[Lauchenoiria]

(Jointly written with Shen)

"You have to eat your vegetables," Xia told her daughter Jia. The pair were sitting in a restaurant in Shuell, the 5-year-old girl glaring up at her mother. Jia was dressed all in green, her dark pigtails stretching down to her waist. In contrast, her mother had her hair cut short and wore mostly black, with no make-up at all.

"Great-grandma would never make me eat vegetables, and she's a Councillor so she's in charge!" Jia pouted, referring to Councillor Chiu.

"She is not here, Jia, and you know fine well she would insist too. Now, eat them," Xia sighed, pushing the plate of vegetables towards her daughter.

"No! I won't!" Jia yelled, standing and shaking the plate so all the vegetables flew out of the plate... and hit the man behind her.

The sound of the vegetable splashing into a cup, was quickly followed by an aristocratic Shen accent, bellowing outward in a shocked tone of voice.

"What the hell?"

A middle-aged man stood up from his seat. He was almost bald just a crowning rim of thin black hair around his head. He was pudgy with his gut sticking out.

His hypnotic green eyes where droopy and tired.

And on the lapel of a suit jacket what's a large circular pin, displaying the center of the golden Banner, of the Shen flag.

And at the top of the pin a tiny crown, emblem that was an exclusive privilege awarded to only a select few within the empire. Members of the Royal Family.

"Can't you control your child? Some of us are trying to enjoy our lunch."

"I am sorr..." Xia looked up, beginning to apologise when she noticed the pin. Her eyes went wide and darted up, and she saw his. The green made her freeze, caught between the wonder... and her sheer, abject terror at what this meant.

"Well you should be. If my children acted that way in public I swear to heaven itself..." the man saw the terror in her eyes.

It only got a confused look out of him. He caught his head quite sure what he had done to elicit such a reaction

"Um...are you ok?"

She stayed rooted to the spot. Jia, now freed of her vegetables, had turned back to the parts of her meal she actually liked, ignoring the confrontation. Eventually, one of Xia's Kerlian bodyguards came over.

"Madam Chiu, is something wrong?" the bodyguard asked. At the mention of her name, Xia blinked and glanced at the bodyguard then quickly back to the man to see his reaction.

As her bodyguard came over two Imperial Guardsmen quickly marched over as well.

"Back away from his Imperial highness!" They shouted at the Kerlian guard.

The two men had their hands on their holsters as they gave the order.

"Stand down! Let's not cause a God damn scene," the prince ordered.

He looked back towards the woman.

" Chiu? Your um...your one of those Kerlians right? your family's one of the ones on the council?" He said trying to put on a more friendly demeanor after his guards had walked over and almost escalated the situation.

Xia blinked, and then took a deep breath, planting a polite smile on her face.

"Yes, my grandmother is a Councillor of Kerlile. My daughter and I are visiting Shuell for the Olympics," she said, trying to chase away any hint of fear and gesturing for her bodyguard to move back a little. She glanced down at her oblivious daughter who was still eating.

"Oh well...I hope your enjoying central more than me. I suppose I should probably say something diplomatic like I hoped for better relations between our two countries or something" he said if he chuckled slightly as he reached up and massage the back of his head.

"...it’s been 20 years since I've been inside a history classroom but, your country has some bias against us? Something we did to one of his family's or... I'm sorry I'm probably getting this all mixed up."

"Jia, go to the bathroom with Chloe," Xia turned to her daughter, motioning to the bodyguard from earlier.

"But I'm not finished!"

"Now!" Xia ordered, looking at the bodyguard, Chloe, pointedly, who then ushered a confused Jia away letting Xia turn back to the man.

"That is not inaccurate," she began, swallowing a little. "Although I would not say my country as a whole has been particularly biased. It is mine. Uh, my family, I mean."

The prince looked confused as the little girl was taken away.

"... you didn't have to do that. I overreacted over the veggies, she’s only 5 after all."

His gaze returned to her as she explained that her bias has to do with her family.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Your family? Is there some sort of historical events that has led to this bias? I can't think of anything recent so it must be something that happened a long time ago. Maybe it's best for everyone if we all just put that stuff in the past and leave it there."

"She had broccoli on her shirt, it needs to be cleaned," Xia said, knowing the excuse was incredibly weak. "As for historical events... I learned from my grandmother that some things are hard to move past when you fear a repeat of history. Still, we should indeed leave it there. I am sure you can find out the full story if you wish."

"If I find some time I will certainly research it."

The prince bowed his head slightly.

"Again, I must apologize for disrupting your meal. I will pay for it. Considered it a gift by the Wu Dynasty."

he stood back up and gave her one final nod and a small smile before walking up to the bar.

Xia stared after him, nodding back automatically, even as she was still in shock. She looked back down at the table, and up at her remaining Kerlian bodyguard and the two Shuellian ones.

"I think perhaps I should go and find my daughter," she said to them, standing and walking off in the direction of the toilets.

The Prince paid for his meal and for the meal of the woman whose family has sworn to destroy his before leaving the restaurant.