THE NEXT MORNING came and Hades overslept, he felt relaxed after a while and last night was also quite refreshing for him. They stayed up drinking and telling each other anecdotes. Hades has quite a tolerance to alcohol and beer, and he avoided the drunk cliché where he spills everything out of nowhere.
It was one of his most crucial training with the Grand Duke, and he first tasted it at the age of fourteen, and mastered it at seventeen. It was a good thing he didn't sleep pass the meeting time.
Yes, the three of them planned to meet again the next day, because it was the first day of the Spring Festival. Here in the empire, spring is the most loved season, and the most disliked is winter. Why? Well, many suffer, and die in winter.
And also by late afternoon, the results of the entrance exam will be displayed outside of the academy gates. Those who passed will need to claim their academy pin from the main building as a proof that they have become official students of the academy. Moving in the dormitories is strictly schedule tomorrow as well, since the first day is already three days away.
Rufus already had a celebration planned out after the visit to the academy. That fact alone shows how much confidence he has, but this time, Hades didn't question him. He saw it himself yesterday, how good an archer Rufus is. There was no doubt he'd pass.
"Oh, there you are!"
Hades turned to see Rufus with Livia walking to him. They were wearing simple clothes that can help them blend with the crowd.
"You stand out like some young man who suffered hell because of that hair." Rufus gave an honest comment, and Livia agreed.
Hades fell silent. Rufus got facts straight without even knowing it, his sixth sense is amazing.
"… forget about my hair and let's look around. It's my first Spring Festival here in the Capital." Hades stated and began walking. The two soon caught up with him, they walked side by side with Livia in between the two young men.
The festival became alive with all the common folk and nobles. There were many people than Hades had thought, he could spot foreigners as well. Their faces wore a genuine expression, they were all happy spending the day of this special festivity.
Hades had only heard stories of this festival when he was young from his second oldest brother, Hunter, and his eldest sister, Iris. They loved festivities like this and often collaborated to showcase their cleverness and talents in business and performing arts.
He thought he'd spend his first festival with his family, but he ended up spending it with his friends instead. Although despite that, Hades doesn't think that it's a shame.
The three of them took their time walking around. They've seen many commoners running their stalls with a smile on their faces. They walked passed a few nobles and commoners watching street performances, and spotted a few familiar faces in the crowds as well.
Some were from their entrance examination, while some were famous figures in the empire. It wasn't surprising that they were here, no one would make a fuss even if they were famous, No one would be surprised even if the Grimes Imperial Family were to be seen strolling around. .
Everyone is just here to enjoy and relax, each and every person here knows that fact.
The trio spent half of their remaining time stopping by food stalls, eating to their heart's content. Hades learned a few facts because of this. Rufus has a sweet tooth, should've guessed it, since he has too much energy to spare. While Livia has love for spicy food, her tolerance towards spicy food is impeccable.
"Hades, don't you have a specific food you want to try?" asked Livia before biting on her spicy barbeque. Hades thought of it for a moment, and only one snack came to mind. It was one cold dessert that his third oldest sister, Linnea, risked her life on preserving so he could get a taste of it. It was also her favorite dessert.
"I do, but I'm not so sure it's available. I haven't seen a single food stall that makes and sells it." Hades says as his eyes wanders around their surroundings. They were sitting peacefully on a bench by the side of the busy festival road. They were eating barbeque, and they're still not full at this point. It's even surprising that they're still not sick from the variety of food they've consumed.
"Why don'p we conpinue? I hab a plaesh I wanp to vishit befor we head to da academy." With a full mouth, Rufus could only muffle his question, but the two understood it. Livia takes out a napkin just to wipe the sauce on the side of Rufus' lips, and he lets her, even leaning closer and halted in chewing the food inside his mouth.
Hades could only watch them. He couldn't get rid of this suspicion that these two has romantic feelings for each other. He once asked if they were actually lovers or officially engaged, but the two of them denied being a couple. Hades became more confused, and thinks that maybe their relationship is more complicated than he had thought.
And so, they left for that one place Rufus wanted to visit, but the thing is…
"Huh? Hades? Why are you with Rufus and Liv?" A familiar tanned man asked in utter confusion. Yes, it was Leo. Hades blankly stared at him. Leo was wearing a pink apron, even with that huge built of his, Pearl probably forced him to wear it.
… they were in front of Pearl's restaurant.