visit to the infirmary where Mei’s spies were getting treated.

I had visited the infirmary a few times for routine physical examinations as well as to get some help on my research so I could even take a few shortcuts around the oversized castle and made it there in a few minutes.

“Your highness!”

Before I could even land properly, I was already greeted by the group of them even though more than half had been regulated to bed rest.

“Ah- ah yeah. Are you all doing okay?”

A few of them were actually unconscious and couldn’t give a status update themselves so the medics had to respond in their place.

“They will be fine your highness. The battle was difficult on them, but they should recover within half a month with enough rest and tonics.”

“Half a month?”

Rather childishly I couldn’t help but be disappointed at the lack of ‘magic’ that happened in an infirmary in a fairy’s palace, but I tried to hide my feelings. I had suddenly sprung so many patients onto them and I doubted that they had seen any patients for a while.

The medic nodded and then indicated to a small pin she wore on her vest.

“Yes, your highness. We are actually still students so there is a limit in what we can do and what spells we can use…there is also the fact that these facilities are solely for you, your future wife and your future children’s useage. We wouldn’t be able to bear the responsibility if we used materials on these people that you may need in the future.”

Once again, the heavy pressure of my reality was forced upon me and this time, I didn’t have Cai operating to take the edge off.

I forced out an awkward smile and waved off their concerns in an attempt to bypass their heavy words and have them focus on the task at hand.

“Just send to the Ruan Duchy for any materials that you might need and send the bill for anything that they don’t directly have but you need. I’m still in good health and I need you to make sure my saviours are okay.”

As respectfully as a textbook their wings folded in and their heads bowed but they made no sounds of consent and it was pretty clear that they had no intentions of following my orders.

I might have pursued it if the fairies were in more critical conditions but since they would be fine, I just wished them all to get better and set off on my original course to my room.

I didn’t think I had it in me to play tyrant more than once in a day.

After floating around a bit more and actively avoiding all possibilities of meeting anyone I finally settled on my room as a safe place. The only ones that would be able to enter my room without me there had already sent off to various missions anyways.

Or so I had thought.

I checked the surroundings of my room a few times over before finally flying in, disabling the doorknob and flopping down onto the gigantic bed.

“I see you’re feeling fine.”

The unamused voice of my fiancée who I had forgotten had received unconditional access to the palace filtered over from the chair on the other side of the room and into my ears.

In my surprise, I rolled off the bed and winced at the strain to my wings while doing so.

“Mei? What are you doing here? What about the-“

“I already sorted everything out and had them dealt with. Or did you imagine it taking me so long that you could flee to the human world before coming to talk to me?”

At having my plan exposed so accurately I couldn’t even offer an explanation in defence. The option of continuing the charade from earlier did cross my mind; to divert her attention by accusing her of sending spies after me but I just didn’t have it in me and could only stare blankly at her.

Come to think of it she had backed away from me pretty far earlier, and she was pretty obviously angry at me right now. Had she figured out the modification on her bonds I had put in? Or had she heard something that she shouldn’t have?

I had arrived at the site pretty late as well, but I had seen her get angry while others bad-mouthed me. Wasn’t that supposed to be a good sign?

She got up from the chair and walked a few steps closer to me but then grimaced and took that many steps back.

“First, the bonds you put on me loosened. Don’t be too discouraged since it’s common amongst first-time spell casters. If I had known that Esmeralda had done so much to you, I would have at least arranged for you to have a proper tutor before attempting such a complex spell but it's outright impressive what you’ve managed to accomplish in spite of her actions.”

At the unexpected praise, I could only nod in response, having anticipated a lecture in its place.

“Thank you? And I didn't make a mistake with the bonds... I wasn't sure how long I would stay around here and didn't want to leave them on you if I suddenly had to leave. ”

At this she frowned but tried to control her expression back to a neutral one.

“That…. I wish you had told me what was going on before things escalated to you forming escape contingencies, but I understand that I was introduced to you by Esmeralda. For you to trust me as much as you do is almost a miracle.”

“Ah, well you made your opinion on Esmeralda pretty clear from the start… you aren’t angry at me?”

She scoffed loudly enough that I could hear it from the distance she maintained but her expression softened a bit even though her words harshened.

“Angry? If I had to define how I was feeling right now I could only say I was furious. Not even a week after you promised to keep yourself out of danger you went and risked your safety to help out a few scouts? Not even a week after you promised to prioritize your safety, I find out that you have been quietly living under a woman that had the nerve to fake a bond between the late queen and planned to have you murdered. And in all the times we have talked you never once felt it apt to mention that you weren’t put in the human world in a safe abode but were rather abandoned and only found out you were one of us a few months ago. Your highness, even though you are my fiancée can I say that I know you at all?”

Although she never yelled her volume her anger was louder than words could express. With each sentence, she approached me step by step and at the end of the spiel was close enough that I could see her chest heave as she caught her breath from the rant, despite the fact that such a thing shouldn’t have been enough to make her lose breath. I launched myself from my seat on the floor and began to approach her.

“Mei?”

She held up a hand to stop me and took as many steps backwards as I had taken towards her.

“Don’t come any closer unless you want the first royal child to be born out of wedlock. I could hold together the rest of the bond enough to be this close to you but any closer and I can’t take responsibility for my own actions.”

“How well do you think you could hold it then? I think I know enough about it to finalize it properly and …. I don’t think I need a contingency anymore.”

I had wanted to play around with the aversion spell Esmeralda had used on Cambridge and Corin and see if I could use it to optimize the bond but that could be added in later.

I could see her hesitation, and she was obviously still shaken from the events from earlier, but she eventually nodded in agreement and allowed me to get closer to her. I walked slowly so she could adjust the strength with which she held herself back and finally stopped a mere 2 feet from her, close enough that I should reach out to her but far enough that I could beat a quick escape if she lost control.

Although truth be told I didn’t think I would mind it all that much if she did…. not that I would ever mention that to her.

She suddenly began to speak in a heavy tone despite her eyes being closed from concentration.

“I’ll agree to you redoing the bonds but Cai I just wanted to tell you that I'm saying this regardless of the throne or out of any sense of duty. But-“

Her eyes snapped open and captured my line of vision, emphasizing the importance of her coming words and her arms snapped out to capture mine with a slightly heavier than necessary grip. The giant room suddenly closed in to feel like it was only the two of us and less than a few inches of space between us.

“-If you ever left without a word of goodbye then it wouldn’t matter where you ran too, be it the human world or another universe altogether. You can bet your wings that I would find you and bring you back.”