Embers of Sun and Flame: Before We Have It (Fuegoleon x OC)

Chapter 17 Socks and a riddle

There was a fire in the fireplace, granting the room its warmth and preparing it for the warm days of late spring, early summer. It was so curious, how it could feel so cold for so long, and then, like nature had decided to snap its fingers, a week or two of sunshine would make the world bloom. Or, so it seemed. And soon it'd be upon Clover as well, as each day brought them closer and closer to summer.

Summer, and all that it entailed.

But it wasn't there yet. Now Solara and Fuegoleon sat in their room, sipping wine from their glasses and just enjoying each other's company. Fue had discarded his cape and his jacket, and Lara had opted for a lighter shirt. Silence lingered in the air, even if there was discussion to be had; discussions that they should have, before they'd forget.

"Did Queen Anima give a reply?" He asked, breaking the lingering silence.

She hesitated for a few moments before replying, because the Queen had indeed given a reply, but it was hardly conclusive. "She did..."

"But?"

"But... um... it's... Slightly more complicated than the standstill being about the 20th Law."

"But it does have to do with it?" He inquired with a quirked eyebrow.

"It does... In a way."

"Love, you'll have to be more specific than that," he noted without judgement in his tone, but still there was a sense of insisting.

She hummed in thought, wondering where to start from. "Okay, so... Umm... Well. It does have to do with the 20th Cardinal Law, because it's affecting Thea's reputation, and the Queen is concerned about it. Which is sensible enough."

"Agreed. It is beneficial for your country to have a good reputation and good relations," he agreed.

"Yes," she nodded. "And that is why she is hesitant in making the alliance official, until the war is done, because then me and Lena aiding could be seen as Thean's meddling with a war of another nation in other ways than just help in defending."

He nodded.

"And the reason why she's not just prolonging the process, has to do with... I suppose the way it's being recorded. By saying that 'we are putting the process on hold as this is going on, we're not affiliating with you during this troubling time period', which does go against the whole encouragement of trying to still upkeep friendly relations," she admitted. "But they're trying to overwrite that as a... cordial form of declining."

"So, she is trying to wash the country's hands from our war?"

"Essentially yes, and if there is a standstill, then there is no reason for us to be in correspondence with you, nor is there a reason for us to record anything that happens in Clover, or the vicinity of Clover."

"To keep it out of the record?"

"Yes."

"Alright..." he nodded with a slow motion. "But that doesn't explain why she's... Wouldn't there be a benefit in doing a far larger risk assessment? Meaning that if, and when, you eventually do join with us in an alliance, is it not more harmful to say that you have opted to just ignore our actions during a time of conflict? That you're not looking, and assessing, how we handle something like this? Because there is no guarantee that we wouldn't be in crisis later on," he pointed out.

"It would be," she nodded with half of a sigh. "But that's where the Queen herself comes into play."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He frowned.

"Well the Queen has a ... personal, profound, very deep-seated hatred for Devils-"

"Why?"

"That's going on into a lot of specifics and... things I don't think I'm at liberty to discuss..." her eyes fell to the side with her reply, as she tried to weigh personal relations and duty."