The Truce

"So... Jeanne's father and the king of Kasai are friends?" Prince Ren asked for confirmation from the Kouri princess.

"Yes, very good friends. They even arranged their children's marriages."

"What?!"

"Didn't you know? Didn't your friends tell you?"

"I wouldn't be asking if they did," Ren seemed annoyed. What's the point of hiding it to me?

"Jeanne is engaged to one of Kasai's twin princes."

"They didn't tell me anything about it especially Jeanne. Wait a minute, Kasai has twin princes?"

"Yes, it's not so unusual you know."

Ren slapped his forehead, "And I told Anna that the Kasai heir is a two-headed monster."

Pirika laughed. "Well Yoh is nice but the other one… maybe he ought to be called a monster since he's really mean. By the way, who is Anna?"

"She's my fiancée."

"Oh, is she in Kaminari or in Kouku?"

Ren stared at the setting sun, "I don't even know…"

Princess Pirika folded her arms and stared at the Kaminari prince in disbelief. "What do you mean you don't even know? She's your fiancée after all."

"Can we talk about other things instead of my personal life?" Prince Ren furrowed his eyebrows. He wanted to slap himself for uttering such words. It was not his intention to let an enemy find out their current situation. His father had always told him to never let his guard down. Kasai and Kouri might devise a plan to attack Kouku while the heiress to the throne, his soon-to-be-wife is missing.

The girl from the other side of the table peered at him curiously. She was positive that he was keeping something from her. "I bet she ran away because she didn't want to marry you," she teased.

"Even if she did, it's none of your business. Why are you so interested anyway?" It was the prince's turn to do the teasing. His attempt to stop her further inquisition was successful for the princess had shut her mouth and suddenly turned bright red.

Prince Ren rested his chin on the palm of his hand and gazed at her with an amused look which made the princess blushed even more. She became speechless for a few minutes trying to think of a better retort. The prince tapped his fingers on the table, waiting for his companion to snap back at him.

"I am just curious as to what kind of woman would actually agree to marry such a brute like you," the blue-haired princess stuck out her tongue. The young man only saw this as an attempt to mask her embarrassment.

"She's a fine woman unlike some OTHER girl I know," the Tao heir sneered at her. "You should go to OUR wedding day if you are so interested to see her."

"Are you out of your mind? I'd lose my head if I were to attend your wedding. In fact," the princess let out a sigh, "I would lose my head just talking with you."

"Oh, right…" Prince Ren nearly forgot that their kingdoms were enemies back home. "If you're bothered by this, the four kingdoms' treaty does not apply overseas especially in the Royal Patch Academy so it's safe for us to converse here. You don't need to worry at all."

"Hmph, I hate that age-old treaty. It just made matters worse. Don't you think so?"

The Tao heir nodded. For once, the two of them had agreed on something.

"You know what? Ever since I was a child, I often wondered what Kouku and Kaminari look like," the princess gazed at the darkening horizon. "Have you ever wished to see Kasai and Kouri with your own eyes?"

The prince remembered his fiancée also asking him the same question. "Of course, I have. I was just as curious as you."

"How I longed for the time that we can roam around each other's kingdoms and see all the good and bad side of it."

Prince Ren smiled, "Perhaps I can tickle your imagination. I can tell you stories about Kouku and Kaminari if you wanted me to."

"Really? Would it be okay for you to convey information to an enemy?"

"I'm not giving you information, Princess. I am just sharing my experiences. But there is one condition though…."

"What is it this time?" the Kouri royalty looked at him with suspicion.

"I'll talk only if you would tell me about Kasai and Kouri, too. Do we have a deal?" Prince Ren offered a handshake.

"Yes." The princess squeezed his hand hard.