❝ So the whole time I was gushing about Sturmhond and his adventures, you were just humoring me? ❞ A flush of embarrassment made her cheeks a rosy pink as she scoffed at her king.

❝ You could've said something earlier, Nikolai! ❞ she huffed and put her hands on her hips as she glared up at the other.

❝ Instead of just letting me embarrass myself! ❞

@ravkanruler Continued from here: XXX

“ it’s good to see you kaz.”

“ Sturmhond. ”, a certain, albeit incredibly subtle, edge always accompanied the nickname when he was the one saying it, long having figured out the man's true identity, yet never bothering with the usage of a real name, much less the royal title this ‘ privateer ’ truly carried, as though to subtly remind him over and over again how he was preserving this secret of his. If he wanted to pretend to be somebody else in that radiant teal frock coat, whether that was pirate, traveller or fairy queen, he could pretend – it was all the same to Kaz. The cork was loosened on a bottle of strong Kerch brandy with an audible pop, the golden-red liquid soon filling two glasses.

“ What gives? I can't imagine the Ravkan crown's most trusted representative ", another subtle reminder, " would travel all this way just for a drink that comes much cheaper anywhere else. "