Elsprinc 13^th, 799 – Evening

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It's time for you to relax for a while and meet your friends again. You and Hanna go to downtown Ellanor by carriage. The journey there is not long, only a few minutes, but in that short time, you can think of a few things.

First about Jenn. Hanna says you love that girl since you were just a boy until now. That is true, but also not true. It's true that you used to adore Jenn. When you were ten, she was seventeen. So, not only did you like her, but you also wanted to make love to her. The first time you got your sexual desire, Jenn was the girl you dream of. Her face, her body, her touch, and her tender moves when she was riding on you were what you imagine to make you aroused.

But that time is long gone. You haven't gotten the image of her out of your mind when she got engaged to your brother, but when the girl left Ellanor, you ended up trying to forget her. Jenn is an extraordinary girl who deserves to achieve things at the highest level, and you felt you don't deserve her. You also finally started to realize, when you grow up you can see many other beautiful girls around you, including Hanna who is now in front of you. Their faces and bodies are what you imagine now. Never again do you imagine Jenn.

So you're sure Hanna was wrong when she said you still love Jenn.

The second thing you think about is Hanna herself. As Hanna said, you and she might get married one day. Your father and his father once promised to marry off their children when they grew up. It was your brother Gavin and Jenn who were supposed to be the bond between the Valerin and Esterri families. Even though Jenn is only Sir Ezron's adopted daughter, your father doesn't mind. But your brother then died of an illness two years ago. So, although this has not been officially discussed, now you and Hanna are the ones who will unite the two families. Things that you both never imagined would happen before, may actually happen now.

You and Hanna weren't prepared for that. You like Hanna, and you've imagined her face and body too. How can you not? She is beautiful more than anyone and has a stunning body. But at the same time you know you shouldn’t think of her that way. Hanna is your best friend since childhood, your place to talk when you were in trouble, and your place to ask opinions if you were thinking about other girls. And vice versa, you're the one Hanna looks for when she's in trouble. You two are very close, but only as friends.

When you two get married, all of that will change. Will you really be able to love her? Likewise, will Hanna really be able to love you? You and she are both not sure. Maybe you can do it later, but it can be really awkward.

"We're here," Hanna says, looking out the window. She glances at you. "Do you still want to think more, or do you want to come down with me?"

You just nod. You open the carriage door, then get off first. You help Hanna down, then the two of you walk into the luxurious restaurant building in the middle of Ellanor town.

The receptionist bows his head to greet you and Hanna, before inviting you up to the second floor. In the corner of the room is a large round table surrounded by a circular sofa. There are three people waiting for you and Hanna there.

The one sitting on the far left is Ruy Hassen. He is a 19-year-old young man who has thick brown hair. A joker and always smiling, he is the son of Lady Brienne, the Baroness of Basteroon. Beside him is Elene Hassen, Ruy's sister. The 17-year-old girl's hair is a bit darker than her brother's. She also likes to laugh.

Then the one sitting on the far right is Issa Brynder. Tall, athletic, and dark-skinned, the 20-year-old is the son of a wealthy businessman in Ellandhar. His father owns various kinds of businesses, including this fancy restaurant that you are currently visiting.

They welcome you and Hanna. Elene and Issa shifted their seats so that Hanna and you are now sitting on the far right.

"Before I explain why I couldn't come this morning, I have news to tell you," you say. "This is important, but you don't need to spread it everywhere. Sir Ezron is sick, he had a heart attack this afternoon. But his condition has stabilized and is currently resting at Valerin Castle.”

All your friends fell silent.

Issa says, “I wish him a speedy recovery. Are you and your mom okay, Hanna?”

"We're fine," Hanna says. “Still worried, of course, but I think I need to cool off for a bit here, with you guys. My mother and brother are now taking care of my father. After that, it's my turn to take care of him."

"Do you want me to accompany you?" Elene asks.

"That's right." Ruy nods. “Elene and I can come to the Castle tonight.”

"No need." Hanna smiles. “Tomorrow you both have to go back to Basteroon, right? The journey is far. You'd better rest tonight."

"I still feel the need to visit," Ruy says. “Elene and I will be coming to the Castle tomorrow morning. Just for a little while, after that, we will leave.”

"I'll come tomorrow too," Issa says.

"Thank you." Hanna smiles wider. "I'm glad you could come. Hey, did you guys order food? I'm hungry."

You all then order food.

While waiting for the food to come you say, “Sorry, I couldn't come this morning. My father told me to train for the next few days. The match was postponed, right? Did you guys make a new schedule?”

"We still played this morning," Issa answers.

"What? Uh. Marko forced you to keep playing, didn't he?”

