The Burden of Destiny | Sequel to The Aura Within

17 | We All Have Secrets

Soleil could count the number of times she had met face-to-face with important diplomats, so meeting Queen Rin of Rota shouldn't have made her as nervous as she had felt at that moment. However, things were different this time. She was so used to her father doing all of the talking during those meetings since all she had to do was be present and be quiet. This time, Soleil had to take the reigns and do the talking herself. The only problem was that she was worried about how the queen would react upon stating her business.

That was until she was introduced to the blonde woman with an uncanny aura about her. Soleil had recognized that young lady; she was alongside the knights who ceased the skirmish at Acacia Valley. Something about her intrigued Soleil, and she had this hunch that maybe she was the chosen one, but only time would tell.

After all, there was a chance that an opportunity for her to prove herself would arise soon.

At the moment, Soleil was following Hope as the blonde woman was giving her a tour of the castle. Once Queen Rin introduced her to the general, acting captain, and representative, the two women were dismissed from the council room so they could discuss their classified affairs. The tour itself was pretty long, which Soleil didn't mind. Although, she was a little concerned about how many times Hope had retracted her way due to her getting lost. Was her sense of direction that bad?

"Last but not least, we have the knight's quarters," Hope introduced as she opened the door to the empty facility. "When they're off duty, the Rota Knights sometimes come here to relax and have a few drinks. Most of them are working right now, so it's empty."

"Ah, I see." Soleil looked around before taking a seat at one of the wooden tables.

"I'm going to go get something to drink," Hope said as she turned in the direction of the cabinets. "Would you like anything?"

"Water would be nice, please," Soleil replied.

Hope nodded before going to retrieve two glasses from the cabinet. She imagined that the knights were glad that their supply of alcohol wasn't going to be touched before they came back. As Hope pressed one glass against the nozzle of the water barrel, Soleil couldn't help but let her eyes wander over to Hope, who had her back turned toward her.

Meanwhile, Hope was growing tired of keeping up with her facade. She hasn't stopped thinking about Levi and their last conversation a few days ago. The warmth from his hand over hers as she felt his heart beat against his chest made her face go warm all over again. He was on her mind even when he wasn't present and it was bothering her greatly. However, something else came to mind that caused her to stop filling the glass of water.

Levi had mentioned back then that he and his father were planning on leaving Kanto and flee to Kalos. She knew it was inevitable given that his father had nothing stopping him from staying, especially with his wife not even being in the same region. Hope suddenly found herself frowning at the thought of Levi leaving for good. She couldn't help but admit that she liked Levi, yet her feelings still remained confusing.

Hope shook her head and grabbed both glasses of water. She'd have to figure it out later. Right now, Soleil was here to serve as a distraction for her. The blonde woman placed both glasses of water on the table before taking a seat across from Soleil.

"Thank you." Soleil took a sip of water.

"No problem," Hope replied. "If you don't mind me asking, what brings you here to Rota?"

Soleil placed her cup down on the table. "I am here to help with the campaign against the Obsidian Knights."

Now, Hope was intrigued. "Really? How so?"