"It looks like my future employer is currently someone very troublesome," Zaos thought.
There were only two thrones, but since the princess couldn't sit in either of them, some people put a chair in front of it, and Ameria sat and quickly crossed her arms. Even though everyone came to congratulate her, she was like that… she was a difficult child.
The king and the queen stood behind the chair. While the king was forcing a smile to make everyone feel more comfortable, the queen was pretty serious. She couldn't hide her anger behind a smile. In any case, Zao recalled that each family should give Ameria a present, but he didn't ask about that. However, he noticed that his father had a book with him… for some reason, it was a copy of the book that talked about the life of his ancestors.
"What a weird choice for a present…" Zaos thought.
Just like before as well, the families made a line to congratulate the princess and give their presents. Just like that, Zaos met Drannor, but the kid was completely mesmerized by the princess. Although both of them were just kids, Zaos knew that Drannor wasn't an ordinary boy. Besides, Ameria was like the smaller version of her mother, so she obviously was a cute child… a cute and unnerving child who was rolling her eyes when people were approaching her to give her presents.
Since there was a distance between the line and where the royal family was, Zaos didn't have the chance to hear what they were talking about. However, he noticed that the princess didn't listen to a single word Drian had said. Drannor tried to say something and improve her mood, but whatever he said, it only made things worse. Ameria looked at him as if he was more annoying than a stomach ache.
Zaos's family's turn finally arrived, and he was already expecting to hear some harsh words. Still, much to his surprise, the princess smiled from ear to ear when she saw Laiex. That was odd… he certainly wasn't good with kids.
"Laiex!" Ameria said.
"Happy birthday, Your Highness," Laiex said. "I hope that you like our present."
"Thank you, I will make sure to read it many times," Ameria said, still smiling.
Zaos couldn't help but frown since the girl looked like a totally different person. Still, much to his despair, the princess noticed that, and even though she apparently had a high opinion of Laiex, the same thing couldn't be said to his son.
"What are you looking at?" Ameria asked.
"... Forgive me, Your Highness," Zaos said in a hurry after he lowered his head.
Despite his situation, Zaos couldn't help but ask himself why he was bowing and asking for forgiveness from a child. In any case, Ameria snorted after hearing that. Considering that her parents weren't scolding her, it looked like they spoiled her rotten, or perhaps she was really strong-willed, or both. Since it looked like the princess would cause even more problems if the party lasted longer than it should, the king and the queen just decided to thank each thank you with a single sentence.
In the end, Zaos's family waited patiently for the presents to be given to Ameria. It was obvious that some people wanted to whisper about the princess' attitude, but none of them had the nerve to do it inside the castle. Zaos thought that Drannor would bother him at some point, but he still was walking around greeting people that he didn't know and talking with them. For some reason, they were all girls who were at least ten years older.
"It must be nice to be that unconcerned about certain things…" Zaos shrugged.
It looked like Drannor would grow up to be a precocious child. Zaos couldn't imagine how someone could become more annoying since he had an uncanny talent and instincts for fighting and apparently had the ladies' luck as well.
"I wonder why the princess is in a bad mood," Lyra suddenly said.
"She likes fantasy stories where the protagonists are warriors, she likes them so much that she wanted to train with the sword," Laiex said. "His Majesty has been doing whatever she asked lately, but then when he heard that, he had to refuse. Since then, she has been in a bad mood. His Majesty said that she could go to the magic school if she wants, but she said no."
"That seems like a troublesome situation, still despite that, it looks like she respects you a lot," Lyra said.
"While she can't train, she likes to ask about things regarding training," Laiex replied. "Ameria heard that we have written the history of the heads of our family in a book and she asked that."
At least she wasn't a difficult child for no reason. In any case, it was a pity that she couldn't learn how to fight, if that were possible, Zaos wouldn't have to follow that voice, and his destiny would be less set in stone.
When the party ended, Zaos couldn't help but think about that situation. While apparently, he had two destinies to fulfill, the destiny given by that voice and the destiny of his family, he still could choose to do a lot of things. Learning magic was one of them. Unlike him, and despite the fact that she belonged to a more powerful and influential family, Ameria couldn't choose many of the things she could do.
"I don't think a kid should have such a restrictive life, but I can't do anything to her and it is not like I need to do it," Zaos thought. "Anyway, I just hope that she finds something better to do that will bring to her life some meaning."
Since she was the only heir of the royal family, it would be troublesome if she grows up full of frustrations. That not only would cause a lot of problems to the people of the kingdom and to Zaos as well since he didn't know if he could ignore that voice.