THE PALACES THEY RECEIVED were hella different from Ruby Palace. The Emerald Palace , following its name, was embedded with Emeralds and had a combination of white and shades of greens. It looked absolutely stunning.
And the Sapphire Palace was embedded with Sapphires and had a combination of white and shades of blue. It looked so graceful and elegant.
Both siblings were quite pleased with their new residency. And the Palaces were, as Claude had said, quite close to each other.
The Palace buildings were about only a kilometer away from each other and their gardens were interconnected. Speaking of gardens, upon exploring Athanasia found that she had her own garden filled with roses, her favorite flowers.
1
On the other hand, Arius found a garden filled with purple roses, similar to the Amethyst Garden.
And the Garden that interconnected the two Palaces was filled with Blue Hydrangea.
And behind the two Palaces there was a training ground. The knights were equally happy about this.
It all seemed too good to be true. Athanasia was amazed that Jenette lived in such a beautiful place.
After having their discussion of praises for their residency. Arius along with his knight stayed in Emerald Palace for the time being.
"So guys I was thinking of visiting everyone else." Arius spoke.
"Do you think dad would let us leave, now that Felix isn't here either?"
"I could...convince him." Arius said as he scratched his neck.
"Well , you don't sound confident enough." said Athanasia.
"Is there any specific reason why you'd like to visit?" Gunther asked.
"Just seeing everyone and there was also something I wanted Winslow and Willow to check for me."
"What do you want them to check for you?" Athanasia asked.
"Oh , its-"
Lilian suddenly entered the room with a big box.
"Can the two of you please help me give some boxes to Olivia? These are Prince Arius's clothes. It seems there was a mixup in the sudden transfer." She looked tired, not surprising since they only had a few hours to transfer everything from Ruby Palace to the new Palaces. And she was helping Olivia with Sapphire Palace as well.
Cadell and Gunther nodded and began following Lilian.
Arius and Athanasia were left in the room alone. Arius looked at Athanasia with utmost seriousness.
"Athy-no Lee Jae Hye. " Arius stated.
'Ah, wait , I forgot the name.'
Athanasia still flinched on the mention of those words.
"B-Broth-"
"No need to be scared. We both are reincarnated. And I'm your ally." Arius spoke.
Athanasia took a while to process his words.
"I lived in Japan, and you?" Arius asked. He already knew the answer but thought it'd be better to pretend not to. He was going to act as if he never read Who made me a princess.
"...South Korea.."
"I thought it was weird, since Athanasia met Claude at the age of nine. But you met him when you were five. I thought it was because I entered the story...But our previous conversation with Duke Alpheus made me suspicious..." Arius explained.
"I thought my brother was suspicious too!" Athanasia stated abruptly before placing her hands on her mouth. "...I can still call you brother, right?" she asked and Arius chuckled at her question.
"Of course Athy, our pasts aside , now we're siblings. Doesn't matter whether we're in a novel or not!" Arius told her.
"So you've read Lovely Princess ?"
"Yea, but I don't remember the details. I know about Duke Alpheus and our cousin, and the fact that Dad has used Dark magic. "
1
"All this time you knew how Claude acts in the original novel, and yet you still act so recklessly in front of him!" Athanasia clenched her fists and glared at Arius.
"What if we die thanks to you!?"
"Oh, don't worry Athy, Dad won't kill us. Trust me.", Arius picked up a cookie from the plate before him and began munching on it.
"This isn't a Lovely Princess. The story changed when both of us got reincarnated. This won't be like the original. "
"How can you be so sure?" Athanasia asked as she too hovered her hand on the plate of cookies, choosing the sweetest looking one.
"Because if Dad tries to ever kill you , I'll knock some sense into him. This time, you have an older brother who won't let Claude kill you. I'll be with you, always. " Arius smiled.
"And...what if..." Athanasia feared the next words.
"I won't die either. " Arius assured her and also smirked.
Athanasia wanted to ask how he was so confident. What made him so sure? But she remained quiet as she gazed at his fearless expression. He just faces assassins the night before and yet how? How can he be so confident that the next time assassins come, he won't die? or what if Claude loses his temporary sanity and kills him ?
Arius didn't know it either. It was last night when he felt as if he was about to die.
The fear he felt in that moment was embedded in his heart. He knew all too well how weak he was. And how easily he could be killed.
But Arius also realized something yesterday. The reason why the assassins dagger did not penetrate his heart last night was because of the protection spell placed on him by Claude. Simply knowing that made Arius happy.
