Two years sounds like a long time. It was all very short for me. That is not to say that it was all boring. I was able to witness Maura getting married to a Royal Guard, Senior Glen graduate, and even get a glimpse of Asmarian ruins.
My agreement with my father ends here. I must come back home in order to prepare for my debutante that will occur within a year.
For the ride home, I went with Charlotte in her carriage.
Surprisingly enough, she was able to get Garett to come along with us this time.
Garett was older than me by one year, so he had to return home anyways for his coming of age ceremony. He always refused to come along with us until now.
"I am glad that Garett came along with us this time," I said.
"I don't mind if this is the only time..."
He seemed a bit lucid.
Can I be selfish enough to think that he will miss us?
"This may be the last time we will all be together like this," Charlotte said. "We should all use this time to take a short break!"
Garett and I suddenly had a bad feeling as we both looked out the windows on opposite sides.
"The sea!" Garett and I said in unison.
We were passing through familiar plains that led to a port city called Loveland.
"She pulled one over us," I said as I touched my head lightly. "Are you alright on time, Garett?"
"One or two shenanigans will not derail me that much from my upcoming day."
"Can Charlotte and I come?" I asked Garett as I moved closer to him.
The celebration is just a bit fancier than a birthday.
Garett's face turned red slightly.
I learned that Garett had a slight blushing disease whenever he would come in contact with women of the opposite sex.
When I come within a certain distance, his face becomes red and he becomes rather submissive. Charlotte told me that if I wanted anything from him, I should act this way. I found the process a bit strange and slightly embarrassing.
He clutched himself to his seat.
"N-No..."
"No?"
"...It is embarrassing to have you see me all dressed up for it," Garett said.
I never had the chance to witness a coming of age ceremony even in my first life. I wanted to be the first to see Erik before, so I waited for Erik in the garden.
"It is a rather fantastic sight, Arielle," Charlotte said.
Charlotte has six other siblings. Of those six, she has four older brothers and two younger sisters
"Please?"
"...N-No."
Just then, the carriage hit a snag in the road and propelled me into Garett's arms.
"I'm sorry..."
"It's fine...Just get up."
Another snag propelled me up onto Garett's lap.
"I'm really sorry!"
"Why is the road so bumpy here?" Garett asked.
"It's a detour. You two might want to hold on to something. It will be awhile before we are free," Charlotte said.
There is nothing for me to hold onto...
I suddenly felt Garett's arm go under my legs and wrap around my body.
"...Just hold on to my neck," Garett said as he held onto a handle bar to his left.
I slowly wrapped my arms around his neck. Another bump on the road caused me to latch on tightly to Garett's neck.
The situation had been extremely embarrassing for me because I had begun going through puberty a second time and had put on much weight because of it.
"Blehhhhh!" Garett said as he puked off the side of the road.
I felt like puking myself, but withheld myself for the sake of my image. Charlotte was the same as me.
"...Let's find a less bumpy road on our way to the capital," I suggested to Charlotte with a handkerchief pressed to my mouth.
"It was a one time thing. If it happened too often, it would not be exciting anymore... Anyways, I have some lavender for you, Arielle," Charlotte said as she handed me a small bottle of essential oil. She soon went over to Garett and began patting his back and handed him a similar bottle. "Spearmint for you."
Watching the two of them, I felt a slight loneliness. When Charlotte got married, she left the capital to be with her husband. Garett became an official at the castle and stayed along side me, only to leave shortly afterwards because of me.
Without Erik or His Majesty by my side, I would always feel a sense of loneliness despite always being surrounded by other people.
I would always be considered a Queen before I was a person...
"It is the sea!" Charlotte said as she happily pranced around outside of our carriage.
"It really is the sea," I said in awe.
The ocean was a vast body of water with no end. The deep blue color of the water was nothing like I had ever seen before. The air tasted a bit salty as well.
"Let's get a closer look then," Charlotte said as she grabbed me by my hand and gently pulled me along.
Garett was left behind with Charlotte's attendant.
Charlotte and I ran across a large bridge and were able to look at the sea from a higher elevation. There were some people fishing around the sides of the high bridge and were kind enough to show us their catches from using just a long rod, some strong string, and some cheap bait.
Garett finally caught up to us until much later. He began making references to books he read about that were related to the sea and then enthusiastically brought us to a restaurant that served raw fish. His stomach was still under some trauma, so he decided to opt out of raw foods and ordered some fresh clam chowder instead.
