Ruena managed to part the gathering of eager cadets to approach the girl with golden eyes. Unlike the others, she kept a cautious distance, despite her own clear interest. Now that she was closer Ruena saw a pattern in her hair that resembled the fur of an orange tabby. There were no obvious ears or tail, but Ruena couldn’t help but ask.

  “Are you a Cat?”

  The lady jerked back, suddenly wary. "Do you despise Cats like the Duchess?" she hissed, "Even if you do, you can't chase me out."

  Ruena tried her best to hide her flare of frustration. That woman truly was trying to destroy everything Alodan stood for. "Unlike that fake, I am a true Alodan," Ruena told her, "We have always been allies of Cats."

  Several conflicting emotions flitted across her face before she stared right into Ruena's eyes. "I am Taiga, a Cat and one of the Protectors. If you really are our ally, take me in and listen to my story."

  "That is easy enough," Ruena agreed. She had come here to choose knights, and she had no idea what a Protector was, "You will be my personal knight and serve by my side. I was hoping to find a woman like myself for the job."

  Before Taiga could even give a response, a flustered Captain Carlos stepped in. "You can't just appoint a cadet as your personal knight," he denied, "There are proper procedures to these things."

  "I don't want to hear about proper procedures from a man who ignored his duty until I bested him in a duel," Ruena snapped coldly, "I believe that gives me the right to ignore obnoxious procedures, and appoint whoever I wish to guard me."

  Taiga was suddenly by her side in a way that distinctly reminded Ruena of Storm. "I'll do it!" she agreed eagerly, "Please let me guard you, Lady Alodan!"

  Ruena was unable to resist the wicked smile that spread across her face. "There you have it," she told Carlos, "I will be taking Taiga today. As for the rest of you, I will return later when you are prepared to greet me with proper procedure from the beginning."

  Luckily, this was enough to make them back down. Taiga followed Ruena to the picnic table in the gardens after taking a moment to grab a small suitcase from her room. It was as if she had been waiting for this moment. Maybe it was because Cats strongly resembled regular cats, Ruena couldn't help but find it cute. They didn't have to wait long before Crystal returned.

  "It seems things went well," she greeted with a warm smile, "Things worked out on my side as well. I was able to secure a way we can communicate no matter where I am."

  "I wouldn't say they went well, but I ended them to my advantage," Ruena reported, "I am already growing tired of bring judged because of everything that woman does."

  "As her daughter and the Lady of Alodan, that is not something you will be able to avoid, at least not at first," Crystal admitted, "However, the more you appear in public the less you will hear."

  That was a relief to consider, even if fighting to clear a reputation she didn't damage was a pain. "What is the method you found?" Ruena asked instead, expecting her to present a charm similar to the one Densooth had given her nearly a decade ago.

  This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

  "I will give it to you now, but I cannot discuss the details here," Crystal replied, "It is a precious secret of mine, so you must not share it even with your most trusted knights."

  Not here? "Then should we escort you back to your residence here in the capital? My knights can ride outside the carriage while you cast a privacy spell," Ruena suggested, "You can tell me what you need to then."

  It was a good thing she had actually taken a carriage there, otherwise this plan would have been impossible. Crystal was more than happy to agree and gave instructions to the coachman before entering the carriage. It was also lucky that there was plenty of seating on the outside of the carriage to accommodate the coachman and both knights. The maid had gone ahead to inform Leopold they would be making another stop, and to prepare a room for Taiga.

  "Here it is," Crystal began, pulling an ornate key out of her bag and presenting it to her. They key looked more ornamental than anything else, but Ruena could feel the magic within it. "This key connects to its pair, which I have. You can send me letters, and even small gifts no matter where we are. All you have to do is tap the item with this key and make sure it is addressed to me. Packages can be lost if improperly addressed."

  It was far from the vocal communication charm Ruena had imagined, but once she thought it over, this was likely better. "Thank you," she accepted, stashing the key in her pocket, "While you are still here, I wanted to ask more about how to approach inviting the Valen King. How do I even send an invitation?"

  "It should be no problem to send it like a regular letter," Crystal assured, "It will be checked by security at various locations, but that will only increase the publicity."

  The idea of just being able to send a letter to a king seemed rather odd, but she figured the servants must root out the nonsense. Since she was a lady of Alodan, hopefully things would make it all the way to Xandus. It would take the letter quite some time to arrive, and for him to take up the invitation so it was likely better to send it sooner rather than later.

  "Thank you," Ruena told her, making sure to escort her out properly as they arrived at her capital residence. This too was more modest than Ruena had expected.

  For the rest of the ride home, she invited the knights into her carriage. The stuffy noble concepts of keeping staff separate were not something she ever planned to adhere to. Appearances should never be more important than people, and if someone thought that was a problem they were not someone she needed to associate with.

  It seemed Justus had come to some sort of agreement with Taiga, though. She was stiff and professional the entire ride, and on their way into the mansion. However, he professional facade fell apart the moment she spotted Jazz in the hallway. “The Great One,” she whispered.

  If she meant Great as in size, Ruena had to agree Jazz was putting on too much weight. However, based on the sparkling adoration in her eyes, Ruena had to assume that she was referring to his identity as a kitica. It probably wasn’t that strange for a Cat to recognize a kitica.

  “Jazz is a guest and a friend,” Ruena told her, “I don’t know how you view ordinary cats, but you will see many of them around here.”

  “I don’t mind them,” Taiga assured, but Ruena couldn’t help but notice she was acting strangely whenever she saw one. By the time they reached Ruena’s office so they could talk, she was eager to hear what was going on. “Those aren’t cats. They are all Cats!”

  “What?” Ruena asked, momentarily confused before the meaning of those words sunk in. “Why would the Cat race disguise themselves as ordinary cats and follow Jazz here?”

  “Because the Great One leads Cats to comfort and safety,” Taiga replied as if that explained everything.

  “I am going to need a bit more of an explanation,” Ruena ordered. This was not going at all like she had expected.