─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
"Your Majesty! A couple of letters have arrived for you." A guard announced as he entered the imperial tent.
"Who are they from?" Xavier asked as he continued to observe the map that laid on the table.
"One is from the Chancellor, and the other letter is from the princess, your Majesty." The guard explained.
"Very well. Set the letters on the table over there. I will get to them later." He ordered as he took a sip of his canteen.
The guard nodded and left shortly after.
"Why are you still looking at that map? You are such a perfectionist. We went over that map a thousand times ever since we got here. We attack tomorrow. That is enough. Our strategy is gold. There is no possible way we left any gaps." Ezra said as he entered the imperial tent.'
Xavier looked at Ezra with a serious facial expression as he crossed his arms.
"What's wrong with me making sure our strategy is good enough? The point of a flawless victory is to protect our men and defeat the kingdom with ease. As much as we are strong, we are also logical thinkers. I cannot let any slip-up happen. This needs to work perfectly." Xavier explained.
"Yeah yeah. Whatever you say, brother. Once this war is over, I will have a whole week of pure ecstasy. I hear the women here are gorgeous. Take a few for yourself." Ezra teased.
Xavier shook his head as he displayed a smirk on his face.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet. We need to conquer the kingdom, then the outskirts of the land. Conversion is the hardest part. Fortunately, we have enough Giodivonian citizens who are willing to relocate for the sake of conversion. This could easily take months. Possibly a year." Xavier stated.
"So much work and sacrifice for a small piece of land. Oh? What is this? A letter from the princess!? But… Why is she writing to you?" Ezra asked in shock as he picked up the letter.
Xavier's eyes grew large from the sudden surprise.
"I... it's nothing. Leave that there. Do not touch things that are not yours, Ezra." Xavier commanded as he quickly approached the table.
Ezra smiled and ran out of the tent with the letter in his hand.
"You fucking brat! Get back here! Ezra! I am warning you! This is not a joking matter!" Xavier screamed as he chased after him.
"Lighten up; you are always so uptight, you do not know how to have fun. Here, take the letter. Whatever it is, I am sure it is quite meaningful. After all, you abandoned the poor princess behind." Ezra teased as he handed the letter back to Xavier.
"Careful what you say, I did not abandon anyone. It is my duty as emperor to extend our empire for the better. One would say, I am doing this for her. If I die or fall ill, it will be her who will be my successor. It is best to take over as many threatening countries around us now that she is young before getting older and is expected to fill in my shoes. I cannot imagine that child at war… what a joke." Xavier snatched the letter out of Ezra's hand and walked back to the imperial tent.
"That damn bastard. How can you act so childish at an age like that? Tsk." Xavier mumbled under his breath.
He sat down on a nearby chair and took out his pocket knife. He gently cut the candle wax seal and opened the letter with anticipation.
"What on earth… is this drawing?" Xavier questioned with a disgusted expression on his face. He placed the drawing down on the table and read the letter.
"Who does she think she is, writing such a vulgar letter?... this kid… who is teaching her to be this rude and disrespectful?! I am gone for two weeks, and all hell breaks loose with this kid's behavior?! Do I have to go on a killing spree when I return?!" Xavier yelled in disbelief as he paced back and forth while holding the letter.
"This… this drawing… this letter… is far from lady-like. If I were to have written a letter like this to my father, I would have been severely punished! The nerve of this kid!" He continued.
"Grand commander, Is his majesty ..okay?" a few knights questioned as they looked at the imperial tent.
Ezra averted his eyes at the tent and smiled.
"He received a letter from the princess. You know, two peas in a pod? The apple doesn't fall too far from the tree?" Xavier replied.
The knights looked at each other confused and looked back at Ezra.
"Point is, they have the same hot-temper personality. They are always up to each other's throats in the sweetest way. Do not worry; I will see what the fuss is all about." He teased as he walked away.
Ezra walked into the tent, only to find Xavier writing furiously.
"Good to know you have calmed down. You are scaring the knights with your sudden tantrums. Save that anger for tomorrow." Ezra stated as he walked up to the table.
"Why are you writing so fast? What are you doing?" Ezra questioned as he approached closer to Xavier.
Ezra saw the two pieces of folded paper on the other table as he looked around the tent.
After reading the letter and looking at the drawing, Ezra laughed as he threw his arms in the air.
"THIS IS GOLD! HAHA! WHO KNEW OUR PRINCESS WAS A COMEDIAN!" Ezra laughed aloud as he wiped the tears off his face.
"I have never laughed this much to the point that tears started coming out of my eyes! This is grand!" Ezra continued.
He looked at Xavier, crossing his arms as he leaned back on his chair with a dissatisfied facial expression.
Ezra quickly cleared his throat.
"What seems to be the problem, Your Majesty?" Ezra said in a serious tone.
"Don't 'Your Majesty' me, when you just finished laughing at me and the situation, you bastard."
Ezra rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"So this is what it's been about since day one. The letters were also from the princess. Why were you keeping this a secret? Are you ashamed of the letters being exposed? There is nothing wrong with receiving letters from your daughter. No one would see you any different." Ezra explained.
"That's… not it… It's just… Let's change subjects." Xavier balled up the piece of paper he was writing.
"How long are you going to keep hiding your emotions from that child and those around you? Listen… it is hard to forget about the past. You, of all people, have been through so much. But you have the perfect opportunity to make up with the princess and open yourself up to her. She is your daughter. She is part of you and the former empress. Protect her with all your might, but love her unconditionally. She needs a father's love, care, and protection." Ezra lectured.
"Enough… it's bad enough that my mood is ruined. Listening to you blab on about trivial matters is making me want to punch you through a tree." Xavier interrupted as he stood up, throwing the balled-up piece of paper at Ezra's head.
"Your aim needs some work, your Majesty. We cannot have such a weak aim coming from our emperor tomorrow morning. Also, be careful where you place the princess's picture. I found it on the table, laying there in the open." Ezra smiled as he dodged the balled-up piece of paper with ease.
Xavier's eyes grew large from the shock.
"It is a precious picture of the princess. Get some rest. Tomorrow will be fun." Ezra said as he left the tent.