Freed from the clingy little Black Dragon, sticky as taffy, the group finally slipped away from that place like leaves riding a current.

It was their own turf, so the path back to Remi’s side opened like a clear road at dawn.

Along the way, Alicia and the others saw new buildings sprouting like mushrooms after rain, clearly Remi’s handiwork.

They even ran into a man with a camera; the shutter clicked like cicadas, and when he rushed them, Alicia dragged Ling and bolted like startled deer.

Shaking off the camera man, Alicia was still surprised to see a man—no, a male human—in the Mystic Realm, like a foreign bird in a sealed valley.

After talking it through, only Ling had a faint impression, like a smudge on wet paper; she only recalled his surname was Wang, and nothing else.

These trifles were pebbles in the stream, not worth holding; after asking Edmund to settle Arthas, Alicia and Ling found Remi like following a lantern at dusk.

“Was something urgent? You dragged us back in such a hurry—mm, that’s good!”

She took the tea Flan set down; steam curled like pond mist, and one sip spread warmth through her chest like a small sun.

Flan said nothing, bowing with a crescent bend like a new moon, leaving the words to her sister, Remi.

“Miss Alicia, our Mystic Realm has made great strides; Lady Amelia handled many things, and hunger is off our backs like a lifted millstone.”

The Realm shelters folk who need tending, like a garden to be weeded; that is why it must keep moving forward like a caravan.

There aren’t many of them; most are cared for by Amelia or Kings like Rafi, yet from nothing to full bellies in half a year felt like spring.

“Yeah. For the Realm to be like this now, we owe a lot to you two sisters; Remi may grouse like a cat in the sun, but she delivers.”

“N-no… this is what we should do; Miss Alicia doesn’t need to thank us…” Her blush climbed to her ears like sunset tide.

Being praised and getting this shy—an unexpectedly cute trait, like a flower peeking from snow.

“Alright, enough sidetracks. You’ve done so much for the Realm; we should row too. Tell me, what needs my hand?”

The talk returned to the main road; the color in Remi’s cheeks faded like dawn fog.

She drew a stack of papers from under the table like hidden blades and passed it over.

“These cover construction and other major matters of the Realm; they need Miss Alicia to review on site.”

Alicia skimmed the stack like wind riffling leaves and set it aside; her trust in Remi stood solid as a bridge.

“Is this the urgent thing?” Her voice tapped the air like a pebble on glass.

“Mm… if we don’t act fast, trouble will snowball.” Her voice shrank to a mosquito’s buzz, like rain fading behind hills.

Seeing that, Alicia hid a smile behind her hand like a fan.

Remi’s temperament had softened a lot, like spring easing ice; was that Flan’s gentle drilling? Should she try it on Ling?

The thought popped up and Alicia pressed it down like a bubble underwater; she liked Ling as she was, a childlike breeze.

“Alright, Remi, don’t be nervous. I’ll go with you and handle it quickly; bring Flan too—three heads beat two like three lanterns in a storm.”

Flan nodded without fuss, like a pine in wind.

“There’s one more thing…” Her words fell like another stone on the scale.

“Hm? Another?” Alicia’s brow arched like a bow.

“While Miss Alicia was away, King Alex came looking for you; he had something very important, apparently about the Mystic Realm.”

“Very… important? Please, one thing at a time…” The word thudded in her skull like a drum, and her frown gathered like storm clouds.

Seeing that, Remi regretted speaking, like hands snatching at spilled water, yet it was too important to hide.

“If Miss Alicia feels burdened… we could… delay it.” Her offer hung like a thin thread.

“No. If Father sought us, it’s real; brushing it off would be bad for the Realm, like turning our back to the wind.”

“But Miss Alicia can’t do both at once…” Remi’s worry pooled like rain in a basin.

“That’s why I’m thinking of a fix…” Alicia rubbed her forehead, thoughts knotting like reeds.

“I’ll go!” Ling’s voice cut in like a bright blade.

Alicia’s mind stalled like a clock that skipped a tooth. “Ling… what did you say?”

“The old King needs something, right? I’ll go, simple as that.” Her grin flashed like sunlight on steel.

It was, in truth, a workable path, like a side gate in a wall.

The Realm’s de facto managers were two: Ling and Alicia, twin oars on one boat.

Either could go, but… if Ling went, would she be tricked or pushed around like a lamb among wolves?

“Ling, are you serious?” Her worry fluttered like a caged bird.

“Of course. What else?” Her tone ran easy as a stream.

“Aren’t you afraid they’ll bully you? The old men around my father love schemes; I hated them as a child, like thorns in my shoes.”

If they fooled Ling, that wouldn’t do; the thought pricked like ice.

“But I’m strong. They can’t touch me. And I’m not dumb; I won’t let a bunch of elders lead me by the nose.” Her confidence rang like hammer on anvil.

Alicia fell silent, with nothing to rebut, her thoughts settling like snow.

True enough—Ling was that strong; few would dare try tricks on her, like foxes eyeing a tiger.

“Alright then. Ling, you go to the Empire; I’ll handle things here in the Realm.” Her decision landed like a seal in wax.

“No problem.” Ling’s answer danced like a sparrow.

Even now, Alicia didn’t know Ling wouldn’t face those old men, but two other Kings, shadows deeper than ink.

If Ling refused to use force, then even with King Alex’s help, the talks might end in fog, unknown as drifting smoke.