"Princess Llandra. Your parents have sent us to check on you."
Silence filled the alley.
Llandra recognized him instantly.
High Commander Vaelrith Moonshadow — head of the Royal Veil, her family's elite ninja and intelligence network.
Behind him stood four senior operatives she had known most of her life.
Not assassins.
Protectors.
Spies.
Family.
One stepped forward — a tall elven woman with sharp silver eyes.
"Princess," she said with a faint smile. "You appear… well."
Llandra's breath steadied.
Dawnaris Moonshadow daughter of Vaelrith
"Dawn"
They had grown up together.
Not quite equals.
Not quite rivals.
But something close.
Before Llandra joined the Royal Veil's training rotation, they had shared etiquette lessons, archery practice, and tactical studies at the Greenwood Academy.
Dawn had been older.
Sharper.
Driven.
They had competed fiercely.
Respected deeply.
"You look strong," Dawn continued. "Adventuring suits you."
Vaelrith studied Llandra carefully.
"Your parents feared the worst," he said. "When the monthly transfers stopped."
The Vixens blinked.
Monthly transfers?
Nyxian's eyes narrowed slowly.
The first ten months of their journey had not been glamorous.
Shared rooms.
Cheap inns.
Cold nights.
Llandra had always paid.
She had told them she'd saved money before becoming an adventurer.
That had been true.
Just not the whole truth.
When funds ran dry, she would request small sums from home.
Always modest.
Never indulgent.
Her father, King Thalorien Silverthorne, would send slightly more than requested.
Enough to keep her safe.
Never enough to insult her pride.
She would stretch those funds for months.
Until they ran out again.
That cycle lasted nearly a year.
Until Jax.
Jax changed everything overnight.
Now?
Llandra was wealthier than the Greenwood Crown itself.
The Elven Kingdom of Etherevalis ruled the southwest forests — ancient, isolationist, powerful.
The Empire left them alone.
The elves preferred it that way.
They did not involve themselves in continental politics.
But they watched.
They always watched.
Nyxian folded her arms.
"I knew you were a princess."
She tilted her head.
"You didn't mention you were the heir of Etherevalis."
Aerith corrected gently.
"She is the youngest child of King Thalorien and Queen Lysara Silverthorne of the Silverbough Throne."
Nyxian blinked.
Her mind immediately went to drafty inns and thin blankets.
"Why," she asked slowly, "were we sharing a bed in rat-infested taverns… when you had royal backing?"
Bunny answered cheerfully.
"We're rich now and still share a bed."
Nyxian paused.
"…Fair."
Vaelrith's gaze softened slightly as he looked at Llandra.
"Your father told me you always asked for far less than you needed."
His tone shifted — almost paternal.
"He wished to give more. But he knew you would refuse."
He looked at her proudly.
"You insisted on earning your own path."
The Vixens weren't surprised.
Llandra had always been driven.
Disciplined.
Hungry to prove herself beyond her birthright.
Vaelrith gestured toward the city beyond the alley.
"We have seen the statues."
"The fountains."
"The estates."
"You have built something remarkable."
Dawn stepped closer, eyes scanning Llandra with a knowing smile.
"And you look radiant."
It wasn't flattery.
It was observation.
Months of combat.
System growth.
iPoints invested wisely.
Strength refined.
Speed sharpened.
Confidence blossomed.
Even Zee had matured into a graceful, elegant presence.
The Vixens had become something extraordinary.
Llandra smiled warmly.
"And you look exactly the same," she teased. "Beautiful as always. Unable to hide it, even in Ninja attire."
Dawn gave her a playful glare.
"And you still give compliments like a diplomat."
They embraced.
For a moment, the alley felt less like a political flashpoint…
And more like home.
The Shift
Vaelrith's attention turned.
To Jax.
He studied him carefully.
Measured.
"We have learned much about you, Mr. Darquebane."
His tone was neutral.
Purposefully restrained.
Another ninja — darker hair, sharper features — spoke bluntly.
"And about your… living arrangements with the Princess."
There was a faint edge of elven superiority in his voice.
A subtle distaste.
Llandra stepped forward immediately.
"I am an adult," she said firmly.
Her voice was steady.
"I regret nothing."
She glanced at Jax, then back at her clan.
"This is my fiancé."
Silence.
The word landed heavier than the shadows had.
Jax inclined his head politely.
He was dressed as a merchant today.
Refined.
Composed.
Dangerous beneath civility.
Dawn looked him up and down.
Tall.
Well-built.
Effortlessly charismatic.
She gave Llandra a slow, approving nod.
"Well chosen."
Llandra beamed.
But not everyone shared the sentiment.
A few of the Veil members stiffened.
Elven pride ran deep.
For some, no race equaled their own.
To see a royal princess bound to a human—
It unsettled them.
Vaelrith spoke again.
"Do you believe your parents will approve?"
Llandra answered without hesitation.
"Yes."
Her conviction did not waver.
"They will see what I see in him."
Vaelrith's expression did not change.
"That is not what I asked."
He stepped closer.
"Do you believe they will approve of you being engaged for ten months…"
His gaze shifted toward the other Vixens.
"…living openly with three women who are also bound to the same man…"
His eyes returned to her.
"And not informing your mother."
Silence swallowed the alley once more.
This was no longer about Jax.
No longer about romance.
This was about royal protocol.
About honor.
About political consequences.
Llandra's confidence flickered — not in her love.
But in her oversight.
Vaelrith's voice softened, but only slightly.
"Princess."
"Why did your mother not hear of your engagement from you?