The cool afternoon breeze hit Cherion in the face as they walked down the ridiculously well-maintained garden paths. Princess Iryna walked beside him with that same ridiculously perfect posture she always had, looking every bit like the proud imperial princess she was raised to be. A few steps behind them, Ezek, Reiner, and several of Iryna’s personal guards followed quietly, giving the two of them enough space to pretend this was a casual stroll and not a heavily supervised diplomatic outing.

Cherion glanced back at the group for a second before looking ahead again. Honestly, lunch had gone surprisingly well. But then again, how could it not? People were fed. Good food had a magical ability to stop political tension from ruining the mood for at least an hour.

Cherion wasn’t stupid. The only reason he was currently playing garden escort was because Zarius and Gillian had locked themselves in a room somewhere to discuss battles, military strategy, and probably twenty different ways nations could collapse.

Please. The war already ended. They should be talking about something normal like, "Hey, wanna play ball sometime?" You know. Friendship.

Though, Cherion realistically thought it might take some time for that to ever happen. Zarius’s eyes had been so intensely wary of Gillian throughout the entire lunch. It was obvious the Duke wasn’t going to let his guard down anytime soon around the Solaric heir.

"Lord Cherion," Iryna finally said, her voice smooth and formal as always. Her eyes stayed fixed ahead, chin slightly raised with practiced royal elegance. "I do not believe I properly thanked you for your assistance the other day. The concoction you used to wake us was highly effective."

Cherion gave her an easy smile and waved a hand casually. "Oh, don’t worry about it, Your Highness. It was just a simple little remedy to clear out heavy sleep fog. Honestly, if the situation was reversed, I’m sure you would’ve done the same thing for us."

Iryna glanced at him briefly before looking away again. She didn’t deny it, which honestly counted as agreement coming from her. Instead, her attention drifted toward the surrounding garden.

"The garden is beautiful," Iryna admitted, and this time her praise sounded genuinely sincere.

"Right?" Cherion smiled, gesturing to a nearby cluster of frosted blooms. "The North’s gardens are nice too. Though, of course, it might not be as grand or sprawling as the palace gardens in Auzelian or Solaric." He made sure to say both empires equally. No favoritism. No accidental political landmine.

A faint smile appeared on Iryna’s lips. "I heard the North is unbearably cold and harsh."

"Well..." Cherion laughed lightly. "Yeah. That’s pretty accurate."

"It sounds like the perfect place for me, then," she murmured quietly.

Cherion raised an eyebrow, turning his head to look at her fully. "An interesting choice, Your Highness. But why is that?"

"Because of this," Iryna said. She stopped walking and turned to face him completely. Slowly, she reached out her hand, palm facing upward.

Cherion watched curiously as moisture from the air began gathering above her skin. Tiny droplets condensed rapidly before freezing solid, stretching outward into sharp crystalline shapes of pure ice. The frozen structures shimmered beautifully beneath the sunlight.

"Wow, that is so cool," Cherion breathed, his natural curiosity taking over. He instinctively reached out his hand, trying to touch the frozen creation to feel the intense chill radiating from her magic.

Before his fingers could actually make contact, Iryna snapped her palm shut. The ice vanished instantly, dissolving back into the air as if it had never been there.

"It is originally just water," Iryna explained, sounding slightly proud of herself now. "But I evolved it into ice."

"Wow, that’s so freaking cool," Cherion said, genuinely amazed. He gave a small, enthusiastic little clap, his eyes bright. "An attribute evolution. That takes incredible precise control."

Iryna blinked, visibly caught off guard by how genuinely impressed he sounded. A faint pink tint touched her cheeks before she quickly cleared her throat and straightened her posture again. "Thank you, Lord Cherion."

"Oh, please, there’s no need to use ’Lord’ with me," Cherion said, waving his hand with a chuckle. "Just call me Cherion."

Iryna hesitated for a fraction of a second, testing the familiarity of the name. "...Very well. Cherion."

"If it’s not too much to ask, and certainly not trying to cross into your privacy," Cherion began, leaning in slightly with an intrigued expression, "what other elements can you control? I’ve heard rumors, but hearing it from the actual source hits different."

To his surprise, Iryna actually let out a soft chuckle. Some of the stiffness in her shoulders relaxed a little. "Just wind and earth."

"Only? That sounds awesome. You seriously have to show me sometime."

"Why not now?" Iryna replied, a sudden, playful spark igniting in her eyes.

Cherion barely had time to process that before a sharp gust of wind exploded through the garden. The temperature dropped instantly. The breeze twisted violently around them, spinning into a concentrated current that howled across the stone paths. Cherion’s hair whipped straight into his face as leaves, frost, and snowflakes spiraled through the air around them in perfect controlled circles.

Cherion looked around in absolute awe, watching the leaves dance in perfect circles around them. But Iryna wasn’t done. She stomped her heel lightly against the stone path.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them gave a sudden, sharp shudder. The earth started to shake a little, not violently enough to tear the garden apart, but enough to completely disrupt his center of gravity.

Caught entirely off guard by the shifting ground, Cherion lost his balance. One wrong step and his boots slid out from under him. A second later, he was on the ground staring at the sky and questioning every life decision that led to this moment. Instead of being upset, he burst into a bright, breathless laugh, shaking his head at the sheer display of power.

Iryna smiled triumphantly, stepping closer to reach her hand down toward him so she could help him up from the ground.

But she never got the chance.

A deafening blast suddenly ripped through the air. A concentrated blast of magic erupted from the thicket of trees nearby, tearing through the wind and rocketing straight toward the Princess.

Iryna’s imperial reflexes kicked in instantly. With a sharp gasp, she threw her hands up, summoning a thick barrier of ice directly in front of her. The magic slammed into the ice shield with a violent explosion, sending shards of frozen shrapnel flying in every direction and kicking up a thick cloud of white mist.

Cherion’s laughter died instantly.

As the mist began to clear, a sharp, deadly figure stepped out from the trees, standing directly in front of Cherion to shield him from the startled Princess. Her daggers were drawn, her eyes burning with a terrifying, lethal intent.

Marielle glared at the foreign princess like she was one wrong breath away from getting executed on the spot Her voice dripped with pure malice as she hissed, "Step away from him, woman. I suggest you drop your magic right now. Raise your hands against him one more time, and I will treat it as an act of war against the North."

"No, Marielle..." Cherion started, scrambling to his feet, but Iryna cut him off with a low, sharp laugh.

"You speak of war so easily, lady. Tell me, does your blade bite as fiercely as your tongue?"