"Where are we going...?" Mia, disguised as a fangirl made named Stella, hissed in Emily's ear. Not for the first time.
"Prince Adrien is going on a diplomatic mission. For security reasons we're traveling with him."
"Ooooh, the sexy knight will be with us again, too!" She laughed.
"The wh-"
Her question cut off when she turned her head to see what Stella was looking at.
...Kieran.
Her blood boiled instantly at the sight of the knight, but she forced her temper down.
Instead she just pretended she didn't see him at all.
He was a good knight. Probably. She's pretty sure she heard that.
That doesn't mean she needs to talk to him.
She wanted to scream at him, fight with him and cause a scene...
But this wasn't about her. This was about helping Prince Adrien achieve his goals and gain prestige for his kingdom.
Making a scene wouldn't help.
Nor would successfully chasing off one of the best knights in the kingdom.
So she bit her tongue and ignored him.
Not that he was making it easy for her.
Because he kept shooting her these really smug, self-assured smiles.
He clearly enjoyed annoying her.
Asshole.
The journey through the Kingdom of Verilonia was slow and uneventful, but still somehow managed to be stressful and uncomfortable.
Whenever he and Stella talked to each other it made Emily grind her teeth in annoyance.
For whatever reason it was hard for her to just tolerate his existence.
Oh, no.
On second thought, it wasn't 'whatever reason'.
She knew full well why he irritated her.
When they made camp, Adrien invited her to dine with him in his royal tent.
Which, again, would normally be fine.
But for some reason Kieran also decided he needed to invite himself.
"We are comrades." He explained with a casual shrug. "There shouldn't be any awkwardness between us."
The moment Kieran entered, Emily knew this evening wouldn't end well.
She tried her best not to sulk, and instead ignored Kieran.
"So...what exactly is the purpose of this trip, again?" She asked Prince Adrien.
"It is an annual conference of the surrounding nations."
He nodded slightly. "There is much to discuss...reports of monsters growing increasingly dangerous...the goblin problem is getting worse...bandits becoming more brazen and violent in the countryside...these issues require attention."
After a moment of hesitation, he added, "However...there are more matters than simply those to be negotiated as well. Alliances and treaties of marriage, for instance."
He sighed heavily and sipped his wine.
"Ahh. Treaties of marriage?"
He hummed and nodded. "Inevitably there will be offers of marriage that I will reject. And there may be some seeking the hand of other nobility. Such as Kieran."
Kieran scoffed.
Adrien shrugged. "It is unlikely Sir Kieran will accept any offers, either. Regardless, there is much we would negotiate as the kingdoms gather together to discuss and decide upon the fate of this land."
"Aha..."
The atmosphere had been pleasant, but her tension only seemed to increase.
At that, Kieran cleared his throat.
"...Emily,"
Did he just say my name???
Her head snapped towards him, looking at him in surprise.
He actually said my name like a person who cares would?!
Kieran raised an eyebrow at her incredulous stare.
"How did you awaken his magic, Emily?"
"...Huh?"
She felt a heat creep over her face as the memory of awakening the magic of Adrien returned to her mind.
"Kieran." Adrien frowned at his knight.
"It's a rather important question, isn't it?" Kieran insisted. "Knowing how she unlocked a key."
Adrien glared daggers at his knight.
The knight only smirked in reply.
"...It is a secret method." She blurted out suddenly, which immediately attracted Adrien's gaze back on her. "I-it can only work on one person a day."
He frowned thoughtfully. "Hm. Well, then. We'll have to hope you don't meet two in one day."
Why is he bringing this up now...
Adrien cleared his throat and glared at his knight. "Enough, Sir Kieran. She already said it is a secret method."
"So she did." Kieran hummed. "So then it is true the keys are humans? Unlocking the key is unlocking magic? What magic have you unlocked?"
"What an inane conversation." Adrien sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair. "We're on the eve of an important gathering where we must make deals with foreign powers."
"Is it not important matters to discuss the Keybearer's progress?"
The prince paused, lips pursed and eyes narrowed in suspicion as he looked up at his knight. "...I suppose."
Adrien glanced towards Emily briefly. "However."
The prince folded his arms over his chest as he watched the knight, frowning deeply.
"...Your belligerence tries my patience." His voice was tight, clipped. He spoke with perfect pronunciation.
Every syllable perfectly enunciated. Not a hint of hesitation or uncertainty in his tone whatsoever. He sounded...quite cold and authoritative, when he spoke with that sort of precise speech.
"You would do well to remember I am your prince and commander. Do not assume I am blind to the things that you do."
Kieran drank a sip of his wine in a gesture that felt deliberate.
"Gossip about the prince travels quickly as well." He finally looked back towards the prince and raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Adrien, watching him for several moments before continuing.
The prince grimaced and closed his eyes as he lowered his head slightly. His mouth became a thin line as he exhaled quietly and remained silent for several long moments. Finally he lifted his head, staring intently at Kieran with intense violet eyes.
Kieran simply gazed at Adrien, as if waiting for some verbal response.
Before things could get worse, 'Stella' burst into the tent with a platter of food. "Who ordered dessert~?" The fae announced happily while cheerfully bouncing up to them.
"Let me take care of that, okay? You three can have a private little dinner and talk about serious business, right?"
Kieran opened his mouth.
Adrien quickly interrupted him, giving him a warning glare. "Thank you, Stella. We appreciate it. In fact, since you are here...we shall discuss what plans have been arranged for tomorrow's formal events."
The fae's face brightened. "Yay!"
So glad that got taken care of...
She let out a sigh of relief as she turned and headed over towards the table, pouring some wine into glasses, grabbing one herself, and sipping at it.
The evening concluded pleasantly enough with Stella dominating the conversation.