"Master! This is the second time already!!" The knight wailed and forcefully puts the hood back on. "Your Highness... you're a knight?" Celestine asked and he looks at her blankly.
Surely... that is Prince Zairon. In a Knight's uniform.
Though, the blank stare is off and he's not giving them an answer. "Are you alright, Your Highness??" Wren asks and reaches out a hand.
He tilts his head slightly and sighs in resignation.
"Perhaps His Highness hasn't eaten yet?"
Wren grimaced, shakingher head violently at Yessenia, "Prince Zairon isn't a glutton like you."
"I'm not a glutton! Besides, Prince Zairon looks famished." She retorted and huffed.
The two knights stared at them and finally had an idea on what they were talking about.
"Master, I think they mistook you again."
"It can't be helped. We look alike too much." He says and fixes his hood while his head lowered and Wren caught the something on his eyes. Darkness.
That's... the first time she saw that gaze. Even his aura is more heavier than her cousin, Lexus. More likely... he's somehow on par with Caesar.
"I'm sorry, my Lady. You can order whatever you like on the menu and I will pay for your dress as well." Her mouth opens in surprise.
Is this some kind of undercover work and his role is a knight?
"Master, Sir Nyxen said they're going to lose the target!"
He nods, leaving a leather bag, something clinked as he dropped it on the table then left. "Is that really the Third Prince?"
Yessenia asks as she watched his back disappear along with the bustling crowd. "He's different from usual." Nathaniel commented and tries to remember where he had seen that emblem on his robe.
More than that Sir Theo isn't with him whom his own knight that sticks with him outside the Academy.
"He... He gave us gold coins...???" Wren mumbled dumbfoundly at the bag in front of them. When did he ever blatantly give her a bag of gold coins?
"Are you alright Wren? No bruises? Cuts?" Celestine inquired once more. "Thankfully, the tea isn't that hot." Wren then turned around to Yessenia, frowning at her.
"Suddenly showing up. What urgent business do you have with me, my dear cousin?" Yessenia tilts her head then sits down on their table. "I can't remember the reason."
It's just like when Mavis told her to relay the message to Wren and she forgets it completely and after a day passed she will remember everything.
She should have a sharp memory as her unique magic, not time travel.
"You have got to be kidding me." Her head tilts slightly, then her lips turn into a knowing smile, "I remembered now!"
A sigh escaped from Wren's lips as she watched her cousin being giddy all of the sudden and it is kind of annoying to watch.
"Mother wrote me a letter about you. She asked if you remember about what she said to you last time? Uhm... a plant and seed something."
Those words flashes in her head and nods. It is weird and to be honest she forgotten it for some time now since she still doesn't understand what it meant.
It also doesn't make sense.
"Well, mother hinted that you will meet someone!"
"Like him?" She stole a glance behind them. Lord Deluah who's having a moment with her dear friend. A lovey dovey moment enough to make her vomit.
Yessenia shrugs, her excitement slowly fades away at the mere thought that it might be Lord Deluah.
"Hmm... Is it? Because I don't think he's the one you will meet."
Maybe yes, maybe no. "Let's go back first. Celes we will go first. I trust that the young lord can take you back before curfew." Her gaze is menacing, it's like a mother's child has been stolen away from her.
"Take care, Wren!" In a split second her expression shifted as she waved then turned away, "wow. You know you're scary if you can change your emotions in split second."
Yessenia commented and a grin appeared in her face as she looked up at Wren, "Do you realize that you act like a big sister towards Lady Bates? The one she's with is a well-known noble."
She finally stole Wren's attention and continued, "he was popular among the ladies in our class because he's good looking and he's extremely reliable and kind to his juniors. I didn't that the one he's engaged to was Lady Bates though."
She says and Wren grimaced. Popular students is what annoys her most, mainly because of the princes. Another question, that guy is handsome? Even if he's the one her bestfriend loves she couldn't agree that he's handsome.
There are only certain people she called handsome and pretty and they are still in small numbers and we could agree that they really are good looking.
"I wonder if you will be like that if Astreia and Joelle finds someone---"
"They are still kids." Yessenia chuckled. There is no doubt that she's related to the Duke and Caesar. To drop the topic, she remembered everyone's been talking about it since the first period.
"Oh, the new student everyone's talking about says he's the son of the late Duke and Duchess Armani. He just returned from another country."
Armani, one of the four Dukedoms that protects South and known for the sword aura and on par with Vacarella in terms of swordmanship. However, the Duke and Duchess passed away three years ago because of an accident and their only son was forced to inherit the title and managed to take care of his relatives who were eyeing the Duchy.
"Hmm..." Wren couldn't care less since the Armani family has no big role in the novel and they weren't mentioned a lot. "They say he has handsome features! Quite like Prince Zairon they say. But that rumor is years ago..." Wren grimaced once more at the mention of the prince.
"And do you know that you always react that way whenever we mentioned Prince Zairon? You must be totally in love with him!" Yessenia claimed, totally unaware of Prince Zairon is behind them as his cheeks became red.
