At first, June hadn't minded that Madris would be gone a longer time. She had liked the opportunity to travel with her teacher, to meet other psychics and learn more, but she hadn't needed her presence, especially now that she had other tasks to see about.

As her absence stretched on and it became clearer she would not be returning for a while, though, June grew concerned. Mostly, she was curious, and she would really like to travel to join her, but unfortunately, that wasn't possible. Not yet. June fully intended on going to join her and the others on the way back if she could, regardless of whether she had any orders to that effect.

June was still kicking herself (not literally) about not paying more attention to figure out what was going on. Now that she had gone looking, she really had missed quite a bit. Of course Regina and Galatea had kept their find very quiet, but she was still a bit upset. At least no one tried to dissuade her once she did start asking questions. Psychically, to the drones, of course, given that she was still stuck in Prekan.

At least she had received reinforcements from the Empire. Not in the military sense, although there were quite a few more guards, but more for political reasons. Several servants from the palace in Cera, which made her life easier, as well as a few minor officials. And most importantly, Regina had sent several drones, and apparently she'd given them orders to act so as to boost June's standing.

Not that they were great at politics, but it was fine. In particular, Zoe was quite senior in the Hive, and experienced. She was a bit quieter than many of the others, usually, and June didn't really know her, but Janis had spoken well of her. Zoe was clearly quite a capable warrior, but also skilled in other areas.

Most of June's time was taken up with the usual political dance currently, though. She was an honored guest of the king of Prekan, so she attended court and various activities, and talked to him and to high court officials. It was a bit of an adjustment after what she'd done recently, but she had once been trained for these kinds of things. Granted, not extensively because of her illness, but she also had advantages now she hadn't had before.

This mission actually provided good training for her psychic abilities. Following Regina's and Madris' teachings, she tried to be mindful of other people's privacies and didn't try to force information from them, in whatever way, without cause. But even more 'passive' sensing was useful, and gauging someone's mood with psychic abilities really wasn't any worse than studying body language, in her opinion. Just more effective and nuanced.

In terms of diplomacy, instead of doubling down on threats or anything like that, June had decided to take a friendlier and more cooperative stance. She didn't begrudge Theraln anything, but he had perhaps tried to emphasize the stick instead of the proverbial carrot a bit too much. Instead, it was better to focus on showing how much the Empire could help their new friends. Under the right conditions and with their guidance, of course. Which was also just good sense; June wouldn't let some of their new things loose unsupervised and watch the kingdom descend into chaos. That would be irresponsible.

Worst case, there were quite a few nobles interested in getting their hands on as much as they could from the Empire's little technological revolution, and they could put pressure on the king to grant the concessions the Empire wanted in return.

Much of the time, June talked to envoys from other kingdoms and principalities. There were quite a few of those in the vicinity, extending roughly from Cernlia's and Esemen's eastern border or the Gnomish Confederation to the east and southeast. She had wondered about that before. In large parts, the terrain should be fertile. If anything, the population was kept limited by the frequent raids and warfare they conducted against each other. Possibly by the limited access to other materials, the great plains weren't famed for their ore. And there were occasional hotspots of monsters, and of course a lot of deep forests. As far as she knew, the Eternal Dark also extended for quite a large stretch of territory underground, and the dark elves had claimed some areas for which they effectively forbade or limited settlement on the surface. She didn't think they lived there in any large numbers, but perhaps there were other resources and industry, like forests they used for charcoaling and thus forging metal. That was much more of the exception than the rule, though.

Unsurprisingly, most of these people were a bit warmer than her current host. June wasn't sure if that was just about ingratiating themselves to the new regional superpower, because they wanted what the Empire had to offer, or because they were ideologically aligned, what with Regina being the Last Progenitor. Regardless, June took advantage of it to develop good relations with the local states.

What she liked least were the various offers the nobles and envoys threw at her. To their credit, she supposed, it wasn't just betrothal offers. Although there were too many of those. They also tried to set her up with young nobles who would act as her companions. At least in that regard, the arrival of the others had helped. Some seemed incapable of realizing that being a high-ranking member of Regina's Hive didn't necessarily mean Zoe was a lady, in that sense. Although the fact that she was a warrior caused enough talk. June just tried to ignore that unless it was egregious, and at least Zoe only laughed at anyone who expected her to conform to their ideas.

The worst offer, though, came from the king of Prekan himself. Admittedly, he wasn't the lowest-ranking person who tried to win her hand. Although he hardly tried to court her — not that that would have made it better. Instead, it was clearly a political proposal, but she had the sneaking suspicion he expected her to be his bride instead of applying to be her consort.

"I assure you, my Princess, you will not regret becoming my queen. I will give these concessions and agree to the Empire's demands, a small price to pay for your hand," he said.

Actually, maybe he just wanted her dowry?

They were currently speaking in relative privacy. After a larger session of court in the morning, he had asked her on a walk, and they were now standing on a veranda overlooking a small flower garden. There were enough people around it wouldn't count as private, but at least he hadn't asked in open court.

