Chapter 23

"Where did that cloak come from?" Celeste stood in front of Rika, hands on her hips. "You shouldn't be wearing something like that unless you were up to no good." She inched closer, pointing at her.

Rika swallowed hard. "I wouldn't say that. We had a plan, and it worked to catch Kael."

"And no one told me about this?"

"We didn't tell anyone in case the wrong person overheard."

Celeste huffed and crossed her arms. "Fine," she pouted. "I'm just glad you're okay. I can't believe he broke in again! Are we sure we have guards?"

"Yes, but unless they have good defences against magic, I don't think they can stand up to him."

"Do you want to change rooms? I can make it happen. We can also make sure no one knows but us. Oh, but then you can't have a guard, and that feels even worse. I say we throw him out of the kingdom."

"That's what Wolfe suggested."

"What was that?"

"Nothing..." Guess she doesn't like being compared to him.

"Well, let's get you up and ready." Celeste clapped and pulled Rika out of bed.

"Do I have to do something this morning?"

"Yes, you have a meeting with the princes."

Oh, crap.

A screen popped up.

'New Quest: Make a Deal with Kael Without Him Learning the Truth.'

'Reward: Reputation Up, All Suitor's Affection Up.'

'Failure: Suspicion Up, Hope Down, Kael Affection Up.'

Wait, his affection goes up either way? What do they mean by the truth? Everyone knows I'm from another world.

The words on the screen distorted before the screen vanished.

Wolfe escorted Rika to Alric's office, where he waited, sitting across from Kael, while guards stood outside.

"Are you going to be okay?" Wolfe asked. "After what this little puke did, I don't think we should allow this."

"I'll be fine. He's mostly a harmless, annoying animal at the moment," Rika replied. "Thanks, though."

He turned to her at the door and put his hands on her shoulders, staring into her eyes. "He's not harmless. He's a maniacal genius who has his eyes set on you. Keep your distance and don't let him rope you in. Call for me if you need to, okay?"

"Okay." Rika nodded. I swear he was the one who wanted to throw me in the dungeon before, but now he's out to protect me? What a change.

Rika entered Alric's office on her own, closing the door behind her, and both princes stood.

"Hello again, bunny. I said we'd be seeing each other soon." Kael smiled at her.

"I'm sorry for asking you to join us," Alric said, motioning to a spot on the couch beside him. "But Kael refuses to talk, let alone make a deal, while you're not here."

"I see." Rika took a seat next to Alric, and they both sat down, Kael leaning towards her with a sparkle in his eyes. You can handle this, Rika. You've had to deal with all sorts of people at work. Use that experience. "Now." Rika took a deep breath, placed her hands in her lap, back straight. "What will it take for you to make a deal? What do you want?"

"Silly question, since I've answered it several times. You. I want you."

A chill ran down her spine. "I'm not an object to be given, nor am I a princess looking for a political marriage. Try again."

"Spunky as always. I like it." Kael's smile widened. "How about some time with you? Surely quelling the lingering threat of Aeuro is worth your time."

Rika swallowed hard. "But that's too vague. How much of my time do you want? I'm a busy woman, and I have a packed schedule right now."

"Hmm..." Kael thought for a while. "How much time do I need to win your heart? I suppose that could be as little as a day or as long as years. Seeing as I'm only here for a few weeks, maybe a few months if I feel like it, I'd say I need to meet you frequently, and alone." He glanced at Alric.

"Alone?"

"Yes, of course. How am I supposed to win you over if you're constantly surrounded by men?"

I've negotiated with worse people, but how do I work it when I'm the prize? "How can you expect me, the saint, to meet with you alone all the time?"

"Is it really all that hard? Are you trapped here? Say the word, and I can whisk you away."

Rika's eye twitched. "I'm fine here, but I wanted to know how you think I can trust you to be alone with me."

Kael shrugged and held his hands out to the side. "I haven't done anything to hurt you. You have no reason to be so guarded."

Not hurt, but scare the hell outta me, yes.

"Kael, it's clear Rika doesn't agree to your terms, so maybe you should ask for something more reasonable," Alric suggested.

"Nope. This is perfectly reasonable when you consider the deal at stake. Isn't the safety of the kingdom worth it? I'm not sure your people would be happy with their saint if she snubbed a deal and brought Aeuro to their doorsteps. Don't we want to avoid bloodshed?"

"Yes, but—"

I have to make a deal for the quest, and I don't have anything other than myself as a bargaining chip. "Fine." Rika gripped her hands in her lap. "We'll make a deal for some alone time with me, but you have to follow a few rules."

"First things first." Kael gestured to Alric. "I want the rest of this deal to be made with only the two of us. You can wait outside, Your Highness."

"Excuse me?" Alric shot to his feet. "I will not sit out of this deal. It's for Thornburg, and I will be a part of it."

"You don't need to be privy to our rules." Kael sighed. "You'd just get in the way."

"Good." He'd want to be in the way of Kael's plan.

Kael tilted his head to the side. "Are you sure you want this deal?"

"Yes." Alric's jaw tightened, a vein popping out of his temple.

"Then be a good little prince and wait outside while we continue." Kael leaned back, smirking.

"The audacity—"

Rika stood and reached for Alric's hand. "It's clear he's just going to threaten you whenever he doesn't get what he wants, so maybe you should wait outside," she whispered, staring up into his blue eyes.

"But he's dangerous, and I don't want you agreeing to anything ludicrous. You've seen how he is; he takes control of—"

"I'll be okay. I'm the saint; I'm here for the safety of your kingdom in more than one way. If we can make a deal, your people will be better off. Maybe we can even talk about trade routes down the line. If we can deal with Kael instead of his father, maybe we can make things better." Assuming he isn't the bloodthirsty monster, his father is said to be.

"Are you sure about this?" Alric asked, stroking her head with his free hand.

"I'm sure."

"I... Fine, I'll be just outside." Alric glanced at Kael, who waved at him, before taking his leave.

"Finally alone." Kael clapped and hopped over to her couch.

"What do you think you're doing? Your seat is over there." Rika pointed at the couch across from her.

"But this side is so much better."

She went to switch to his couch, but he caught her wrist and pulled her down to the couch.

"Besides, we don't want the others to hear us talk. You said otome before," he whispered.

Rika frowned, not sure if she should respond. I'm not supposed to let him find out the truth, but what truth?

"You're not from here."

"What's your point? Everyone knows the saint is summoned from another world. So what if you hear me say that?"

"Because that means this is a video game to you, too."

"Too?" Her eyes widened, and heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, now I've got your attention. Rika, the saint, brought to this world because she went to play an otome video game, just like me."

Her jaw hung open, her stomach dropping as her brain took a moment to process. "You... you're from Earth?" No way. Someone else was summoned here? Why?

His face lit up. "As are you, apparently."

Crap. A chill ran down her spine. That was it. He wasn't supposed to find out I'm from Earth! I failed... Dammit.

A screen flickered in.

'Quest Failed: Make a Deal with Kael Without Him Learning the Truth.'

'Failure: Suspicion Up, Hope Down, Kael Affection Up.'

"Finally, someone else." He laughed as the rose above his head glowed.

"Does this mean you're not here to make a deal?"

"Oh, no, I am. This is all quite real to us right now, and so is my quest. Well, fellow Earthling, how about we make a deal? You give me your time, as much as you can spare, or I'll follow you around anyway, and you won't be able to escape me. If we have a deal, I'll make sure Aeuro doesn't attack. We can even work on the trade corridor." He held his hand out to her.