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🌸 A N E E L A 🌸
The time before dinner was slowly but surely becoming Aneela favourite time of her day. Her and Kheru could chat in privacy while taking a breather from the stressful courting season. Since the others were never around at this time, they had the drawing room all to themselves.
Kheru was occupied with her needlework – she had started a pattern inspired by the eagle of the ravkan crown – and Aneela was drawing the princess in her sketch book. She had never been good with drawing people but this one was turning out rather good in her opinion. Aneela noticed that the shu princess' smile was even more dreamy in real life when she looked back up to see how exactly Kheru's lips were touching each other.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Oh, you know ... just some stuff." Kheru shrugged, trying to act casual. "The trip to Os Alta, courting season, my cats, dinner ..."
"Tolya?" Aneela added with a grin and put her pencil to the side.
The shu lowered her head, acting as if she needed to concentrate extra hard for the next stich. "Why would I think about your bodyguard?"
"Oh, come on." Aneela closed her sketchbook and laid it on the table between them. "I can tell by the dreamy look on your face."
"I always look like that," Kheru disagreed with her cheeks getting a rose tone.
"When you think at him, yes."
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are. You like him."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes, Kheru, you do."
With a defeated sigh, she put her needle work on the table. "Alright! I might like him a bit."
Aneela raised her eyebrows with an amused smile. "A bit?"
Kheru rolled her eyes. "Yes! I'm not in love with him if you mean that."
"Surely not," Aneela noticed. "You're not at all acting like it."
"Like what?"
"Like he's your soulmate."
Her cheeks grew red. "Oh, please ... don't be ridiculous ..."
"Oh, come on. That kind of connection is something special."
"Yes, but ... soulmates are rare and I don't want to get my hopes up."
"Why not?"
Kheru leaned down to the basket next to her chair and grabbed a red strand of yarn from it. She unrolled it with a thoughtful look on her face and showed it to Aneela. "In Shu Han, the temple of Sankt Yue Lao was always my favourite. He is also known as The Matchmaker, he was gifted the ability to manipulate not only metals but all materials. His love for fabrics and yarns was almost as great as the one for his significant other, he tied their souls with a red thread as a symbol that they were meant to connect for life. When he saw how their relationship flourished under their bond, he did it for couples that he saw shared the same connection like himself and his wife. Since his death, he connects children after their birth with the red thread of fade and watches them grow and find each other."
