Indeed as they waited, the carriage door was pushed open, and from the other side, a silhouette came out.
Dressed in an imperial robe with the Imperial insight on it was a young male. Appearance-wise this young man was handsome. He had blue hair, and his eyes were of the same hue.
Behind this young man stood three guards dressed in silver armors, swords hanging on their waists.
When the young man saw the girls, especially Maria and Luna, something flashed within his blue eyes, which he quickly tried to conceal. Unfortunately, the girls noticed it, something Maria and Luna found disgusting.
If they could choose to ignore him, they would have done it. However, they couldn't because of the young man's status. Displeased as they were, they could only bear with and hope he would leave soon.
The handsome young man wore a beautiful smile that could make any ordinary girl fall for him; unfortunately, these three were not ordinary girls.
"Greetings, my future Empress, and my first concubine." The young man says.
Maria and Luna's brows creased respectively when the two heard the way the asshole referred to them.
With a smile that does who knows her wouldn't call a smile, Maria replies.
"Greetings, your Highness, your joke is not funny at all, spare me from the fate of being an Empress. It's too much for me, and I don't want to own it."
Even while rejecting the young man, while knowing who he is Maria kept smiling. The handsome blue-haired who seemed to be in his early twenties is the First Prince of the Drexia Empire, Adler Ackes Von Havens, the second Princess Big brother, and the former First Princess Priscilla, who was now Head priestess of Temple of God's little brother.
"Now, now you don't have to refuse right now, take your time to think about, just know I'm serious about you two," Adler added without losing his smile. It seemed that this setback didn't affect him at all. Somehow, he seemed confident that he could get them given enough time; he was sure of it.
"There is nothing to think about; my answer won't change no matter how many times you try. So, stop trying." Maria outright refused him, not minding her words; Luna nodded her head, seeming to share her best friend's view.
For an instant, Adler's mouth twitched; he almost lost his smile, something he couldn't tolerate in front of the girls he decided to conquer since that day he put his eyes on them.
Smiling as if the girls' continuous rejections doesn't affect him, Adler stated, "Just thin-"
"I say, your Highness are you forgetting that I'm also present, or you're doing it intentionally?"
Adler was cut mid-sentence by the smiling Sakuya, who crossed her arms observing the show and now decided to step in because they seemed to be forgetting about her.
Adler's smile vanished, his body trembled, he almost took a step back, the guards behind also flinched, refusing to look at the girl who just spoke.
"Gre. Greetings, Lady Sakuya; I hope you have been doing well." Adler asked while stuttering; he seemed uncomfortable dealing with Sakuya.
On Sakuya's lips was a crease of amusement when she saw how Adler reacted. She knows that in that duel, she almost beheaded him but, it was not intentional; her Iaido was too fast for him to defend against it even when his Rank was higher than her. Since that day, Adler avoided her; even she was present, Adler would act as if the latter was not there.
It could be more appropriate to say that Adler was afraid of her; there was always a dangerous glint in Sakuya eyes; at the start, Adler was also aiming for Sakuya, but after that duel, he became a frightened rabbit in her presence whenever Sakuya talked to him.
Shaking his head, Adler regained his bearing as he proposed, "Let me invite you three to a dinner."
"Sorry, we are tired, let postpone it for a-"
"Why not? I'm rather hungry. Besides, he is going to pay." Sakuya cut off Maria's mid-sentence.
Maria and Luna glared at Sakuya, ready to swallow the latter whole,
"Estás loco?" (Are you crazy?)
Maria asked Sakuya in her native language, a language Sakuya and Luna understand well.
"Fufufu! No lo soy. Vamos a disfrutar de esta cena." (Fufufu! I'm not. We're going to enjoy this dinner.)
Sakuya responded with a mysterious smile; seeing this smile, the girls understood; hence they accepted Adler's invitation.
Adler smiled even though he was somewhat bothered by Sakuya's smile after their exchange in a language he couldn't understand, a language from their homeworld if his assumption wasn't wrong, he was still happy to have dinner with the two, as for Sakuya, there was nothing he could do, if not for her the girls wouldn't have accepted, hence he could only swallow the bitterness he was feeling.
As the girls boarded the automatic carriage, Sakuya smiled when he saw how uncomfortable Adler was in her presence.
Soon, they were out; in front of them was the biggest restaurant in the capital; it was five stories building painted in gold color.
After they entered, they were immediately sent to the highest floor because Adler had already reserved.
The highest room on the top floor was beautifully decorated with chandeliers hanging above, soft music playing in the background.
But the real star was the food. Tables laden with delicacies line the walls. Everything you can think of, and things you have never dreamed of, lie in wait. Whole roasted cows and chickens still turning on spits. Huge platters of fowl stuffed with savory fruit and nuts. Ocean creatures drizzled in sauces or begging to be dipped in spicy concoctions. Countless cheeses, breads, vegetables, sweets and, waterfalls of wine decorated the table.
The girls were not too surprised knowing how this floor functions, each VIP room has its set of food already prepared and served on the tables, ask why the food will not spoil, a question only the restaurant owner could answer. This is mysterious; it was precisely why this restaurant was the most prized of the whole Empire, even outside of the Empire.
Taking sit, the four started eating; Maria and Luna opted for a simple salad while Sakuya took a blend of cornmeal, chicken, and cream cheese. The cream cheese was smooth while the chicken felt rough, but the meat tasted immensely satisfying. The warm mixture was pure, ambrosia in her mouth.
"Delicious" Sakuya offered her honest opinion before drinking her wine.
Among the four, she seemed to be the one enjoying herself the most.
After finishing, the three stood up and said in a choir, "Thank you for the treat, your Highness; we will be taking our leaves then."
Adler was astonished by their sudden action, and before he could ask them to stay a little longer, the three were already gone. Adler opened and closed his mouth repeatedly before sighing; he slumped into his chair; their behaviors pissed him, but there was nothing he could do, he had lost his appetite, finally, he was able to understand Sakuya previous smile and the reason why the girls had accepted.
Adler tossed a bundle of banknotes on the table before leaving; even if he failed in his attempt today, he was sure that he would get these two, maybe that Sakuya girl as well,
"No, no, that one is too dangerous and can't be tamed. Maria and Luna are already enough; I can't lose them; I must win them over; they are vital for my plan. That bitch has already taken that blonde-haired foul into her faction. Ah! I must quickly win the two or else," Adler murmured as he returned to the palace.
Meanwhile, the girls were already in their Mansion located in the east part of the palace.
"You should have seen his face when we left him there. I bet he was pissed." Sakuya says with a smile.
Maria and Luna smiled, thinking about Adler's face after they left like that. However, knowing he will try to invite them again, he is trying to win them over into his faction, something necessary if he wants the crown.
Shaking their heads, the girls undressed as they stepped into the bathroom to clean themselves. Their beautiful bodies were laid bare; unfortunately, no man was present to enjoy the sight.
"I hope Alex is doing fine." Maria suddenly blurted while cleaning herself.
"Oh? Are you talking about my future knight? I bet he's doing fine. I'm sure he must be having fun surrounded by a bunch of beautiful girls," Sakuya responded while glancing at Luna, who was beside her.
Luna's body trembled when she heard what her friend said, the bathroom temperature dropped, Maria glared at Sakuya, who didn't know how to keep her mouth shut, the latter shrugged her shoulders.
"Eh? I wonder about that. Soon we will see him." Maria says, trying to soothe a certain someone.
It seemed that it had worked because the tense atmosphere inside the bathroom had disappeared.
Maria heaved a sigh while Sakuya chuckled; after their baths, the girls went directly to sleep. They were rather tired; this afternoon, naps would help them.