3rd Person's Pov
Yelena can feel her face burning while running away from Avyanna's tent. Her heart beats crazily in her chest.
'I actually thought that she would kiss me!!' She shouted in the back of her mind.
She touched her forehead. 'Her small gestures make me fall for her more.'
She shakes her head and walks back to her tent, where she didn't know her father was waiting.
"Yelena."
"Y-yes, father?" She bows her head in worry.
"Do you really want to succeed on the throne?"
She flinched and raised her head. She opened her mouth but shut it immediately. Does she want to? She does, but that was before.
"If you really want to. Stop hanging out with that lowly noble! Start hanging with other nobles instead!"
Yelena could feel the anger in her father's voice. She started panicking.
No one still knew about her relationship with Avyanna except Roshan. If her father found out, she could already imagine what could happen to Avyanna.
"We'll speed up the marriage between you and Roshan. After this delegation, we'll announce it to everyone." Her father said.
"Wait, what?! Father, you can't do that!" She exclaimed, disagreeing with her father's decision.
"Are you disobeying me right now, Yelena?" Her father's cold voice gave her shivers down her spine. "Stop hanging around with that woman or you'll know what I can do."
She lowers her head and bites her lower lip as her father goes out of her tent.
'This is so hard.'
She shut her eyes and went to her bed.
This is the start of one of the challenges of being together. She knows what her father could do.
He must've heard about them getting along and being together too much. And he's the type of person who also values status more than anything.
Suddenly, a black cat appeared out of nowhere and startled her. She immediately sat down and stared at the cat.
"You should stay away from my master for the time being." The creature said.
"W-what? What are you? A-and who is your master?" She asked in fear.
"You know who my master is. She's a trustworthy lady. She asks me to protect you."
"A-avy sent you?" She asked.
The creature nodded.
"That person, your so-called father, has a dark energy coming from him. He is either manipulated with magic or he isn't your father at all."
"I-is it black magic?" She asked.
"Perhaps. I will talk to my master about this. For the time being, stay away from my master."
The creature vanished into thin air and she was left inside her tent.
'Dark Magic? How could it exist? It perished hundreds of years ago.' She thought.
"Yena?"
She heard a voice in her head.
"Avy? Is that you?"
"It is. Hunter's words reached me.Are you okay?" Her voice is gentle and sweet as it contains worries.
She smiled.
"I am. W-what's this magic called? N-nevermind that, s-should I avoid you for now?" Her chest tightened as she realized she needed to get away from Avyanna.
"It's telepathy, Yena. And yes, let me be the one to leech on you. I can't risk putting you in danger."
Yelena's heart beats fast. Avyanna's words worry her. Like it happened before. Something would happen if she let her protect herself.
"N-no... D-don't. I can protect myself, Avy." She stutters.
She's trembling in worry about what could happen.
"Yena, do you trust my judgment?"
Yelena stayed silent.
"Nothing will happen."
She heard another sentence inside her head, which was not coming from Avyanna.
"Nothing will happen to me, Yena. I will come back to you."
"N-no.. S-something will happen. I-I can't lose you. I.... I'm terrified." Tears started flowing down her cheeks.
They are only starting with their relationship, which they are starting to have.
"Yena..."
Avyanna's voice softened.
"Okay. I'll ask for help then. I will make sure to keep myself protected. Do you agree with that?" Avyanna asked, reassuring and comforting her.
She was relieved. "As long as you're fine."
She heard giggles in her head that were coming from Avyanna.
"Are you laughing?"
"Haha. Yeah. It's just that, I feel like we've been in love a long long time ago when you just confessed to me yesterday." Avyanna teased.
"H-hmph. I wasn't the only one who confessed! You confessed! A-and you always make me confused that I start to get crazy." She rolled her eyes.
"That's so like you, My Dear Tsundere."
"T-tsun-what?"
"Nothing. I'll always love you, Yena."
She felt her face burning because of those words.
"I... I.... I HATE YOU! HMPH!"
She laid herself down on the bed and covered her face with a pillow and shouted while rolling on the bed.
