At least, going directly to their house was the plan. Unfortunately, I hadn’t been there before, so we had to go to the fountain where we had met up with them in the morning first.

“It’s that way, right?” I turned to ask Hazeel, but she was just staring off into the distance. “Hello? Earth to Hazeel.”

“Earth?” The word caught the wood elf’s attention, and her eyes focused on me once more. “What is…? Oh yeah, the name of your homeworld.”

“Welcome back. How were your daydreams?” Hazeel began to pout at my teasing, and started trudging in the direction that Rexir and Leresa had come from earlier.

I had to walk fast to catch up with her long strides, and took her hand in my own, intertwining our fingers together. “I’m sorry, Hazeel. It’s just fun to tease you sometimes.”

She tried to frown, but couldn’t win against my optimism. Sighing, she leaned into my shoulder, and since she was taller than I was, her head rested on my own. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with Vanessa, and then when I actually tried to put thought into what we can do now that it’s just the two of us, you tease me for it.”

“I’m sorry.” I said, squeezing her hand once more, “You’re right. I’ve just been using sarcasm as a part of my regular speech pattern for so long, that it slips out every now and then.”

She took her head off mine, and planted a kiss on my cheek. “You’re forgiven.” She said, and let go of my hand. “As much as I would like to enjoy this walk with you, I can think of much better things to do after our business has concluded.”

I smiled, and opened a portal in front of us, and watched as the exit came into existence on the horizon. “Well then, how about we put Rexir’s travel method to the test. You’ll make the remaining ones. It’ll be good practice for you.”

Hazeel groaned, but stepped through with little actual resistance.

---

“Tirania’s hell!” Leresa shouted as we stepped through a portal and into their room. They had just come back into the household, from the looks of all the bags containing clothing and other trinkets.

“You two didn’t take long to get back into your royal habits. How’d the date go?” Leresa blushed at my words, and apparently refused to translate whatever Rexir had been thinking of, giving him a slap on the shoulder because of it.

“It went well.” Leresa eventually managed, and then sat down on a large couch against one wall of the room.

She sighed and closed her eyes, only to immediately open them and stare directly at Rexir. She turned her gaze to me, and said, “He wants to know how you came here. According to something you said before, you can only teleport to the locations you’ve been to personally.”

I smiled, and sat down next to her. “Normally, you would be correct. That is the case. However, if someone is in the area whose photon signature is one I’m familiar with, then I am able to use them as a beacon of sorts to find my way there.”

Rexir’s jaw fell open, and Hazeel started laughing at the sight. “At least, that’s what I would like to say. The truth is that we basically used your method of travelling to the city in reverse, until we reached your mansion. After that, it was simple to know which room you were in based on your photon signature.

“I see.” Muttered Leresa, who got up and started unpacking the clothing they had bought. Hazeel sat down on the couch, taking her place, and leaned into me once more.

“I assume that if the two of you came here, you have something concrete to discuss?” Leresa said without turning around, which took Hazeel back a bit.

I gave her a wide-eyed look and said, “Did you forget that we asked you to listen to any rumors you might’ve heard pertaining to the relationship between Eina and Rexir’s family?”

Leresa stood up straight and cursed. “Gods damn it, I knew I was-” She flicked her head to Rexir, who had begun communicating with her, and she breathed a sigh of relief. “Rexy said that he was paying attention, and that I’m-”

She stopped herself mid-sentence, her face gaining a telltale blush as she slapped Rexir’s arm again. “What in the hells are you trying to make me say!?”

Meanwhile, Rexir silently laughed, and motioned for Leresa to sit with him across from Hazeel and I. She dragged her feet, but sat down and looked straight at us, never once letting her gaze wander over to the former Gold Continent prince.

“I’ll only translate because there’s literally no one else who could.” Leresa sighed and continued, “Most of what we heard had to only do with their upcoming matches against Rexir, and nothing more. However, as we got into the shadier parts of the city, there were rumors about your friend that started to pop up.”

Hazeel nodded, and leaned in to focus on Leresa. “They weren’t very flattering.” She said, and began to fiddle with her hands. “Do I have to?” She looked at Rexir, who nodded.

“Among the rumors,” she continued, “there were none concerning her and any royalty. We have heard that she scams people for their money in mysterious alleyways, that she’ll have her way with men and women who have just come of age, taking advantage of their lack of experience. A frequently heard one was her use of a singular inn. Allegedly, she enchanted the barmaster, and he is now under her spell, bound to serve and house her until she gets bored of him. She’s apparently pulled the stunt multiple times, with none of the victims being able to remember a large chunk of their lives after she leaves.”

Leresa shook her head as she finished, adding, “To think that someone would earn such a reputation and not get caught by the government… this stinks of a coverup.” She immediately turned to Rexir to see if he was offended, but he shook his head affirming that his feelings were the same on that matter.

The words meant nothing to me, having just met Eina a day ago, and still having no clear opinion of her. However, Hazeel’s reaction was decidedly different. She sat up, and looked out the window at the full moon. She grimaced, and said, “It sounds like she hasn’t learned her lesson from her exile. I’ll give her one more chance to come clean, and if she doesn’t then we confront her.”