[Diana]
My ears were bombarded by a loud buzzing, I tried to cut off the noise with a pillow but it was no use, the noise kept going on and on.
"One more minute, please…" I thought to myself as I desperately covered my face.
The buzzing was then coupled with the ringing of my Holo-Band; with no other choice, I shut off the alarm and lazily got up from bed. I took a moment to adjust my eyesight then answered the call. A beam of light shot out from the band and a figure of a woman took shape.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," the voice chirped, "Did you get enough sleep?"
"Good morning, Sam," I yawned and rubbed the morning out of my eyes, "The usual amount of sleep."
"Come on Diana, you need more than four hours of sleep," Sam said as she held a brush and dabbed it onto her face.
"I know, I know, but what can I do? My professors are giving out too many projects and assignments right now since it's the final quarter."
I got up from my bed and walked to my bathroom.
"Did you rearrange the things in your room?" Sam asked.
"Oh, yeah I tried switching things up two weeks ago," I looked at my room, it was plain and minimally furnished but it had all the things I needed. There was a bed to my right, a study area to my left, a cabinet beside the table and a small bay window which gave me a fantastic view of the cloud levels of Cragholven.
"Well, your furniture still looks the same so I can't really tell if something changed," Sam was now putting on some earrings and hair accessories.
"You going somewhere?" I asked as I entered the bathroom.
"There's a formal event at the palace today," Sam grabbed a necklace and placed it around her neck, "It's the Empress' send-off before she leaves with her entourage for her official tour in Crusavia."
"Oh right! She's coming to Cragholven first right?"
"Mhm," the dolled up girl was now getting her hair done by some maids in the background, "I'm also a part of the entourage since she invited both my parents."
"Right, your father's a member of the Imperial Council, but isn't your mom a me-men-"
"Menyott, yes, she's a Protector Menyott serving the Puritian Creyatholven," Sam winced as her hair was pulled from all sides, "And she's currently the highest ranking officer there since the High Menyott and High Prantev are on a diplomatic mission to Adamasia, so the Empress decided to take my mother with her."
"So, what's the hierarchy in the Creyatholven then?" I asked as I began to freshen up.
"Well, the gist is there's the High Menyott and High Prantev at the top, then we have the Protector Menyotts and Prantevs, then the regular menyotts and prantevs, and the other servants or trainees under them," An intricate hair pin secured Sam's hair and she continued saying, "Not to mention the various positions menyotts and prantevs have to take within their respective Creyatholven and in the wider Creyaltver."
"That... is a lot to take in even for a summarized version."
"What can I say, we Levelians have a knack for making our lives too complicated," Sam turned her head from side to side, inspecting the work done by the maids, "If anything, our hairstyles and wardrobe changes are the most complex in the galaxy."
"That much is evident, seeing as you have so many hair buns," I removed my Holo-Band from my wrist and placed it on top of the sink, "Give me a minute, I need to take a shower."
"Oh, yeah sure," Sam replied as I got into the shower closet.
~o0o~
Freshly showered and wearing new clothes, I began to pack my bag for school while talking to Sam.
"So, when is the Empress coming to Cragholven?" I grabbed a thick hardcover book and stuffed it into my bag.
"A few weeks from now, maybe two or three? I'm not so sure," Sam was now walking down a hallway wearing a gorgeous dark blue night gown intricately decorated with gold flowers, "But I heard that a number of the Empress' entourage will leave for Cragholven tomorrow."
"Hm, why's that?" I zipped up my bag and threw it on my back.
"Oh, it's customary that a portion of the entourage goes before the Empress for, you know, safety purposes."
"So like, espionage and stuff?" I climbed down the stairs and entered the living room.
"Not quite, more like..." Sam paused, "Making sure everything is safe and there are no threats to the Empress and all the important people that will be accompanying her."
I shook off my bag and placed it on the couch, while I headed off to the dining room.
"I can hear someone cooking, wait..." Sam looked at me with a horrified look, "Have you not eaten breakfast yet?!"
"I thought you would've noticed," I chuckled and moved to my dad to give him a hug.
"Morning, Diana," Dad greeted while taking a sip of his tea.
"Hurry up and eat your food, you're going to be late again," My brother, Alexei, remarked.
I stuck my tongue at him and ran to the kitchen and gave my mom a hug from behind.
