There’s a long moment of silence as Sophia finishes this quite well written poem by that distant ancestor of Zai’s, all four lines read out loud with a strange taste in her mouth.

  Still getting used to unnaturally pronouncing these familiar words through phonetics, a brain being rewired to accommodate this interesting methodology of readable language; Sophia Elise now capable of stringing the words in active consciousness in a headache inducing, brain melting process.

  Still, she managed to get through this without any pause or mistakes; looking towards her tutor with a smug smile. “Pretty good?”

  And he meets her gaze, nodding to her newest accomplishment. “Not bad.”

  Not bad? One of the thought processes sighs. After all that work?

  Well it’s better than just bad. Compared to two months ago, we’re masters at this stupid silly language.

  There’s a strange look on Prince Zai’s face; one both of pride and a bit of hesitation as that usual longing smile turns into something more… present and aware of his next words.

  Zai adds onto the prior point quite suddenly, taking a deep look into those eyes of hers. “Sophia, I think you’re ready.”

  She blinks. “What? Ready for what?”

  “The real deal.”

  Those words hold far too much weight for her to process, and she has to ask. “T-the real deal?”

  It was the real deal.

  This small bookshop in the commercial square was a monolith of impossible linguistics, suddenly a lot smaller now that Sophia could read its signage. A geometric alphabet returning through her internal voice as the most simple:

  Seaside Books

  “A bookstore?” Sophia raises a curious point at this sight. “I’ve never been in one before.”

  “Never been in one?” Zai takes a small second to process that statement before asking her. “You don’t have bookstores in the Imperium?”

  Ah.

  “We do.” The Fourth Princess answers gracefully. “But… I don’t really…”

  Yeah… even going into a bookstore was too much social interaction.

  And this was an era of modern convenience, the power of the Ensolian Imperium transferred through the hands of the postmasters and postmen. A time where every citizen from homemakers in the deserts of Cineris to the highest Emperor in Capital had the ability to purchase anything from sets of stainless steel cookware, 1000 ounce silver bars, pallets of pickled onions, to even pre cut houses delivered right to their doorsteps; the insanity of mail-order launching a society to an unprecedented level of consumerism… and laziness.

  Every book, every volume of high-class romance and low-grade smut brought to the room of a certain Sophia Elise the Eighth was shipped to her through the product numbers of those mail-order forms.

  Admitting that we mail-order books? That’s for socially awkward rejects and recluses. The thought processes proudly reject.

  So basically us.

  Sophia cringes, completing that conversation with Zai. “I personally don’t go into bookstores.”

  Because that would require browsing shelves… fellow customers brushing past, bumping shoulders… talking to clerks as they tallied your bill, judging your reading habits, silently or maybe not… then making sure they gave you exact change, but what if they didn’t? Would you have to argue? Would they think you were cheap? Or worse—what if you miscounted and…

  “Don’t do a lot of shopping yourself then?” Her partner finishes, stretching slightly in his usual, conserved manner. “I understand, but don’t worry, it's quite easy.”

  It wasn’t like that, but Sophia couldn’t object as he guides her into the small shop.

  A bell rings softly above the door, the dimly lit bookshelves packed with ailes of leatherbound volumes. The soft scent of paper fills the air alongside old wood, this small place completely deserted save for one half-awake shopkeeper at the front counter.

  “Welcome…” The middle aged man lazily greets before making eye contact with the new arrivals. Eyes widening in recognition, almost scrambling up. “OH, Jin!!! Good afternoon!”

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  And the Crown Prince of Tianci in disguise responds with a small laugh. “Hello Mr. Baek. Hope you’re well.”

  “Always am, minus the mayor breathing down my neck still.” He yawns back, greeting this customer’s partner who just happened to join him in this excursion. “Good afternoon Sylvia.”

  “H-hi.” Sophia manages to crunch out.

  The owner nods at those cold words, turning back to the husband. “Well take a look around. And Jin, I know you asked a week or so ago about it, but the new Heroes of the Fang did come in. I am holding onto a copy for you…”

  “You really are the best Mr. Baek, thank you.”

  There’s so many books, so many words that now Sophia could somewhat understand. From the soft felt covers to leather bound encyclopedias, enough of a collection that she quietly asks the question to Zai, remembering their own private one. “Does the house not have a stocked library?”

  He matches her whisper as well, taking a book from the shelf. “It does. But I imagine you’d much enjoy something more… readable than an academic text about Capital Valley grain.”

