< Nathaniel >
Okay...
This is it...
It's exactly two days
Everything is set. I did my best preparing for this day.
I got this!
My expected clothes, well kept and prepared, maids and butlers are already notified and on standby, the best places are all set here at the capital, and the reservations for the foods are done.
I even have this small notebook just in case I forget something during this day and another one in my other coat pocket just in case I, one, loose it, two, have a mental block.
I don't think there's not a single thing that could go wrong, that I don't have a backup plan for.
Though this time frame is quite ridiculous to be honest but hey a challenge is a challenge.
Now all I have to do is finish up a few of these reports from the palace in regards to the delegates that would stay as our guests and luckily for me, who actually knew what the list is for, actually help me give a head's up to who'd I probably interact with.
I slightly mentioned this in passing during our afternoon tea yesterday but my siblings seemed to not pay much mind... except for big brother Euros which seemed slightly surprised.
I noticed the list but I don't think I made him suspicious of me. But does it also mean he knew about this or he's trying to catch me?
While jotting down an extra landmark when a knock from my window caught my attention, I looked to see a small furry creature which looked like was banging my window
What the heck is that thing?
A small fluffy rat?
Well... I'll be, the small fluffy thing is quite adorable if you keep watching it bang the window like that.
I was about to go to the window to open it to let the poor thing in when another frantic knock came pounding from my door.
What the heck, who in the right mind would do this so early?!
To a prince even! The gall these people have!
"P-Prince Nathaniel, it's me Hugo , please forgive me for being rude! It's urgent, please open the door! T-the lady-she flew on a hawk and it was seen that it stopped by here!" he practically screamed which made me immediately stand up and zip to the door
The door bursts open to a frantic Hugo running in like some lunatic with his hair all messy and sweaty.
"What the heck did you say my sister did?!" I asked back panicking as I grab him by the collar shaking him hard
"H-he-er highness apparently succeeded in using the beast transformation magic she was casting, but we lost her because a Hawk carried her!" He explained trying to catch his breath kneeling in exhaustion
"Oi! The damn bird drop her here-oh hello Nathaniel " Silva did a quick greet as he went in then opened the window letting the small fluffy ball, which was banging at the window, jump on his palm then patting it's head looking relieved
I was just going to tell him off. I paused a bit when Hugo's words came to mind...
The spell, hawk...wait....no way...
I went closer as I took my wand out and gently poked it on its forehead releasing a bit of mana on its tip making a small glowing dot appeared on its head
"Joie? Is that you?" I asked slowly walking towards her
'Nathaniel!! Yes it's me! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean for this to happen' she said in thought as her fluffy animal body shivered in fear
"Just-how the hell did this happen...why did this happen?" I asked the two who looked at me baffled as well
"If we're going to be honest with you we have no idea either your highness, we just found her like this" Hugo answered as he sighed deeply
"Well not necessarily, he lent him his other wand to her and the rest is this...at least she didn't got hurt or destroyed your wand in doing so Hugo, she just nearly die, I told you it was a bad idea" Silva added as he patted her head telling his assistant off
"Joie please tell me you have a good reason for doing this" I asked her with concern
'I actually, Last night I ughh dreamed that the beast king will play a major role in the plot line, and I want to avoid that from happening and we could potentially stop it from happening! So I thought I'd talk to him so I did this to lessen his guard if I show up as a small animal' she explained but given that I can only hear her in thought, she's just making squeaking noises
"What did she say" Silva asked petting her head
Oh right he's here, why is he asking? You worried she'll tell on you or something, and quit petting my sister's head. She's not your pet.