'Teasing me again and again. Can't she think that it's so embarrassing for me?!'
She stopped, and she lay on her stomach.
'I indeed felt like I was in love with her a long time ago. This feeling.'
She held her chest that was beating comfortably while thinking of Avyanna. She felt at ease.
♥♥♥
Morning came and the morning competition started.
"Today's event is archery. Nobles who wish to participate, please take a step forward." The announcer said.
Some nobles stepped forward.
Avyanna saw a familiar face. The young lady that she met at Yelena's tea party, where she collapsed.
"Lady Cartel." She called.
Lizabelle Cartel looked at the person who called her, and she smiled, then waved in Avyanna's direction. She was holding a bow in her hand, and it looked like she knew archery.
Avyanna felt cold stares from her back, and when she looked, she met Yelena's blazing glares.
She smiled at Yelena and made an 'OK' sign. She also saw how Yelena pouted and looked away, then crossed her arms.
"Yena, you're such a cutie."
She said, sending telepathy to Yelena.
"You're so annoying!" Yelena groans.
"Yeah, And you love this annoying lady." She teased.
"Whatever!"
She saw Yelena rolling her eyes and then furrowing her brows.
"They said, people who always furrow grow wrinkles on their forehead."
"What? That can't be true, right?"
Avyanna saw how Yelena massaged her forehead, so she chuckled.
"I'll still love you no matter what your appearance is, My Lady." She said affectionately.
Yelena was silent for a moment, and then replied.
"M-me too."
She looked at the lady who had a beet red face. She's probably embarrassed to say those things.
"I'll tease you later, My Lady."
She stopped sending telepathy and focused on the competition. At the same time, in the corner of her eyes, she saw Rhis, who was smirking, which made her mood sour.
'Does black magic have anything to do with her? Is she targeting Yelena now that she knows that I'm involved with her?' She asked herself. Unsure of what she's thinking.
She can't help but worry more about Yelena. Then again, she sent another telepathy to Yelena.
"Yena?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you wearing the necklace I gifted you?"
"I am." Yelena answered.
"Great. Don't ever take it off. Do you understand?"
"Yeah."
Avyanna's relieved that the latter didn't question her any further.
'I'll let Hunter continue to protect her. In that way, I can be at ease.'
.....
Yelena was having conversations with the other ladies about business.
"Lady Royal, is your boutique the one that was producing those lovely dresses?" One of the ladies asked.
"No, but we talked business about the person who produced those dresses. They are willing to assist us in producing more fashionable dresses that are easy to wear." Yelena explained.
"That's good. Actually, I'm having an interest in magic stones these days." The Marquis of Silver said.
"Ah, yes. Magic stones have a lot of use these days. But they said that there are side effects to the use of it." A lady said.
"Side effects?" Yelena became interested too.
"Hmm. Here's a secret, ladies." The lady's voice lowered. "At the auction, a lot of magic stones are being sold. They said that it was like a drug that strengthened a person. But the person can still be in the mind. It came out a couple of weeks ago."
"What? Shouldn't that be reported? It's an illegal use, right?" A lady said.
"Indeed. However, the noble officials always declined because it was frequently used for their knights who were currently on the front lines." The lady explained.
Yelena was lost in thought. A magic stone that strengthens people? That seems suspicious.
"Does the Marchioness know about this?" Yelena asked.
"No. What I know about magic stones is that they can be used in many ways, such as using them to restore energy, but I never thought it could be used illegally. Is that even possible?" The Marchioness asked.
"Do they know who produces these magic stones?" Yelena asked.
"That's the mystery. They don't know who." The Lady said.
It's a disturbing matter. No matter what these magic stones are, it's sudden. What's more is that she didn't know about it.
Is she focused so much on Avyanna that she forgets that she still has duties?
'I need to look into this matter.'
Nice. I just added a problem that wasn't supposed to be in here. Well, we gotta create problems for it to be more interesting, so yeah. (´ε｀" )
Don't worry, I have already added the solution to it but it's not now.