Anna opened her eyes to a pair of mischievous blue ones staring at her with fascination.

"Good morning cutie. Enjoy your beauty sleep?"

Anna groaned, rubbing the remnants of sleep out of her eyes. Sitting up, she surveyed her environments and found that she was in the men’s room. "What...what happened?"

"Hmm?" Kai sat up, peering into her face closely. "You don’t remember anything?"

"Not exactly..." she trailed off as the memories came rushing back. Her cheeks heated and she lowered her gaze to her covered legs. "Oh...I’m sorry."

"Unfortunately, sorry isn’t enough for me to forgive you."

Anna sighed softly. She knew too that if she kissed someone and they fell alseep without warning, she would be pretty pissed. But Kai didn’t sound pissed. There wasn’t a hint of anger anywhere on his face. If anything, he looked at her with a teasing expression, as if testing her.

She decided to play along.

"How then can I gain your forgiveness?" She asked with a teasing smile of her own.

"I don’t know, maybe you can finish what you started?"

"If my memory serves me well, you kissed me first."

"Fine. Then this time, kiss me first."

Anna pursed her lips. The tips of her ears turned red and shyness gripped her heart. Since when did she get this bold? Openly flirting with a man? The sun must have risen in the west.

She jumped out of bed and turned her back to him. "L-later! I’ll do it later!"

He grumbled. "You’re no fun."

Someone knocked on the door and opened it. Ray walked in, his expression guarded but not before he threw a dirty look at Kai.

"Your highness," he bowed. "The doctor came visiting while you were asleep. According to his diagnosis, it will take Leon two weeks to make a full recovery. His corruption levels are dangerously high as well and the doctor..."

"Go on,"

Ray cleared his throat twice before continuing. "He advised providing soothing for Leon thrice a day for the next two weeks."

Anna slapped her forehead and let out a scream of frustration. "Perfect. Just the task I needed right now."

"I’m sorry, your highness."

"Why are you sorry? You did nothing wrong." Anna sighed. "Any word from Tristan?"

"He hasn’t returned yet."

Just as they were speaking, Tristan returned. "Your highness. The situation is bleak beyond words. You need to see this."

He took her outside the inn where about thirteen young boys stood waiting.

"What am I looking at?" Anna asked, scanning the small crowd. They all looked like teenagers, barely 20. Full of nervous energy, they fidgeted around, looking around and playing with their hands.

"The local authorities." Tristan replied with the tone of a surgeon delivering a death news.

Anna turned to him. "Eh?"

He rubbed his temples. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Anna looked back at the boys. One of them was picking his nose. Another whispered something to his friend and the both of them laughed so hard snot came out of their noses. Another was staring at the sky and counting clouds.

They were barely equipped to fight! Send these guys into war? Anna’s spirits turned bleak. "This is hopeless..." she said.

Tristan dismissed the boys and they walked back inside. "Sending word back to the palace for reinforcements is impossible without our devices. We are doomed."

Anna’s heart dropped into her stomach. "Doomed? That’s such a cold word to use, General."

"I’m afraid it’s our situation right now."

"We aren’t doomed. We have you, and Kai can fight. I can use my black spores."

"Wouldn’t that put the civilians in danger?" Ray asked softly. "The last time you used them..."

He didn’t need to finish.

Anna knew. The task from the system that earned her so many points. Her spores on their own were lethal depending on how they were used.

Black spores were another level of deadly. Not even Princess Orchid used them because of how life threatening they were, and it was the only thing she ever did right.

But that day it saved Anna’s life. And now she wished more than anything that she could use them again.

"If the report from General Leon is true, then the hoard should make their appearance between today and tomorrow." Tristan said.

Anna rubbed her temples, feeling a terrible migraine brewing. This is hopeless...if Leon was in good health then at least we’d have a fighting chance.

She couldn’t believe she was considering him.

"Alright." She looked up. "We’ll do what we can. The goal is simple, we have to make sure no one gets hurt. Ray will fly to the palace tonight and hopefully bring back some good news. In the meantime, we need to prepare for the attack."

"Someone destroyed our car," Kai said. "We need to find them too."

"That’s not important now, let’s handle the pressing issues first."

They all bowed. Tristan left. Ray lingered around before asking Kai to talk with him. Anna crawled back into bed and continued sleeping. She knew she won’t be able to once the night fell.

***

"I presume you don’t want to ask about my day," Kai said as he and Ray walked out of Anna’s earshot, but still close enough in case they needed to go back to her.

Ray turned to Kai. "You kissed her." He said in an accusing tone, black eyes full of malice.