She chuckled and said, "Morning, Diana, go and eat your breakfast before you're late."
"Yes, Mom," I made a bee-line towards the dining table and sat down.
"What I would give to try that," Sam eyed my food ravenously as she entered a landcruiser.
"Is it dinner time over there?" I asked as I took a bite of the morning cakes my mom prepared.
"Yes, and I have to wait another two hours before I get to eat," Sam paused as she took a sip from a small bottle, "Formal functions here on Luminaris Prime have excruciatingly long time slots reserved for social interaction. They do, however, give out some finger foods but in small quantities and you'd be lucky if you actually got to eat them since they're reserved for the most important guests."
"Is that Samina Levensyek?" Dad asked.
I nodded, "Sam, my dad's asking for you."
"Oh," she replied, "Good morning Mr. Saschka, I didn't want to disturb your morning tea..."
"Oh, it's fine and you're quite welcome to join us once you arrive on Cragholven two weeks from now."
My dad is the Secretary of the Interior here in Crusavia and my mom is a renowned doctor throughout the Capital Sector; my brother, on the other hand, works as a genome engineer in Cragholven's Center for Genome Restructuring and Rehabilitation where he studies past and present DNAs to mitigate and control emerging diseases.
"T-that's not necessary, sir, it would be quite troublesome for you and your family to accommodate my family and I, considering that Mrs. Saschka is already busy with her work and Alexei is also busy at the Center."
"Nonsense, the President has just announced a three-day long holiday throughout Crusavia in anticipation for the Empress' arrival! Besides, it's the Feast of Remembrance and our family always celebrates it every year despite how busy our schedules may be."
"My husband's right," mother added as she entered the room, a bowl of freshly cooked loyon strips in her hands, "And it wouldn't be a hassle for me to whip something up for you and your family."
"It would be an honor to welcome the daughter of House Levensyek into our humble abode, and I could even introduce you to some guys at work," Alexei winked at Sam.
"Thank you for your generosity..." Sam, who was trying to hide her red cheeks, replied, "I-I'll ask my parents if they would want to celebrate the feast with your family."
"Alright!" I cheered, almost flipping my plate over.
"I'll inform all of you five days prior, and if they do agree..." she paused, "Then I'll send over some ingredients and a list of things to buy; my parents are quite particular on the topic of what they eat and I wouldn't want to embarrass you in front of them."
"Oh, well, that would be quite helpful. Thank you, Samina." My mom smiled at her holographic projection and she returned it with a small smile of her own.
"Alright, gobble down your cakes and get a loyon strip 'cause your gonna be three minutes late," Alexei stood up from the table and headed for the kitchen sink.
"Oh! Right, hold on Sam, I'll just finish eating and we can continue," I began to chow down on the two remaining pieces of cake and snatched a strip of the crispy meat.
"Don't worry Diana, I might have to go soon, we've already entered the Old City and we're near the palace," Sam craned her neck.
"Oh, alright, stay safe and have fun there!" I tried to speak with my stuffed mouth.
"Diana, you're going to choke yourself, slow down and chew your food properly," Mom tapped my shoulder as she took a seat beside me.
I nodded as I swallowed the mass of food. Once I had eaten all the contents of my plate, I grabbed my plate and utensils then headed for the kitchen to wash them.
"Alright, I have to go. Stay safe Diana, and thank your parents and your brother for inviting my family and I," she smiled
"Alright! Have fun Sam," I replied.
She waved one last time and the projection disappeared.
"Diana, hurry up!" Alexei bellowed.
"Alex, don't shout so loud," dad scolded.
"Alright, I got it!" I placed my plate and silverware into the dryer and rushed back into the dining room.
"I'm going now, bye Mom, bye Dad!" I pecked my mom on the cheek and did the same to my dad.
"Stay safe, both of you," Mom looked on.
"Have fun at work and school you rascals," Dad quipped.
Alexei and I made a face to our dad as raced to the living room and grabbed my bag then sprinted to the balcony where my brother's new Solstice hover-bike was parked.
"You ready?" Alexei put on his helmet and handed over mine.
"Just as long as you don't do anything stupid then I won't vomit all over the sky," I retorted.
He chuckled as he sat down and started his bike; I hopped onto the levitating bike and we were off.