"Upbeat? I think I can do that." Minos answered, as he pulled his flute from his robe and began playing 'March Through Alephora.'
Compared to 'Swords Regret' that made one feel like they were being consumed and suffocated by quicksand, 'March Through Alephora' was like one had been filled with infinite strength.
The guards were quickly pulled into another world, one that was filled with places to see and discover.
There were grand waterfalls that spilled for miles, jungle ranges that were littered with temples and ruins hidden with mysteries of the past.
Grand canyons that stretched beyond the eyes, and even mountain ranges that extended far into the clouds.
This was a world that seemed to be created to explore, and the guards couldn't help but feel their hearts surge with a grand ambition, wanting to claim this world for themselves.
It was only as the music faded and everyone came back to reality, did this feeling slightly weaken, but it was still strong.
"Amazing! What a world!"
"I almost feel sad now knowing it was just an illusion…"
"What a great song!"
As everyone was chatting happily, Minos smiled, silently heading back towards his own spot before calling it a night.
…
Waking up early the next morning, the group continued with their traveling, Minos riding alongside the guards up front.
It didn't take very long for Lilia to call him back to the carriage, so once again, he joined her in the luxurious cabin.
"Good morning Minos." Lilia said with a gentle smile as Minos entered.
"Morning." Minos replied.
"I was thinking we could play some music today? I heard your song from last night, and it was truly special. In fact, I was wondering if you could possibly teach it to me…?" Lilia asked sheepishly, knowing that such a request was a bit much.
But Minos wasn't a normal artist, and he preferred sharing the beauty of art rather than just keeping it to himself.
"Sure." He replied with a smile.
"Great!" Lilia said joyously, as she took out a fancy flute that seemed to be made out of pure jade, studded with all sorts of gems and jewels.
"That flute is quite… Unique." Minos said with a slight laugh as he saw the incredibly gaudy flute.
"My father gifted it to me, he said it was worth tens of thousands of Nux Stones." Lilia said carelessly, as if the price was irrelevant to her.
Minos nearly spat out as he heard the massive number, but fortunately he composed himself just in time, sparing the embarrassment.
"Uh hmm, well let's get to playing, shall we?" Minos said, trying to change the topic.
"Good! I'm in your care." Lilia replied, placing the flute on her lips.
"Just follow me first and we'll go from there." Minos spoke, as he began playing.
Lilia was also quite skilled in terms of music, so she was capable of just barely mimicking Minos as he played, but she would still occasionally mess up.
"That was very good for a first attempt." Minos said as the music came to a halt.
"Really? You can be honest with me. It was lacking, wasn't it?" Lilia said, not satisfied with her own performance.
"Of course it's lacking, do you expect to perfect it on your first try?" Minos said with a laugh, changing Lilia's perspective.
"You're right, I'm being too hasty."
"It takes strength to see weakness. Here, let me help you." Minos spoke, as he once again took a spot behind Lilia and guided her hands.
Lilia's face blushed at the proximity, but she steadied her heart as she allowed Minos to take control.
With Minos's help, Lilia's mastery of 'March Through Alephora' improved tremendously, and she was getting better with each iteration.
"Your Hi-, I mean, Master, something's happened." The old man said, forcing the two to put a stop to their practice.
"What happened?" Lilia said, her voice suddenly changing, becoming much more severe and powerful.
"Nothing big, we've just stumbled upon a few miscreants. Shall we kill them?" The old man asked, clearly not worried about the rabble they were about to face.
"Kill them all, and try to do it away from the carriage. I don't want to smell any blood, understand?" Lilia commanded.
"Yes Master!"
Hearing Lilia's complete change in voice, Minos was once again reminded that she wasn't easy to deal with.
She was quite gentle when it was just the two of them, so Minos had nearly forgotten that she was still a person of power, not lacking necessary cruelty.
He couldn't help but put some slight distance between the two of them, suddenly worried that his previous closeness may have offended her.
Seeing Minos put a gap between the two of them, Lilia was slightly confused for a moment, before she understood.
"Are you afraid of me?" She asked, her voice a bit low.
"Not afraid, just cautious." Minos said honestly, once again surprising her.
"Either way, you have nothing to worry about. Since I asked you to teach me, how could I ever harm you for doing so?" Lilia said, making it clear that she didn't mind Minos's methods.
"Are you sure? After all, it feels a bit inappropriate for us to be so close, given your status."
"Status? It's just the two of us here, so let's not talk about statuses, and just be equals." Lilia said in a soft voice, not wanting to ruin the relationship she had with Minos because of such a thing.
Luckily, Minos wasn't the type to care about such things anyways, so with her confirmation, he decided not to fight it anymore.
"Equals? Sounds good to me." Minos said with a smile, as he once again closed the gap and took Lilia's hands into his.
Feeling Minos's touch, Lilia's heart was once again filled with a strange sense of joy and euphoria, but she quickly calmed herself as they resumed their music lesson.
…
Ever since Minos began following Lilia, the journey became incredibly relaxing, and even though the danger was rising as they arrived closer to the Ancient Desert Kingdom, he was unaffected.
While most people spent every waking moment with their guard raised to avoid surprise attacks, Minos was instead enjoying the arts.
Everyday, he and Lilia would do something new, sometimes drawing, other times playing music, even singing and dancing occasionally.
Lilia truly seemed fond of all art, and Minos was happy to play along with her, enjoying this time of peace and tranquility.
Lilia's spatial ring was even stuffed to the brim with all sorts of fine foods and snacks, which she was more than happy to feed to Minos, so he was eating like a king.
This journey which he had once thought would be a perilous one suddenly became more akin to a vacation.
It would be hard to go back to traveling the normal way after such treatment, so Minos decided to take this for all it was worth.
The relationship between him and Lilia also became much closer as the months passed, Lilia becoming more gentle as the two connected, her eyes glimmering everytime she looked at him.
She began getting closer to Minos, sitting up right beside him, even sometimes snuggling up into him.
Minos felt a little awkward at first, but honestly, he didn't want to let go of this treatment, so he just pretended like nothing had changed.
"Minos, I have to tell you something…" Lilia suddenly said one day with a solemn voice.
"What is it?" Minos asked, hoping it wasn't anything serious.
"Originally, I should have kept this a secret, but I don't want to lie to you any longer. The truth is, I'm a princess…"
"Oh, I already knew that." Minos replied.
"I thought so, but I'm not an ordinary princess… My father is Loyfin, the current acting emperor of the Aleph Empire, and my uncle is the legendary Nine Sword Divinity." Lilia said, even catching Minos completely off guard.
"You're right, that isn't ordinary." Minos said, as he rubbed his sore forehead, feeling like he had accidentally got involved with someone far above his level.
"Why did you tell me this?" Minos continued, thinking it would have been better if it was just kept a secret.
"The truth is… How do I say this…" Lilia said, as she began blushing and fiddling with her fingers, finding it hard to just say what she wanted to.
Minos wasn't stupid, and he had long since assumed such a result, but it was his greed that stopped him from doing what he should have from the very start.