ʟᴏꜱᴛ ᴘʀɪɴᴄᴇꜱꜱ || Judar x Reader

|ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 21|

|21|

It's been at least five months. That's how much time has passed since you returned to Kou from the country of Balbadd. That's also how much time has passed since you last saw Judar. According to the princes, they haven't managed to make any contact with the magi, meaning no one knew where he was. Well, scratch that, you could think of at least one person who probably knew, but you would rather be punched in the throat by Masrur than ask him. So, you didn't, and you spent the entire time silently wondering where Judar could possibly be.

During this time you technically had no job. You belonged to Judar, as you were his slave, so they couldn't just order you to work for someone else. Fearing that they would get rid of you, Kougyoku quickly took on the role of your "master." You were supposed to accompany her places and make it seem as if you were doing something. In reality, it was the two of you gossiping the entire time. You were basically her female Ka Koubun, without the actual work. At least you looked like you were busy.

True to his word, Sinbad came to the Kou Empire. He arrived a few weeks after your return, having to travel by boat. You hadn't seen him for the first few months, but word got around fast about the King's arrival. It wasn't every day an enemy of Kou was invited to the palace. It was only a few weeks ago when you were walking down a hallway that you saw the purple-haired king being guided by some soldiers. They bowed to you for reasons you didn't know as you walked by. 'Probably orders from Kouen. Make him think the Serpantine is special.' In reality, nobody had paid you much mind until the King of Sindria arrived. It felt kind of pointless to you but what could you do about it.

Not only was Sinbad here, but he also brought two of his subordinates. Not the two you saw while in Balbadd. You almost thought they were, with the white and red hair, but you had to take a closer look to realize that they were not. One's skin was a deep tan and he had white hair. He tried to openly flirt with you in the hallway one time and you only blinked at him, then proceeded to stare at the sword on his hip as if he were some threat. The other one, a quiet man with red hair and pale skin apologized to you and dragged his companion off.

Erina was always sure to inform you of what was happening around the palace. The Emperor and Sinbad were to discuss Balbadd's entire situation and how it will be moving forward as a country. At the beginning of the negotiations, she said they both seemed like nothing was making progress. They would both leave frustrated. However, later in his stay, Sinbad and the Emperor finally seemed to start moving along. Kougyoku didn't tell you much and you weren't even sure if she was part of the conversations. 'She'd probably be too busy drooling over Sinbad to actually participate.' No hate to Kougyoku though. You still loved her.

You were soon starting to wonder when the three would leave. Not that you personally had anything against Sinbad, but something about him didn't sit right with you. Maybe it was his well-known name of being a womanizer. You really couldn't tell. You also didn't like it when his eyes lingered too long. You were hoping to have contact with him as little as possible.

You managed to go one week without seeing him and you heard he would be leaving in two days. You figured you could go the rest of the time without seeing him. You were wrong! On his last day, you were sitting with Kougyoku in her room and she informed you of the farewell banquet that would be held today. You originally thought she was telling you so you would know where she was. You didn't think you had to attend. However, she then told you that they requested you to come.

"You don't have to stay the entire time, but it's been asked that you make an appearance." Now you had no idea who in their right mind would ask you of all people to make an appearance. Yet Kougyoku didn't seem to care as she quickly worked to find you a more appropriate and less revealing outfit. You only stared as she ordered a maid to bring a dress similar to the one you were wearing, just less skin showing. You didn't complain as she demanded you to take off the clothes you were wearing and forced the new one onto your body.