It is easy to make him red and Wren is the root of it.
"Where have you been?"
"Acck!" Both girls jumped from the ground, eyes big while they slowly turned around only to see his lips slightly pursed and avoids their gaze. "You always appear without warning!"
"Well, You were busy that you didn't notice me. Anyway, you heard about the student that will join our class, right?"
Even Prince Zairon has taken with this new student? Is he that good-looking or there's something else about the Duke?
There really is and Prince Zairon knows it and he doesn't want her to figure it out.
'She's going to fall for him after all he's too good-looking!'
He realized it after he accidentally heard Boaife and Adara talking about Cervi and Lane. Both of them were taken because they have good looks.
["Hehe, my brother and I really are fortunate to have such good looks." Adara giggled, "Shut up you damn flower. The only reason she contracted with you because she wanted to cure the prince's mother!"
"Still, she contracted with my brother because of his looks, right? Same as the pink boy." Boaife didn't deny it.]
He wasn't insecure about his looks, but it is bothering him whenever he thinks that someone caught Lady Wren's attention.
"Don't ever, ever be alone with him!" He says and with that line she's curious about the person and that's the worst part she could feel. "Your Highness, do you personally know this person?"
Zairon nods and clicked his tongue out of annoyance because of a memory long time ago. "I do. That person is much more annoying than those nobles before."
Wren averted her eyes then a small laugh escaped, a bit happy because of his expression right now.
"There's a time I asked him for a favor and he didn't hesitate to turn down my idea in a heartbeat!" He hissed. It was satisfying to see those kind of expression from him enough to make her stare at him.
And he knows the Young Duke. That isn't odd at all since the four families were the most loyal subject of the Imperial Family.
"But knowing that guy... he probably wouldn't attend his first day." He added, slightly happy. Nevertheless Wren doesn't care about the new student.
Especially when Zairon said he knows him, that died down her curiousity of hers. The Prince then noticed her stained uniform. His eyes went wide while staring at her.
he will react like Celestine. "I'm fine. An accident happened earlier---"
"Were you hurt?" Wren shakes her head before leaving the Prince behind to change clothes. Luckily, her skin didn't burned after all of that.
"Where's your spirit? Didn't you say they were here?" Yessenia asked, still following Wren with a sheepish grin.
"..."
It feels like her blood drained out of her body, "You forgotten about them?"
"I have been busy these days." To the point that she slept earlier than usual and her habit of sleeping like a log still hasn't changed.
The spirits couldn't wake her up at all and thus their report is delayed once again.
"If you say so." A hint of skepticism were hinted in her voice and Wren's brows creased, "What are you two doing out here?"
Raelle sneaks in on them after she sees a glimpse of her cousins at the dark corridor. For her to see them after classes and they still roam around... She concluded that they will do something. "Rae you can't appear like a ghost."
Yessenia grumbled while clutching her chest tightly. Raelle could only smirk and patted Wren's shoulders, "Don't you worry. I heard that..."
Yessenia crossed her arms and showed it to Raelle, refraining her from speaking another word. Her horrified stance can asked someone if she really is a Vacarella. Since their family had a long history of having bizarre hobbies.
The current Duke have a hobby of collecting cursed items/artifacts and he even build a room for it. Mavis– burning monsters and collecting its ashes to add it as stuffings of a doll. Patrice– taming different kinds of monsters, the twins are already following in her foot steps. Royce... well, he had a hobby of listening to cursed music. He finds relaxation in it.
The other siblings, we can only imagine what kind of hobby they had.
"Oh, it's a full moon tonight." The two followed her gaze. The moon is shining so bright and it seems bigger to their sight.
"Aunt Mavis... said something to me about full moon." She mumbled but enough for the two to hear it, "I remember it."
Raelle is now the one who frowns, "What is?"
"Aunt Mavis gave me a message a long time ago. Under a full moon, two seeds were connected to one plant."
Their brows creased more, "I didn't know that your mother likes riddles," Raelle says. "Me neither. This is the first time I heard the full riddle. Hmmm... I just thought that it was literally about plants."
The two girls stared at her with idescribable feeling. It didn't occur to them before that Yessenia is stupid. "Oh, I think mother meant to tell you that tonight you will meet someone."
"... and you just told us now?"
Yessenia tilts her head in confusion. Why does Raelle seem to have an interest in this matter? After all that message is for Wren only. Aside from that she already told Wren that it might happen soon.
"Ah! I have another understanding of her riddle, she must meant that you have two choice!" Raelle exclaimed, huffing while praising herself.
"And whatever I choose will only have one outcome? Is that it?" Her tone is low and somehow cracked, her gaze became void and dark all of the sudden. They aren't seeing things at all. Because what they say in Wren is like a blank page of a book and for once they are scared.
Why would she have that kind of look?
Because of what she deduced from the riddle. It's still unsure whether that was the true answer of the riddle, but those words were like cold water splashed to Wren.
Does that mean I'll die like in the book?
