Chapter 86 — Two Meetings, Two Promises

Narrator

Morning had slowly unfolded over the Kingdom of Spades.

The sunlight poured across the palace gardens, touching the leaves with a soft golden glow.

Dewdrops clung to the grass like tiny pieces of glass.

Beyond the garden walls...

the capital had already awakened.

Merchants called to one another.

Carriages passed through the streets.

Bells rang somewhere in the distance.

And above it all...

the enormous palace stood beneath the clear morning sky.

Inside that palace...

two very different meetings were about to begin.

One would decide the future of kingdoms.

The other...

would begin with two children deciding to become friends.

The garden was quiet.

V and the Princess sat beneath a large flowering tree.

Brald stood some distance away.

He wasn't interfering.

He simply watched.

The Princess looked toward V.

"So..."

V turned toward her.

"So?"

She hesitated.

Then smiled.

"Friends?"

V stared at her hand.

She had extended it toward him.

V looked at her face.

Then at her hand again.

He slowly extended his own.

Their hands met.

A simple handshake.

Nothing grand.

No royal ceremony.

No soldiers.

No crowns.

No witnesses who mattered.

Just two children.

"Friends."

V smiled.

The Princess smiled back.

For a moment...

the garden seemed strangely brighter.

The wind passed through the branches above them.

A few petals drifted down.

Neither noticed.

Their friendship had begun quietly.

Almost too quietly for anyone to realize how important it might become.

The Princess then remembered something.

"V..."

"Hm?"

"There is something important I wanted to tell you."

V nodded.

"I'm listening."

The Princess began explaining.

She spoke seriously.

She told him about the palace.

About the meeting.

About why the adults were gathering.

About the problems between the kingdoms.

V listened.

At least...

he tried to.

His eyes slowly wandered toward the palace.

The Princess noticed.

"V?"

He didn't respond.

"V."

Still nothing.

She narrowed her eyes.

"Are you even listening to me?"

V blinked.

"Hm?"

The Princess sighed.

"You weren't listening."

"I was."

"No, you weren't."

"I was listening."

"Then tell me what I just said."

V became silent.

The Princess crossed her arms.

V looked toward the palace again.

Then suddenly said,

"I think the King eats his meals sitting on the floor."

The Princess stared at him.

"...What?"

V pointed toward the palace.

"I think the King sits down there and eats."

The Princess blinked twice.

"Why would you think that?"

V looked genuinely confused by the question.

"Because there are so many red clothes on the floor."

The Princess looked toward the palace entrance.

V continued.

"In our village..."

"When there are many people..."

"Sometimes they spread things on the ground so everyone can sit and eat."

The Princess stared at him.

Then slowly...

she understood.

"V..."

"Yes?"

"Those aren't clothes."

"They're carpets."

"Carpets?"

"Yes."

"They're placed there for important guests or special occasions."

V looked at the carpet again.

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"So people walk on them?"

"Yes."

V remained silent.

He looked at the enormous red carpet.

Then at the Princess.

"Just for walking?"

"Yes."

V thought about it.

For several seconds.

Then...

"Your kingdom is strange."

The Princess immediately covered her mouth.

She tried not to laugh.

She failed.

A small laugh escaped.

V looked confused.

"What?"

"Nothing."

She shook her head.

"You really grew up in a village."

V nodded proudly.

"Yes."

"I know."

The Princess smiled.

Then she stood.

"Come."

"Where?"

"I want to show you something."

She led V through one of the palace corridors.

V looked around as they walked.

Everything was enormous.

The walls were decorated with paintings.

Golden lamps hung from the ceiling.

Large windows allowed sunlight to spill across the polished floor.

V walked slowly.

His eyes moved from one decoration to another.

The Princess noticed.

"Never seen a palace like this?"

"No."

"Our village doesn't have anything like this."

The Princess smiled.

"I thought so."

Eventually...

they stopped before a large door.

The Princess opened it.

"This is where you're staying."

V looked inside.

A beautiful room waited beyond the doorway.

A large bed.

A wooden table.

A chair.

A wardrobe.

A window overlooking part of the capital.

Everything was clean.

Everything was arranged perfectly.

V stepped inside.

Then stopped.

His expression changed.

He sniffed.

The Princess looked at him.

"What?"

V slowly stepped backward.

"Something smells strange."

The Princess blinked.

"Strange?"

V sniffed again.

He looked around.

Then toward the Princess.

"It's coming from here."

"From where?"

V pointed toward the room.

"Your smell."

The Princess's eyes widened.

"My smell?"

V nodded seriously.

"Yes."

She stared at him.

"What exactly does my smell smell like?"

V thought deeply.

Then said,

"It smells like Princess."

There was a long silence.

The Princess looked at him.

V looked back.

Neither understood what had just happened.

Finally...

the Princess sighed.

"Just come inside."

V stepped in again.

But his attention suddenly shifted.

His eyes landed on the bed.

