The day after the orientation, Alice stood inside the prestigious castle of Elrod.
She had arrived earlier than she thought, the Prince invited her to meet him in the castle at noon but Alice arrived early in the morning.
She just couldn't wait.
An expressionless demeanor exuded towards the people in the castle, whether it be the knights or maids, they all felt her cold aura washing towards them.
Alas, the Prince hadn't even woken up yet, but here she was barging inside the halls.
She was greeted by the King of Elrod, who was wearing a black suited coat, along with a white inner shirt paired with a black tie. He was wearing a matching color trouser, and boots.
There was an emblem by his left chest, and a couple more ornaments and badges.
"You've arrived early, Lady Alice."
"Your majesty.."
Alice bowed in respect, lifting up the skirt of her long white dress.
Appearance-wise, Alice looked like a doll, possessing the same attributes such as the indifferent facial expressions, smooth marble skin, and facial features that were considered to be perfect. Additionally, along with her long white dress, she carried a pearl-white clutch bag in her left hand.
"I've come to meet with the Prince... We were supposed to get our uniforms specially tailored today.."
"Right, he did say something like that."
The King fixed his tie for second and continued:
"I apologize, Lady Alice but I must go. I have some business to attend to. If you may excuse me."
Alice responded with a light bow.
With that she was left alone once more in the castle lounge, waiting for the arrival of the Prince.
'Maybe I've arrived too early..'
Brushing her curled blond hair with the soft tips of her fingers, its silky smooth texture reflecting upon the room.
She sighed and waited.
The maids already told of her arrival to the Prince, but due to him still being in a slumber, Alice could only sit down and wait.
So, after a long half hour, she heard soft footsteps coming from the hall.
A boy with pure-white messy hair was rubbing his eyes and looked as if he was still half awake.
He was wearing sleeping garments that consisted of long sleeves and pajamas.
"Your majesty, Prince Veritas, I apologize for coming so early in the morning."
The Prince stopped rubbing his eyes and opened them, revealing a deep gold and crimson red spectacle for Alice to see.
That is to say, the Prince's looks were out of this world. Not only is his skin fair and smooth, but the defining features of his face could be said to be impeccable. His jaw is chiseled, his eyelashes were long, his eyes shone brightly, his lips were red and soft, his nose was flawless, and even with his messy hair, he still looked good.
To call the Prince handsome would be an understatement.
What's even more amazing is the instance where a Pathbearer would undergo physical changes based on the Rank of their Soul.
Although it did not happen to anybody, those that possess great Paths would be subject to change.
If the Prince were to get even more attractive when he ascended his Path, then his face alone would cause a major uproar inside the kingdom.
Even as an Impure, the Prince had stunning looks and already caused many individuals to fall for him with just a mere sight.
Alice thought of the uproar that his ascended self would cause..
It gave her chills and warmth at the same time.
"It's alright, Lady Alice."
His voice soothed her emotionless heart.
"I shall get cleaned and dressed for a moment, would you mind waiting for a couple of minutes?"
If Alice actually felt emotions then she would've blushed or felt butterflies in the stomach by now... but alas, her heart was already as cold as ice.
"I understand. Do take your time."
With that, the Prince showed his pleasantries and left to the direction of a bathroom.
Alice guessed that he took a morning bath, she deduced that it would take a couple more minutes before he came back.
And so, that couple more minutes soon came to pass.
Sat in the same position and posture, Alice patiently awaited his arrival.
Hearing light footsteps of a leather shoe, she anticipated the presence of the Prince.
Thus, he arrived.. wearing a black oversized shirt that lengthed down his elbows. Perfectly fit black pants and alabaster white boots, complimented the splendor of his shirt.
Along with a white tote bag and a golden necklace on his neck, the Prince looked... youthly. This was the crazed fashion for teenagers nowadays..
It was thanks to the development of the Southern Region..
Their peculiar clothing and fashion changed the entire aesthetic of wearing clothes. In the past, people wore normal tunics and shirts. But now, there was more freedom to mix and match various clothing styles and colors.
