This can't be happening. I'm positive that Dove is already secretly engaged to Aiden. If the O'Briens and the Astrophels are planning on using this damned political fake marriage to strike the Nebelhains and Roman in the back, they couldn't be more mistaken about their possibilities of success. I'm not letting their engagement see the light, or my name isn't Amaya Elinore Liz Kirsten Roxanne Ivy Hana Alderidge.
"…Lovely? Lovely, are you alright?" Grandpa Aaron asked, worry all over his beautiful face. And I'm far from being alright. "You're pale." I am always pale?!
When I glared at him puzzled, uncle chucked, "Paler than normal!"
Inhaling and exhaling deeply, I drank all of my tea. And as I closed my eyes, I concentrated my Yin wood energy on my liver, to control my anger. When I opened again, I relaxed my body, feeling the anger subside, and when I looked at them, they were all staring at me in awe.
"You are a wonder, Mischief," Medea mumble amusedly.
"Handling your Yin energy so well at 4 years old," grandma Malia chuckled softly. "You really are something else, Prodigy."
Blushing, I rolled my shoulders, and got back to eating, as the my appetite came back. Uncle Christian handed me a plate with lemon cookies and I took five, then began eating them with the iced peach tea grandpa gave me. Plus some fresh strawberries.
"We only mastered our Yin energy around 8 years old," uncle broke the silence, making me look up and meet his citrine gaze on my eyes. "You will surpass our strength when we were your age in no time, little Siren. I'm glad to have decided to stay here around you as you grow up, otherwise, I would lose such history unfolding." He's overestimating me.
And being dramatic as usual. Handling Yin energy isn't hard at all.
"Our prodigy," grandma Malia kissed my forehead smiling proud. "You will bring the Fae higher heights, Prodigy."
"You really are a treasure," great-grandpa caressed my cheeks. "But we'll be keeping you hidden for now. As a treasure should be. Then, when you awaken, we'll let them know your potential," he winked.
"Now, eat up," uncle stared at me with that grin I'm already used to, "and I'll take you back to the Palace. Zachary was pestering me about stealing his little sister from him for a week, so you can't sleep here for some days. Your siblings are missing your beautiful face in there!" Hah, Zac aside, the other are probably missing me just because they don't have anyone to talk to when I'm not there.
Nodding, I got back to the food, taking another slice of lemon pie.
♕︎♕︎♕︎
"Aye, Maya, big brother missed you so, so, so, so much!" Zac cried for the thousandth time. "Uncle is a pain for taking you to grandparents and great-grandparents for so long. You should stay here with us. Why did that annoying guy even decided to stay on land?" He sulked jealous. "If he had stayed on the sea, we would have a lot more time with you!"
"But don't worry, Nora," Bash spoke, annoyed, "his interruptions aside, you will be able to spend a lot more time with us. And we'll resume our training tomorrow," he winked and I kept my indifference face.
"Bash will be with you during morning, and I'll take over from midday to noon, Liz," Ollie exclaimed, playing with the curled tip of my wavy hair, then he turned to the others. "Did you all heard? Seems like the Crown Prince of Nebelhain is engaged to a noble Lady from his Kingdom."
"Political marriage," Allya rolled her eyes. "The kid is politically engaged to Lady Dove O'Brien. No one thinks they are suitable for each other though," she leaned forward grinning mischievously. "Seems like she isn't so strong, neither so beautiful for a legendary kid like him."
Bash giggled, "I heard that too. Seems like he was indifferent to it."
Zac nodded feverously, engulfed in the gossip, still petting my hair. "I heard the envoy telling father that Roman didn't even bait an eyelash at the girl. He heard about it, scoffed, ignored her, and left. Though he didn't oppose to it, he didn't seem happy with it either." That made me grin in amusement. "Seems like he cares more about training than about who his future Empress will be!"
Thanks to that, he'll become the strongest.
"I heard that the Emperor and the Empress chose this girl precisely because she isn't very strong," Ollie tuned down the volume of his voice, whispering. "Apparently they did it so his future kids wouldn't be stronger than he is, and steal the spotlight from him, them, and his siblings."
Clicking his tongue, Bash nodded in agreement, "Seems like they are all intimidated by his strength, and only his grandparents are proud and excited about him being stronger than all kids his age."