"Brother, why did you decide to tell me this now? Athanasia asked.
"Because I wanted to be honest with you. You are my sister. I don't know if you think of me as a brother but I've always thought of you as a sister and I wanted you to know that I'm always gonna be on your side." Arius told her and Athanasia unknowingly began to cry.
3
They both shared a deadly hug, as Athanasia almost strangled him. But in the end, Arius felt happy about being honest with Athanasia. He felt as if their bond as siblings had become stronger thanks to this.
IT WAS TEA TIME FOR THE royals and Arius decided to bring up the matter of the Duke's son.
"Dad, I was wondering could I have a friend from among the nobility? Specifically speaking, Duke Alpheus's son."
Clack!
Claude aggressively placed his tea cup down and his expression changed from his blank one to an annoyed one.
"His son will leave for Arlanta soon, so it wouldn't even be for a long time." Arius reasoned as his eyes met Claude's.
"If you want to... then you may. But you should be wary of that dog." Claude said.
'He agreed rather quickly.'
Arius looked at Athanasia and they both were probably thinking the same thing.
"Do you also want one? " Claude asked as he looked over to Athanasia.
"...Nope! I have Dad and Brother!" She smiled and stabbed a piece of the sweets in front of her.
Claude stretched his arms to pat their heads, making the two somewhat confused.
"Dad, how was your day?" Arius asked as he held Claude's arm caressing his head.
"It was fine." Claude again rose his tea cup and began sipping. He retracted his hands from the two.
"Did the white dog annoy you today?" Athanasia asked.
"He did.", Claude smirked slightly at the nickname, "He even mentioned about you both having a playmate. Did you meet him on your way back, in the morning?"
"Unfortunately. Although we did teach him his place, he still kept barking." Arius said as he raised his eyebrows in annoyance. His face resembling Claude's.
"So are you doing this because of his barking?" Claude asked and once again placed his tea cup down.
"No, but Ijekiel Alpheus isn't so much like his father as he may look. He is but a child. I was hoping that by spending time with him I could change his mindset. So that when he grows up and succeeds in the title of Duke, instead of being a barking dog, he would rather be a more useful one." Arius spoke as a smirk formed on his face.
"Brother you sound evil." Athanasia shoved a piece of cake in his mouth which Arius gladly accepted.
2
He had lately become a fan of sweets. Cookies, sweets, and donuts, but not as much as Athanasia.
"Pft."
The two jolted towards the source of the sound.
'Did Dad just laugh?'
Claude was covering his mouth with one his hands and his eyes were closed.
"Very well. You may have him as a friend." Claude stated and a smile made its way on his face.
The siblings shared a moment of surprise before Arius nudged Athanasia's elbow.
"Dad! I wanna go out of the Palace walls..." Athanasia began. She glanced at Arius and then Claude.
"Brother, can we go meet your friends? I wanna play with Lifa!"
Since Claude looked like he was in a good mood, they both decided to bring it up.
"Now that you mentioned it, I wanted to meet them too! Can we go today?" Arius said.
They both looked at Claude with expectant gazes.
"You may go..."
"Thank you daddy!" Athanasia shouted and jumped at Claude with teary eyes. She gave Claude a kiss on the cheek, leaving Claude completely baffled. Even Arius was shocked by the sudden act she did. Athanasia herself was shocked over what she did over pure Impulse.
An awkward silence engulfed the garden.
"T-Thank you Dad!" Arius also spoke and Claude looked at him as if he was expecting Arius to do the same.
Athanasia was red from embarrassment. She was mentally an adult. Arius sank his head down because Claude kept staring at him as if he was waiting for Arius to kiss him on the cheek.
1
"That reminds me, Dad I want to study Politics and History of Obelia." Arius said.
"...sure." Claude still looked at him as if he was waiting.
"Well I'm sure Dad is super busy, so let's go Athy!" Arius stood up and ran away with Athanasia. Claude didn't stop them. He just stared as he saw his children running.
He brought his hand over to his cheek and replayed the memory in his head. Suddenly memories of Diana drinking tea with him and Lilith smiling at him flashed through his head.
"Ugh..." His head began aching. He massaged it from one hand and stood up as well.
4
─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ.───
THE ROYAL SIBLINGS were on their way back. Their knights accompany them.
"Athy, let's go for a walk. Gun, Cad, can you both prepare a carriage to take us to the city."
"Okay." The knights replied and left, Athanasia also agreed for the walk.
