The Second Date

Nalindra came to our rescue. I have no idea how she managed to do it, but she somehow convinced Chika to confide her feelings in a way that made sense to people from the Empire. A few days after our disastrous first date, Nalindra came to visit me in my office.

“Really, playing matchmaker for nobles is not part of my job description, but I can’t blame you for needing my help. She’s certainly a unique case.”

“I’m sure we seem just as strange to her.”

“In any case, all her moping is making my job harder, so it’s up to you to do something about it. Ask her on another one of these dates, and this time, do it right.”

“If I knew what to do, I would, but I still don’t understand what went wrong last time.”

“Lord Thelian, if I may be completely honest and frank…” I nodded. Standing on status would do me no good here. “She wants you to care about her for who she is, not for what she can do.”

“She said something similar, but I still can’t figure out the difference.”

“And that’s always been your problem! Why do you think you’re still unmarried at your age? You eye everyone with suspicion and keep your guard up at all times. Honestly, the two of you are exactly alike in that way. You were made for each other.”

“That’s how my father raised me. I don’t know any other way to live.”

“And when you were being raised, were you ever frightened that your father would cast you aside if you stopped being useful to him?”

“All the time. Even now, I fear what should become of me if I misstep in my service to the emperor.”

“Lady Chika feels the same way. No woman would want to be abandoned by her husband once he has all he wants from her.”

I had to admit, it was an unusually good point for Nalindra. I doubted Chika would ever become useless to me, but a relationship based solely on utility was fragile. Even my father, as ruthless as he was, stayed by my mother’s side as her health faded. Why had he done that? Was there something more to human relations than mutual benefit after all?

“Even knowing that, how do I woo her? I don’t know what she wants, only what she doesn’t want.”

“Men may be thick, but you’re really taking it too far, Lord Thelian. She wants you to care about her. Not about what she can do, but who she really is.”

“But I have no idea who she really is.”

“That’s what the date was supposed to be for, apparently. You would go see some plays, and then talk about them over a meal. By discussing your perspectives, you would learn a bit about each other. It may not have worked, but you’re an intelligent man. I’m sure you can devise a scheme that achieves the same goal.”

⁂

“Are you sure I should be here? Doesn’t the temple own this land?”

The two of us were walking along a path into the temple’s garden, a large tract of land on the edge of the capital where the temple nurtured many animals and plants. Chika was looking around as if she expected to be attacked at any moment.

“Lord Gwendar gave me permission, and I personally spoke to some of the more… ardent priests and smoothed things over. My outlook on life may be ill-suited to what you call romance, but it comes in handy. I promised them things that they want so that they won’t bother us.”

“And you believed them?”

“I didn’t take it on faith.” I paused to chuckle at my own joke before continuing. “I’ve known these people for many years. I’ve observed what they tend to do and what they’re capable of, and I meticulously researched exactly what they desire. Besides, the worst they can do is ask us to leave. They wouldn’t dare risk upsetting the emperor by harming either of us.”

Chika still seemed skeptical, but her shoulders relaxed, and she walked with a more natural gait as we continued through the garden. As she became more comfortable, she voiced her thoughts more often.

“Whoever tends this garden certainly has an eye for natural beauty. The way those flowers over there are arranged seems random at first glance, but they all complement each other so well. Oh! What are those plants? I don’t think I’ve seen those before.”

“I believe those are Ombrael. They’re difficult to grow here, but they’re apparently abundant far to the south, in the land of our ancestors.”

She knelt down to get a closer look at the plants. “That would explain why I’ve never even seen drawings of them. I would remember those leaves. They’re shaped like bells. Do they have any uses?”

“Probably. The temple keeps scrolls detailing much of that kind of knowledge. If you’d like, I could arrange for you to visit their library.”

“I’d appreciate that.” Standing up, there was a gentle smile on her face, completely unlike the fake smile from our first date. As we resumed walking, a small goat crossed our path, looked directly at us, and bleated once before continuing on its way. “Looks like we found a fellow intruder.”

“The goat probably lives here. While temples to other gods may keep large statues, this temple keeps animals that survived grave injury but were blessed by the goddess of life and survived.”

“That’s nice. It would be nicer if the temple showed similar concern to people.”

“It did, a long time ago, but too many people started injuring themselves in order to be put under the temple’s care.”

“That does sound like something people would do.”

The conversation was taking a depressing turn. I didn’t want a repeat of the first date, so I tried to change the subject. “There is a clearing up ahead where my servants are preparing lunch for us. Shall we?”

When we arrived, my servants were still setting the table, which they had carried from my nearby estate, so I grabbed one of the chairs and motioned to a servant to bring my lute. I played a little tune while we waited.

After I finished, Chika applauded. “I didn’t know you could play. You really are a rich boy.”

“What do you mean? Playing instruments like this is a job for minstrels. You won’t find many nobles who play. Is it different in Earth?”

“Depends on where you’re from, but rich people are more likely to play expensive instruments, and that looks expensive.”

“Indeed. It was crafted by a master. My father never approved of my playing, but he learned what I wanted and made me trade him for it. I paid a hefty price, and not just in gold.” I handed the instrument back to my servant. “Nalindra told me that these dates were for getting to know each other, but I figured it wasn’t fair to ask you for your secrets without sharing mine first. That’s why I wanted to play for you.”

“And to demonstrate that you care about more than politics? Thank you. I’m happy that you didn’t give up.”

With the mood brightened, we moved towards the table for our lunch. My servants left us alone, and we made small talk over a finely-prepared meal. When we were nearly finished, however, I noticed something.

“You haven’t touched your water.”

“I’m not thirsty.”

“But we’ve been out in the sun all morning. Nalindra also mentioned something about you not drinking water, but I dismissed it because I’ve seen you drink… from your canteen… which you carry everywhere.”

“Right, let’s go see the rest of the garden.”

“Is that how you get away without eating vitafelars? Is there vitafelar juice in there?”

“No, it’s just water, see?” To demonstrate, she poured some into my cup, and indeed, it tasted just like water.

“But you did something to it, didn’t you? Otherwise you wouldn’t… does the unholy fever come from water?”

The words hadn’t completely left my mouth before Chika shushed me. “Not so loud.”

“But this is what we’ve been looking for,” I whispered. “With this, we could avert the war with Drakarnor. If they didn’t need vitafelars, their shortage wouldn’t matter.”

“No. You can’t tell anyone. It’s too dangerous.”

At first, I thought she was joking, but there was a hard edge to her voice, and her eyes betrayed her desperation and determination. Her expression reminded me of the vormarnok that had charged me.

Chika was ready to kill me in order to keep her secret.