Second Chance

Three Years

Raiden smiles that the last sentence as Jewels continues.

"If you need me to attend any functions, I'll go and be your date. If you need me to visit because you miss me and you're too busy to see me, I'll come and visit you so you can look at my pretty face."

Raiden smiles even wider.

"If you want me to spend several days with you in the palace, I will. I am willing to work with you on what you need. But please, the one thing I can't do is live in the palace as your golden gift. I would be too much of a weakness that anyone can target. If I can come and go, I won't be able to make any strong connections or alliances and won't feel beholden to help any of them. Please Raiden." Jewels says pleadingly. "Please agree to this?"

Jewels rubs her nose against his, giving him Eskimo Kiss. Raiden gives in to her with a heavy sigh.

"Fine." Raiden said unhappily. "And who said I was going to have you live anywhere near the back palace?"

"Well, considering your mother is Queen and lives in the back palace, I would have to visit her if she invites me and I would then have to meet all the concubines and then start maneuvering between who to trust and who not to trust and if they come visit me if I lived in the palace, they would come visit me and if I say or do something wrong, it'll reflect badly on to you and one thing would lead to another then it will all get so complicated so quickly and it gives me a headache just thinking about it." Jewels said all in one breath as if she was panicking.

"Okay, okay, okay." Raiden said as he brushes her long black hair back over her ears. "Fine, you and your family can move into a house near the palace. Are you able to afford it? Do you need help purchasing a property?"

"No, we can afford it. I struck gold when I went on Sky Ship."

"I didn't see you bring anything back and the others told everyone that you weren't able to find anything either."

"As if I would tell them what I found on Sky Ship." Jewel scoffed. "I'm not that dumb."

Raiden chuckles and picks up his tea.

"What did you bring back?" Raiden asked as he sipped on his tea.

"1000 year old ginseng." Jewels told him.

When Raiden heard he started choking on the tea that was going down his throat when she told him. Jewels puts down her tea cup and pats him on the back while he coughs.

"1000 year old ginseng?!" Raiden exclaimed.

"Yep." Jewels said as she grabbed more pastries to eat.

"You can sell that for a fortune."

"You see, I can afford living near the palace."

"Hell, you could by three properties near the palace."

"And I'll still have enough left over to redecorate!" Jewels smiled at Raiden.

"How many did you find?"

"Oh, I don't know, I didn't see any use in counting after I counted twenty."

Luckily he wasn't drinking anything when she told him.

"My golden gift is even more rich than I am."

"Yea, pretty much." Jewels teased him.

Jewels got up and reached into her bag and pretended as if she was taking the ginseng out of the bag, but in actuality she went into her grey space and pulled one stalk of ginseng from storage. When the ginseng came out of the bag she walked over to Raiden and gave him the one stalk.