They continued walking, Arius leading them.
"Brother, what was your name before reincarnation?" Athanasia abruptly asked.
"huh?" Arius looked at her weird.
"I-I mean you know my name so it's only fair I know yours!"
"Kazuto...Kazuto Fushimu." Arius answered, the words leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.
"At what age did you die?" Athanasia asked and Arius was visibly uncomfortable. But it was understandable that she'd be curious.
"Thirteen. What about you?"
1
"T–Twenty." Athanasia seemed surprised hearing he died so young and decided not to question him any further.
They walked for a while longer, admiring the nature surrounding them as well as the blue sky which was filled with fluffy-looking clouds in different patterns.
"What did you want to ask the twins to check for you?" Athanasia asked.
"Oh that..."
"What. You can't tell me, Your sister?" Athanasia asked.
"It's nothing much, I'm just going to test their abilities."
Athanasia raised her eyebrows in curiosity and Arius chuckled at the expression she was making.
2
ARIUS DISCUSS HIS IDEA with her and she wasn't in favour of it, but let him do what he wanted to.
"Where are we even going? I think the carriage would be ready, we should go now, no?" Athanasia asked in doubt.
"Your right-" Arius began speaking but paused.
"Brother, what're you–"
Athanasia then saw what Arius had seen.
A fox? no, it had wings. Then a dragon perhaps? but no scales. White and Blue fur. A creature with eyes resembling the night. Its fur looked as fluffy as the clouds. Its ears stand straight as if alerted by the royals before him. Its small yet strong wings folded themselves around its tiny figure. Be it a wolf with wings. A creature that resembled the sky.
"It's so cute!" Arius and Athanasia squealed. Athanasia tried to catch it but it ran towards Arius and hid behind his legs.
"Aww cutie! " Arius crouched down and began to pet the animal. Athanasia slowly approached it and began petting it as well.
The rustling of the bushes was heard from behind them. The siblings turned and Athanasia spotted a creature resembling the one before her, except this one had black fur and no wings.
"Brother ! Another one!" Athanasia squealed and ran to catch it but the creature only ran farther away into the bushes.
The white furred creature also followed the black one.
"Ah! Wait!" Arius shouted but the creature didn't stop. Arius and Athanasia began running after the cute furry animals they had seen.
Arius kept looking at the white fur and kept running in its direction.
It's so close
He stretched his hand out to catch the creature.
A little...farther
"Ah! Gotcha!" Arius finally grabbed the white creature and gosh did it feel heavenly as he caressed its white, fluffy fur. He fell on the ground while trying to catch it and so he tried to get up.
"Grrr!"
"Huh?" Arius looked around to see the black creature which Athanasia was chasing, being held by a man.
He didn't need to even think to know who that man was.
Lucas. His long ebony hair as well his ruby eyes. He was frozen in place as he realized what had just happened.
"What are you looking at?" Lucas asked as he eyed Arius, standing in the distance.
Lucas snapped his fingers and suddenly Arius had moved closer to where Lucas was leaning on the tree.
"Jeweled eyes? You must be a direct descendant. Are–"
"Raven!" Arius shouted as he tried to catch the black furred creature from Lucas. Lucas only raised his hand higher so as to not allow Arius in catching the creature.
Arius, who had learned with his full strength to catch the creature fell on Lucas, making the latter groan in annoyance.
"Get off me." Lucas ordered in an intimidating tone as his eyes glowed.
"Oh–uh, ...no?"
"What. "
"Give me raven first!". The white creature Arius held in his arms also jumped out and began climbing Lucas till it reached his arm which held Raven.
"Tch! This isn't even yours, don't be greedy you already have one. Leave before I take yours too."
"This is my sister's. Take mine, give me her's." Arius told him.
Lucas raised one eyebrow in curiosity.
"So that girl is your sister?" Lucas said as he eyed a certain direction. Arius shifted his gaze as well and saw Athanasia standing some distance away.
"Athy!" Arius called out to her as he made his way towards her. But Athanasia didn't seem to have noticed Arius. Even after Arius was only one foot away, Athanasia only looked around and walked away.
"She can't see us? You used magic?" Arius inquired.
"GRR!" Raven bit Lucas and ran off to Arius. The white creature also followed Raven.
"Hah, you dare–" Lucas began as his eyes glowed a bright red. But Arius simply held the two creatures in his arms and began running off.
Lucas snapped his fingers, and Arius suddenly hit thin air and fell down.
