"The Seika is currently unavailable," the device said for the millionth time, and Jasmine pouted before ending the call. Then, without skipping a beat, she recalled him. Yosef banged the table and stood up, furious.
"You called him for hours already!" he pointed at her, angrier than ever before. "How about you just go and visit him? Oh, a better alternative would be for you to understand this man doesn't want to talk to you!" he said in a single breath.
Jasmine was not startled by his outburst, only looking at him with an amused expression. However, as if remembering that she did not call him again, she resumed. There was no response again.
"I feel like something happened to the Seika. That can be the only explanation for his absence," said the princess to leave Yosef staring at her with shock.
'There is something wrong with the princess,' inwardly realized Yosef. 'I fear that what happened to her as a child has traumatized her, reworking the wiring of her brain. This made her miss social cues even if they spill disaster. It explains so much.'
Yosef needed to take a moment to the side, where he held back tears. He considered the princess a daughter and seeing her like this after finding a friend ripped his heart apart.
Then, a presence appeared outside their pavilion. Both of them turned toward the door, confused as to why someone would visit them at this hour. A slow knock arrived.
"You can come in," jumped Jasmine from her spot, visible expectations of the visitor's identity. Yosef glanced at her knowing that she thought it was the Seika.
The door was pushed open by a small woman wearing a white dress that revealed her shoulders. There was a diamond that held her dress together, breathtakingly shining in the moonlight.
"Greetings, guests from Yozia," bowed the woman before walking into their pavilion. The fireflies gathered around her as she walked across the gravel path, all the way to their tables. "My name is Diana Eistar, a descendant of the Ice Spirits."
"The Frozen Star," frowned Jasmine as she stared at her with disappointment. "You are giving me the shivers just by standing here. You must be the weapon of mass destruction."
"Princess!" shouted Yosef in a warning.
"I am proud to say that I am," smiled Diana Eistar. "And I am here for a private meeting," she glanced at Yosef, politely asking him to leave.
"Whatever we discuss can be heard by Yosef," Jasmine said with a blank face. Yosef felt touched by her trust, and he straightened his back.
"This regards the Seika."
"You can leave now, Yosef."
"... as you command," muttered the general, downcast. His pride bled as he left the pavilion and closed the door behind him. The last image he saw was the two women staring at each other.
***
"What happened to the Seika?" asked Jasmine with a frown. "He is not returning my calls."
"Your calls?" Diana was confused before spotting the device. "It seems he played favorite and allowed you to have it."
"We were close," lied Jasmine as she leaned back in his chair. "What relationship did you have with the Seika?" she asked with a hint of hostility.
"I am... his friend," replied Diana, not daring to reveal their love. "It relieves me that the two of you enjoyed a good relationship. However, I need your help to save him."
"That man is in trouble? I find it hard to believe," exclaimed Jasmine. "However, I don't think that any sort of trouble deserves to involve my empire."
"I will be honest," said Diana Eistar before sitting in Yosef's chair. "The empire is apprehensive of the Seika because of his artifacts. However, Freda can become the next superpower of the continent with his aid."
"You overestimate yourselves," laughed Jasmine. "However, let us assume that is true. What about it?"
"I know that your empire wants peace. The Yozia Empire can stand strong against both Alva and Freda. However, you did not choose war. This makes it safe for me to propose an offer."
"What offer?"
"I will give you artifacts in exchange for military power," smiled Diana. "This is what you desire, right? I know that your military power is the empire's sword. However, you are greatly lacking when it comes to artifacts. That is why you almost lost twenty years ago."
"You did your homework," smiled Jasmine as she leaned forward. "However, do you have the power to give such an offer? The Seika is the one who controls Runera. Those people follow none other than him."
"I am the Lord of Runera, at the moment," stated Diana. "The Seika has either been kidnapped or killed. We have yet to know the truth. However, we can only assume the worst and act accordingly."
Jasmine was quiet as she heard the news. It did not make sense to her. The Seika talked to her before creating his array that enclosed the city. It was hard to admit, but that single array made Runera a city with the strength of a kingdom.
That was why she could not understand how someone managed to kidnap or kill him. This can only be an inside job, and the person in front of him was also a suspect.
Her feelings were somehow hazy, and it was hard to understand whether she was sad about what happened to him or not. This was one of her shortcomings, as her grandfather explained.
"Those who do not understand themselves can never understand the world," she muttered the words, making the princess confused. "However, I can try to understand myself through the world. Answer my questions, and I will consider your proposal."
"What are they?"
"I heard about you, daughter of Duke Zenos: the strongest ever created homunculus of Alva. You were your father's weapon to cease the throne. However, that plan was ruined by the Seika, who kidnapped you."
"That is correct."
"You decided to help the Seika in exchange for Alva. Solomon agreed to give you Alva if the Seika proved himself capable of creating this city and ending the war."
"That was the proposal."
"That means you want to rule Alva yourself, for whatever reason. However, you want to betray both kingdoms now to make my empire stronger, also for whatever reason. Are you aware of the consequences?"
"The Yozia Empire will grow stronger than any other, enough for the other nations to surrender themselves. This will destroy the balance between the powers and begin the era of Yozia."
"And, in essence, Alva and Freda will be ours. You will never rule Alva, and your dear Seika will have to obey my empire. You are selling your soul to the devil," grinned Jasmine.
Diana was silent as if considering the matter. Jasmine can see that this was difficult for her, but she had no plans to sympathize. Instead, this was a chance to achieve world peace, her grandfather's goal.
"I want to bring the Seika back to life. The only way to do so is by attacking the Schelera Temple, which holds the saint captive. The Schelera Temple is controlled by none other than the Ancient One, who will not stand idle while his tool gets destroyed."
"And this will lead to war—a full-blown war between your city and the rest of the kingdom. Therefore, you need me to mobilize my armies to keep the other lords at bay while attacking the temple. However, what about Solomon?"
"I received intel that he is no longer present in the royal palace. So this may be the end of the throne as we know it, and it is only a matter of time before the Ancient One attacks this city."
"I still haven't received your reply, pretty missy," smiled Jasmine as her hand lifted Diana's chin. "Are you willing to forsake both kingdoms, start a war, and give up your dreams to bring the Seika back?"
"I am the one who came with this offer. So I already know everything that I am sacrificing, and I accept it."
Jasmine froze in place with a frown. Her hand retracted slowly from the ice spirit before it balled into a fist. She was no closer to understanding herself than she was before.
"I don't understand," she shook her head. "That man disappeared when everyone needed him most. What if you realized that he was not harmed but has simply left this world?"
"You know that he is..."
"I am the heir of a powerful empire. I need to know."
Jasmine can see the princess growing quieter, as if unsure how to answer that question. The possibility of Seika leaving her never crossed her mind. At last, Jasmine felt pity, for she saw herself when her father left her.
"I will still seek him out," Diana gritted her teeth. "I will find him and bring him back unless he tells me that he wants to leave me. Until then, I will not believe any truth but the one he tells me."
Jasmine was silent. The resolve that she carried was one that she never had.. It never occurred to her that she needed to seek her father for answers, but maybe that was her greatest mistake.