Hair was done, dresses were worn and the garden tables were cleared out. The two twins were seated comfortably at the table and Julie was sitting across them. There were various delicacies of small kind lying around the table but none of the other party seemed to want to eat anything.
Lily Mcrose spoke first. "Lady Julianna... this may come out a little weird", she murmured her hands fidgeting. "But my brother suddenly wanted to see you"
Julie's eyes suddenly went to the twin brother with the same yellow eyes with reddish tint, just like their hair. He was looking at Julie with an intense curiosity that somehow seemed familiar.
Julie raised an eyebrow.
Canien Mcrose smiled and leaned back.
"Lady Julianna do you per chance like chocolates?"
"Yes I do", Julie murmured wondering where this conversation was going.
Canien turned around and called a waiter who brought over a fresh plate of chocolate sticks.
Julie's mouth fell open. The chocolate sticks were arranged in a square pattern, which was an inside joke when Caine used to buy chocolate sticks and they used to play a game where they made the sticks balance by poking it on a block and the winner would get the whole rack of chocolate sticks.
A small suspicion crept through her mind but she remained calm. "Shall I eat them?", she asked toying with the sticks.
Canien looked surprised and then held up a stick. "You can, after we play a game"
Julie focused her eyes on the plate avoiding looking at him. "What game?"
"It's called the chocolate tree"
There wasn't any doubts now. This person right in front of her was Caine.
Julie wanted to ask him so many things but his sister was watching the two of them with renewed interest. Lily Mcrose was a kind person but she also was a bad gossip.
"Do you want to play Lily?" ,Canien asked seeing that her glance was on his sister.
Lily looked at her a bit warily. "I'll watch"
"Either play or leave us. I need to talk to Julianna about the Annual Ceremony", Canien said dismissing his sister instantly.
Lily Mcrose had a sad face as she left.
"You shouldn't have been so cruel", Julie muttered watching as Canien propped up the stand with holes. "She grew up with no parents. She won't understand if her brother suddenly decided to be too cold towards her"
"Do you want me to call her back?", He asked poking in the first stick. "I thought you must want to talk alone with me"
Julie leaned back. "You really are Caine", She muttered holding up a stick. "Still selfish and suspicious" she said poking her stick onto the stand. "How did you know that Julianna was Julie?"
"Lucky guess", he admitted. "Although I was 100% sure once I saw your eyes pop when you saw those chocolate sticks", he said laughing.
Julie stuck in another stick angrily and the stand wobbled.
"Do you think we both are the only ones who isekaised?", she asked focusing on the game now.
"Nope. Rex might be here too, although I can't seem to guess where. I hope he gets the role of a slave", Canien said poking another.
"Or maybe he's the warrier general", Julie muttered balancing another stick.
"Whatever he might be, we'll need to find him fast and before the Annual Ceremony ", Canien worried.
Julie nodded. At the 25th Annual Ceremony, a sandstorm was going to strike the Empire grounds making the people surrounded around into live skeletons. It wouldn't be any ordinary sandstorm. It was a magical hurricane, designed to kill millions at a time.
And during the hurricane, all of the noble families affiliated with the king would be wiped out.
Julie suddenly stopped.
"Which year is it now?"
Canien paused too. Apparently he too hadn't thought about it yet. "I can't believe I didn't look up the year yet when I've been here for two days"
Julie frowned. "What do you mean you've been here for two days? I woke up as Julianna today morning"
Canien's eyes widened. "There's a time difference. Maybe that's why we're having trouble locating Rex. In your case it was quite easy I only had to look up for a mean girl with a thing for chocolate sticks-
Julie stole the stick from his hand angrily. "We'll go see the general's family tomorrow. Hopefully Rex would be there"
"Yeah but how do we suppose we're going to get out of doing the ceremony? You know how the Duke's family is responsible for holding it."
The Duke families around the continent; Emore, Mcrose, Reeland, Alentia and Carsone held the Annual Ceremony every year. This year like usual, the Emperor would expect them to be the flag bearers and in charge of hosting the ceremony.
"I don't know.... we'll need something for the Royal Family to think that it'll be better if we don't do the hosting this time...". Julie pondered over the thought for some more time.
If her calculation was correct, then she'll be 20 this year. That means they had about a month to convince the Royals and another to find out how to escape from the mass massacre.
"We'll need to do with the Royals first. How do we tell them that our houses won't be doing the programme this year? Maybe we should make up an illness. But then again there is the thought of Lord Emore. I doubt he would want someone else to take over the hosting in my stead."
"Have you talked to him yet? They didn't mention much about his character in the novel.", Canien warned.
"Yeah that is a problem too", Julie muttered poking one last stick before the tower fell over.
Canien looked at the chocolate sticks that were now his. His eyes were disinterested.
So basically they couldn't do anything now.
Julie's eyes watered slightly. "Won't we ever be able to go home?"
Canien rubbed her back slowly. "Easy there Jules. We'll find a way"
"Umm Excuse me"
The voice suddenly startled then both. Canien stood up his eyes darting around.
It was Lily Mcrose.
"Jeez Lilly. Please don't sneak around like that", Canien told her softly, Julie's words from earlier still in his mind.
"I'm sorry, but I saw that your game was over and I couldn't help but overhear-
"It's alright and please forget if you heard anything", Canien said, his voice on edge.
"I can help you"
"What?", Julie and Canien said in unison.
"I can help you if you don't want to host this year's Annual ceremony", she said in a squeaky voice. Then standing up straight she added, "Besides it's time somebody else took over the hosting"