Over the next week of travel, I got to know Cassandra a lot better.
She was the Second Princess of the kingdom, but she had been mostly overlooked.
Her older sister, who was only born mere moments before her and looked completely identical, was the First Princess.
Isabella Victoria Albatross.
For some reason, I had very strange feelings towards that particular name...
But I had no idea if it was the same person or not...
Regardless, Princess Isabella was very kind to her younger sister.
They were good friends. Although years of busy schedules and training to take the throne tore them apart. Cassandra was only looked at as a spare...
Someone to look to if something happened to Isabella.
The other members of nobility constantly bothered her for her looks and status.
Many of them insulted and belittled her. They called her useless because of her family's fertility issues and even Cassandra's own lack of certain talents. The one's that her sister specialized in.
Cassandra lacked certain attributes necessary to lead a country. Instead, she did things she loved like cooking, mixing potions and drinks, fashion, and combat.
And all of this coupled with her mother's obsession with status and behavior caused Cassandra to rebel. She trained herself to level 100 and decided she would marry whomever she wanted.
She sought only to be happy.
She still wouldn't tell me exactly how she knew who I was...only that she wanted my love.
And that she knew me from before.
Which led me to believe that she had memories of the previous timeline... If that was how it worked, that is.
After all, Warmage could only say so much... Lately he had been having more trouble communicating, thankfully...
Honestly, I didn't mind it. If Cassandra would be of help to me in the future because of her knowledge, it would be even better. Especially if I was supposed to save the world or whatever it was Warmage wanted me to do.
Although, Warmage told me not to marry her.
I had no intention of listening to him on that matter, however. I was really starting to fall in love with her.
Cassandra was amazing in every way. I had never met someone as wonderful as she was.
The more I got to know her, the more in love I was.
And how often does an opportunity like this come around? I'd be married to a kind and beautiful Princess! What kind of commoner ever gets to do something like that!?
I mean...technically I was the son of a Duke. But I grew up like a commoner. Albatross didn't recognize our family as being nobility and this life was all I had ever known.
And since my cousin Tyranus took over the family and forced my father out, I wasn't even sure I could actually claim the title of a Duke's son, anyway...
As far as I was concerned, I was just another commoner.
I was really excited about marrying Cassandra.
Although, Cassandra warned me about her mother. She told me that she would deal with her and I had nothing to worry about.
She had also brought me a change of clothes so that my first impression would go well.
The suit I had was enchanted to conform to my exact body type.
She said she was good at making clothes as well as loving to dress up.
And that she lovingly made these with me in mind...
The whole conversation caused my heart to race...
Before we reached the capital, I changed into the new outfit and she made sure everything went on correctly.
By that, I mean she dressed me.
By the gods... That was not good for my heart. I had never been so embarrassed in my life...
She even offered to let me dress her, but I declined.
I didn't want to die from a heart attack if I saw her in her underwear. She was certainly very forward...
Eventually, we passed the front gates of Albatross.
There were tons of people waiting on the sides of the road to see Princess Cassandra.
I sat there in a beautiful black suit gilded with silver.
It displayed the insignia of my family. Two silver swords crossed over an emerald flame.
Soon, we stopped at the castle gates and...
I was much more impressed by Castle Albatross than the one in Lorelei.
It was made of beautiful white stone.
"Remember to let me do the talking, Mizik. I know what to say in order to get them away from you," Cassandra said.
Then she leaned forward and kissed my cheek.
"Wh-wh-why did you kiss me!?" I said as my face heated up.
"Motivation! I need to do my best! Also, I couldn't resist... Your reactions to my love are so cute!" Cassandra said happily.
{Please teLl heR To sTOp GOOfiNg OFf!}
No. I don't think I will. She might cause me to get flustered, but I enjoy her behavior. Unlike you, Warmage!
{DAMn IT All!!!}
Soon, Cassandra stood up and unlocked the carriage door. Then it was opened and I followed her out.
She paid absolutely no attention to the people shouting to her and then...
As I looked around, she grabbed my arm in hers and clung to me.
She walked me towards the front of the castle after the draw bridge had been lowered and the portcullis was raised.
There were gasps and shouts as she held onto me.
As we crossed the bridge, I felt something odd in my chest.
