Chapter 86
The morning sun painted the royal garden in soft shades of gold and rose. Lucas walked along the stone path, his silver hair catching the light as he moved between rows of carefully tended flowers. Three days had passed since his conversation with Queen Ashley, and every day since had been filled with intense training sessions. The Queen was a demanding teacher, pushing him to understand seals and runes at a depth he had never imagined.
But today, Ashley . "Go rest,"
Lucas had agreed, though rest was the last thing on his mind. He needed to clear his head, to let all the new information settle. The garden seemed like the perfect place.
He rounded a corner near the small pond and stopped.
Elizabeth sat on a wooden bench beneath a flowering cherry tree, a violin tucked under her chin. Her pink hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders, matching the delicate petals that drifted down around her. Her eyes, the same shade of pink as her mother's, were closed in concentration as she drew the bow across the strings.
The melody was soft, sad but beautiful—a song Lucas didn't recognize. He stood quietly, not wanting to interrupt. The music wrapped around him like a gentle hand, and for the first time in weeks, his mind stopped racing.
When the final note faded, Elizabeth opened her eyes and saw him. Her cheeks flushed pinker than her hair.
"Oh! Lucas, I didn't—how long were you standing there?" She lowered the violin, suddenly shy.
"Long enough to hear something beautiful," Lucas said honestly. He walked closer and sat on the bench beside her, leaving a respectful distance. "I didn't mean to spy. Your mother let me go early, and I was just walking."
Elizabeth smiled, some of her shyness fading. "Mother mentioned you've been training hard. She said you're... intense."
Lucas chuckled. "Is that the word she used?"
"She used several words." Elizabeth's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Intense, brilliant, frustratingly quick to learn, and annoying because you correct her sometimes."
"Ah." Lucas rubbed the back of his neck. "I should probably work on that."
"No, don't." Elizabeth set the violin carefully on her lap. "Mother needs someone who challenges her. Everyone around here just agrees with everything she says. It's nice to see her actually think about things instead of just deciding."
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, watching the koi fish swim lazy circles in the pond.
"Can I ask you something?" Elizabeth said quietly.
"Of course."
"Why did give her that deal? I heard some of it about the cultivation technique, about helping our kingdom. But that's not the whole story, is it?"
Lucas looked at her.
"No," he admitted. "It's not the whole story." He picked up a small stone and tossed it into the pond, watching the ripples spread. "I need allies, People I can trust. The Hidden Cities, the Empires—they're all playing games. I don't want to be a chess piece in the game but one of the players."
"And you think we can help with that?" Elizabeth asked, a hint of a smile on her lips.
"I think your mother would die for you without hesitation. I think she's spent years preparing for her own death just to make your path easier." Lucas turned to face her.
Elizabeth's eyes widened, then softened. She looked down at her violin, fingers tracing the wood. "I know, that's why I want you to save her."
"And I will."
"Hmm." Elizabeth stood suddenly, placing her violin on the bench. "Walk with me?"
Lucas stood and fell into step beside her as they followed the garden path.
"So," Elizabeth said, clasping her hands behind her back, "if we're going to be allies, I should know more about you. What do you like, Lucas?"
"I... like reading," he said slowly. "Research, Understanding Runes and things like that."
"That's not a like, that's an obsession." Elizabeth laughed, a light, musical sound. "I bet everyone knows you as someone who always doing his own thing. What do you do for fun?"
"I don't really... have fun," he admitted. "I don't like having Fun."
Elizabeth stopped walking and faced him, hands on her hips. "That's sad. You're sixteen years old and you don't have fun?"
"I'm busy?"
"You're making excuses." She started walking again, this time with determination. "Okay, new rule. While you're here, you have to do at least one fun thing every day. I'll help."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "You'll help me have fun?"
"Yes. Starting now." Elizabeth stopped at a small clearing in the garden, a practice area marked with wooden dummies and training posts. "Show me your sword work."
"My sword work? That's your idea of fun?"
"It is when I get to watch." Elizabeth's cheeks pinked again, but she didn't look away. "Mother says you're good with a sword. I want to see."
