"We're almost there." the coachman shouted over the rattling of wheels on cobblestone, his voice echoing throughout the interior of the carriage. Inside, Hajime sat across from Sophia, watching as she read her novel intently. Her brows furrowed slightly in concentration as she turned the pages.
Ever since Hajime stopped her from researching mana, she took to reading instead. Reading novels was the closest thing to magic she could experience, which suited her perfectly, she enjoyed reading. The books were filled with stories of science and technology. They fascinated Sophia. She loved learning new ideas and concepts. But most importantly, these stories helped her forget her reality for a while.
Sophia looked at him briefly before returning back to her page.
Hajime preferred seeing her smiling face, rather than the hopeless and angry expression she had back at the basement.
"Hey, do you think we'll have flying horses soon? You know those things from the book you're reading." He said, pointing to a picture of the fictional beast.
"Flying horse? Are you serious? We haven't figured out teleportation or flight yet. And we live in a world with literal flowers that can use magic!" she replied incredulously as she rolled her eyes at him.
"I'm just saying it's a possibility." He retorted defensively.
Sophia snorted loudly. "You're such a dreamer, Hajime."
She shook her head as she closed her book, placing it on the seat next to her before looking up towards the window. The sun was setting, bathing the city streets in its fading orange glow. Buildings lined both sides of the road. Most were made of stone, though some were wood. Each structure was painted a different color; red brick buildings with green shutters, white walls with yellow trim, gray bricks with blue roofs. Everywhere you looked you could see something interesting.
"Hajime!" shouted Sophia suddenly as she stared out the window excitedly. Her eyes sparkled brilliantly, reminding Hajime of vampires.
Hajime followed her gaze out the windows and smiled.
Aurora Starfall waved at them as she waited patiently outside her manor. The carriage came to a halt beside the gate. Hajime stepped outside, followed closely by Sophia. He greeted Aurora with a quick peck on the cheeks.
"How was the exam, Hajime?" Aurora asked with a smile on her face as they walked through the entrance.
"I got in," he replied confidently.
The three entered a large living room, decorated with expensive furniture and artwork. Paintings adorned the walls, depicting various landscapes, flowers, animals, and people. Everything looked perfect, clean, organized, and elegant.
The maid bowed and excused herself as she left the family.
"How was your day, Mom?"
"Busy as usual," she replied nonchalantly as she flopped onto a couch.
"I had to entertain an envoy from Radiant Grove." she said casually, as she ran her fingers through her silver-brown hair.
"How did it go?" Hajime asked curiously.
"Oh, they were polite and friendly. But I could sense the disdain in their eyes," she said, rolling her eyes.
"What's new?" Hajime chuckled.
"I know, right," she replied sarcastically.
"Did anything interesting happen today?" asked Sophia.
"Well, I found out that their doctors are practically students. They're all inexperienced and untrained, no offense Hajime" replied Aurora bitterly.
"None taken," he assured her.
She nodded. "So yeah, I'm pretty sure we could've milked them for more gold but 'We're the only thing standing between you and the Kudzu'," Aurora said mockingly as she raised her index and middle fingers to imitate quotation marks before sighing loudly.
"They also offered me a position in their royal court, but that's not happening," she added dismissively as she shook her head vigorously.
Sophia giggled. "They had the nerve to offer you a job?"
Hajime chuckled at the idea of the proud and strong-willed Aurora bowing in submission to someone else.
Aurora nodded as she smirked mischievously, "Yup, but they can't afford my price tag." she winked playfully.
"So what else did you learn about them?" he asked.
Aurora sighed heavily and closed her eyes for a moment, before opening them and looking straight at Hajime.
"The Grovanian prince and princess will be attending the academy this year,"
"Would that man let his children leave the safety of his empire?" Sophia wondered as she leaned into the soft cushions.
"Even if we're friendly with Fleurdelis and Dominalis Empire, they won't be safe in a foreign territory." Aurora agreed.
"I wonder if they will bring guards with them." Hajime asked.
"The guards aren't allowed to enter Rosevale Academy. Only a few of the royal maids, the royal chef and the personal maid of royalty are allowed to attend with them. The academy takes security very seriously." Sophia informed.
"It doesn't matter who they bring here, but why did they come here? Is the Emperor afraid of losing the war against the Kudzu?" he asked.
Aurora shrugged, "Who knows?"