A residual feeling of something... Almost like a connection that no longer existed.
I looked up and saw someone peering at us through the window of the castle.
They moved before I could get a good look, but I saw the brief flash of long pink hair. Like Cassandra's.
I had another feeling of deja vu as we walked into the castle. We walked for a short while through the luxurious halls before someone approached us.
"Sister!" A woman behind us said.
We both turned and Cassandra smiled.
"Hello, Isabella! It's so good to see you today!" Cassandra said.
The woman I was looking at was almost completely identical to Cassandra in every way...except that she had a small mole underneath her left eye. It accentuated her already gorgeous looks. And for some reason, my eyes immediately went to it. As if I already knew it was there...
And as I looked at her...hundreds of messages appeared on my status menu... And then came the headaches...
{SaVe Us!!!}
{It'S hEr!!! It ReAlLy Is!!!}
{IsAbElLa!!!}
{SuCh ReFiNeD bEaUtY!!!}
{GoDdEsS!!! My BeLoVeD!!!}
{FiNaLlY...wE'rE rEuNiTeD...}
{Talk TO HeR!!!}
After the last message appeared, the rest ceased and I held my head.
"It's good to see you as well, Cassandra. Who have you brought to our castle? Is he okay...?" Isabella asked.
For some reason...I felt an immense love and adoration for this woman.
Who was this girl!?
"Ah...this is Mizik. The one I told you about. I said he was real, but you didn't believe me," Cassandra said.
Isabella approached me and touched my head.
"Are you alright, Mizik?" She asked.
"Mizik...?" Cassandra said.
As soon as she spoke, I felt even greater pain...
I backed away from her... I had the image of a cavern in my mind. I saw someone lying on the ground.
Then everything went dark.
* * *
"Mizik! Please, wake up!!!" Someone shouted.
When I opened my eyes, I was laying on the floor of the castle hallway. Both Cassandra and Isabella were looking at me.
"Is he going to be alright?" Isabella asked.
"Isa...bella..." I said.
Isabella tilted her head.
"Yes?" She said.
"I think...I've see you before..." I said.
She smiled at me.
"Of course you have, silly! You've been travelling with my sister. We're identical twins," she said.
Then I sat up and Cassandra hugged me tightly.
She was crying.
"I...I was so worried... Please don't push yourself..." Cassandra said.
"It's so nice that Cassandra has finally found someone! I'm really happy for you two! It's still hard to believe that the one she saw in that strange dream was real, though," Isabella said.
"He really is the one I saw, Isabella. It wasn't a dream! And...you and him were... Ugh...forget it..." Cassandra said.
"I still don't quite believe you, Cassandra. But...he is very cute. You're so lucky, sister!" Isabella said playfully.
Then she stood up and Cassandra helped me to my feet.
I finally regained my composure and looked at Isabella.
I couldn't shake the odd feeling of familiarity.
"No! He's mine! I saw him first!" Cassandra said.
{NO YoU DIDn't!!! DAmN IT AlL!!!}
Then she hugged me tightly.
I felt great happiness as soon as she did. She was warm and gentle with me.
"It's okay, Cassandra. Remember that I don't want to share. If you found him first, he's all yours. I won't interfere," Isabella said.
Suddenly, an old man wearing a black and gold suit appeared. He had a very large sword on his back.
It seemed similar to Vengeance, somehow.
"My lady... You must get to your next class. You'll have plenty of time to speak with young Master Mizik later. If you wish, of course. Princess Cassandra will likely be trying to get to know him better for the time being," the old man said.
"Very well, Walter. Let us go," Isabella said.
Then Isabella turned to me and smiled.
"I hope we can get along, Mizik! Please just call me Isabella. Think of me as...an older sister! I hope you treat Cassandra with lots of love and respect. Please, be good to her. She really needs someone to cherish her."
After that, she walked away.
I barely even got a chance to speak with her.
It was unfortunate, but my mind seemed to have been overloaded with messages and images.
Then Cassandra moved her face close to mine.
"What's wrong, Mizik? You were staring at her so much... Do you think she's prettier than me...?" Cassandra said.
She almost looked ready to cry.