1
"Ouch..What do you want ?" Arius asked.
"You're running away with my food , brat."
"No, I'm taking my and my sisters divine beasts."
Lucas stood up and slowly began approaching Arius. Although Lucas looked angry seeing as how his eyes glowed, Arius knew he wasn't a bad person.
Arius stood firmly and gripped the two beasts so as to not let them get snatched.
"Strange, you're not even gonna ask who I am? " Lucas inquired, causing Arius to flinch.
Shoot, I acted like meeting a stranger in the middle of the Palace gardens is a normal occurence.
"I don't care who you are. I don't sense any bad intentions from you either. "
Lucas was now a step away from Arius. "Awfully bold aren't you?" Lucas's eyes glowed a dangerous red.
He's not a bad person...right?
Arius was questioning it inside his head. He subconsciously leaned backwards and came in contact with the magic barrier Lucas had created.
Lucas leaned forward to take the divine beast. "My magic is a bit depleted. If I eat this, it will be replenished. I'll be nice. You can choose which one."
Wait. If Lucas eats the divine beasts, then wouldn't all the extra mana Athy and I possess just disappear. Than there won't be any mana explosions...right?
"If you eat our divine beasts. Will all the extra mana we possess disappear?" Arius asked.
"That's right."
The logical thing would be to give Lucas both mana beasts. But Raven was looking at Arius with puppy eyes. If the extra mana was going to take a form, why did it have to be so cute!?
The white beast stepped forward to Lucas, as if offering itself as the one.
"Hmm?" Lucas eyed Arius to see if he was willing to give that beast.
Athanasia still doesn't know about Raven being her mana beast. So if Arius was to tell her that it ran away or he returned it to its owner, she would just accept it. He can just get Athanasia a pet cat or other cute pets later onwards. One that won't bring harm to her.
But he has been checking Athanasia's mana each night and it's stable. Maybe the mana explosion won't necessarily happen.
Ugh this is such a confusing decision
"Huh? wait–" Lucas suddenly grabbed Arius's face and raised it to meet his. Jeweled blue met rubies, both eyes glowing.
"What's this? You're quite interesting. This is the first time I've seen something like this."
Arius tried to back off but the magic barrier behind him didn't allow him to.
"You can take both divine beasts." Arius concluded.
1
'I'll give Athy an even better and cuter pet on her birthday!'
Raven tried to run away but the white creature jumped on it. Lucas picked them both up and glared at them.
"Hm, let's make a deal. You can keep them for the time being. I'll wait till they've matured."
'He said something similar to Athy...'
Arius was till debating in his mind.
"Why are you hesitating so much?" Lucas asked and Arius flinched.
"...I've read in a book that If one has too much mana, it might explode. A mana explosion. I don't want that to happen. So if you eat our mana, we can avoid something like that. But Athy likes Raven..." Arius looked at Lucas with an expectant gaze.
"Well, you seem to know a few things about mana. I'll do you a special favour since I like you. Take those beasts with you. If you or your sister get caught in a mana explosion I'll help you. But, if that does happen, I'll take your beasts away from you. " Lucas shrugged as he let go of the beasts.
"Well, not a bad deal, right? You can play with them until they become harmful." Lucas smirked.
"And what do you get from all this?" Arius asked.
"You're quite smart. You don't need to worry though, It's quite a small thing I can take from you, without any effort on your part. "
"Very well. " Arius stretched his hand for a handshake and Lucas returned the gesture.
"What's your name?"
"Arius, you?"
"Lucas. Remember it."
Lucas snapped his finger and slowly faded away.
'What a troublesome guy.'
Arius sighed in fatigue.
"BROTHER!" Athanasia finally saw Arius coming out from the bushes.
Raven jumped on Athanasia and she squealed as she saw the cute creature.
"Let's discuss them in the carriage, let's go for now." Arius told her .
─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ.───
THE TWO WERE NOW IN THE CARRIAGE, alongside their knights, in proper uniform.
"Aww what're those?" Cadell asked as he saw the creatures sitting on the laps of the royals.
"This is a raven! we saw it in the garden and brother caught it for me." Athanasia raised the creature and smiled.
"And this...is Snow." Arius decided.
3
"What are they?" Gunther asked as he observed the wings on the back of snow and its peculiar combination of wolf, cat and bird.
'A chimera? I'll ask Lucas about it later.'