"My sister said that she did this because she wanted to visit the palace undetected" I explained to him which isn't much the truth but what's the gist of it
My sister looked at me tilting her small fluffy head which made me smile and picked her from this prickly prince
"You're going to take her?" He asked again as he pat my sister's head
"Well yes, obviously. I live here. Besides stop worrying I can handle her from here. As for you though, you ready for your part of the dare?" I asked swatting his hand from his another attempt on petting her while I put my sister on my head
"Yes we are, Hugo and I already planned back-ups for ever possible outcome we can think of" Silver answered nonchalantly
Then another knock came in and it was my aide , Felon, who is if I recall is 15 years old with wavy black hair with glasses covering his bags and dark blue eyes, which entered not looking up from his pile of paperwork
"Your highness, I received an urgent summon from the emperor to have an emergency me-eting!! Your highnesses Silva, Sir Hugo!! May Lord Nuor guide your stars! " Felon frantically greeted bowing at Silva who sighed and relieved my aid as he immediately ran out the door
"You need to take better care of your aid, he'll snap at stress at this rate" Silva suggested
"I know that but he's new and it's his first week at the job but he has great potential so I let him be and see him suffer a bit for now" I answered as I excused myself outside and went ahead to the palace.
'So are you mad this happened?' she asked me sullenly
"Hmm well not really just maybe annoyed that you almost got hurt. You know,typical brother thing" I answered as I reached up to pat her tiny head
'Hehe okay, I promise this won't happen again and I won't take long. I can only hold on this for about two hours from what I remember' she informed me with her cheeky tone
I just chuckled from that and smiled. However, I couldn't help but feel amazed because that spell is pretty advanced though, I'm proud she did well. Besides, It's pretty nice to have her on like this hehe I feel quite reliable.
As the scent of the fresh morning sea reached my nose I ran towards a certain path, probably scaring Joie and sighed as we made it to an empty balcony and there we are met with the beautiful of the view of the whole capital city and the coast as the peach hue casted on the whole city
"Joie! Look it's the whole capital and the port!!" I excitedly told her as I gently took her off my head
'Oh my god! This view is so awesome! The capital looks so cool and vintage, I mean look how slick the architecture is, it's so well made. Then the port and sea and the view of the ships are very magical!' she happily commented as she used her small arm on pointing to the docks
I smiled and patted her small head. Even though her way of speaking things are odd, I somehow understood her excitement and yeah, I agree the capital's structures and view is amazing.
Since the end of the throne war twenty years ago, father and mother worked hard on creating a suitable but strong foundations of stone house rows with clay tiles neatly covering the roofs of a lot of the major house complexes and from what I've learn big brother handles the maintenance, security, and organizing the capital which definitely speaks a lot of the effort everyone is doing.
Not to mention the port that they say use to be dangerous and deadly is now one of the trade routes of the five empires.
But... enjoying this with my sister who is purely amazed and happy...things now felt calming and somewhat peaceful. I've been living in this place all my life and not once did I ever feel excited over something as simple as this...it's usually always empty, just quiet...often sad and gray.
If this is indeed a story...our life whom we think is unknown and mysterious has an ending already and she knows it
Just what kind of story is this and should I be worried that my sister has this knowledge and if so, for her to have the role of a villainess too... and is she really helping us?
And how the heck did she became a villainess, did she became a villainess with her personality, isolation ,or was it something else?
My heart grew heavy as I stared at my sister...who is having a fun time expressing it by squeaking sounds, should I ask what happened to her after the story... would that be even a good question?
Well asking won't get me killed so let's try...
"By the way, Joie I have been meaning to ask this for a while now...just what happens to you by the end of this story and why are you even the villainess?" I carefully asked her as I gently pat her small head
She stared for a bit to the sea and turn to me but before she could answer me , bell chimes from the hall echoed as we saw brother Euros wearing his formal black imperial prince uniform with his aid popping up right beside him. He instantly smirked as he saw me.
why and how the hell did he know I am here?
"Nathaniel, fancy seeing you here, judging from where you are It seemed you wanted to see the sunrise again" His older brother commented as he fixed his messy brown hair
"Yeah It seems like I did, big brother. Father called a summon so being here helps me get my thoughts in order" I stated as I gently pick Joie who hurriedly scurried to my hand
"I see...hmm? What's that small ball of hair?" He said as he noticed Joie on my hand
"Err, it's small... chipmunk" I answered as my sister telepathically said what she is...what even is that?
