I stood outside the school. Augusta was nearby but kept a respectful distance. Janek cleaned his guns on an outdoor table. The time had come for his next bonding event, and I was ready.

  "Janek, do you need any help with anything?" I asked.

  He wiped down the barrel of his musket before giving me a single nod.

  "Yes. There is something that I could use some help with," the nobleman answered. "And your lover is here to make sure you're safe?"

  Augusta spoke up with a cool voice.

  "Don't worry. I won't interfere unless you want me to."

  Janek shrugged.

  "If you are here to keep Dante safe, I have no objections," he said.

  Then, his gaze turned to me. There was a look of gratitude on it.

  "And thank you for helping me, Dante," Janek stated.

  I waved it off.

  "Don't worry about it. Just tell me what you need," I told him.

  "Let me finish cleaning my firearms first," Janek responded. "Then, we will go into the city."

  A few minutes later, the three of us were traveling down a street. Janek turned to me as we walked.

  "There are three things I must do today. First, I have a meeting. Second, I need to pick up a weapon from a dark area of town. Third, I must visit some old friends."

  "Alright," I nodded. "Where's the meeting?"

  Janek pointed. Looking, I saw a large building ahead of us. It had brightly painted walls with an image of a teacup hanging over it. While Millia had given me some details on this event, she didn't tell me about the teahouse.

  "I didn't realize there were teahouses here," I said.

  "Katow does not have many ports. But we are on the land trade route to the Orient," Janek explained.

  "What's tea?" Augusta spoke up.

  We both stopped dead in our tracks and turned to her. Janek raised an eyebrow.

  "You do not know what tea is?" he asked.

  Augusta shook her head.

  "No," she answered.

  "Your homeland has a large coast. They must import tea leaves," Janek said.

  "I don't know anything about imports. Or tea," Augusta stated.

  "The nobles there drink it all the time."

  My girlfriend shook her head.

  "I never had many luxuries aside from clothes and weapons," she explained.

  A flash of anger, directed at Augusta's parents, kicked through my body. How did they not teach Augusta about imports? She was their heir, wasn't she? And not many luxuries? Augusta was a princess. What sort of life did she lead?

  "Tea is a type of drink," I explained. "I think it's popular in the Far East."

  "It is," Janek nodded. "I never liked it myself. But you might."

  A flicker of pity passed through his eyes. It seemed that he had similar thoughts on Augusta's upbringing to mine.

  We arrived at the teahouse. Stepping inside, I smelled the scent of warm tea. There was the noise of talking and servants rushing around the place. People in fancy clothes were seated at the various tables.

  "Augusta, let me treat you to some tea while I help Janek," I offered.

  "No," she shook her head. "I can buy my own tea."

  A server approached us. Fear flickered in her eyes when her gaze crossed Augusta. She bowed deeply.

  "Hello, my lords and Your Highness. May I guide you to your seat?" the woman asked.

  "I am here to meet with Hrabina Pac," Janek explained.

  "And I will have some tea to go," Augusta said. "Some for Dante, too."

  ...I felt like I had a sugar momma who was the same age as me. It felt weird. And I didn't like it.

  After a moment of hesitation, the serving woman spoke.

  "We normally do not serve tea to go, but for you, we will make an exception, Your Highness."

  Augusta shook her head.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "Don't do that. I'll have some tea here," she said.

  "Getting it right away, Your Highness," the woman bowed deeply. "Sit wherever you want."

  As the waitress left, Augusta took her words literally. She sat on the floor with legs crossed.

  "Augusta, she didn't mean for you to just sit on the floor," I pointed out.

  "Are you sure?" my girlfriend with no social skills asked.

  I let out a slight sigh.

  "Yes, I am sure," I answered. "Go find some empty seat to sit down on."

  Augusta stood up. She then looked around the store before her eyes came across an empty table. My girlfriend then turned back to me. There was a flicker of concern on her face.

  "Dante, I'll be down here. If you need me, just shout," Augusta said.

  "I will, Augusta," I replied.

  With that, she walked to the table and sat down. Sure enough, the serving girl was back in a flash. She put tea in front of Augusta before going over to Janek and I.

  "Apologies for the wait. I will escort you to Hrabina Pac now."

  The woman escorted us up a flight of stairs, the aroma of scented candles flowing into our noses all the while. I recalled Millia telling me that Hrabina was a title, not a name, equivalent to countess.

  With that in mind, I turned to Janek. Then, I leaned in close and whispered.

  "What noble title do you have?"

  "None," he answered. "I do not hold any lands yet."

  "And you haven't been knighted yet?" I questioned.

  Janek shook his head.

  "Katow never had knights like the West did," he shrugged. "Besides, knighthood is mostly just an honor in the West these days. I heard a playwright was knighted in one kingdom. He is no warrior."

  Now, I was impressed.

  "I guess King Casimir Academy is even more important than I thought. I mean, we have a few knights teaching here. They must all be foreigners," I said.

  "Most of them are. Some are from Katow but were knighted when they were abroad," Janek explained.

  Soon, we arrived at the top of the stairs. Before us was a long hallway with numerous doors. The serving woman took us to the first door and stood to its side.

  "Hrabina Pac is waiting for you inside," she stated.