"It's a divine beast. When someone has too much magic to hold in their own body, the extra magic takes the form of an animal and gets pushed out of the body. It'll be reabsorbed naturally once it matures, and we would be able to use it." Arius explained.
"Does that mean I'll be a great mage?"
"Well at least we have the potential. But they can be dangerous as well." Arius explained.
Arius noticed Gunther and Cadell looking at Snow. Before Arius could allow them to pet it, Snow himself stood up and jumped on them.
Gunther and Cadell looked freaked out, but also excited as they touched the creature. They looked like children looking with full interest. Well they are children, but they both act mature for the rest of their siblings.
The carriage stopped by an isolated street. The carriage was not the formal royal carriage. They were going in disguise so it was a normal looking carriage.
They stepped out of the carriage. Since blonde hair attracts attention, Athanasia had black hair accompanied by green eyes. Arius had his usual blue eyes, void of any jewel look.
They walked to the base, the carriage was waiting on a main street while their base was located in the depths of the city. Both Raven and Snow became invisible while walking. Athanasia panicked a bit but she could still feel Raven beside her, just invisible.
I suppose they're shy
As soon as they reached they heard loud noises coming from inside. They all shared a glance to each other before running inside to see what was going on.
"Hey! Don't do this here!" Lifa's shouts could be heard.
Gunther reached first and shouted,"What's happening!". He took out his sword and was only a second away from slicing off Jasper's neck.
Clang!
Jasper's dagger fell down.
"C–Calm down!" Jasper shouted. And Gunther scanned the room for enemies and relaxed upon spotting none.
Smack!
"Ow.." Jasper groaned.
"What. were. you. doing." Gunther asked as he sheathed his sword.
" Chuckle! We were just sparring!" Someone spoke from across the room.
Purple hair. Grey eyes.
"Vincent..."
"It's been a while, how've you been Gun?" He asked.
"Gunther's here?" Ruby asked as she came out from the kitchen area. Elio followed her. Lifa and Mia who were standing behind Vincent widened their eyes when they saw the familiar green hair.
"It is him!" They all began crowding around him and hugging him.
"How's the Palace?"
"Look at your uniform! We're so proud of you!"
"That's our brother!"
"How come you came? "
"Is Cadell not with you?"
"How is Arius?"
"Uhhh, one at a time!" He shouted, making them all stop speaking before sharing a light laugh.
"Uh , Cad was just behind me..." Gunther looked back to see him not there. He looked down the stairs and saw him coming upstairs while holding Athanasia. Arius was walking behind him.
"Oh let me help! " he said, but Cadell was already on the second floor.
"What was it all about ?" Arius asked as he also reached.
"Jasper and Vincent were sparring." Lifa explained before hugging Cadell and shaking hands with Athanasia and also Arius.
"You scared the life out of me." Cadell grabbed Jasper and tried to strangle him. Totally safe.
"You guys came just in time! Vincent was visiting us as well! Ruby and Elio are baking a cake and cupcakes for celebration! The twins went to buy drinks for us. " Lifa gestured for them to sit down.
Athanasia went with Ruby and Elio to the kitchen. The rest of them sat down.
"Arius, this is your first time meeting Vincent. " Lifa pointed out. Arius and Vincent were sitting side by side and so they both began conversing amongst each other.
"Its an honour to meet you , Your Highness. " Vincent shook hands with him.
"Don't be so formal. You can just call me Arius" Arius smiled.
"I heard you helped them a lot when I wasn't here. "
'Right, this kid has a family...but why does this sound suspicious?'
"Not at all. It was all their own efforts."
"Arius, would you like to go for a walk?" Vincent asked and Arius immediately understood he wanted to talk privately.
"Sure." They both stood up.
Gunther , Cadell, Lifa and Jasper were conversing amongst each other.
"Where are you going?" Jasper asked as he saw Vincent and Arius standing up.
"For some exercise." Vincent spoke and ruffled Jasper's hair.
Gunther stood up, but Arius signalled for him to stay put and enjoy his time. He also gave Cadell a signal to take care of Athanasia while he was away.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ : *. .* : ﾟ.───
"THE WEATHER IS QUITE nice today isn't it, Your Highness?" Vincent asked as he stared at the blue sky, while walking through an isolated alley.
"Yes it is. What is it you wished to discuss, young master of Lennox County? "
Vincent raised his eyebrows in surprise before turning back to face Arius while smiling wide.
"So you knew?"
