– Prior –
Kashion's room was not far from Evlina's. The same floor, just a different wing. Prior had been here before. When she reached the place where his room was supposed to be, her breath caught for a moment.
The Cheqi table stood there.
Was that his table? But that didn't necessarily mean anything. After all, it was publicly accessible.
For a brief second, Prior considered simply placing the charger on the table and leaving. But Evlina would surely find out the next day—and it would raise questions.
Prior felt her heart pounding as she stood in front of the door. She had not yet dared to knock. She hoped with all her might that Oren was with Kashion. She truly did not want to meet him alone.
"Okay, we can do this," she whispered to herself. She would hand him the charger quickly and leave immediately. The sooner she knocked, the sooner it would be over.
So she knocked—first timidly, then a little louder.
It took a moment before the door opened.
She felt her heartbeat pounding in her throat.
Prince Kashion stood before her. He wore casual black trousers and a short-sleeved shirt. His hair still looked slightly damp, almost as if he had just stepped out of the shower. He looked fresh and relaxed. He stared at her with wide, surprised eyes.
And he seemed to be alone.
Startled, Prior hesitated briefly before lifting the charger with both hands.
"Forgive the disturbance. Princess Evlina asked me to return this to you."
She held the charger only at the very edge, making sure their hands would not touch.
Kashion carefully took it from her hand.
Prior quickly turned around and murmured, "Good night."
Then she heard Prince Kashion say, "Wait!"
No. Please not.
She turned back but at first did not dare to look at him.
"I have a few questions. Please sit down," Kashion said.
– Kashion –
When Kashion opened the door and saw Prior, he could hardly believe his eyes. Then—well—she was only there to return the charger.
She was clearly about to disappear the moment he had taken it. But that did not sit right with him. He wanted to speak to her. He desperately wanted to understand who she was, because he could not quite figure her out.
So he said he had a few questions. But honestly, he did not even know what to ask her.
"Please sit down," he repeated.
She finally lifted her gaze from the floor.
She looked past him into his room—and suddenly her eyes widened. Kashion followed her gaze.
The strawberries.
He smirked and suppressed a laugh.
"Out here at the table," he clarified, gesturing toward the Cheqi board.
Prior visibly relaxed. It would not have been proper for them to be alone inside his room.
Kashion picked up the bowl of strawberries, sat down, and placed it between them. Prior eyed them suspiciously at first.
Then she looked at him again, hesitantly.
"Well… what did you want to ask?" she finally said.
He almost felt sorry for her. She looked so nervous, as if she were being interrogated.
Now he had to come up with an innocent question—quickly.
– Prior –
Prior could not believe she was sitting at this Cheqi table opposite Prince Kashion. It was simply uncomfortable. And she was painfully aware of her disheveled appearance. She had loosely pinned her hair up into a ponytail; stray strands hung free. Her beige trouser suit was slightly wrinkled from the workday. She was the complete contrast to him.
When he had set down the strawberries, she had almost let out a dry laugh. Had he noticed her glance at them? She certainly would not eat any now.
She truly wondered what he wanted to know.
Kashion seemed to think for a moment and then said, "You're an Aethereleum specialist, aren't you? I have a few questions about it."
What? Hadn't he discussed that today with Evlina, Talina, and Professor Keron? What questions could he possibly still have? She had absolutely no desire to discuss such a topic right now—especially not with him, who wasn't even a scientist.
"What exactly?" she asked.
– Kashion –
Kashion felt foolish. Prior would surely think him ridiculous.
"Why should it be indispensable for us?"
The moment he asked, he regretted it. It sounded absurd.
– Prior –
Hmm… wasn't that obvious?
"Well, if you want to continue operating in space and keep up, it's indispensable. And you could also use it more extensively for your ground vehicles here and thus conserve other resources."
"That's true. You're right," he said.
She glanced at him briefly, but he said nothing more.
Then she looked down at the Cheqi board. Everything was once again in its starting position. Whoever had read her message had cleaned everything up afterward.
Suddenly Prince Kashion said quietly, in his gentle voice, "Play with me."
She looked up in alarm, hearing the blood rush in her ears.
"I would never dare!" she said.
He smiled. "But you already did. The donkey."
No—oh no! This couldn't be happening.
"I'm sorry. If I had known it was you, I never would have—" she began, but he interrupted her.
"Please, Prior."
She looked at him again. There was so much depth in his gaze—almost a plea.
"Fine," she finally managed.
"I always play Black," he said.
"So do I," she replied.
Kashion laughed. "But today you'll play White."
Ah. So he wanted to show her he could decide.
"All right," she said, rubbing her hands together. She would not make it easy for him.