'It's what I am' she answered
'That does not answer a thing Joie'I bluntly pointed out in thought
"A chipmunk....that's something new. Well you can bring it in as long as it doesn't cause any trouble but you have to let me carry it" he said as he petted Joie who was looking terrified at him
'Oi what's going on with you?' he asked her in thought
'Sorry it's his mana...it's so intimidating I'm not use to it in this form yet' she answered as her breathing slowed down
'But how come you're okay with me though?
'I'm not sure why but I can't as of now' she thought rather pained
"It's a good offer, big brother, but I'll handle her. she's shy to new people" I politely decline as I put her back on my head and casted a light mana coat for her to handle her mana sensitivity
He just shrug it of and we both went out way to the meeting room where Nicolas and Cyrus are already inside sitting by the couch
"Greetings to the chosen star of Solas" the two greeted as I bow with them
"At ease dear brothers, we aren't at war for formalities. I assumed you received the summon messages from father" he stated as he showed his imperial letter
We also showed ours and by the time we did the door opened as father entered looking as magnificent and strong as ever wearing his official emperor's uniform
'Woa so he's father?He looked so dignified and strong' Joie thought in awe
'He is. He's also a war hero and a wise emperor' I responded to Joie with respect and awe as well
'I see. He seems kind too and a nice father'
'I guess but let's save that talk for a different time' I replied
'Okay' she answered as she re-adjusted on his head
"Greetings sons of Ariola, I would skip much of our usual long introductions today because I have something urgent you four are going to handle. This task is quite frankly a tad advance for your younger siblings Euros so you'll be working as a pair" our father said as he sat down by a couch besides us
This made brother Euros brow raise as I noticed the two were wary given Nicolas is starting to pinch his hand and Cyrus slightly biting his lower lip to not lose composure.
'Remember if I'm right you do everything I say he he' my sister reminds me with a giggled while slightly adjusting herself on my head
I just sighed as I nodded a bit letting her know I understand.
"Ooh that is quite intriguing. What task might that be, father?" Euros asked with his usual confident smirk
"You'll be assigned to be official guides for all the delegates and their entourage from not only the four major empires but also the delegates from our own kingdom as well. You four will split the delegation task and normally I would personally choose who but due to the case that happened last week we didn't have time to fully prepare that so your mother and I decided to use the mantas orb method to ease the time for the selection" Father answered as on cue one of the butlers came in with a clear crystal orb floating on a golden branch like stand
I felt my hands go numb a bit as I saw it coming but since Joie told me about it beforehand I wasn't as nervous as these three which even surprised me that brother Euros isn't aware of this.
'Hey I can feel you're nervous but don't worry you prepared like hell for this you can pull this off ,you nervous wreck. Besides, you'd ended up pairing with big brother Euros so you'll be fine' Joie reassured me in thought as she lightly rustle my hair
That made me smile a bit as I took a deep breath, she's right I did everything I could for some odd reason having her on my head feels nice.
"Fa-father, I know this is a bit sudden but is the mantas orb the only way it'd be inconsistent and base less since it onl-ly measure mana and not how to guide people. I fear that this would risk us our relationships with the Kingdom due to the the lack of time and experience of th-is task if we misspoke " Nicolas responded stuttering
This made father pause a bit and sighed looking frustrated. Looks like Father I'd having a rough time huh.
"Hmmm I do agree about the lack of time but what makes you think that you, the imperial crown princes would worry such a lack of skill and knowledge at the first palace given that you four have one of the best teachers in the empire" Father answered back to Nicolas which made Nicolas quiet and couldn't answer
'I think father has a point, but his approach here is wrong. He shouldn't pressure you all like this. It's too much for you since we're still children' Joie though rather irritated but worried
"Well it's not like father is wrong...he is saying he has great trust in us" I answered Joie
"What's not wrong with, Nathaniel?" Father asked me which made me pause a bit.... then my lip went cold when I realized what happened, ah damn I answered out loud
My siblings were looking at me patiently as they look like they are eyeing their prey which doesn't help me as my vision was starting to blur from this...what is happening to me lately
'Oi oi don't panic alright! Just take a deep breath and calmly answer him. He's just a person okay! A person!" Joie mentally said as she started to pat my head with her tiny paws
I sighed and listened to her and collected myself.