"That's why Late Emperor Landon and Late Empress Arianna are not happy with the engagement," Allya chuckled. "If they were the ones to chose who would be with the legendary prodigy, they would definitely want a Lady that is exceptionally beautiful and gifted." To my surprise and embarrassment, they all looked at me, agreeing in the same thing for once. "Hana would be the best option!"
Even Sebastian agreed on that, "She's one of us. An Alderidge. And there is no better House to marry into than Alderidge. Nevertheless, they must have risked her name from the list right away, as a child from Roman and Nora would, one hundred percent, grow up to be stronger than him."
A child from me and Roman? That thought makes me feel weird.
"Aye," Zachary laughed pinching my cheeks softly, "look at her. She's blushing. Don't worry, we'll find an even better match for you."
I scoffed at that, knowing that there's no match better than Roman for me. "Hana probably disagrees," Allya giggled making my skin redder.
"Just like all of us, Nora must know that there's no better match in Midgard right now, for her, than Roman," Bash straightened his legs over the coffee table. "Roman Nebelhain will grow to be a force to be reckoned with, and we'll all be on his side when that time comes, because there's no way any of us will willingly choose to be enemies with him."
"Politically speaking, an alliance of any kind with Nebelhain would be the best for us," for once, Zac spoke seriously. "They have the biggest military force in Midgard, followed by Astrophel, but even then, they are quite apart. And if a war really break as some people are saying it will in some years from now, the best military ally we could get is Nebelhain. The war, if it comes, would probably be between Nebelhain and Astrophel, and I doubt Astrophel would come out as winner in any outcome. They have extremely strong walls around their territory, but that's not enough to detain Nebelhain!"
Ollie and Bash shared a gaze, "I don't think so," they exclaimed.
"Yes, Nebelhain is the best now, but Aiden Astrophel is also one of the biggest prodigies of this generation," Bash tilted his head to the side. "Depending when the war breaks, both Roman and Aiden will be old enough to fight on it, and that would balance things out. The outcome isn't decided just because Roman is stronger now. Those kids are still 7 years old, Zac."
"If it happens in 9 or 10 years from now, it'll give Aiden Astrophel enough time to train and get to Roman's level," Ollie backed our older brother. "He has a big potential to grow."
Hah, now I see why Zac became the King instead. He has the vision.
Allya clicked her tongue, "I don't think Aiden will ever get to the level of the Imperial Crowned Prince of Nebelhain, though," I nodded in agreement, and she beamed. "Hana agrees with me."
"That's because she has a crush on Roman," Ollie scoffed. "She's a baby and doesn't understands politics, Lya." Oh, but I do, better than you!
"You shouldn't underestimate her, Ollie," Zac grinned wolfishly, in a way that always makes him look a bit like uncle Christian. "Maya is a mute, not blind or deaf. Just because she doesn't speak, doesn't mean she does not know or understand." See? The vision necessary for a King.
"Doesn't change the fact she's a baby!" Bash countered.
Ollie nodded vehemently, "She doesn't has political studies either. So, even if she can hear and see us, it's useless. Father didn't give her our lessons, because she's not considered a Heiress. Thus, she does not has the knowledge needed to understand what we are talking." I smiled innocently. "See? She's a baby. A cute and gorgeous baby, but still, a baby."
"Her crush on Roman Nebelhain makes her biased to him, and thus, she wouldn't be able to have a rational opinion on this even if she was old enough to get what we are saying," Bash rolled his shoulders, looking at me. "She's just an innocent mute baby, that happens to be gorgeous and with tons of magic in her."
Zac rolled his eyes in sheer disagreement, "What if she end up as a prodigy just as strong as Roman Nebelhain?" What is he saying? "If there's someone on this generation that, more than Aiden Astrophel, has the power to grow to such heights, I believe that someone is our little sister."
"But she can't say the incantations," Allya licked her lips.
"And? That's our main way with magic, but it's not the only one, Lya. We never know. She could be an elementalist and make a contract with one of the strongest elemental spirits of Water or Air!" Zac exclaimed, still caressing my hair softly, making me sleepy.
"You are overestimating her, Zachary," Bash scoffed. "Nora is strong but not like that. Otherwise, she would be near to her awakening," and I am. "Like Roman who awakened at 5. She's 4, and she'll be 5 in seven months. But she's still struggling to handle all of her 888 flowers. Which is normal, since the normal age for that is at 9 to 13 years old. Nora has a long way to go, before getting near to Roman's level!"