June took a deep breath and put a smile on her face. "I am honored by your suit, truly, my lord king," she lied. "Unfortunately, I regret that I must decline."

His expression darkened and she could sense his growing anger, with a side of offense. "So quick to deny me, my lady? You have not even passed my words on to your queenly sister, or to your master."

June inclined her head, keeping her smile. "I judged it best to be clear and not offer you any false hope, Your Majesty. It is not because of you, far from it. If I was at all open to a political marriage, your suit would certainly be one of very few I would have given very serious consideration," she lied again. "But that is not the case. I am needed in the court of Cernlia as my sister's heir, and I must needs focus on my magical education and my duties, not marriage or children. Both my sister the queen as well as Her Imperial Majesty understand and support this; they have assured me that neither would be entertaining offers for my hand at this time."

Apparently, her words managed to soothe his anger somewhat, and he nodded curtly. "I see. Then I thank you for the clear response, Your Highness."

It took a few more minutes for her to extract herself from the conversation until she could flee his presence, and June left hoping he couldn't see that she had to consciously moderate her pace. This was hardly the first suit she had received, but something about being away from home, in his center of power, with an entitled man used to wielding power — that made it uncomfortable, and she was sure most women would feel the same. Not that she would let it stop her from succeeding here, of course.

Still, she hadn't liked the way he looked at her as he made the proposal, like he was cataloging every perceived flaw and benefit. It wasn't lust, or she didn't think so; she would have known what to do with that, or at least recognized it. June idly played with her bracelet while she walked. She was wearing more jewelry than she'd become used to, here. Regina had sent some along with Zoe's party and the new attendants, although she still preferred the set she'd gifted her for Christmas. This one had a hidden thorn that would jump out when she pressed a tiny lever with her finger, though, so it was her new favorite. Not that she wasn't often wearing a dagger, anyway.

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She met Zoe before she could dwell on it for much longer. Although that was putting it nicely, in fact she almost ran into her.

"You look upset," the drone observed.

June glared at her, half-heartedly. "The king tried to ask for my hand. I don't want to talk about it," she said shortly.

Zoe raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Come on, let's go to the stables," she suggested. "We can get a head start, the royal hunt is still setting out this afternoon. I could use a few tips."

June nodded and let herself be guided back in the direction she'd come from previously, going to her rooms to change and eat a light lunch, and then setting out again. She took off most of her jewelry for the hunt and chose an outfit with sturdy but fashionable boots and trousers under a short riding dress. One of the servants from Cera put her hair in a robust updo and she selected a few hairpins. Then she dragged Zoe to the stables and selected horses from the options offered to them, choosing a black gelding they'd brought from Cernlia for Zoe and a beautiful and more fiery gray mare she'd been gifted here for herself.

Despite being intended as a distraction, it was fun and Zoe really did benefit from a few tips. Like a few other drones, mostly Warrior types, she'd been learning to ride, but it still wasn't exactly natural for her. For June, it was a nice enough diversion while the rest of the hunting party assembled. She wasn't sure why they wanted to start in the afternoon, especially since the servants had clearly prepared for overnight stays, but she wasn't complaining.

The king was apparently in a good mood, but she could tell it was an affected display. June kept just close enough to him not to cause offense and otherwise avoided his company as subtly as she could. Accompanied by some of her own companions and many more local nobles and envoys with their entourages, as well as a small horde of servants — and the animals they managed — from Prekan, they cut through the city and then past fallow fields for a few minutes before entering the forest. June discussed local hunting traditions and falconry with several people while keeping an eye out for Zoe and the others. She wasn't too fond of the large hunting hounds apparently bred locally, but that was fine. June was more interested in a nice hunt than killing any game, she'd never quite developed any taste for that.

They went deeper into the forest without her enthusiasm or lack of it becoming apparent, as there was very little game to be found. If the king's affability and good cheer had been a mask, it started to crack. "We will continue. I will not go home without having personally shot a stag or a dangerous monster," he declared when someone suggested turning around.

As expected, they camped in the woods. That night, June slept between Edmund on one side and Zoe on the other in their best tent. The hunting party was woken early and they started riding before the camp was fully packed up by the servants trailing behind.

Almost immediately after splitting into smaller groups to hunt, they started encountering a lot more wildlife than anticipated. Unfortunately, it was not game they wanted to hunt, or at least not the mundane sort, but monsters. June kept to the center of the party with the others sticking close to her as several other nobles rode further out, clearly trying to prove their bravery.

Sometime in the afternoon, the largest trouble yet came. There was a howl from the northwest. They turned around and several of the men-at-arms accompanying the party moved in that direction. Unfortunately, that was when a group of canines with eyes burning in various colors melted out of the trees to the southeast, the direction they'd come from.

"Duck!" Zoe called to her.

June ducked low over her horse and felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise as something sailed over her head. Looking up, she saw several of the wolves advance, squinting at their descriptions.

