- Alice Pov -
"Who wants to be close to you... I can do it on my own... humm."
I tried to look normal despite the rapid beating of my heart, but eventually, I just couldn't take it any longer, and without even realizing it, my steps got faster.
After what seemed like an endless amount of time, I finally came to a halt on a spacious balcony on the second floor of this palace. When I turned around to look behind me, I didn't see my brother's figure either.
I heaved a sigh and made the decision to take a seat on a bench that was not too far away from me.
From here, I have a clear view of a gorgeous sunset accompanied by a very calming atmosphere.
Caused my heart, which had been beating rapidly, to begin to slow down, and it eventually returned to its normal, calm state.
"What is my older brother thinking? Do I have to practice politics next... huff... just imagining it makes me sleepy," I said while putting my hands above my head and yawning slightly.
"Because of my mother's uncontrollable aura, which almost caused me to pass out, at first I didn't really understand what my brother and mother were talking about."
"But after I recovered, I more or less understood the situation and also the reason my brother told me to solve it."
"But at least my brother will accompany me by my side this time... uhumm of course not only that but also at least I won't have to leave the capital," As if I had made a mistake in what I had said, I hurriedly attempted to correct it while simultaneously looking to the left and the right to see if anyone else had heard what I had said.
After realizing there was no one, I continued to say to myself, "And this will also be the first time that I've faced a problem of this kind, so I'm also looking forward to it a little bit."
For some inexplicable reason, I find that spending time alone, taking in the splendor of this fantastic world while allowing the emotions bottled up inside of me to surface, is very relaxing.
Or also let out a lot of the things that are going on in my head. Of course, I would prefer to get together with my mother, sister Emilia, and brother, but they are all extremely busy.
In particular, my mother and my sister Emilia, so the person who spends the most time with me is my brother.
Of course, although my brother seems uninterested in hard work and dislikes it when he is required to sweat, he plays a significant part in this empire.
Even my mother will frequently seek my brother's advice on matters pertaining to the empire, and even though sister Emilia appears to be very strict with the family, particularly brother Hadrian, she actually respects and loves him very much.
And because I'm the youngest member of this family, I'm not entrusted with taking on a particularly significant role. Because of this, I've made the decision to increase the amount of practice I do in my spare time.
Oh yeah, in all honesty, I've been considering it for quite some time, but I haven't had the opportunity to discuss it with my family.
I don't remember my father because he passed away when I was so young that I don't have any memories of him. However, what surprised me was that my mother, my sister Emilia, and my brother had an almost identical appearances to each other.
With white hair and red eyes, even our skin appears pale, but that's not what bothers me. It's our habits that sometimes give me goosebumps when I think about it, which is...
_________________
But all of a sudden, a woman's voice came from behind me and jolted me awake, "Alice, wake up! What are you doing sleeping here?"
On this lonely balcony, the only source of illumination is provided by a handful of lampposts. I have no idea how long I've been sleeping on this bench, but it's already pitch black outside.
I turned around, and my sister, Emilia, stood there with a stunned expression on her face as she looked at me, "Would you also like to go to the dining room with me?"
As I slowly got up from the bench I had been sitting on, I sluggishly remarked something, "Yeah, I guess everybody's been waiting for us."
After that, the two of us walked towards the dining room, and it turned out that my sister Emilia and I were the first ones to arrive, but without further ado, we both sat down on chairs in the dining room.
I didn't have to wait very long before I saw my older brother, along with my mother and Sascha.
And once everyone was gathered, dinner was served. While everyone was eating and occasionally chatting about other trivial matters, my mother did most of the talking. While she was talking, she asked my brother and sister Emilia a lot of questions, which made the dinner even cozier.
My mother looked at Sascha and said, "You haven't eaten with us in a long time."
"I'm sorry, auntie, but I had to finish my training a few years ago, and because of that, I don't get to visit very often," Even though Sascha answered with an embarrassed expression on her face, the visible smile was sufficient evidence that she was now happy.
"I can't believe it's been a few years since I remember the four of you playing together in the palace when you were little. It seems like just yesterday," This time, however, my mother wore a look of melancholy on her face, but it was fleeting and didn't last long before she returned to her usual gentle expression.
"How come I have no memory of what happened at that time?" I was taken aback when I heard my mother say those things because I do not recall ever having met Sascha as a child. I don't even know her name.
"Of course, because you are very young and you still cry a lot, your memory is only filled with that. However, do you want me to tell you something else that you forgot even though you already know it?" My older brother responded this time, and he did so with a smirk on his face.
This time, instead of immediately protesting whenever I heard his annoying words as I usually would, I simply kept quiet and continued eating.
And with that, the dinner came to a close, and everyone dispersed to resume their individual activities.
However, I doubt they will all return to their respective bedrooms to fall asleep immediately, especially my brother.
Nevertheless, I continued on my way to the bedroom without giving it any thought.
_________________
- Hadrian Pov -
As I made my way down the corridor, I looked in front of me and saw Sascha making her way alone to the room that had been reserved for her in this palace.
And all of a sudden, an idea came to me, so I sneaked up behind her while walking slowly, gave her a quick hug from behind, and covered her mouth with my right hand.
I could sense a slight tightening throughout Sascha's body, but after that, she started to appear more relaxed.
"Don't scream, or I'll strip you right here," I whispered in her ear, and Sascha acted as if she were playing along with me, attempting to struggle a little while letting out a muffled voice.
But then I dragged Sascha into her bedroom, and after opening the door, I softly kicked the door shut after pulling Sascha inside.
After that, without any further ado, I pushed Sascha onto the bed, and this time Sascha did nothing but look at me while smiling broadly from ear to ear.
"Young master, do you want to do it right now?"