Lucas considered refusing, but the genuine curiosity in her pink eyes made him smile instead. He drew his katana slowly, the blade catching the sunlight.
"Just watch, then. I'll show you my style."
He moved through a simple sequence—strikes, blocks, turns—each motion precise and controlled. But Elizabeth shook her head.
"No, that's boring."
Lucas stopped. "Really?"
"Fight me."
He blinked. "What?"
Elizabeth drew a slender sword from a rack near the training posts. It was clearly a practice blade, dulled for safety, but her stance was surprisingly solid. "So, fight me—really fight, but don't hurt me."
Lucas sheathed his katana and picked up a practice sword from the same rack. "You're serious?"
"As a heart attack." Elizabeth grinned. "Unless you're scared a girl will beat you?"
The challenge in her voice made Lucas laugh. "Fine. But don't blame me if you end up on the ground."
They circled each other slowly. Elizabeth moved first, a quick thrust that Lucas easily sidestepped. She followed with a series of strikes—fast, technically sound, but clearly trained for defense rather than offense. Lucas blocked each one without effort, not even moving his feet.
"You're not trying," Elizabeth complained, swinging again.
"I'm dodging, That's trying."
"Dodging is running away, Fight back!"
Lucas sighed and, during her next swing, tapped her wrist lightly with his practice sword. Elizabeth's grip loosened, and the blade clattered to the ground.
"See? I can't fight back without disarming you."
Elizabeth stared at her empty hand, then at him.
"Can't you just be bad at swordsmanship," she said softly.
Lucas set down his practice sword. "You're not weak, your form is good. You've just never had to really fight."
"I haven't been in many battle then the training I do with my mother." Elizabeth picked up her blade and returned it to the rack. "She doesn't want me to get in danger."
"The dangerous parts find everyone eventually." Lucas sat on a low stone wall bordering the clearing. "Better to be ready than surprised."
Elizabeth sat beside him, close enough that he could smell flowers—from the garden, or maybe from her. "Is that what happened to you? Were you surprised?"
Lucas was quiet for a long moment. Then, slowly, he nodded. "The war, I was ten. I thought I understood what fighting meant and I found out I didn't." He looked at his hands. "I saw things no child should see. Did things no child should do."
Elizabeth didn't look away in horror or pity. She simply listened.
"When it was over," Lucas continued, "I promised myself I'd never be weak again. That's why I train so hard, that's why I study so much. Because the next time something terrible happens, I'll be ready."
"That's depressing," Elizabeth said quietly. "Carrying all that."
"It's just how it is."
She reached out and, very gently, touched his hand. "But think about it, you are in a garden, on a sunny day, with a girl who plays violin and talks too much, That's not terrible. That's... nice, isn't it?"
Lucas looked at her hand on his, then at her face. Her pink eyes held no judgment, no fear—just warmth.
"Yeah," he said, surprised by the truth of it. "It's nice."
Elizabeth smiled and pulled her hand back, but slowly, like she didn't really want to. "So, tomorrow. More fun?"
"What did you have in mind?"
"I'll think of something." She stood and stretched, the movement graceful. "But for now, I should go. Mother will wonder where I am."
Lucas stood too. "I had a wonderful time with you."
She laughed again. "You're welcome. And Lucas?"
"Hmm?"
"Call me Liz. Everyone calls me Elizabeth. But you... you can call me Liz."
Before he could respond, she hurried away down the garden path, her pink hair bouncing with each step.
Lucas watched until she disappeared around a corner. Then he sat back down on the stone wall, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Fun huh, he thought. My Fun is in what I do everyday but others may judge it. But to me that's fun, the more I discover, the stronger I get, the more I accept. What a wonderful life.
Lucas Loves his training and research (that's his fun)
And Also loves spending time with people he cares about (that's also something he loves)
The distinction isn't that he avoids people he genuinely values connection with those close to him. He just doesn't see that as "fun" in the same way others might. It's simply... something he loves.
She's offering something he already has just in his own way. And his final thought acknowledges that: others may judge how he lives, but to him, both his work and his relationships bring him joy. That's a wonderful life.