Beauty and her Beast (Nokto)

~Chapter 5, Part 3~

Nokto: Hmm? How can you be so easily distracted when you've got two handsome men right in front of you?

Nokto's voice sounded far too close, and I turned quickly to find him leaning in towards me, his eyes bright with amusement. (Great, now I'm stuck in a tiny carriage with nowhere to run from you!) 

Veronica: Stay in your own seat, thanks!

Nokto: Fine, fine. Well, since you're so in love with being serious all the time, let's get serious. Why don't we discuss... oh, I know, how about Rhodolite's internal affairs? 

Veronica: What? 

Nokto: You've been studying with Sariel, right? So show me what you've learned. 

(When did a playboy like you even have time to notice something like that?) He was smirking at me, but there was a challenge in his gaze as he sat back in his seat. 

Nokto: Okay, first question. What other countries does Rhodolite share its borders with? 

(Wait, are we-)

Rio: I know, I know! Obsidian, Jade, and Benitoite. 

Nokto: That's correct, o faithful pet. Hmm, what's this? Silence from Belle? I hope you weren't sleeping through Sariel's lessons. 

Veronica: Hey, I knew that, Rio just answered before me, that's all. 

Rio: That's right, Prince Nokto! My Ver is way too smart to waste time on a question that simple. I just wanted to show off to her. 

Nokto: Hmph. All right, then, second question. Of the three countries we share borders with, which is the most problematic?

Veronica: Obsidian, obviously. 

Nokto: Mmm, well done. Obsidian is much larger than Rhodolite, and it has a much greater military strength, too. There's a lot about the country that's unknown to us, so it pays to be cautious. After all, if they decided to invade for real... we'd never stand a chance. But there are two things standing in the way of that. One is the sheer size of Obsidian. The country is so large that it shares borders with many other countries, so there's always fighting going on somewhere. Which means its leaders don't usually have much time to be thinking about us. 

His tone was casual and nonchalant, but I found myself staring at him, my thoughts whirling. (Nokto, are you really-)

Nokto: The other thing standing in the way... is Benitoite. Benitoite is a country that borders the ocean, and it does a lot of trade, which allows it to flourish. And its leaders are clever with their money. As long as Benitoite is our ally, Obsidian can't go up against is without risking more than its leaders are usually prepared to risk. In other words, keeping on good terms with Benitoite is vitally important for keeping Obsidian in check as well. 

Somehow, in just a few sentences, he'd explained the situation more succinctly than Sariel had managed in an entire lecture. (Are you sure you're the same Nokto I've known all this time?) I could see the familiar amusement lurking in his gaze, and yet nothing else about him resembled the frivolous playboy I knew. But I was suddenly keenly aware of how different our lives were... and how little I knew of what it was like to be royalty. When at last we reached our destination Nokto alighted from the carriage first, and I was quick to follow him, eager to stretch my legs. 

Veronica: Hmm? Rio? Aren't you coming?