"Anyway, I heard that the princess was quite cute, and that she likes to wear dresses and ribbons." Sophia commented with a smirk.
"I'm sure she's lovely," Hajime remarked sarcastically.
"I bet she looks exactly like her dad," Sophia teased.
Aurora laughed loudly, "She definitely inherited his personality."
Sophia giggled, "I hope she doesn't have his ego."
"Oh please," scoffed Sophia as she rolled her eyes, "Everyone knows the emperor's ego is the size of a continent."
"True." agreed Aurora with a nod.
"What about the prince?" Hajime asked.
"Apparently he looks like a woman," she said, grinning widely.
"A very handsome woman," Sophia giggled.
"You're kidding." Hajime exclaimed.
"Nope!" confirmed Sophia cheerfully.
"Wow." he said, impressed by the information.
"Yep, he looks gorgeous." she confirmed, nodding emphatically as she grinned.
"I saw him when I traveled with Kaelos to the Grovanian Empire." Sophia said, "he is indeed gorgeous." she added.
"What else did you see? Was it fun?" Hajime asked.
"We went their for live training so I couldn't really explore. But the palace was beautiful."
"It looked like something out of a fairy tale. There are huge paintings everywhere, and the ceilings were covered in elaborate designs. Every wall was decorated with tapestries, and the floors were made out of marble. Even the windows were carved out of stone."
"And the prince?" Hajime asked.
"A cute little baby, he looked like one of the dolls I played with when I was a child."
"You mean he was bald?" Aurora teased.
"Noooo!" protested Sophia indignantly, "He was adorable! I just meant...well, you know what I mean."
"So you're saying he had no hair? Like a newborn babe?" she pressed further, laughing loudly.
"The orphanage only had hairless dolls okay? Anyway, he was beautiful, just like his sister." explained Sophia.
"Speaking of siblings, where's Sakura? I thought she'd join us by now, I miss her." Hajime asked.
"She's umm cooking dinner."
"Cooking? I thought she was interested in baking? What happened?"
"Something about being a good housewife." replied Aurora.
Suddenly, the sound of loud banging filled their ears, followed by several muffled screams and curses. The three of them froze in place. They exchanged glances with each other, unsure what to do.
"Is everything alright down here?" shouted the maid.
"Yes!" replied Sakura.
The maid hurried downstairs and opened the kitchen door, revealing Sakura wearing an apron over her dress. She was covered in flour and sugar, as she held onto a large spoon with her left hand. In front of her, on the counter, were several pots of food. The smell of freshly baked bread wafted through the air, causing them to drool uncontrollably.
"What happened?" asked Aurora, trying to hold back her laughter.
Sakura glared at Aurora and pointed her finger accusingly at her, "You said it's just like baking, it's nothing like that! Baking is easy! This is not easy." Sakura whined cutely.
"Don't worry sweetheart. It takes time to get it done properly," Aurora soothed as she patted her daughter's head affectionately, wiping away some flour that landed in her hair.
Sakura huffed in exasperation.
"Why are you covered in flour anyways?" asked Hajime curiously.
"I dropped the bag and the powder went EVERYWHERE!" she answered as she stomped on the floor angrily, causing dust to fly up everywhere around them.
They all burst out laughing, unable to contain themselves anymore.
Sakura blushed furiously, "Shut up! I hate you all!" she shouted as she stormed off towards the bathroom.
Aurora wiped tears from her eyes as she watched her daughter leave, "She forgot her flowerpot." she pointed out.
"Hajime, do you know why she cares so much for regular seedlings?" Sophia asked,
"Not really," he lied.
"I suppose she feels a natural connection to them since she's an Oleander." concluded Aurora.
"That's a nice way to put it," Hajime chuckled lightly as he looked at the pot, with three seedlings, on the kitchen counter.
Sophia frowned, "Why do I feel like there's a deeper reason for it."
Aurora shrugged, "Maybe because you're paranoid," she replied teasingly.
"No, there's something strange about how much she loves those plants, I'm sure of it." insisted Sophia.
"I don't know what you're talking about," denied Hajime as he averted his eyes from her suspicious glare.
"Fine, keep it a secret." Sophia pouted, "I'll figure it out myself eventually."
'How long until they're born?' Hajime asked the system silently.
[From a month to a year. It depends entirely on them]
'I'm really going to be a father in a year.' He sighed inwardly. 'I'm not ready for this. How am I supposed to raise triplets?'