Kai, unfazed, folded his arms and smirked. "And? What, are you jealous?"

Ray dodged the question. "Now isn’t the time to confuse her and play with her feelings. We’re supposed to her shields right now. Can’t you keep your personal desires aside?"

"Personal desires? You say that like what I’m doing is a bad thing. I kissed my wife, why does it bother you."

"She’s my wife too."

"And? Have I ever stopped you from kissing her?"

Ray jerked back as if he’d been slapped.

Kai noticed that and grinned. He stepped forward, trapping Ray between his body and the wall.

"You like her,"

Ray swallowed. "O-of course I do."

"After everything she’s done to you? Remember how she put you in the sun to dehydrate?"

"Like she didn’t do worse to you."

"Mine’s different. I have a tiny piece of information that has changed how I view my little cutie. Too bad you’d never know what it is."

Ray knew in that moment, that his suspicions were correct. He wasn’t the only one that knew the truth of this new Anna.

Kai knew.

Ray wondered for how long. Did she tell him? Or did he figure it out for himself? So many questions filled his mind.

"Stop acting like a neglected husband." Kai scoffed, pulling back. "If you want something, take it. But knowing you, you’d rather sit with your thoughts until someone comes around and reads your mind. Cutie is a lot of things but she’s not a mind reader."

"You’re not jealous?"

"Why would I be? She’s your wife, is she not."

"But you’re jealous of Leon?"

"Don’t mention his name to me ever again."

"Okay."

"Good."

Kai walked away without another word, leaving Ray with his raging thoughts.

***

Anna woke up before night fell fully.

Feeling energized, she took a shower and got dressed for battle. Even as her heart pounded with anticipation and her hands trembled, she kept calm as she moved about the room.

As she stepped out of the room, Ray walked up to her. She could tell he’d been waiting outside.

"Your highness," he bowed. "I’ll be leaving for the palace soon."

Anna nodded, her heart beating fast. "Ray, are you absolutely sure you’ll be okay?"

Ray nodded, the tips of his ears turning red. "As long as it’s at night, I can fly for long distances."

"What if you encounter the beasts?"

"They won’t harm me."

She reached out and grabbed his hands, black eyes full of worry. "Are you sure?"

Ray’s heart warmed and he smiled. "Yes, I’ll be fine. I’m worried about you, leaving you here with Leon,"

"As if he can do anything while he’s bedridden. Plus, I have Kai. Nothing will happen."

Ray’s smile fell. "Kai...right."

"Is anything the problem?"

"Do you...have feelings for him?"

Anna frowned. "Now isn’t exactly the time to be worrying about trivial things like that, is it?"

Ray’s heart shattered hearing her say that. Hiding how much her words hurt him, he forced on a smile. "You’re right. I should be going now."

Anna nodded, unaware of his feelings. "Be safe, okay? And if anything goes wrong put your safety first. That’s an order."

Ray bowed and left.

"Now, to face that problematic kitty." Anna groaned, rubbing the back of her neck.

It took a lot of summoning courage before she returned to her room. Leon sat in bed, staring out of the window like a sick Victorian child. She walked up to his bedside.

The words burned on Anna’s tongue like hot lemon juice as she asked; "how are you feeling?"

Leon turned to her. The swelling in his cheek from Kai’s fist had gone down, but his skin was still discolored and covered with tiny cuts.

"How do you think I feel? Watching you with the likes of them?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "They’re my husbands too. Save your petty jealousy, it’s disgusting."

"I’m not jealous. I’m never jealous. What you’re doing is revolting."

"Alright old man. I don’t have the energy for this right now. Stay in bed, try not to get in our way while we handle this, alright?"

He smirked, flashing a pearly fang. "Sure. Join me?"

Anna’s cheeks burned. Before she could stop herself, she slapped him. "Shut up!"

He grabbed her wrist and yanked her down, causing her to lose her footing and come tumbling into the bed.

"Leon! Let me go you crazy bastard!" She screamed, struggling against him but his grip on her wrist was solid, preventing her from moving. Seeing their position, with her lying over his lap and her upper body propped up, made her face turn bright red. "Leon!"

He brought her wrist up to his nose and inhaled her scent. Anna went still, worry and a hint of fear coiling around her heart. Leon growled, his eyes flashing gold.

"Did you bring your suppressants?" He asked.

Anna went still, deathly still. The question made no sense to her. But under her thigh, something hard was stirring. Her face paled as she felt it poking her thigh.

She didn’t need to think twice to know what it was.

Suddenly, bile rose in her throat and she vomitted all over Leon.