"Greetings, lady Alyson, Young Masters...Prince and Princess." Addressed a pair of mother and son as we walked by.
"Adam!" The boy who had caught Adam in his gaze was about to jump and meet his friend but was held by his mother.
"Hush, son! Be polite with the Young Master!" Scolded her with an alarmed look, furtively studying the expression on the twins.
It was clear that she was more guarded to the royal twins rather than us.
Then again, her worry was left unfounded because other than Howard, who only wanted Adam to stay put instead of running around, Helena just didn't care.
"Give way! Give way!!" Cried the guards, paving the way among the crowds so we could move more easily.
Warm greetings, joyful reunions, and raucous calls rang from all over the place.
People, young and old, were filling up the empty seats as time ticked by, and some familiar faces could be spotted here and there.
My Sister, being someone whom everyone couldn't help but adore, had garnered much attention to herself, with Adam following close on her tail.
The little brat, which looked almost like a carbon copy of my Father, had been popular among the galleries of munchkins in the city. He sort of hailed as the undisputed leader of the kids ranging from three to six.
How he got them brats older and bigger than him as his henchmen remained as a mystery to me, but all I knew, with Sister and Howard hot on his tail, Adam had never behaved out of line in regards to him playing with the other kids. And it showed...
Anyway, young Adam surely had his own way of doing things, and he had perfectly shown us that he had the same talent as our Sister, so that's that.
Moving on...
"Young Master Alexander!! Kyaa! He is looking at me!"
"Prince Howard!!"
"Stupid lasses! Don't drag me if you want to kill yourself!"
From a slightly farther spot, the shrieking of the girls pierced high, painting the same vibes as someone who was watching their idols like the ones back in my previous life.
Howard had always been a dashing Chad from day one. No questions there...
He was handsome. He dressed well. And he surely knew how to conduct himself in a manner that drove butterflies to the heart of the young maidens.
It was in his blood, and it was a given he could drive 'em ladies insane.
It is what it is...
But that wasn't the case with me.
I used to be nothing but skin and bones before obesity reigned control of my body for some good years. In other words, my spectrum existed within the two extreme sides.
In much easier words, I was never the eye candy, nor did I expect to.
But everything changed a year ago...
After the thing where I willingly put my foot in the river of hell for a week, I lost a good chunk of my fat, and after being grounded for a month, I was finally able to reach my normal weight. Not because I got fed less but because I chose to eat less in order to fix my body.
To be fair, the reason why I got so fat in the first place was because my Father and Mother used to be anxious, afraid that I didn't get enough nutrients and all. So, I ate and ate to reassure them that nothing was wrong, and before I knew it, I got fat...
Anyway, that's that.
Back to the story.
So, I got slim, and the moment everyone saw me after I was grounded, everyone...And I meant everyone was flabbergasted.
And on the more radical side, the ladies of the house had somehow taken it as their mission to help me keep my weight from then on.
How should I put this...
A hair soft and white as the fluffy cloud, a high pointy nose, a sharp jawline, rosy lips, and last but not least, the mesmerizing purplish gleam that hypnotized anyone who dared to venture its depth.
Yeah...as it turned out, I was one handsome bastard...
It felt a bit weird coming from my own mouth, but I swore to god this face really was borderline gorgeous.
Sure, I didn't magically grow any muscles overnight and still appeared a bit frail in general, but my visual from the neck above was enough to carry me for good.
"Tch! Howard. What are you doing? They're calling for you." Scowled Helena, frowning.
"Just me?" Teased Howard back.
"Don't push it..." And that was enough to shut him up.
Speaking of Helena, she was a far cry from the Helena I met for the first time.
If it was her from before, it wouldn't be weird to hear her threatening to burn someone who ruffled her feathers in the slightest way. Now, however, aside from clicking her tongue as her signature move, Helena merely threw a deadly glare, not even openly cursing those who made her veins pop.
And to those who could look past her rough exterior whilst also not drawing her ire, Helena would then return an occasional nod and short greetings, growing a consistent base of hardcore fans.
Aside from that, she also appeared to be more active than she was before.
Then again, when I said she's being active, I meant toward me...
She would often express signs of affection without minding the eyes of others. Me caressing her hair now and then had become a habit which she relished in pure delight. It kinda turned into something she would ask me to do to calm her down or when she was feeling down.
In fact, it was often me who burned red in embarrassment despite her being the one who asked for it...
It was also a known fact to everyone that it had become Helena's right to push my wheelchair now that Renata was no longer around.
She used to fight with my Sister for it, but nowadays, the latter seemed to have relinquished that burden completely on Helena's shoulder.
I mean, I honestly didn't get why they even fought for it in the first place.
Was pushing someone in a wheelchair that fun? Only they know, I guess...
"O' you who come over yonder...Sit tight and open the gate of your hearts, for the journey of a lifetime is nigh upon you..."
Suddenly, a mysterious and entrancing voice from beyond the red curtain of the stage suddenly stole the attention, sealing the whole venue in silence while leaving the entire crowd posing in budding excitement.
It then grew in intensity as though the speaker could see the looks plastered on the mugs of the audience.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Allow us, The Harpers! To take hold of your hands and guide you through the fog of the past...Back! Into the songs of the dawn...We give you...The Canary and The Shepherd!"
'...Having Trodin as your victim was not enough? Now it's my turn!? Damn it, Clara...'
I rolled my eyes and heaved inwardly.