"Not really," Ruy smirks. “He did make fun a little bit, but I replied. We keep playing, because… why not? Hanna can replace you, and a lot of people were already there to watch us. So we played, and everyone was happy."

You look at Hanna. "You didn't say that you were playing. Are you okay?"

"Of course I'm okay," Hanna says. "Do you think I can't play?"

"It is not like that. I'm just glad you weren't hurt. So, how did it go?”

"We lost," Issa says. “But Hanna played well. You should have seen her."

"Yeah, I should. Well, the next game, let Hanna play first. I'm just a backup."

Then you all eat and occasionally joke. You all aren't as happy as usual, because everyone is still worried about Hanna's father's condition, but for you, this dinner is good enough to calm the girl's heart.

"Hi!" A girl's voice is heard.

You lift your face and see two beautiful girls who are now standing beside you. The faces of the two are very similar, also their blonde hair which is neatly rolled up and tied at the back, as is the blue dress they are both wearing. You can't tell the difference between the two.

You've never seen the two girls, but it looks like your friends already know them, judging by everyone's reactions.

“Hi, Reyna, Rasha!” Hanna welcomes. "Do you eat here too?"

"Yes. Our hotel is not far from here,” says the girl who has a mole above her left lip and has a wider smile. The mole and the smile are two things that can distinguish her from the girl next to her, besides the size of their breasts. The quiet girl has slightly bigger breasts than the mole girl.

You were stunned when you realized what you just thought. Why are you suddenly thinking about breasts? You curse. It must be because of their tight dresses. But still, you should be used to seeing dresses like that.

“We heard that this is the best restaurant in Ellanor, so we come,” the girl continues. "And now we meet again. Nice coincidence, isn't it?"

“Reyna and Rasha are from Brendberg. They're on vacation,” Hanna explains to you. "They were watching our game, and then we got to know each other."

"Even though we lost, they chose to get to know us rather than Marko," Ruy replies, grinning at you. "Why? Because there’s a handsome man like me.”

The Brendburg girl laughs. "Well, Marko is handsome too, to be fair. But you guys are cute." She then looks at you. “And it looks like the most handsome one is here now. We haven't met yet. I'm Reyna, and my twin sister is Rasha.”

"Oh, hi." You reach out. “My name is…”

Suddenly you hesitate to say your name. People usually prefer to introduce themselves by real names, especially if they're noblemen. But you have unusual experiences with this. Sometimes you will feel uncomfortable when you meet girls who immediately recognize you as the son of the Count. They get overly cautious or pretend a lot, while you'd prefer them to be casual like their usual selves. And because of that, usually…

"Louis," Hanna continues. "His name is Louis. He's a bit shy."

By giving that fake name Hanna helps you.

"Ah." Reyna nods. “Handsome, but shy. That’s always interesting."

"Hey, sit down," Ruy says. “You girls should join in, have a chat with us.”

But before the two girls sat down, suddenly a popping sound is heard from nowhere. Not so loud, but enough to silence everyone.

"What's that?" asks Elene.

"The sound of a bottle being opened?” Ruy guesses. “Or iron clashing?"

"No." Issa shakes his head. “It’s different."

Only you know. It’s a gunshot, like the one Jenn had made this morning. The voice was small, so it must have come from quite a distance. But it looks like it's still inside the town of Ellanor. You stand up from your chair and walk towards the window. On the street below there are several people standing and wondering. Then the soldiers appear and run to the road on your right.

You gasped for a moment when you realized it. Does this mean there are other people holding firearms in Ellanor? Certainly not Jenn. So who?

You hurry down the stairs, ignoring Hanna's worried screams. Downstairs you immediately run out of the building to the side of the road.

"Clark! What is it?" you call out to the coachman standing beside your carriage.

“There seems to be a riot, Young Master. Or robbery."

Several soldiers run past beside you. Screams are heard in the distance. Your curiosity drives you to run after the soldiers.

But only about ten meters you run, a man stops you.

He’s big and bearded. He looks a little out of breath, probably from having just run from afar with the soldiers. He doesn't ride a horse, which means he's probably been around here a long time ago. You know him. He is Sir Barton, a knight who is the head of security in the town of Ellanor.

“Young Master, don't go there,” the man says. “Perhaps it is still dangerous.”

"Perhaps? You don't know what happened yet?"

“I was just going over there to find out. Please, let us deal with this first. You go home right now to the Castle. I don't want anything to happen to you. Two cavalrymen will accompany your carriage.”

"I can take care of myself," you say stubbornly. "I'll just watch from afar."

“No.” Sir Barton's face hardened. "Your father will kill me if I let you get hurt for going to that place. Do you want to argue with me?"

That man looks scary now.