Catina and Arthur continued staring at each other while the rest watched the both of them in silence. Suddenly, Arthur raised an eyebrow then avoided her gaze with irritation visible in his face. Catina and Hans tilted their heads synchronically as it took them a few seconds to finally process his reaction in their minds.
With pure shock and bewilderment, the two silently gritted their teeth in anger because of his rudeness towards them. The crown prince and the crown princess went near the both of them while Arthur quietly followed them behind. The crown prince took this opportunity to introduce himself to them with a gentle smile on his face.
"Catina and Hans, right? A pleasure to meet you! I am Charles Martin Adonis, first born and the crown prince of Asmodeunesis Empire. And this younger boy right here, is my brother."
"I'm not a boy anymore. I'm a man."- Arthur
"Heh~" the twin mockingly snickered at the second prince.
"No matter how you look, a boy is still a boy."- Hans
"Right, right. I bet he couldn't even bath himself."- Catina
"Hans, Catina!"- Jasmine
"You— Ha~ Why even bother to stoop down with the same level as these kids?"- Arthur
"Arthur!"- Charles
"Ha! Some man you are! You couldn't even hold your tongue to kids like us, little boy."-Hans
"Little boy? I bet I'm way older than you."- Arthur
"Oh really? It's only been three months since we were born."- Catina
"Heh~ I was born 8 years before you. And to think there are people that is as small as a squirrel."- Arthur
The twins were too speechless to rebate his words then the three of them started to shoot lightning bolts with their eyes. Their glares continued while the adults watched them with embarrassment visible on their faces. The little empress could no longer hold it in, so she approached them to stop their dispute getting out of hand.
"The three of you—!"- Jasmine
"What?!"
The three yelled at her as they turned to face her, but soon, they realized that they just made a wrong move. Their expression darkens and their fear slowly surges inside them as their faces turn pale. The smile of Jasmine slowly turned hysterical whereas the three trembled uncontrollably then loud screams coming from the three startled the creatures surrounding the place.
In a blink of an eye, Arthur, Catina, and Hans were hanging on the tree with their heads facing the ground. The three of them cried out in frustration while begging their dear sister to release them.
"Big sister, please release us!"- Hans
"We're sorry, alright?"- Catina
"I'm not gonna release you three until you reflected your mistakes."- Jasmine
"W-we are! We are!"- Catina
Hans nodded as convincing as he could and the crown princess glanced while the crown prince was unable to do anything but watch since he doesn't want to get involved in this mess. However, Arthur being a big ego brat commanded Jasmine.
"Sister, release me this instant!"
The Vaughan twins look at him dumbfounded with their mouths completely shut and Charles tries to warn his brother together with the twins but he ignores it which leads him and the twins to hell.
"What?"- Jasmine
"I said, I, Arthur Skyler, second prince of Asmodeunesis Empire, commanded you to release us this instance!"
"And what does that make me? Your servant?"
"You must have forgotten, young prince. I, Jasmine May Benevolent, soon-to-be Adonis, is your brother's fiancé, the crown prince and future Emperor. Which makes me the crown princess and future Empress. So, who dares order me like I'm some servant of yours? Hmmm?"- she added
Her smile shivered down their spine and felt the creepiness behind it. As she got closer to them, a gold string appeared midair connecting to her fingers. It slowly creeps to their body while the three of them beg for her mercy. And then again, another loud scream surprised the creatures around the area while the adults continued their peaceful tea as they silently prayed for their safety and survival.
After the long torture they had experienced, they all conceded and decided to never fight in front of her ever again. Their messy appearance rhymed with their exhausted expression. Then suddenly, the strings handed each of them some tea and biscuits which caught them by surprise. Although, seeing those strings made them pursed their lips as they slowly accepted the snacks with trembling hands. They looked at the little empress back with her usual and gentleness which cleansed their souls and at the same time forgot the horrifying experience as they smiled back at her.
