It’s been 3 weeks since Clemencia started learning politics and about power from Elijah. She was forbidden from learning swordsmanship until her stamina comes back to normal, a ‘special’ order from her mother. 

He taught her almost every day now that it was interesting for himself too. He even did extra work sometimes to clear the next day completely to spend time with Clemencia. He could sense it that they had a lot to talk about to fill up the time they missed. 

Clemencia has now gotten a clear view of where to start investigating but she lacked everything as of currently and took small steps. 

She was supposed to meet the friend of her brother, Lucius. 

He was the only one who could help her right now. 

That's why she was in her brother’s meeting room waiting for Lucius, unannounced. She sneaked away from Lia and her mother earlier and has been waiting there for some few hours now. 

Clemencia was quite embarrassed at her manners but this was no time to waste and ponder over it. 

In the meantime, the doors of the room opened and revealed Elijah and Lucius pulling Clemencia out of her thoughts. 

Elijah realized Clemencia was present there and so did Lucius, he raised his hands and waved it. 

“Hello, princess”, he was quite relieved to see her because he couldn’t earlier because of Elijah's watchful eyes. 

Elijah smacked his hands and asked Clemencia if she needed something as today was a holiday. 

“I'm sorry for coming here without prior notice” 

Clemencia apologized and took a quick glance at Lucius and immediately looked back at Elijah when Lucius caught her staring. 

“I wanted to have a talk with sir Lucius” and she turned towards Lucius,  

“Can we?” 

Lucius was quite taken back with her question when she asked for his consent but agreed nonetheless. 

“I'll make this quick. I want meet your sister, sir Lucius.” 

Lucius eyes hardened instantly at the mention of his sister, 

“May I ask why?”, he asked in a threatening tone more like growled at her and Elijah immediately covered Clemencia at his cold voice. 

“General Lucius Laskaris Luther, keep your voice down. You're talking to the crown princess and I don’t have to remind you what that means.”, Elijah confronted him. 

But Clemencia came prepared and expected this much of coldness. She didn’t wanted to interfere with his personal or family matters but she needed this. 

Minerva Laskaris Luther was the illegitimate daughter of the Luther family, to be more precise the illegitimate daughter of Lucius's uncle. The Lucius family took her in after her family was assassinated and she became the sole survivor. 

A tragic past of a pitiful lady but cold to the end of spine. The high society ignored her because of her absence in the social activities and gatherings which left her alone. 

Lucius was always overprotective of her. No one knew the reason until it came into light after her coming of age ceremony. She was unable to talk. 

It was suspicious, way too suspicious as to why she revealed it but the people believed the stories they were fed. 

Minerva was someone Clemencia wanted, no, needed. 

Lucius realized his mistake and quickly bowed his head, “My apologies, I didn’t mean to hurt the princess in anyway. I just wanted to know why she wanted to meet my sister.” 

Elijah relaxed a little at his explanation but was still alert of his movements. 

“I understand your concern, I do. But I need to meet her. Please give this letter to her. I can’t explain further than that.”, Clemencia handed a letter in white envelope without a seal with written ‘to lady Minerva’ on it to him and focused on the painting hanging on the wall behind him. 

Clemencia was scared. 

She was never good with people to begin with, especially strangers. 

She repeatedly convinced herself again and again. 

‘Calm down, he’s just brother’s friend. He will not do or say anything to me’ 

Clemencia made contact with his eyes and her heart started thumping in fear. 

‘But it was a man’ 

THUMP 

‘A man’ 

THUMP 

‘So what if he is brother’s friend. So what?’ 

THUMP 

Clemencia’s neck started to tighten and she felt suffocated. She wanted to run away that instant but she held herself back. 

‘For mother’ 

‘Yes, for mother’ 

 She clutched her hands tightly and waited for his answer. 

“You can give this to her yourself, luckily she’s coming tomorrow to watch my spar. I'll tell her about you though.”, Lucius sighed and was quite embarrassed as he was being suspicious of a thirteen-year-old girl for nothing. 

He gave her the letter back. 

“I see?”, Clemencia was quite confused with his answer and looked at Elijah to confirm her thoughts. 

She nodded her head and her eyes sparkled, “I see.” 

“Princess, you're quite amusing.”, Lucius laughed at her facial expression. 

Clemencia didn’t know the answer to that strange statement. 

She had heard every kind of impression but that. 

The wind flowed through the window and hit their bodies. 

It made her neat white dress flutter to the left and her hair too. 

She gently tucked her hair behind her ear from one hand and simply smiled at him. 

And walked past him after muttering her farewells. 

Lucius looked at Elijah who was still looking the gate from where Clemencia left. 

He fixed the hazel cape Elijah was wearing when he saw a crooked side at his shoulders. 

“What do you think of her?”, he asked from Elijah. 

Elijah kept his eyes on the same position and didn’t said anything for some time. 

“My sister”, his answer was vague and incomplete.  

“She didn’t looked like a child. Her eyes, her eyes were sad. Too sad.”, Lucius muttered and fixed the cufflinks of Elijah in pretense. 

Elijah knew what he meant and he noticed it too. Clemencia was someone he enjoyed to talk with and someone who knew when to stop and draw the line. He has seen her being lost in her own thoughts a lot in this past month. She was quite before that too but she not like this. Something changed in her, or everything. 

But she was his sister excluding everything, nothing could ever change that. 

“She is still a child”, Elijah smiled in at his own thoughts and replied to Lucius's words. 

Lucius hummed and continued with his cuff fixing movements. 

“Maybe they can be friends. Like us.”, Lucius said mentioning his sister. 

Elijah snorted and stepped back, “that sounds really weird coming from your mouth” 

“Hey, that’s mean. Anyways, let’s come back to the work we originally came here for.” 

“Yeah, creep.” 

--------------------------------*-----------------------------------

Boy, I'm tired.

I love Clemencia, she deserves the world, man.

Comment down your thoughts on social anxiety. I'll hear everyone.