  She narrows her eyes. “Is the Tianci section as poorly chosen as the Ensolian side?”

  “Except for a select few, yes.” Zai sighs. “Whatever the case, let’s pick something that's simple, easy to read. Entertaining would also be a plus. I doubt you’d want to read any more of those children’s books, given your studious advancement in grammar.”

  He did have a point, and Sophia moves her fingers across the shelves.

  “Maybe a light novel series.” He continues to guide. “The Crane Flies through a Mercury Sky is easy, well read and popular.”

  “Is that the… graphic comic novel.” Sophia remembers from her own personal collection. “I thought the plot really lost the premise.”

  “You know that book?” It’s the first time she’s ever seen Zai show visible disgust with that much surprise. “And you have the translated adaptation of The Crane Flies in the Imperium, but not the actual novel?”

  Sophia blinks. “It was a novel?”

  “Well, I know what you’re reading for the next week.” Zai murmurs to himself. “The original novel is much better. The manhwa adaptation was… lackluster, all things considered.”

  The Fourth Princess is still stuck on that original admittance, at the fact that this Heir to an entire nation, her own husband, would go so low as to read silly novels as a hobby. “You read light novels…?”

  He’s offended as well. “I’m not a machine Sylvia, of course I do.”

  “Huh.”

  “Mr. Beak, do you have all fifteen volumes of The Crane Flies through a Mercury Sky. I’m buying them all today.” Zai snaps over the next conversion with the shopkeeper, leaving Sophia to wander by herself.

  Smut, romance. An intrusive thought enters the Fourth Princess’ brain suddenly. We can find it here. Every reputable bookstore will have a 21+ section, and now that we’re of age we can buy it all without any suspicion.

  Sophia takes a sharp breath at that realization, keeping her psyche together. A small peek towards the darker corners of the room for perhaps any sectioned off shelves, separated by a thin cloth of privacy. Away from the curious glances of children to stumble upon, cordoned off for the true adults of this world to enjoy in their most tumultuous moments of angst and… unsatisfied desires.

  And this place was a reputable bookstore.

  In the darkest corner, amongst old cobwebs and small piles of unswept dust, was a very, VERY obviously sectioned off corner. No signage, no labels, just raw, unrefined implication.

  And she wants it, she needs it.

  One step towards that space, this Fourth Princess begins to approach that most (un)holy monument before her internal monologue stops her in her tracks. Imagine being such a pervert that you buy smut in broad daylight in front of your husband.

  IMAGINE.

  Someone’s out of breath behind them, the voice calling towards the husband of this small couple. “Jin. Jin!”

  She’s young, almost a teenager, hands holding a large wooden crate nailed shut. “I got the documents for you.”

  Dirty faced, thin, and smelling of fish guts; a child taken out of the lowest classes for a mission of… some import.

  Zai’s stance immediately lowers, glancing for any tailers following this seemingly insignificant girl. “All of them?”

  “Yes.” She excitedly nods.

  “And nobody saw you.”

  “No, of course not.” She seems offended slightly.

  Sophia immediately butts in, insanely quiet footsteps returning from the cordoned off section with insane haste. “What’s this about?”

  “Politics.” Zai esoterically answers, turning back to this messenger. “Small town politics.”

  “Thanks for doing this.” And he reaches into his pocket, removing a thin stack of bills printed with the face of… his own father. “And remember, shhhhh keep quiet about this.”

  “Of course of course.” The girl winks, counting the incredible volume of money. “By the way, someone who looked important was in town this morning looking for you.”

  Zai and the Guardsman in the shadows stiffen at those cold words. “Who?”

  “I dunno, he was asking for Jin and Sylvia. He had like a few guards with him too, I dunno.”

  Sophia’s gut drops at those words, a feeling welling up from her lower abdomen up towards her stomach. “What did he look like?!”

  “Um… he was one of those Ensolian people, like you miss. I dunno, it was weird…”

  “Oh no.” Sophia turns coldly towards her husband.

  “What.”

  “I think he’s here.”

  “Who?”

  A shadow crosses the far entrance.

  Completely out of breath, still wearing her usual Priestess garb, Elodie almost breaks down the door to this small bookstore in a panic. Eyes locking with this young ensolian woman, words of absolute seriousness. “Ma’am…”

  “Elodie…?”

  “He’s here.”

  Giveaway ends in 3 days!