Today is Wednesday, and there are still a few days before the weekend. I'm currently with Anastasia, our mother, and our grandmother at a royal banquet celebrating the seventh birthday of the princess.
In this kingdom, there are actually two princesses. One of them is part of Claudius's harem from his academy days. She's a yandere for him, which raises the question: how can he still maintain a harem if she's so obsessed? Well, her infatuation with Claudius is so intense that when he warned her he would leave if she harmed any of the other girls, she reluctantly agreed to tone it down. Interestingly, there are two yanderes in Claudius's harem; one is Aeryn, who hides her obsession, while the princess wears hers openly. Her fixation is far more extreme than Aeryn's.
As for the other princess, Claudius tried to add her to his harem as well, but she told him she was already in love with someone else and that he couldn't change her feelings. Consequently, Claudius gave up. Today's celebration is for the birthday of that very princess.
The yandere princess, Iris Priestley, is a year younger than Claudius, so she is currently six or turning six this year. The one whose birthday we're celebrating is Clara Priestley.
I stand beside my mother, engaged in conversation, when a woman approaches us. "Arabella, it's been a while." The woman is beautiful, with shoulder-length black hair and striking blue eyes. A small scar beneath her left eye suggests she might be a knight.
My mother beams at her, clearly delighted. "Yes, it has been a while! How are you?"
The woman scratches her cheek, blushing slightly. "Well, you know, still doing my duties as vice captain, haha. It's been lonely ever since you left." I can sense the sadness in her eyes.
My mother chuckles softly. "That reminds me of the old days when we used to compete. Oh, right! This is my child, Oliver." The woman looks at me and offers a gentle smile.
"Hello, Auntie!" I say brightly, bowing my head.
"What a cute child! She reminds me of you when we were kids," the woman says, gently patting my head.
"Yes, and like us, he's also training in swordsmanship," my mother adds proudly.
"Oh, keep it up, young man! I'm sure you'll be one of the best swordsmen in the kingdom, just like your mother!" The woman suddenly pauses. "Sorry if I'm being rude; I forgot to introduce myself."
She clears her throat and corrects her posture. "I'm Olivia Huxley, the vice captain of your grandfather's squad. Nice to meet you, Oliver." She smiles at me warmly.
My mother pats my head. "I actually named Oliver after you. I hope you don't mind."
Aunt Olivia's face turns as red as a tomato. "O-of course I don't mind! I'm actually very glad you did!" She appears flustered, and my mother chuckles softly at Aunt Olivia's cute reaction.
As I observe Aunt Olivia, a thought crosses my mind: Does she have feelings for my mother? I wouldn't mind if she did; she's a bit taller than my mother, her beauty is on par with hers, and most importantly, she seems genuinely kind based on my intuition. I don't know if my mother is aware of Aunt Olivia's feelings, but if Aunt Olivia wants to court her, I'll gladly help!
I feign a cough to get their attention. "Mother." She looks down at me, blinking twice. "Yes, dear?"
I wanted to give them some time alone, so I quickly thought of an excuse. "I want to accompany Anastasia and look around for friends."
My mother smiles sincerely and nods. "Okay, just don't wander too far. We're in the palace, so you two should behave." I nod and hug her tightly.
Before I leave, I tap Aunt Olivia on the arm and gesture for her to lean down. She complies, and I whisper in her ear so that no one else can hear, "Aunt Olivia, I know you like my mother. I'm rooting for you, so do your best to accompany her today!" I take a step back and give her a wink. Aunt Olivia blushes deeply, like a child caught doing something mischievous. I leave her flustered and my mother looking confused.
I find my cute little sister, Anastasia, who is looking down while our grandmother chats with other ladies.
"Sister!" I call out. Anastasia's eyes light up as if she has found hope. She runs toward me like a cute little bunny and hugs me tightly.
"Are you not having fun?" I ask, hugging her back and gently patting her head. She looks up at me slowly. "Brother Oliver, there are so many people here..."
I smile gently at her. "Let's go somewhere with fewer people, shall we?" She nods eagerly, like a little bird.
We search for a quieter spot and find a cozy area to sit. As we settle in, I start talking to her and sharing stories.
"Brother, can I ask you something?" she asks.
I blink twice and nod. "Of course, sister."
"I heard from Father that you have a twin brother. What does he look like, and what's his name?" I give Anastasia a soft smile.
"His name is Claudius. He has silver hair like our father and red eyes like mine. Why do you want to know about him? Do you want to meet him?"
Anastasia shakes her head and looks down, biting her lower lip slightly.
"Nothing… I just want to know about him. I'm scared that he'll take my brother Oliver away from me..."
How can such a cute creature exist? My heart warms, and I can't help but smile. I hug Anastasia tighter and nuzzle her cheek. "You're so cute, sister! Don't worry; he won't take me away from you."
"Really?" she asks, looking up at me with hopeful eyes.
"Of course!" I reply. She beams at me with a bright, cute smile and hugs me even tighter. She's so adorable that I want to pinch her cheeks and tuck her in my pocket! But I wouldn't hurt my precious sister, so I continue to hug and nuzzle her instead.
While we're caught in our embrace, a girl suddenly appears and sits down across from us. It's Aeryn, looking at us with a smile but saying nothing. I didn't notice her at first, but I felt a strange pressure that made me look up. That feeling dissipates once I see her.
Still hugging Anastasia, I greet Aeryn with a smile. "Greetings, Lady Aeryn."
Aeryn chuckles softly. "Greetings, Sir Oliver. Why so formal? Aren't we friends now? Just call me Aeryn from now on."
Thinking it over, I realize we are kind of friends now.
I nod with a smile. "Alright. You can call me Oliver, too."
Aeryn nods back, smiling. Anastasia lets go of our hug and bows her head toward Aeryn. "G-greetings, sister..."
"No need to be nervous," Aeryn replies with a light laugh. "After all, I'll be your brother's fiancée soon if he agrees to my father's proposal. So, no need to be formal, little Anastasia."
Anastasia looks up at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Brother... you'll marry Sister Aeryn?"
I can tell she's scared that Aeryn will take me away from her. I feign a cough and comfort her by patting her head. "I'm still thinking about it, sister, so don't worry. Even if I agree, you will always be my number one sister, and I won't let anyone take me away from you."
Anastasia wipes her eyes and nods, hugging me tightly again. I sigh, smiling, and return the embrace.
Aeryn watches us, a smile on her face. "No need to rush or pressure yourself, Oliver. I'll wait—my father will wait for your decision."
I nod in agreement.
"I heard that Alexandria and Meredith are coming. I wonder where they are?" Aeryn and I look around while seated.
"Oh, there's Meredith!" Aeryn points. Meredith glances our way, and Aeryn gestures for her to join us, which she does.
After chatting for a while, Alexandria and her twin brother arrive and take a seat with us.
We converse and share stories until the banquet is about to begin, with the king stepping forward to thank everyone for attending.
-
My brain feels tired from the excitement, so I'll post part two later, or maybe tomorrow. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Also, regarding Anastasia: she doesn't see Oliver as a love interest or have a crush on her. Anastasia looks up to her as a sister and loves and respects her very much. Oliver is the first person near her age to be close to her, so she is very attached and fears losing her.