"Your hair gave it away. Lennox County is known to have members with lilac hair. Not only that, but you brought all those children together. Not by coincidence or goodwill, right?" Arius asked.
"Then does Your Highness know the real reason I'm helping those children-or exactly who those children are?" Vincent asked.
VINCENT LENNOX. The first son of Vivia Lennox. Arius had gone through some books about nobility and Vivia Lennox was mentioned in almost all of them.
During the war against the previous emperor, she was a prominent supporter of Claude. She was known as 'The Dancing Lilac' on the battlefield. Quite a silly name, but Felix felt relieved when he heard he wasn't alone.
Her sword style was a mixture of many, making it unique to her. And as her title said, when she fought, it seemed more like a dance. Grace dripped from her sword as it sliced its enemies. Her identification trait was her hair color that stood out.
And the one standing before Arius was none other than her son, Vincent Lennox, who had inherited her hair color.
'Although he doesn't look much of a fighter.'
Arius thought about his question earlier. He had found it weird that those children were living in a building which had an active supply of water and cooking utensils. Where had they gotten it from ? They mentioned Vincent helping them.
"Well? Your Highness?" Vincent asked.
"I don't know." Arius admitted, as he stared suspiciously at Vincent.
Willow was able to navigate through the mansion as If it was her home. Mia was from the Deferim Tribe as Felix had heard during the auction. Arius had been suspicious ever since.
"I see, then..." Vincent walked closer to Arius and bowed his head.
"Please don't be so suspicious of me. I will tell you everything you wish to know. And your highness, I am on your side. " Vincent smiled, a creepy one, which made Arius doubt him even more.
"Your expressions don't match your words."
"And here I heard people say I have an angelic smile."
"They must be blind."
"If you say so." Vincent stopped smiling.
"So, what exactly is Lennox County planning by gathering these children?" Arius asked.
"Oh, we simply brought together talents from across the continent. All in goodwill I assure you... my mother suspects a war to start in the near future."
"A war?"
'There were no wars in Who Made Me A Princess.'
"Yes. With the Empire north to Obelia."
"Merika Empire?"
"Yes, I've heard there have been succession disputes going on. And all the candidates to the throne aren't quite favored by the citizens. Whoever succeeds the emperor will try to prove themselves in one way or the other."
"And the easiest way to show their worth as emperor is by winning a war against a strong nation?" Arius asked as he felt the idea was silly.
"Yes, well the Merik Empire's Imperial Family is more quick with their blades than their tongue."
"And so what if they wage war? As amazing as their skills might be, they're still kids. And Obelia has several high ranking mages and skilled knights. "
"That is true. But there's no harm in polishing their talents. Mother intended on taking these children to the north and hone their skills in the harsh winter, after they aged a bit. Of course we weren't going to force them. " Vincent explained. "But it seems you've already took Cadell and Gunther as knights."
"So now what will you do? Ask me to kick them out of the Palace?" Arius asked.
"Haha! Of Course not, from the beginning we simply wanted to benefit our empire and what would be better than for one of the royals to make use of the talents we've gathered." Vincent unknowingly began to smile with his eyes closed as he stepped back.
'I don't really see how the county will benefit from this. Are they doing it out of loyalty? I mean I don't really know much about them... but for some reason they sound suspicious. Or maybe it's just because of his smile.'
Arius looked at Vincent once again smiling and he felt an ominous feeling climb his chest.
"And how does the county benefit from this? I assume you're thinking." Vincent spoke and Arius was now sure that this guy was super shady.
"Well you see..." Vincent came closer and continued,"My mom admires the emperor a lot...and by training these children to help the empire...she was hoping that..."
Arius knew where this was going and his expression turned pale from the thought.
'Admires'...why does that sound more like 'Loves'...no way... is she–no–no–no
Arius's face became horrified over the thought.
"Hahaha! I was just joking about your Highness! " Vincent spoke as he laughed and Arius could feel his blood boil from anger. Oh how much he wanted to punch the boy in front of him.
"Hmph, we should head back." Arius said as he began walking back.
"Oh, but don't you wanna ask anything else~?" Vincent asked in an innocent voice, making Arius glare back at him , only to see his smiling face.
"Arius, oh and Vincent." A voice came from the sky.
Arius and Vincent looked up to see pale blonde hair and clear purple eyes.
"Were you guys heading back?" Vincent asked.
"Yea. What were you guys talking about? " Winslow inquired.
Vincent smiled,"Just random stuff to get to know each other."
2
"Let's go together then, if you're done chatting."