Atheline loosened the collar of his cloak and took a deep breath as though he had escaped being choked.
"I much prefer walking with you in these hallways. It’s quiet and the world seems to leave us alone even if it’s for a minute."
"How about the throne room?"
"It’s too serious and stressful half of the time."
"It is designed to be that way."
"I know." He smiled. "But I enjoy talking to my wife more than talking to councillors."
She looked at him from the corner of her eye.
"I noticed."
"You noticed?"
"You become considerably more expressive the moment meetings end."
"I didn’t realize it was that obvious. I’ve been trying to increase our bond, you know love never has a limit"
She smiled at his line.
"I like it more now."
He laughed quietly.
"I’ll have to work on my composure."
"I hope you don’t, if you can be more expressive then that would be better."
His steps paused for a moment but she continued walking.
"I rather like seeing that side of you."
For a moment, neither spoke then he smiled to himself.
"So that’s why you keep dragging me into council meetings."
"I need someone to complain to afterward."
He gave her a flat look before clicking his tongue.
"So I was being used?"
"You married a queen."
"You make an excellent point that I cannot seem to find a way to argue against."
She chuckled then seriously said," I want you to know, I’m glad I married you."
Atheline smiled then glanced outside through the window.
"Me too, me too."
The winter walkways surrounding the private palace had become one of their favorite places to walk. Fresh snow lay untouched across the plants beside the smaller road and the frozen pond reflected the pale afternoon sky.
Several dark elven children belonging to palace officials played in the distance, carefully supervised by attendants.
The white fox bounded happily through the snow ahead of them. Every few steps it attempted to pounce on invisible prey buried beneath the snow.
It failed every single time.
Atheline chuckled.
"It hasn’t improved, it still believes persistence will eventually solve the problem."
"It sounds familiar." She looked at him knowingly. "Didn’t you tell me when you were young that you once climbed the same mountain four times because you believed there had to be another entrance?"
"There was."
"After nearly freezing to death."
"It worked, and in my defence, I was a child."
She sighed.
"I married someone whose greatest strength is stubbornness."
"I thought it was determination and most importantly, my good looks."
"They’re close relatives."
The fox suddenly leapt into a snowdrift nearly twice its size and only its tail remained visible. Both of them stopped walking and stood to watch.
It was like watching a child, Atheline knew it would eventually grow and become more intelligent but when, he wasn’t sure. Currently, they were attending to an infant.
"..."
"..."
A few seconds later the fox emerged proudly, completely covered in snow. Atheline burst into laughter.
"You’ve become a snowball."
The little creature shook itself vigorously as expected snow flew everywhere; some landed directly on Lilith’s cloak.
The fox immediately froze clearly conscious of what it did. It looked up at her then slowly lowered its ears.
She remained perfectly still as she stared at its theatricals. Atheline tried very hard not to laugh.
"You’ve offended your most generous feeder.."
The fox cautiously approached and then rubbed against her boot. She looked down.
"...That is your apology?"
The fox looked up innocently. Her expression softened almost immediately. She crouched and picked it up.
"I suppose you’re forgiven."
"It learns quickly."
"It certainly does."
They eventually reached a small pavilion overlooking the bustling court. A servant waiting nearby bowed before quietly serving tea.
Neither of them requested anything further. The attendant already knew this had become part of their routine, once everything had been prepared, he withdrew without another word.
Lilith wrapped both hands around the warm teacup as steam drifted upward between them.
"There is something we should discuss."
Atheline immediately became attentive.
"The Demonic Continent?"
She nodded.
"It is."
He had expected this conversation ever since returning from the High Elven Kingdom.
"The royal token has already been accepted and issued."
"It has. "
"It seems the Demonic Prince kept his word."
"He did, thankfully. I wouldn’t want war at the moment. "
She took a small sip of tea.
"For the next two months, we’ll remain occupied; the aftermath of the Moon Crystal distribution, the remaining investigations, winter administration, and the High Elven princess’s engagement ceremony."
He nodded.
"And after that?"
"We leave."
He leaned back thoughtfully.
"So soon."
"We’ve delayed long enough."
He looked across the lake.
"I do hope we won’t find anything bad," he glanced at her," you should also hope for luck and an easy journey."
She rolled her eyes.
"It’s not going to be easy, that’s pretty obvious."
"Tsk. Must you be such a pessimist?"
"I’m being a realist."
The silence between them felt thoughtful rather than uncomfortable.
Eventually, he asked, "Do you think we’ll find another sovereign core?... Oh, by the way, have you used the core you got?"
She slowly shook her head.
"I don’t know. I do hope so, but I’m not even sure. We’ll have to go blindly and hope for the best."
He smiled.
"So we’re walking into another mystery."
She returned the smile.
"When have we ever done anything differently?"
He laughed.
"Fair enough."
The conversation gradually drifted away from politics; instead, they discussed the next two months.
He wanted to spend more time training. She intended to finish reorganizing several ministries after the recent arrests. Both agreed the fox required considerably more discipline.
The fox immediately sneezed as though objecting. Lilith reached over to scratch beneath its chin.
"You heard that."
The fox simply curled into his lap.
"I believe it disagrees."
Atheline smiled then responded, "It usually does."
The afternoon slowly gave way to evening. Lights began appearing throughout the palace grounds and servants lit crystal lanterns along the stone walkways. The palace somehow felt quieter than usual but peaceful.
Lilith eventually stood.
"We should return."
"Dinner?"
"Dinner."
He offered her his hand and she accepted it without hesitation.
The two of them walked back toward the palace together, their footsteps leaving twin trails through the fresh snow while the little white fox bounded happily ahead, occasionally looking back to make sure they were following.