{YOu'rE idEnTICal!!! SHuT UP!!!}
YOU SHUT UP! DON'T TALK ABOUT CASSANDRA THAT WAY, WARMAGE!!!
{bY thE gODS, YoU'RE ANnoyinG...}
"Ah! N-no! Definitely not! Although...you two look almost completely identical..." I said frantically.
Then Cassandra smiled and kissed my cheek again.
"Don't worry, Mizik. I understand. You were probably overloaded by a lot of emotions, right?" Cassandra said.
"I think that's what happened... Yeah..."
"Then maybe you should lay down for a bit? I don't want you to over-exert yourself... You're really important to me, Mizik," Cassandra said.
"No, I'm okay. My headache is already gone. I should be fine to keep going."
"Really!? That's wonderful! Umm...there is something we sort of...have to do, first..." Cassandra said.
"What's that?" I asked.
"Well...I told my parents that I would be choosing a husband from the nobility. So I need to...present you to them..." Cassandra said uneasily.
I see. That makes sense. Then we should-...Wait... If she's a Princess, then that means...
"I hope you're ready to meet the King and Queen!" Cassandra said with a joyful smile.
Oh gods, why!? I'm already panicking!
I could almost feel myself shaking with fear.
What the hell... How does she expect me to talk to the King and Queen of Albatross!?
"Cassandra, I'm not a noble. I'm sorry, but I don't think they'll like me," I said.
"Hm? What do you mean? You're the son of Duke Ulysses Iratus, correct? Not to mention, he's both a knight and a war hero. Haven't you heard of the Emerald War Demon?" Cassandra said.
"Emerald what?" I said.
Suddenly, Cassandra stopped and placed her hand on her forehead.
"Ah...this feels way too familiar... Okay! So, Ulysses is actually really strong in battle. He's not even level 100 and was strong enough to slay men by the hundreds in the Kalsan-Albatross war a long time ago. He also fought Walter, who holds the legendary sword Honor, and managed to end it in a draw," Cassandra said.
"My Dad is a war hero from Kalsa!?" I said.
Cassandra nodded.
"And he's the head of the Iratus family! Noir royalty! That makes you nobility!" Cassandra said.
"Actually, Ulysses isn't the head of the family anymore," I said.
Cassandra's eyes went wide.
"Wh-what!? Why!?"
"My cousin Tyranus apparently took over the family and exiled him by force. He holds Justice..." I said.
"Oh right...that again... So you technically..."
"By blood relation, sure. But by title... Probably not," I said.
"Hmm... But my parents don't know that...do they?" Cassandra said with a sly smile.
Umm...DO they!?
I tilted my head.
"Just leave the talking to me, darling! I'll fix everything! I'll be all you need...everything you could ever want!" Cassandra said.
"Wait, but...isn't that lyi-"
Then Cassandra leaned forward and kissed me on the lips before I could finish what I was saying.
She stayed that way for probably a bit longer than most people would have and then pulled away with a smile.
"Ah...I...umm...."
"Haah...I've wanted to so that for so long... You have no idea! Please, just let me handle things, okay? Cassandra will make everything better, darling!" She said.
Her eyes went wider and she smiled widely at me.
Something about it seemed...odd...
As if she were gazing lovingly into my very soul.
As if...she wasn't completely right in the head.
"Y-yeah..." I said.
Still...my mind had gone completely blank...
That was my first kiss.
{Is ThIs ReAlLy SaFe!?}
{WaIt UnTiL sHe TuRnS oN uS!}
{IsAbElLa!!! CoMe BaCk!!!}
{Why...IsAabELla... I doN'T cARe AnymORe...}
I decided, once again, to ignore the status messages. They were really annoying me.
I couldn't stop thinking about the kiss Cassandra gave me. Who cares if she's a little weird?
I simply stared at Cassandra.
"Oh? Did you enjoy it as much as I did? Well...I can always kiss you more later! We can kiss more and more! It'll be just us! We'll be all alone together, darling! We can so lots of fun things together!" She said.
I didn't respond and then she put her hands on her cheeks.
"Kyaaa! I can't believe I just said that! I love you so much!" Cassandra said happily.
Finally, I cleared my throat and composed myself.
"Y-yeah... That...sounds good. Let's talk to your parents," I said.
She nodded and we began making our way to the throne room.