Ice Wolf — Level 38

Short and to the point, and borne out when the monster sent several more icicles in her direction. June ducked again and tried to guide her horse to turn.

Unfortunately, she'd forgotten that her current steed was new and apparently not trained for this kind of battle. The mare stepped back, ears laid flat to her head, then reared. June clung on, but lost control of the Firebolt she'd tried to form and sent it flying off into the trees.

That was the last straw for her horse, which turned and fled. She tried to slow her, then tried to direct her flight, but failed to break her panic.

"June!" She heard Edmund call, before she sensed him speed up as he tried to keep up with her. Zoe had more trouble, but clearly tried the same.

After a minute, her horse had exhausted herself a little and June finally managed to regain control, making her go in tight circles in a zone relatively free of trees until they transitioned down to a walk. Unfortunately, that was when another of the wolf monsters stepped out of the trees.

June greeted it with a Fireball to the face right away, this time. Her horse panicked again, but she kept her head better, and June managed to fire off another Spell, this time a pair of Magic Missiles that hit the wolf right in the head, before she managed to direct her horse in a semi-controlled gallop away. Maybe I should have rethought riding a white horse for the hunt, she mused distantly, before June had to duck and direct her mount around a tree.

Another group of minds came closer, and she recognized the king before she could see him. To his credit, King Stephen was riding at the front, his spearhead bloody and a rip down the side of his coat that showed he might have fought dismounted.

"Princess June!" he called as he saw her. "Over here, we have beaten back the pack here!"

June smiled thinly and continued. Unfortunately, she'd been too distracted and missed another threat. Just as she passed another old, overgrown tree, riding on a thin game trail, a snake's head shot out and took her horse in the flank. June barely had enough time to see it before she fell.

Coreblood Adder — Level ?

June hit the earth with a crunch, feeling a sharp pain shooting down her arm. Her head hit the dirt and she almost blacked out. She blinked against the forest suddenly changing orientation on her and swaying. It took a long second for her to get her bearings back. Then she tried to scramble out of the way as the snake struck for her next.

She managed to dodge, but then an ice spear from some other hunter hit the dirt, narrowly missing the snake, and it snapped forward. June screamed as she felt its fangs sinking into her already injured arm. She managed to cast another Firebolt more out of instinct than thought, sending it scuttling back.

The next moment, Edmund appeared beside her, his sword striking down and narrowly missing the snake. It tried to flee, only to run into the king, who'd dismounted and swiftly decapitated it with a swing of his sword.

June breathed in heavily, pulling herself up a little by the corpse of her horse with her left arm, trying to ignore the pain and dizziness. She vaguely heard other people talking. "Your Majesty, we need to move! There are more of the monsters and they're coming back!"

"We are not going anywhere without the princess and her companions," the king replied sternly.

"Can you move?" Edmund asked. She sensed his concern, but the feeling came in waves and spikes. Was something up with his emotions? It was like his head was hanging upside-down over her. Oh, that was funny.

Then he turned. She blinked hard, and managed to realize that whoever had spoken was right, there were far more monsters coming now. The other party had lost several horses and a few of the men were clearly injured. Two more howls sounded, closing in on them, and then the first wolves showed up, circling around them.

June's eyelids slipped closed and she agreed with herself to rest them for just a moment. The moment dragged on. Around herself, she sensed the ebb and flow of emotions, it was almost soothing. Although there were too many spikes of anger, fear and pain for it to be beautiful.

Finally, she forced her eyes open again, squinting upward. At some point she'd slid down. Something streaked by her and she shuffled to the side on instinct, then winced as something feathered crashed into a tree right beside her. Someone screamed. Edmund cursed and moved a few meters away. Then she heard another kind of shout and laboriously moved her head.

King Stephen was standing in front, his sword bloody, his shield at the ready, the corpses of several monsters around him and more monsters advancing on his defense. But then the light that surrounded him got brighter. At first June thought she was now properly hallucinating, detached in a way she knew boded ill, but there were more exclamations and she knew others saw it too.

A sigil made of light appeared over the king's head. In her present state, it took her a long moment to make it out. A circle, a thin diamond pointing out of it, and a rectangle at the bottom. It was familiar but she didn't know why, until someone breathed "by the gods" and she vaguely realized, guess that's why.

Stephen swung his sword and struck down the monsters in front while striking the ones in the back with fear. They ran; she felt their minds getting further away until her sense almost cut off.

"Praise the gods, praise be to the gods," another noble said, almost chanting. "Praise the Lord of the Earth, Gediarno the Steady Hand …"

Hm, I think that's not good, June mused, but it was getting hard to think. She didn't hear their replies because something had moved her to the sea and the rushing in her ears drowned out everything else. Her sight had developed large dark spots and she closed her eyes to clear them.

It was more comfortable than she'd thought lying here. She'd stay right here and have a little rest. Her mind drifted away.

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