  Janek and I stepped through the door. Beyond it was a table with a fine pink tablecloth. Several teacups were laid out on top of them, steam wafting from their contents and sending a pleasant smell into my nose.

  A woman sat at the table. She was tall and cloaked in a long, fancy dress of many colors. Auburn hair wafted from her head, flowing out over her face and back. Her eyes shone green.

  "Welcome, Janek. I was expecting you," Hrabina Pac gave him a slight smirk. "Have a seat."

  The boy sat down. I took a seat next to him.

  "It is an honor to be here," Janek said.

  "I suppose so, but it is also an honor to have you here, Janek the Brave," Hrabina Pac's expression turned respectful. "And who is your friend?"

  "Dante. You will not know his surname. He is a commoner," the boy introduced me.

  Hrabina Pac's hand clenched around her teacup so hard that it broke.

  "Is this Dante...a classmate of yours?" she asked.

  "Yes," Janek answered.

  Fear flickered in the noblewoman's eyes. A sense of unease flowed through me.

  "Would he happen to be the same Dante..." Hrabina Pac's gaze was fixed on me. "...who seduced the Bloodbath Princess?"

  "No," I spoke without hesitation. "I did not seduce Augusta. And I'm certain I'm the only Dante she knows."

  Now, there was sheer terror on Hrabina Pac's face. However, the rest of her body kept its composure.

  "My apologies. You are the Dante who romanced her, right?" the noblewoman asked.

  "No. She romanced me," I answered.

  Hrabina Pac looked like she did not believe me for one second. Honestly, I couldn't blame her. Even if I didn't know about the lies Augusta's parents spread about her, I knew she had very few social skills. If I wasn't the one she romanced, I wouldn't believe Augusta could make anyone fall for her.

  But boy, was I ever happy that she did.

  "Augusta is my beloved. You don't have to be afraid of her. Whatever rumors you've heard about Augusta are simply not true," I said. "Unless it's a rumor that I'm in a relationship with her. If that's the rumor, it is 100% true."

  Hrabina Pac tilted her head as if trying to take in everything I just told her. After a moment of silence, she spoke.

  "Well, even if you are a commoner, I am certain Her Highness' parents will be relieved. No one in the nobility thought they'd ever find anyone willing to marry her. Under these circumstances, even a marriage with no alliance is better than no marriage."

  After everything I learned about Augusta's parents, I doubted they were relieved. In fact, I doubted they even cared that their daughter was dating a commoner.

  "Thank you, I think," I had no idea how else to respond to this. "But this meeting is between you and Janek, right? I wouldn't want to take attention from the main topic."

  The noblewoman nodded.

  "Yes, yes, of course. You have my thanks," she inclined her head towards me.

  Then, her attention turned to my friend.

  "Janek the Brave, I am certain you want to ask me about your marriage," Hrabina Pac said.

  What? WHAT?

  My gaze turned from Janek to her and back. He had a blank expression. Hrabina Pac looked like she was trying to keep herself from fleeing in terror.

  "Yes, I am," Janek stated.

  "You're getting married?" my jaw dropped.

  "That is what I am here to find out," he said. "Natalya, tell me, why was my marriage arranged without consulting my parents?"

  This was...suspicious. Who would even have the authority to arrange a marriage like that? Aside from maybe the king or a high-ranking noble...but how high-up was Janek's family?

  "It isn't an actual arrangement, nothing formal, just rumors flying all over the place. Enough nobles took them seriously that everyone will treat your marriage as if it's a sure thing," Hrabina Pac stated.

  Then, a look of suspicion crossed her face.

  "The rumors flew in the perfect way for this. They did not get to your parents until it was too late to quash them. There is only one way rumors could spread while being that controlled."

  "Sorcery," Janek grimaced. "Then, this is sabotage? An attempt to ruin a potential good marriage for my family?"

  Hrabina Pac nodded.

  "There's nothing else it could be," she stated.

  Janek turned to me. Fury pulsed through his eyes.

  "Dante, do you know any magic that can counter this?"

  "No," I inched back. "I only know two spells, and they're both for combat."

  I made a mental note to learn some countermagic spell the moment I got the chance.

  "Two spells?" Hrabina Pac's eyes widened in shock. "And at such a young age? Most impressive. I understand why Princess Augusta likes you now."

  Janek let out a deep sigh.

  "It appears that even an accomplished sorcerer like you won't be able to help me," he said.

  "Well, things shouldn't be that bad. I mean, the nobles are going to figure out the truth sooner or later," I pointed out.

  "Yes. But by then, the saboteur will have a new plan."

  Hrabina Pac seemed to have calmed down by that point. Her body shook a little bit but not much.

  "There are not many sorcerers. So, we could start with the ones in Katow to narrow down suspects," she said.

  "Of course," Janek nodded. "But there are people who know magic and are quiet about it. Like Dante here."

  I held up my hands in a placating gesture.

  "I'm not trying to hide it. I just don't see any reason to brag or anything," I stated.

  "There are some like you," Janek replied.

  "That is a good point, but we can at least narrow it down," Hrabina Pac said.

  I gave Janek an expression that I hoped was reassuring.

  "Yes. We need to start somewhere," I added.

  My friend took a deep breath. He nodded with grimness.

  "Very well. Natalya, tell Dante about the sorcerers of Katow."

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