He walked toward it.

Stopped.

Looked at it.

Then slowly pressed his hand against the mattress.

His eyes widened.

The mattress sank beneath his palm.

V looked at the Princess.

"What is this?"

"A bed."

V pressed it again.

It was unbelievably soft.

The Princess noticed his expression.

"Do you want to sleep here?"

"No."

"Why?"

V immediately stepped away.

"I don't trust it."

The Princess stared at him.

"It's a bed."

"It looks dangerous."

"It's not dangerous."

V shook his head.

"No."

The Princess sighed.

"Just try it."

"No."

"V."

"No."

"Just once."

"No."

The Princess pushed him lightly toward the bed.

V lost his balance.

He fell backward.

Flop!

He landed directly on the mattress.

For a moment...

nothing happened.

Then the mattress sank deeply beneath him.

V's eyes widened.

The softness swallowed his body halfway.

He panicked.

"AH!"

"Help!"

"Help me!"

The Princess froze.

V desperately waved his arms.

"This thing is eating me!"

"Save me!"

"Princess!"

"Pull me out!"

The Princess stared.

Then...

she started laughing.

V struggled harder.

"WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?!"

"It's a bed!"

"IT'S EATING ME!"

"No, it isn't!"

"I'M DISAPPEARING!"

The Princess laughed even harder.

V finally managed to crawl out.

He immediately jumped off the bed.

He stood several steps away from it.

Breathing heavily.

Then pointed at the mattress.

"That thing is dangerous."

The Princess wiped her eyes.

"You're unbelievable."

"I'm never sleeping there."

"Fine."

"I'll sleep outside."

"You'll sleep in the room."

"No."

"V."

"No."

"V."

"...Fine."

"But I'm keeping the door open."

The Princess shook her head.

"Do whatever you want."

V immediately walked outside.

He had lasted inside the room for less than a minute.

The two returned to the garden.

They sat beneath the tree again.

The Princess looked toward him.

"So..."

"You said I'm your first friend here."

V nodded.

"Yes."

"Tell me about your other friends."

V's eyes brightened.

He began speaking.

"There is Kai."

The Princess listened.

"Kai is strong."

"Sometimes."

"He likes fighting."

"Very much."

"He gets beaten."

"Then asks for another fight."

The Princess smiled.

"That sounds strange."

"He is."

V continued.

"Then there's Nefi."

"She's kind."

"She's always around Kai."

The Princess raised an eyebrow.

"Always?"

"Almost."

V thought about it.

"Sometimes I think Kai doesn't realize how much she cares about him."

The Princess smiled.

"Sounds like he is lucky."

V nodded.

"Probably."

Then he remembered someone else.

"Tiami."

His expression softened immediately.

"She's my family."

The Princess noticed the change in his voice.

"Your dragon?"

V nodded.

"Yes."

"She's important to me."

The Princess looked toward the palace windows.

"Like Liza?"

V became quiet for a moment.

"Yes."

Then he continued.

"Lak is also my friend."

The Princess blinked.

"Who's Lak?"

V smiled.

"Lak."

"That's all?"

"He's... Lak."

The Princess laughed softly.

V continued.

"He's strange."

"Very talkative."

"Always says something."

"Sometimes I don't understand him."

The Princess smiled.

"Anyone else?"

"Alistair."

"He's more like..."

V paused.

"Family."

"He's protected me for a long time."

Then V's expression softened again.

"My mom."

The Princess looked at him.

"Your mother?"

"Lily."

"She's kind."

"Strong."

"And she always knows when I'm hiding something."

The Princess smiled.

"Sounds like a good mother."

"She is."

V thought again.

"Niki too."

"She's Kai's mother."

"She's kind."

"She treats everyone warmly."

The Princess nodded.

"And that's everyone?"

V suddenly remembered.

"T."

The Princess smiled.

"Who's T?"

V sighed.

"T asks questions."

"What kind?"

"Every kind."

"About everything."

"Why this?"

"Why that?"

"How?"

"Where?"

"When?"

"Why again?"

The Princess laughed.

"She sounds curious."

"She is."

V looked toward the sky.

"Very."

"Sometimes I think she can ask questions forever."

The Princess smiled.

"You seem to have a lot of people around you."

V nodded.

"I do."

For a moment...

he looked toward the distant horizon.

"I didn't realize it before."

"But I have many people."

The Princess quietly watched him.

She understood something.

V spoke about his friends differently.

Not as names.

As pieces of his life.

The Princess suddenly remembered something.

She looked at him.

"By the way..."

"Last night..."

V turned toward her.

"What?"

"You slept very peacefully."

V nodded.

"I was tired."

The Princess smiled.

"Very peacefully."

V looked suspicious.

"Why are you smiling?"

"You were talking in your sleep."

V froze.

"...What?"

"You were talking about food."

V looked away.

"No."

"You were."

"I don't remember."

"You also accused me of trying to steal your food."

V remained silent.