– Kashion –
Kashion could sense her discomfort. So she truly had not known it was his Cheqi board. Then all was forgiven.
But he had to play this match with her. He needed to know what it felt like. And he would fight to win.
"You can begin," he said, watching her intently. He was so curious.
– Prior –
Prior had a strategy and wanted to use the match as practice. She would focus entirely on the Fox, protect it with the Bears, and sacrifice less important pieces if necessary.
In Cheqi, you lost when both the Eagle and the Fox were captured. They were the royal animals, so to speak. She had to protect those two pieces while striking Kashion's.
Suddenly she felt calm inside. Cheqi always soothed her.
She moved a Tree two spaces forward.
"How did you know it was me?" she asked.
"Hm?" Kashion responded.
"The donkey."
"Evlina told me you play Cheqi. No one else here would be a candidate," he replied casually, moving a Tree forward two spaces as well.
So he had known it was her. Had that been why he had watched her at the banquet?
– Kashion –
Prior played very differently from Oren. She was always thoughtful and occasionally hesitated. She was so focused and yet seemed relaxed at the same time.
She was fascinating.
But so far she was giving him an easy game. Surely she wasn't trying to lose on purpose?
Yet that wasn't how it felt. She seemed in control, almost as if she were deliberately sacrificing certain pieces. What was she planning?
But when he captured her Eagle, he heard her draw in a sharp breath and saw her bite her lower lip.
So it had not been intentional.
He was certain now:
He would win this match.
– Prior –
How stupid! She had overlooked the Eagle. Now she really had to be careful.
The game was so intense that they barely spoke. Prior could hear his steady breathing and the soft sound of the pieces gliding across the board.
She had managed to bring her Fox to safety with the help of her Bear. Now she just needed to lure him in and capture his other strong piece. She felt she was beginning to see through him. He was surely planning to use his Eagle to strike her Fox. But that would make it easy. So first she had to take his Fox.
She studied the current arrangement of pieces and calculated that she could manage it in two moves. In between, he would likely capture one of her pieces and try to attack her Fox.
She almost had to laugh inwardly. If he hadn't known the Donkey rule, he probably wasn't all that familiar with the Bear–Fox rule either.
Now she was completely at ease.
– Kashion –
Kashion examined the board carefully. Prior seemed to be overlooking something important. In just a few moves, he would capture her Fox with his Eagle and win the game. What a satisfying thought.
"How long have you been playing?" he asked curiously.
"I started on the journey to Earth. So about a year," she replied. "And you?"
"About the same. It relaxes me immensely."
"Yes," she agreed. "It always helps me when I can't sleep and… never mind."
Kashion looked at her. She almost seemed as though she had said more than she intended.
So that was something they had in common.
Then she captured his Fox.
Ouch. He had overlooked that. But in the next move, he would take her Fox.
He was just about to place his Eagle on her Fox when she exclaimed sharply, "Wait!"
She reached out her hand and stopped just before it would have touched his. To Kashion, it felt as though he could sense the warmth of her hand like a shadow against his own.
He withdrew his hand holding the Eagle and looked at her questioningly.
"Can't you lose?" he asked confidently.
"I can lose," she answered firmly. "But not now." She pointed to her Fox. "One of my Bears stands diagonally to the Fox. It protects the Fox. If the opponent tries to capture the Fox, he captures the Bear instead. Which means that on the next move, I take your Eagle—and I win."
Kashion leaned back in his chair.
"I don't know that rule," he said.
"You can read about it anywhere," Prior replied.
Then, with a triumphant smile, she reached into the bowl of strawberries, took one, and bit into it with obvious delight.
She seemed like a completely different person. She was so fascinating. Kashion felt nothing but admiration.
"May I go now?" Prior asked.
That stung. But he simply nodded.
She stood up, gave a small curttsy, and left.
Kashion watched her go. It was almost as if she had left a lingering aftertaste behind. He felt as though he had suffered a real defeat.
"That was only a battle, not the whole war," he murmured softly.
He stood up, took the bowl of strawberries, and went into his room. There was only one thing to do now: study the Bear rule. And practice. Next time, he would not lose.
Kashion could not stop smiling the entire time.
He sat down, picked up his tablet, and opened his Cheqi trainer. He glanced at the bowl of strawberries, laughed quietly, and took one.
Really sweet.
– Prior –
Prior was relieved to have escaped the situation. As soon as she turned the corner, a great tension fell away from her.
She laughed inwardly when she thought about how she had won the game—and how unsettled he had looked afterward. She had almost felt sorry for him.
"Yes, today I played White," she thought, "and still defeated you."
She almost felt like jumping for joy.