Right...
She's right...now is not the time to get scared.
I'm a prince after all and this is a very important task to finish and I have a bet to complete.
I breathe in and smile as I turn to my father"It's exactly what I mean father. You are not wrong. As princes of the empire we have a duty to help build this nation and maintain its peace and prosperity but given the situation Nicolas is right too, this is not something we should take lightly because the delegates are not just fellow rulers, but also the experienced traders of goods, which they held us with the highest standards. If they see we lack experience with no supervision, those rulers and traders will look down on us or worse we may offend them without us knowing. I simply suggest that due to said lack of experience may we request that not only we brothers work in pairs but we should also ask a scholar or someone with great knowledge of the country to watch over us during this important task as a guide to properly correct us if we are misspeaking or had been rude since this is our first time dealing with powerful and respected rulers that we have not yet met before, after all father, we're still young naive children" I answered calmly and smirked a bit to father who smiled at my statement while the three looked at me with shock while big brother Euros was smiling
'That was amazing Nathaniel! Good job!' Joie happily praised me which case me to have some sort of strange ticklish feeling inside
It's not a bad feeling hehe
"I see, that's not a bad suggestion Nathaniel, thank you. After this I'll tell my aide to summon your respective guides for this. Thank you both for voicing your concern Nathaniel. Is there anything else that needs to be discussed before we proceed?" My father asked us as he stood up and infused his mana on the orb making it glow
None of us raised any concern so father went ahead with the mantas orb and one by one we got out manas checked and sure enough Big brother Euros and I were the closest in mana...which wouldn't make sense...
If I didn't remember that Joie was on my head which in turn could had absorbed and mixed both our manas as I released mine to the orb
I sure hope she isn't sleeping on my hair because of it.
So as father is giving us reminders I slowly took Joie off my head which sure enough was sleeping and put her on my lap to sleep on more comfortably.
Sorry about that little sister.
After that father excused himself as he and his aid took the orb outside.
I sighed as I gently pressed Joie's forehead 'Hey ,wake up now Joie. We're leaving ' I thought loudly which made her rise up and squeaked
She got angry and bit my finger...
Now...
I do admit my pain tolerance is high but this does hurt a bit 'Oi small fluff that hurts, apologize'
'No! You meanie! You know I'm not used to this yet you thought so loudly my head is ringing!' she angrily started squeaking non stop
This got noticed by my brothers which made me sweat because of Joie being here.
"Looks like you woke her up badly, let me hold her a bit" Big brother Euros commented as he gently took Joie who looked constipated
Hmmm I'm beginning to suspect something here...
"Why bring such a filthy creature in during the meeting?! That could have caused a stir with our father!" Cyrus turned to me and nagged
"But the thing didn't so quit making it a big deal and it's not filthy" I said back flatly
"Just let it off here Nathaniel your pet won't be a good look to the delegates " Nicolas chimes in unimpressed which is fine I don't really care if you do anymore
Because in all honesty I don't want to compete with you right now, especially when our sister is around
"Being that you know everything I guess you're right. A small harmless creature will surely cause quit a hassle but that's only if its incapable of doing so, don't you think" I sarcastically responded as I signed big brother Euros to put her down
He oddly was reluctant but he sighed as he bent down and put her on the floor petting her tiny head...with a friendly smile
Oi...does he like small animals?
This is new...
I walked past my two siblings who were clicking their tongues at me in annoyance and when I reached her I bent down and patted her head.
'Go to the left hallway here you'll probably reach the beast king. The door is red with a small clump of red hair hanging by the door. There would be guards by the beast kingdom wearing light silk robes with black patterns by their pants and black loose shirts' I thought to her which she nodded before... rubbing her small nose on my hand....
...
....
'Joie...that was..too cute, you're making this hard for me to let you leave'
'Sorry!! My chipmunk instincts suddenly kicked in!!' she thought back rather panicky as she quickly scurried away
"Lucky" I overheard big brother Euros muttered
I just chuckled as we followed the two know-it-all to prepare since today is the start for day 1 of the delegations.
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To be continued...