"A-Anyway, that's only what I could think of! Besides, Lady Mavis says that it might happen tonight."
Wren only hummed as answer and turned her back. Yessenia could only look at her disappear at the dark corridor, "that look isn't good."
It was the first time she saw it and it wouldn't disappear. Something tells Raelle that there's something that triggered it. Was it because of her interpretation?
"Let's follow her! Who knows it what will really happen tonight!"
"Wha--"
Meanwhile, Mavis and her twin brother were looking at the clear sky, the full moon seems like a flower bloomed in the sky and something about it feels ethereal.
"why are we here?" The duke asked. Unfortunately, Mavis saw him on his way to his office and was dragged away before he could avoid her. "Because... tonight it will happen."
The duke turned to her curiously, "You see... I didn't give her more hints. It will ruin the fun. Don't you think so, brother?"
She finally turned to him and a small grin appeared in her face. Wind blows and the smell of roses flow around them, the bushes and trees dances around them. Both stares at each other like they were staring to a mirror.
"That's so like you. However..." even though the air suddenly became chilly, Mavis didn't falter and she grinned more, "If your vision includes the family especially the kids. You should inform me and don't make it as an entertainment."
"Of course. But the ones in my vision weren't dangerous and it's not so important to inform you." The Duke sighs, "Still it concerns the family."
"I believer we're going circles. If it was dangerous I will inform you as soon as possible. But... regarding about it, the vision is about Wren."
Hearing that name is already a head ache. What stupidity will she do next to have her appeared in her vision?
"She's a charmer for sure! My, it will be... fun." Her gaze turned back to the moon. Leaving the Duke in distress.
*****
"You...!" Her mouth gapes in surprised at the sight of the knight in front of her. Of course she's not the only one to be surprised. The knight (?) stares at her and finally realized why her uniform was familiar.
"Why are you here, again?" His head tilts and answered, "I'm a student here."
That... Wasn't the answer she's looking for since it is obvious that he's a student here. Aside from that his robes were in a mess.
Perhaps a criminal snuck around the Academy?
The point is! He's here again, in front of her dorm!
"Please answer me honestly, Your Highness." She said and the wind blows harder causing his hood to fall down to reveal his face once more to her.
There's no doubt that he's a prince of the empire. Except that he had this aloof and coldness atmosphere around him right now unlike earlier.
"Prince Zairon are you perhaps sick?" His ears perk up at the question, "Where is he?"
He?
"Who are you looking for?" Her heart thumped wildly and then someone is in front of her. Wren trembled upon the sight of blue hair fluttering along with the cold wind.
Impossible!
"Riverion I told you many times that our room is at the left wing!" Zairon shouts while staring at the knight with a striking resemblance to him, "H... he looked exactly like you!" Wren exclaimed while looking at the two of them.
There's two of them in front of her.
Zairon gritted his teeth, "That's because this is my cousin!"
"It would be far believable if you told me he was your twin brother!" She replied while pointing at the knight, "We do not. Look closely." Riverion says and move closer to Zairon.
As much as he doesn't like the distance he couldn't push him away since it can help Wren to identify the two of them.
Indeed. They look alike, but Riverion's features are more dominant and he's taller than Zairon; and unlike Zairon's hair that looked like twinkling night sky, Riverion's hair resembles the dark, cold night. He also has a beauty mark under his right eye.
"You're right."
However, the two of them to strike this much resemblance is... amazing. They still could be mistken as twins rather than cousins.
"Do not stare at him anymore, Wren." She flinched when he covered her eyes. He's like his brother right now.
"I don't appreciate this kind of act, Your Higness. Please remove your hands." She sighs after Zairon reluctantly remove them from his eyes.
She smiled gracefully at the other person, "I'm sorry for the late introduction, I'm Wren Vacarella of House Vacarella."
Wren curtsied and then Riverion lowered his head and said, "Don't be. I should be the one apologizing after what happened earlier. I'm Riverion Allendis Armani, Duke of South. Pleased to meet you, Young Lady Vacarella."
Wren finally lose her mind. He's the Duke and cousin of Prince Zairon. Also the main person everyone's been gossiping about since classes starts.
"Wait, you already met each other?" Zairon asks and Riverion nods, "I'm chasing a criminal earlier and bumped into this young lady."
Zairon sighs in relief, it seems like Wren hasn't realize his looks.
"Yes, well..." He stares at Wren and nodded in understanding. "I must take my leave, again, I apologize and bid you a good night. Nice to meet you again, Young Lady Wren."
"I will leave too. He might be lost again." They didn't wait Wren to reply and then two flickering lights approached her and Cervi appeared in front of her.
"They were cousins huh, does that mean Count Romanoff is also his grandfather?"
That would be pausible. After all the emperor doesn't have other siblings and... "The Armani were the only ones to have the purest blue hair and their eyes were like the ferocious predator. They were blessed by the goddess." Adara explained.
However there are still some things are still missing. "Is that all?" Cervi shakes his head and whispered. "He was suspected for killing his nephew."