As the blonde sisters embraced each other with fervor, Daren recalled what he knew of the imperial family.
'She should be Princess Yuna Asmodeus. The 12th daughter of the emperor.' Daren had received a very minimal lesson on the imperial family's members as much was not known about.
Well, some people had detailed information about every single person, their looks, their personalities, their strengths, and even their secret hobbies.
This kind of data was not available to Marquess Andrew as he had not spent enough time in Asmodeus City. He did not establish an information network here and relied on his family for news about what's going on in the capital.
He never thought he would need such details about the imperial family but recent events flipped that idea on its head.
"Oh ho ho. If it isn't the Thema sisters. You two never lose your brightness." A sarcastic, mocking, and high-pitched voice sounded from behind the Silver Lions.
The soldiers in silver armor parted into two rows and left a large path for a woman dressed in an alluring, red dress.
The lady had unblemished skin, large pink eyes, rosy red lips, and silky pink hair that flowed down all the way to her waist. There was a distinctive mole to the bottom left of her full lips.
This woman not only had a seductive face but her dress revealed a figure that could make countless kneel before her charms. The assets both in the front and back were even better than that of Yuna.
"Big sis Octavia!" exclaimed Yuna as she turned to confront the arrogant beauty. "I thought you weren't interested in welcoming the guests."
There was a clear look of disgust and fear on Yuna's face as she bit her lip. There was open hostility for Octavia from both Margret and Yuna.
Octavia just smiled at the foolish girl's words and did not show any change in her emotions as if she didn't hear the aggressive tone in which Yuna spoke to her.
"I never said that I wasn't interested. I was just a bit tired. Once I had some of the 'Forneta Mountain Tea' made by mother empress, I felt quite energetic. "Octavia's voice was just as seductive as her looks.
There was this strange force that just draws you towards her. This seemed to be the case as Andrew was having a hard time keeping his eyes off her. Even the Silver Lions were mostly trying to keep their eyes glued to the floor but they still took occasional glances at her.
Daren was unaffected though. There was something different about him compared to the other men.
"Heh. your bitch ass probably begged mother empress for that tea or else she wouldn't have given you something that precious." Margret scoffed at Octavia while Yuna grinned.
"How about your drag your pitifully weak ass back to your mother's lap. I'm sure she would feed you some very good MILK tea." Yuna practically told Olivia to go back to her mother and suck on her breasts.
Even though the two sisters blatantly insulted Octavia and used derogatory words, she still kept up a cheerful smile as if nothing could shake her.
"How dare you two low lives act so uncouth towards your own sister!" A loud, feminine voice said.
"Ara ara. Even though Margret got a good husband, I don't have any hope for our little Yuna. She is even more brazen than her older sister." A soothing, motherly voice originated alongside the previous.
From the same door that Yuna and Octavia came to the courtyard through, two more lady's appeared.
The one to which the loud voice belonged, wore a frilly white dress that complimented her shiny, silver hair and eyes.
She had an exquisite face with defined features and a small nose. She looked like a mystical fairy of some kind. There was even a cold feeling that emanated from her mysterious, silver eyes and blinding silver hair.
Next to her was the origin of the motherly voice. This lady with long black hair and purple eyes had a mole in the same place as Octavia.
Her features were pretty much the same as well except for having a more flat nose. She wore a more conservative dress that covered everything well but still outlined her unmissable assets.
Her breasts were huge as they jiggled around and caught Daren's fleeting gaze. Daren could not see the behind from this angle but he would assume it was pretty big.
Seeing the new pair of women arrive, Margret and Yuna's faces turned even darker. There was no disgust on their faces but rather pure loathing.
"Good afternoon mother. Good morning Akari-chan." Octavia's smile rose a tiny bit as she greeted her blood mother and sister.
Margret and Yuna are Octavia's half-siblings as they share the same father but different mother. Akari is Octavia's real sibling as they share the same father and mother.
"Hmph! Good morning to Queen Momorai." said the two blonde sisters as they bowed very slightly towards the big-breasted, motherly lady.
The queen looked at the two girls and then back at her own and scoffed inwardly. She then turned to look at the guests that her husband invited.
"Welcome to the imperial palace. The journey must have been mentally exhausting. I have prepared a special courtyard for our guests to rest. Akari, Octavia, you two can lead them there. As for you two ladies, follow me to your father's study. He wants to talk."
The queen's words were clear and sounded as they had a good bit of kindness and appreciation mixed into them. This positive tone was clearly conveyed to Daren's group as she wanted to show goodwill towards them.
She did, however, emphasize the word 'invited' as she had made a glance over the marquess' family. Even though her expression did not change, she was showing her hostility to Margret's family by indicating that they were not invited here.
Octavia and Akari nodded and followed their mother's command as he approached Daren's group.
"If you would kindly follow us, we will guide you to residence for the duration of your stay." Akari had a gentle and courteous voice that screamed gentleness and nobility. Along with her teenage height and face, taking your eyes off her when she speaks would be impossible.
The 3 women and Daren felt like listening to her voice could grasp the attention of even the rudest people.
They nodded and followed the sibling pair without hesitation. They were eager to know how the imperial family would treat them.
"Over there is the Medical Pavilion. That's where all the imperial physicians reside." This was a large Chinese tower or pagoda of sorts with green and red tiling.
"That's the 100 Petals of Rosalia. It's where all the medicines are stored and experimented with." this was a box-like, wooden building that j\had many opened and closed windows.
Many strange scents and mists were coming out from it. this made it seem like an unwelcoming place where you might just get randomly poisoned.
"That's my favorite place within the palace. The Flowers of Sperosa Garden. The flowers there are breathtaking. I would love it if you visit it at least once." Octavia looked happily towards an endless garden with white fences and archways.
On their way, Octavia often pointed to many locations and gave a summary of what they were for. Daren memorized the paths and functions even though the system map was doing it as well.
"Hahaha. Yukina onee-chan is too slow. She can't catch Fuyui." said a toddler girl wearing a black, lolita goth dress. She had hair as white as snow and silver eyes that shined with innocence.
"Hehehehe. Yukina onee-chan is too dumb. She can't outsmart Akina." This toddler girl wore a dress with orange and yellow stripes that represented the shades of autumn. Her hair was a mellow red that people would often compare to the leaves of maple trees in the fall.
The two, tiny toddlers had exactly the delicate and innocent faces. They were running hand in hand while giggling.
They were being chased by a girl with a pretty face, pale lips and wore a plain white dress with silver embroidery. This matched her silver hair and silver eyes that looked like the embodiment of the moon itself. If it was nighttime, the eyes could practically light up an area by themselves.
'How many princesses will I have to see in one day! Why not just toss all 19 of them at me, all at once huh?!'
Fate was cruel to Daren. he just wanted a warm welcome and little prep before having to deal with a shit ton of the imperial family's inner turmoil and politics.
He had witnessed the tensions between 3rd Princess Margret, 12th Princess Yuna, 7th Princess Octavia, 14th Princess Akari, and Queen Momorai from the moment he stepped foot in this place.
Now he had seen the 17th and 18th, Twin Princesses Fuyui and Akina mocking and being chased around by 5th Princess Yukina.
He now knew that there would probably not be much relaxation time for him in this palace. There would definitely be events popping up in every corner.
'Also, whats with the architecture and names in the palace. It's a mixture between the many prominent cultures that were popular in the interstellar era.' Daren had started to form wild theories about why this world had such a diverse yet familiar culture.