"Make sure you get enough rest. Tell them to stop when you're tired. Have these sandwiches and cream puffs I made for you. Try to get enough sleep. Be careful out there, I don't want you to get caught by robbers and monsters... Maybe I should follow you too... Yes, I should definitely follow you!" [Duchess]
"Mother, you're suffocating Diana!" [Liya]
"Hehe... Your hug is so warm... More!" [Diana]
"Dia... My granddaughter Diana!" [Duchess]
(Dear mother and father really spoil her) [Liya]
It's the day of our trip to Emas. Nar and Sad have already left with Kara and Mara. Their convoy is a large one, befitting Kara and Mara's status as our princesses. Even Cardinal Davis and Jean went with them. As for the others, Marianne has already left with her family, and the same goes for Tio and Adnan, leaving Neloufa and myself in Amleth.
Knowing that I am all alone, Liya's mother quickly takes me in and lets me stay with her for a whole week. Of course I am excited and agree with her. I'm still practicing my magic and skills every day and rehearsing with the people at the opera house every day before playing and walking with the Duke and Duchess and it's so much fun. The Duke and Duchess are really nice people. Even Liya is nice and lets me sleep with her every day, although I am still not used to the maids helping me every day. I mean, they've done their jobs very well, from helping me get dressed to tying up my hair, but it's just so overwhelming that I can only last about ten minutes before I run off and do everything myself. That's my only complaint.
"If only my Aeron would quickly marry Princess Tiara, or Jean with your brother Nar, that way I can have a grandchild" [Duchess].
"True. Jean used to stare at Nar whenever she had the chance. I can't believe Nar didn't even notice! What a hero he is!" [Diana]
"It's so obvious, and yet he didn't even notice!" [Duchess]
(Wait... WHAT!? Sister with... How could I never notice!?) [Liya]
While we wait for her carriage to be ready, we have one last conversation, drinking tea and dipping a biscuit in it. It's soft and sweet. I couldn't help it, it's those soft cookies' fault for tempting me to eat so many of them. Yes, definitely their fault for making my tongue dance with sweetness and joy. Definitely their fault for being so sweet and soft. Of course, after seeing my reaction, the Duchess let me have a whole set of cookies herself! Thank you so much! As soon as the carriage arrived, I said goodbye and headed for the opera house, where I was the last to arrive, but that doesn't mean I'm late, in fact, I arrived five minutes before the appointed time.
"Oh my, I didn't know you were close to another Duke house. The Duke of Lion and the Duke of Fortress. I wonder if you know the other two dukes well?" [Vita]
(If I'm not mistaken, that's Marianne and Jean's father title.) "The other two? Nar and Sas warned me not to get too close to them. Didn't say why though" [Diana].
"Well, of course they are..." [Vita]
"Miss Vita! The wall has ears!" [Manager]
"You're too paranoid manager. It's just a conversation" [Vita]
The manager along with a group of adventurers greet us all. They all help to load the carriage with our props. One of the adventures is
"Kat's tail. Soft as ever" [Diana].
"Diana! I thought you were mature enough not to do that!" [Kat]
"I can't help it! Fie doesn't have a long, majestic tail like you!" [Diana]
"Meow!" [Fie]
"See! Fie is sulking! How about you let go of my tail and play with it?" [Kat]
"I'll give Fie the best snack there is later! For now, let me play with your tail more!" [Diana]
"No!" [Kat]
"Boo..." [Diana]
"From the queen herself to the adventure, you must have more friends than I do" [Vita].
"That's because Amlethians are nice. I enjoyed making friends left and right" [Diana].
And that's pretty much everyone. Our group consists of people from the Opera House, a few adventurers to protect us from any threats, and finally Neloufa, Fie and me. That's quite a lot of people. I guess we have almost as many people as when Kara and Mara left for Emas.
We take the exit used by those kidnappers the other day and wait patiently in line. None of us are high-ranking nobles, so we wait in line like everyone else. When it is our turn, they quickly realize that these carriages belong to Miss Vita herself and suddenly the guard gets a burst of energy, glowing with excitement as they check our luggage and documents before issuing a travel permit, that way we have less hassle entering Emas. But when it's my turn, I feel like they're afraid of me? They keep whispering among themselves that I am the hero's little sister and because of me, their friend will be tortured and released.
"Well, don't get corrupted like your friends and make sure you do your job properly, otherwise I'll tell the great Aeron himself to judge you. Maybe even the supreme judge Mr Caprio himself" [Diana].
~Gulp~
At my answer, the others from the Opera House and the adventurers just laugh, but not Neloufa.
"Knowing you... You actually know him personally, don't you?" [Neloufa]
"I did. I didn't even know who he was until the head librarian told me. There I was, asking him to explain the history of this country back then, but his explanation is super good!" [Diana].
(Seriously... How many big shots has she befriended?) [Kat]
Now that our group permit are done, let's go go go! Next stop, Emas!