Beauty and her Beast (Nokto)

~Chapter 5, Part 1~

I let Nokto walk a few steps ahead of me, my thoughts whirling as I watched the sun glint off his sliver-grey hair. (Sariel wouldn't send you to do this if he didn't trust you. So I have to assume you can handle the diplomacy stuff just fine. I know you said I just have to smile and look pretty, but... I still need to be careful. I don't want to mess things up for Rhodolite. And... I just need to think of this as another chance to learn more about the sort of things royalty have to do. We'd almost reached the carriage, and it was only then that I finally realized there was someone else standing at Sariel's side. (Hang on a minute...-) Licht was absolutely silent, staring fixedly off into the distance as if avoiding all our gazes.

Veronica: Licht... are you going to Benitoite as well? 

Licht threw Sariel a look, too quick for me to read. 

Licht: ...I'm staying here. 

His words were blunt, and they sounded more like a challenge than a statement. (I feel like I missed something really important, because I have no idea what's going on...) 

Licht: Training would be a better use of my time.

Sariel: I don't disagree with you, but unfortunately you and your troops are the most suitable guard for this trip. 

Nokto: My troops are tough, but they're rather free-spirited. I can't imagine where they get it from. 

Licht: If you can't even command them, you can't call them your troops. 

Sariel: I don't disagree with you on that, either, but unfortunately, that's why you're here. 

(Okay. I'm definitely missing something here. And if no one's going to explain it to me...)

Veronica: Do you mind if I ask a question? 

Sariel: Go ahead. 

Veronica: Nokto is the ambassador here, right? If everything you've taught me is true, shouldn't he be taking his own personal guard?

Sariel: The formal duties that would normally be assigned to Prince Nokto's troops are all delegated to other troops-troops with proper training. 

Veronica: What? Are you serious? 

Sariel: I suppose you can call them the exception that makes the rule. Prince Nokto still commands them, in his own free-spirited way. They are generally far too unpredictable to be entrusted with any sort of formal duties, however... Their ferocity in battle also resembles the prince who commands them. Birds of a feather flock together, as they say.

Sariel's tone was dry as he spoke the last words, and I heard Licht sigh softly. I glanced over at him, but he was staring off into the distance again, ignoring everyone there... including Nokto. (You two really are twins, aren't you? Your hair is the same color, and your eyes... and you both have the same fine features, and the same sort of built, too.) But the flippant, light-hearted Nokto was nothing like the stiff, dour Licht. They were as different as night and day. (And I haven't seen either of you so much as look at each other. Not ever, now that I come to think of it. What on earth happened to drive you two apart?)