“Thank you.” Mepeilu tucked a strand of her golden hair behind her ear, then gently placed a piece of the sweet treat on her tongue. It was divine.

“Would you like to try mine?” Mepeilu asked.

“Certainly.” Outside the Candy House, the sweetness was startlingly fresh, with subtle undertones very different from the treats within.

The bond between Lady Liana and Princess Mepeilu was truly touching. Outside the Candy House, Loraviel and Vivian sat beneath a gazebo, each sampling a few confections to cleanse the palate.

“Yes,” Loraviel replied absently, her attention fixed instead on a corner of the Candy House. From there, she could see Lady Liana and Princess Mepeilu feeding each other sweets, ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) their cheeks tinged with the soft flush of bashfulness. If she were a stranger, she might have assumed the two shared a most intimate relationship—but she was not a stranger, and she felt a bitter pang of jealousy sitting opposite them.

“You seem very concerned about Lady Liana,” Vivian observed. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

“After all, Lady Liana is not my mistress,” Loraviel returned, lowering her gaze to the desserts before her. Perhaps, when she could not see them, her heart would ache less.

“Is that so?” Vivian tapped her fingers on the table. Princess Mepeilu had instructed her to entertain Loraviel—to create opportunities for Mepeilu to be alone with Liana.

“Shall we go for a stroll? You’ll soon be returning, and I doubt you’ll visit the Lisat capital again for some time,” Vivian prompted.

“Protecting the Tok family’s safety is a maid’s duty, is it not?” Loraviel countered. “Lady Vivian, you know that well enough.”

“True.” Vivian nodded.

“I merely do not wish for any misfortune to occur in the time we have left,” Loraviel said, straw poised between her lips, expression unreadable.

Fortunately, the three within the Candy House rose not long after.

“Time spent with Liana always passes so swiftly,” Mepeilu sighed, glancing at the hour—which had nearly come for them to part.

“Would you stay two more days?” she asked Liana.

“I too would love more time,” Liana admitted, “but I dare not delay your affairs—nor would it suit your schedule. Besides, I won’t venture far. If you wish to see me, you need only wait at Venus Manor. So please, first attend to your duties, then come find me.”

“Of course—sorry for troubling you,” Mepeilu replied, looking to Wendy. “Could you recommend some candies for Liana? She’s fond of your store’s confections.”

“Is that necessary? Liana is hardly a child.”

“And if she truly desires sweets, surely Venus Manor has plenty. No need to journey so far.”

“Mind your own business—these are gifts from me to her,” Mepeilu said stubbornly.

“Very well.” Liana would not refuse. Once their purchases were stowed, the two left the Candy House.

“Come with me to one more place?” Mepeilu asked.

“Oh? Do you know where ‘Honey’ is?” Liana teased—Mepeilu had just claimed ignorance.

“Yes, and another spot worthy of your gaze.” Mepeilu took Liana’s hand.

“Lady Liana, leave the candies to me,” Loraviel interjected. Her primary purpose in coming was to serve—and to demonstrate her worthiness to remain at Liana’s side.

“All right.” Liana surrendered the sweets to Loraviel. Grasping them would impede her walk with Mepeilu.

They crossed the marketplace and passed entertainment stalls; Mepeilu barely paused.

“Is it far?” Liana asked.

“Almost there,” Mepeilu said mysteriously.

They entered a winding lane bordered by all manner of flowers, their hues ranging from pale gray to withered yellow—perhaps conveying a hidden message visible only from above. Laughter and chatter filled the air.

At last they arrived before a tent draped in violet curtains. At its center grew a towering tree; on the canopy above flowed sigils like constellations in motion, lending the place an aura of mystique.

“What is this?” Liana wondered.

“A divination booth. They say the seer within can interpret the future,” Mepeilu explained.

“Interpret the future?” Liana shook her head. “If such divination truly existed, anyone could consult a seer and avert all tragedy.”

“Truly? Then the Second Prince would surely have discovered our deception long ago.”

“Such spoilers!” Mepeilu shot Liana a reproachful glance. Liana fell silent—but remained curious to receive a blessing.

“My apologies...” Liana murmured.

“Shall we go inside?” Mepeilu urged.

“All right.” Liana nodded.

As they approached, the violet crystal bead curtain parted of its own accord.

“Welcome, Princess—and Lady Liana,” came a mature voice. The diviner wore a black mask and violet curls concealed her face, enhancing her mystery.

The booth smelled of burning resin—sweeter than ordinary incense.

The masked seer rolled a crystal ball before them. “Is there something you wish to divine?”

“Yes,” Mepeilu replied, nodding.

“Do you wish to see your fortune, or something more specific?” the seer asked.

Mepeilu thought it over. Better to separate their inquiries: some matters, with Liana present, might go unspoken.

“All right. Whom shall I call first?” the seer inquired.

“Mepeilu, please,” Liana said. “I don’t yet know what I’ll ask.”

“Very well.”

“Then let the Princess go first.” The seer laid her hand upon the crystal ball. Inside, the violet sphere swirled with a galaxy of stars, then radiated a white light. In an instant, the two stood within a secret chamber.

“Is this spatial magic?” Mepeilu asked.

“Indeed,” the seer nodded. “Thanks to the Princess’s remarks, I gained fresh insight this time—no longer bound by those odd constructs that once stalled my magic.”

“Oh? As a seer, did you not foresee this future?”

“One does not contradict destiny lightly.” The seer spoke enigmatically. “The words granted by the Changing God demand great courage. One must weather both support and opposition. Yet after change, certain diehard powers may strike back—and I cannot bear their wrath.”

“Ah? So you mean I can bear it myself?”

“It is too soon for divination, yet you already calculate your own course?” the seer teased.

“Alone, you could not manage. But worry not—many steadfast allies stand by your side,” she added.

“Really?” Mepeilu’s heart swelled at the reassurance. The first thought to mind was Liana—truly, she had the most reliable companion.

“Then, Princess, what is your question?” the seer prompted.

“Are there discontented elements within the Lisat capital?” Mepeilu asked.

...The seer paused. “A dangerous question to pose at the outset.”

“I only wish to confirm whether any corruption lurks in Lisat.”

“Yet Princess, you already know this—why ask me? Even if I reveal names, without proof, what good? Do you expect belief in a seer’s grudge?” the diviner laughed.

“Princess, is your true query something else?”

Mepeilu eased into her chair, more relaxed. The seer seemed genuinely gifted.

“What about Liana—will she find happiness?” Mepeilu finally asked.

“You care more for Lady Liana than for yourself?” the seer questioned.

“Is that not allowed?”

“Of course it is.” The seer placed her hand again upon the crystal ball. The stars whirled and glowed until they burst into butterflies that fluttered away from the orb.

“What does this mean?” Mepeilu asked.

“Lady Liana shall be very happy—but Princess Mepeilu must make some effort,” the seer intoned mysteriously.

“Effort on my part?” Mepeilu’s brow furrowed.

“All right, next,” the diviner said, waving her hand and returning Mepeilu outside. Though Mepeilu could have halted the magic, she had no reason to—and the seer’s enigmatic character, plus the answer she sought, left her satisfied.

A flash of white light later, Liana reappeared before the seer.

“Lady Liana, is there something you wish to divine?” the seer asked.

Liana, summoned so abruptly, responded, “I never believed in your divinations—so here’s a puzzle: who will be the next King of Lisat?”

...The seer was rendered speechless. “It seems Lady Liana does not hold me in high regard.”

“Why say so?” Liana prodded.

“Some secrets are not for divulging.”