They all started the event peacefully once more, although that really didn't apply to Arthur, Hans, and Catina. Whenever they get a chance, the three would pull a prank on each other without letting Charles and Jasmine know. And as usual, Arthur and the twins would end up having a draw in every prank they get.
It happened occasionally whenever they visited the twins during the summer. However, as they went there very often, their pranks lessened and would only end up with bickering as they got to know each other. While the adults, the crown prince and the crown princess would often ignore their dispute.
They also found out that they had similar likes and dislikes, hobbies, and other things they enjoyed all the time. On one occasion, Catina pulled the flustered second prince and Arthur tried to deny her offer but ended up letting her do what she wanted.
When they arrived at the garden full of pink roses, Catina let go of him and ran towards the field of roses happily. Arthur warned her to be careful but as soon as she turned back to face him, her ombre hair reflected the sun and her smile radiated the field even more. Her simple white dress complimented her beauty that made the second prince speechless.
Then an image of a single white rose supporting her image came into Arthur's mind as he stared at her looking flabbergasted. Catina was bewildered by his reaction and went near him while calling his name but he responded to neither of her calls. The moment she got closer to him, Arthur got even more flustered and so was Catina that they both looked away from each other while stopping their heart from beating loudly.
Hans called out their names which ended the awkward atmosphere. They quickly ran towards Hans then asked him what was wrong but seeing his excited face made them titled their heads while looking puzzled. He quickly held their wrist and pulled them as they ran back to the small garden in front of the twins' house with the adults, the crown prince, and the crown princess having lovely chats and tea.
As soon as they arrived, Hans excitedly told their mother to make her announcement. Catelyn chuckled then carried Hans and placed him into her lap. She looked at the two clueless children and announced the most awaited announcement to them.
"Catina, my dear. In next year's spring, your father and I agreed to bring you and Hans to visit the outside world."
"What do you mean, Mom?"- Catina
"What I mean is that, we are to visit the Emperor and Empress of Asmodeunesis Empire. The Crown Prince Charles and Prince Arthur's home, the Imperial Palace."
The two had a surprised reaction whereas the others watched them with smiles and excitement on their faces. Arthur and Catina looked at each other not knowing how to react at the sudden announcement. However, as they are able to process everything in their minds, their lips smile widely while expressing the enthusiasm they are feeling right now.
Days and months went by, Hans and Catina excitedly waited for the day to come as they marked each day with an 'x' till spring came. Summer ended, autumn went by, and winter we're celebrated harmoniously in the Vaughan's homes. And finally, a week before winter ends, was the day set for them to travel down the mountain to their destination.
It took them five days to travel down the mountain, they encountered some obstacles but Harold would always end up finishing those threats as fast as the lightning speed. So, their trip down the mountain was very peaceful in spite of the harsh breeze of winter.
As soon as they arrived at the flat surface, they walked for another two days from the secluded mountain to the place they agreed to meet before they rode the carriage that was sent by the Imperial family. Although the Imperial palace offered them some help to travel down the mountain, Harold and Catelyn refused the offer since they wanted as few people as possible to know their whereabouts.
It took them a week and three days to finally arrive at their destination, the Asmodeunesis Empire. They went to rest at an inn for a night before proceeding to the palace of the Imperial family. As soon as they went down the carriage, two little silver headed teenage looking boys, one silver headed man, and a red headed woman welcomed them along with their servants.
Arthur approached Hans and Catina with a smile on his face and said cheerfully with courtesy as he reached out to them.
"Welcome, the Vaughan family! Hans and Catina, I'm glad you both arrived safely."
It took Hans and Catina a few seconds to respond but when finally decided to, the Vaughan family greeted the Adonis family with courtesy.
"Greetings to the Imperial family of Asmodeunesis Empire!"
The twins then accepted his hands and replied with a huge smile on their faces.
"We're glad to see you too, Your Highness!"
...