Charlotte mercilessly ate raw fish in front of Garett and proceeded with multiple helpings of other cooked as well as raw sea creatures.
"...You are a Demon," Garett said to Charlotte as we made our exit.
Charlotte continued laughing to her heart's content.
"They have sea glass jewelry!" Charlotte said as she bounced to the next area.
Her attendant followed quickly after her and left the two of us behind.
"She never stops moving, does she?" Garett said.
"It is one of the things I like most about her," I said.
"You are quite strange yourself..."
"I must have caught her disease," I said with a smile.
We sat down on a nearby bench with a view of the sea because Charlotte said she needed more time shopping around.
"Hold out your hands," Garett ordered.
I held out my hands towards him.
Garett handed me a small white paper bag in my hands.
"...This is?"
"It's a bookmark with a tassel made of pink sea glass. You seemed a bit down for awhile now..."
"...It was that obvious. I am just worried about the future."
"...Are you going to the Royal Academy in Arundel?" Garett started.
"Yes. Is it the same for you?"
"Not by choice."
"I had to give up a lot of things such as my freedom, my time, and my love for my duty," King Arundel's voice resonated in my head.
I lived my whole life for Erik. Now, I am no longer bonded by that duty. The future is no longer clear anymore.
"Do you have a particular future in mind?" I asked Garett as I clenched my skirt.
"Judging from my family, it is expected that I will become an official at the castle."
"Are you also bounded by your duty?"
"...Are you worried that we will never see each other again?"
"I am..."
"You are so silly. There is no reason to feel lonely since we will definitely see each other again," he said with one of his rare smiles. "With you around, I do not get bored as often."
Without me noticing, Garett was already holding onto my right hand. I felt a bit embarrassed holding his hand after so long. We were past the age of just children but not yet an adult.
Loveland Port City is part of my family's fiefdom. It would make sense that we would arrive at my home first.
"...Maddox Family crest?" Garett said as he examined the crest at the gate of my family residence.
"This is my home after all," I said.
I suddenly remembered that I had hidden the fact that I was a Maddox from using my aunt's name. Garett was Erik's cousin. He would have heard of my name before at least once before.
"Many people have been after Arielle ever since she was young," Charlotte said. "Can you imagine being a Duke's Daughter and traveling to a different country by yourself as a young woman? Arielle has to use her aunt's last name in order to protect herself if the need ever arisen where she needed some influence."
I did not want Charlotte speaking over for me, so I said, "I thought it did not matter what family I belonged to, so I never felt the need to tell you. If Charlotte was not my childhood friend, I would not have told her either. My family circumstances and my relationships with other people because of it are complicated."
My parents came to greet us at the front door.
"Welcome home, Arielle," my mother said.
"Welcome Sir Garett and Lady Charlotte to my estate," Father said.
"Thank you for allowing my friends to come over, Father," I said as I made a curtsy.
My mother seemed to whisper something in my father's ear. He coughed into his fist afterwards.
"Enjoy your stay for as long as you two would like," Father said. "I have business to attend to."
"I have set up some refreshments in the garden," Mother said.
I sat next to Garett and Mother, following Charlotte across from me.
We were all suddenly sitting together with some afternoon snacks and some tea.
"Everything is delicious, Lady Amalie," Charlotte said.
"Thank you very much, Charlotte... Does it suit your palate, Sir Alvin?" Mother asked Garett.
I almost forgot that Garett's family name was Alvin. It was a name that I rarely ever heard of. For a branch of the royalty, that is a bit odd.
"Everything is delicious, Duchess," Garett said with his usual professional smile.
My mother stared intensely at Garett for some reason.
"Sir Alvin, I feel as though we have met before..." Mother said as she pondered the thought.
Mother has met Garett before then?
"...The world is a small place," Garett said.
"That is true... I believe that a small world calls for more action then. Are you engaged, Sir Alvin?" Mother asked. "If not, what do you think of Arielle?"
"Mother..."
"You are not engaged, so I am worried about a beautiful boy... fine young man like Garett coming by," Mother said.
"Beautiful men is justice," Charlotte said softly.
My mother and Charlotte shared a look of comradeship for a moment.
"...What is going on?" Garett asked me.
I stared back at Garett. Garett and Erik practically had the same faces. However, it seemed that Garett had more refined looks and exuded a cool but beautiful aura. His looks could easily ensnare any man or women.
"...I have no idea what they are talking about."
I will never admit that I think Garett is more beautiful than me. It is embarrassing to lose to a boy in terms of feminine looks.