If you stood up to Annan, he would either strike back or hold a grudge. But if you showed weakness, he would start wondering whether he had gone too far and feel guilty.
But when Olmedo saw what Annan looked like, she could no longer say any of the words she had prepared.
Annan was a complete mess, covered in soil and dust. Filthy from head to toe, he raised a bag of gemstones gripped tightly in his hand.
"Look, this is the money I made while I was away, Olmedo. We don't have to worry about money anymore."
His face was still smeared with dirt, but his eyes were impossibly clear and innocent.
Olmedo stared at Annan's warm smile, as bright as the morning sun. Every complaint she had meant to make stuck in her throat.
A few hours earlier, by the Beach.
Prince Aidan stopped on the Ice Sheet to say goodbye to Annan. "Congratulations. Your Free City is about to set sail again."
"Aidan, are you sure you won't come back with me?"
"I have other things to do. Don't worry, we'll see each other again before long."
Annan did want to bring Prince Aidan into Free City too, but he knew it would not be that simple. The forces behind Aidan were tangled beyond belief.
He did not press the matter. Instead, he asked somewhat ingratiatingly, "There's... something else I need your help with."
"What?"
"Could you teach me your smile?"
"My... smile?"
When a question was that absurd, your first instinct was to wonder whether you had misheard, not whether the other person had misspoken.
"I need to grow as a person too."
Ever since he had first met Prince Aidan at the Elven Royal Court, Annan had envied his flawless smile. And envy