Then slowly...

"Did I?"

The Princess nodded.

"Yes."

V looked embarrassed.

"Forget it."

The Princess smiled.

"I won't."

V sighed.

"Please?"

"No."

V looked toward the sky.

"You're annoying."

"And you're strange."

They looked at each other.

Then both smiled.

It wasn't romance.

It wasn't something complicated.

It was simply...

friendship.

Two people slowly becoming comfortable enough to tease one another.

Meanwhile...

Far away from the garden...

inside the royal meeting chamber...

the atmosphere was completely different.

The Kingdom of Spades' King sat at the head of the table.

Across from him sat the Queen of Heart.

Several officials stood nearby.

Maps were spread across the table.

Documents rested beside them.

The room was silent.

The King finally spoke.

"The murders in the Kingdom of Heart..."

"Do you believe they are connected?"

The Queen's expression became serious.

"To Keosh?"

The name fell into the room like a stone dropped into still water.

One of the ministers spoke.

"There is no proof."

"But the timing..."

"After the deaths of those ten thousand soldiers..."

"Keosh was reportedly moving toward the direction of the Kingdom of Heart."

The King narrowed his eyes.

"Then why hasn't he been found?"

"No one knows."

Another minister spoke.

"If it was truly Keosh..."

"Would he leave witnesses?"

The room became quiet.

The Queen looked toward him.

"Explain."

"If someone powerful enough to carry out these murders wanted to hide..."

"Wouldn't they erase every trace?"

The King leaned back.

"So you're saying..."

"These murders may not be his."

"I'm saying we don't know."

Silence returned.

The uncertainty was worse than an answer.

Because an enemy with a name could be hunted.

An enemy without one...

could be anywhere.

The Queen slowly looked at the map.

"There is another matter."

The King nodded.

"The weapons."

"Yes."

"The Kingdom of Spades stopped the shipment entering Heart territory."

The King replied calmly.

"Because the shipment contained weapons that were not registered."

The Queen's expression remained composed.

"And you believe that was justified?"

"I believe protecting our borders was justified."

The room grew tense.

But neither ruler raised their voice.

The King eventually stood.

"We do not want conflict with Heart."

"Nor do we."

"Then let us make that clear."

The Queen stood as well.

For a moment...

two rulers faced one another.

Then the King extended his hand.

"Let this misunderstanding end here."

The Queen looked at his hand.

Then accepted it.

"Agreed."

Their hands met.

A formal gesture.

A diplomatic promise.

The officials watched.

Outside the chamber...

the palace bells rang.

One.

Two.

Three times.

The sound travelled across the palace.

Toward the garden.

Toward the city.

Toward the people who would never know how much could depend on a single handshake.

In the garden...

V heard the bells.

He looked toward the palace.

"What was that?"

The Princess answered,

"The meeting must be ending soon."

V nodded.

"I see."

The Princess stood.

"We should probably go."

V looked at her.

"Friends?"

She smiled.

"Friends."

This time...

V extended his hand first.

Their hands met again.

A small handshake.

Nothing official.

Nothing political.

No kingdom stood behind it.

No army.

No crown.

Just trust.

The same palace...

the same day...

two handshakes had taken place.

One between kingdoms.

One between children.

Both looked peaceful.

Both sounded sincere.

But only time could decide...

which promise would survive.

The sun slowly began descending.

Golden light stretched across the palace walls.

The city below glowed beneath the evening sky.

Brald approached from the garden entrance.

"It's getting late."

V stood.

"Already?"

"Yes."

The Princess nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

V smiled.

"Tomorrow."

The Princess walked toward the palace.

V watched her leave.

Then he looked toward the sky.

A few clouds had begun gathering around the distant horizon.

The golden sunlight slipped between them.

For a brief moment...

the clouds looked like torn pieces of an old painting.

Beautiful.

But incomplete.

Brald placed a hand on V's shoulder.

"Come."

V nodded.

The two began walking back toward the camp.

Behind them...

the Princess disappeared into the palace.

Ahead...

the road toward tomorrow waited.

And somewhere beyond the borders of the Kingdom of Spades...

a name remained buried beneath unanswered questions.

Keosh.

A name spoken in whispers.

A name connected to death.

A name whose truth...

had not yet reached the ears of the boy walking beneath the evening sky.

Night came slowly.

The stars appeared one by one.

The palace lights illuminated the capital.

The campfires burned outside the city.

V returned to his tent.

The Princess returned to her room.

Two friends.

Two different places.

One day.

One beginning.

And somewhere between the silence of the stars...

and the shadows beneath the palace...

the world quietly moved another step toward a truth...

that neither kingdom was ready to see.

Narrator

Sometimes...

a kingdom builds peace with a handshake.

Sometimes...

a child builds friendship with the same gesture.

Both look the same from a distance.

But peace can be written on paper...

while friendship is written in the heart.

And when time finally tests them...

only one question remains—

Which promise was real?