"Will you be close by?" Kel hurriedly shouted before the emperor could disappear into the orange bushes.
"... are you unable to get yourself back?" the emperor replied, turning around.
"It's not that!" Kel waved her hands around flusteredly. "I just thought maybe you'd stick around in case you thought I'd run away or something."
"I'm rather surprised, Princess, to find that you think the emperor of the Serin Empire has nothing better to do than spying on hostage princesses in the forest," the emperor snorted, crossing his arms.
Kel's cheeks heated up as the emperor spoke, and she suddenly wished she'd never said anything in the first place.
"Ah, of course you'd be busy…" she trailed off.
"No wonder Mevani is doing so poorly if their king has so much time to waste every day," the emperor clicked his tongue, turning once again to leave.
"Ah wait!" Kel stopped him.