This was another influence by the Queen, she mainly introduced the concept of proper clothing such as suits, shoes, coats, and a lot more. The People of the South were just.. much more innovative and imaginative when it comes to their clothing.
Still, the few decades that she was Queen impacted a lot of development for Elrod.
"You look good, your majesty.."
"The same to you too..."
The Prince then brought out a faceless mask, and put it on.
Immediately, his hair and eye color began to change. The once pure white hair of the Prince now turned deep black... as for his eyes, only one changed color and the two of them were painted as crimson red.
"Why the change?"
Alice was confused. She already thought that he looked perfect with white hair, but changing his hair color to black was good too!
"I don't want to attract too much attention.."
"Ah- I see."
She thought of the wrong reasons, he changed his appearance not because it would compliment his looks but it was to dissuade attention away from them!
"Shall we go?" The Prince calmly asked.
"Yes."
The two of them left the castle and rode upon a luxurious yet not attention-seeking carriage.
Inside, Alice asked:
"So where is this tailor that was recommended to you by your Father?"
The Prince rubbed his cheek and then he replied:
"He stated that it was located in Gold Borough. I don't know the specific directions but I'm sure that Butler James will lead us there."
Alice stared at the direction of the carriage's driver, he was wearing a normal butler attire consisting of an all black suit, and trousers.
"I.. understand."
In a few minutes, they arrived at Gold Borough and the atmosphere was significantly changed from that of the Diamond Borough.
The latter was more reserved and quiet but the former... was really busy.
There were vendors on the street, suited individuals going to work, many luxurious carriages, distinguished families, and many more!
One would not be able to find the same facilities that were located in Diamond Borough..
"I've not been here for too long yet the atmosphere change really surprises me so.." Alice remarked.
"Is that so? I guess you wouldn't expect the bustling energy coming from Silver and Copper Borough."
"Is it brighter than the streets of Gold Borough?"
"Very much so.."
A few moments passed by and Butler James informed them of their arrival to the tailoring shop.
No one would expect such a normal luxurious carriage to carry the Prince of the Kingdom, so there weren't any crowds forming outside anymore.
Alice and the Prince got out of the carriage and went inside the shop.
It looked high-quality and formal, there were no customers inside and the displayed clothing showed an impeccable seam along with an alluring design.
'Impressive...'
Only a few tailor shops have only caught Alice's eye, and the shop that she was in really amazed her so..
Prince Veritas walked towards the counter to speak with the receptionist, beside her was Alice who was at awe by the grace of the beautiful craftsmanship made by the tailor.
'Who made these..?'
Alice was then brought back to reality by the simple question of the person behind a counter.
"How may I help you both?"
"We are here to specifically get a tailor-made uniform for Knights Academy, I believe the King has sent his word."
The receptionist immediately read the records and jumped back in surprise, she didn't expect the normal looking teenager in front of her to be the Prince.
"You are.. the Prince... correct?"
"Indeed."
The receptionist bowed repeatedly and apologized.
"I am deeply ashamed for not noticing you, your majesty!"
"It is of no matter. I wouldn't recognize me either." He laughed gently.
As a couple of seconds passed, the Prince and Alice were directed towards a private room.
The receptionist then tried to make small talk as they were walking down the hall.
"I see that you enrolled at Knights Academy, your majesty. My son studies there too, he's in his 2nd year now."
"Is that so.. It would be a delight to meet him in the future."
"Ah- actually he's here right now, currently serving as a part-time worker. He's one of our tailors, actually.. Hehe-"
The receptionist seemed awkward to talk to but Alice felt a great warmth coming from her.
With that, the two of them reached the private room.
It wasn't that big of a deal, but it looked comfy. It consisted of a marble chair with soft comforting fabric to sit on. There was a closet of finely made suits and dresses. Also, a glass table with varnished high-quality wood, and various displays of flawlessly made clothing.
Overall, the aesthetic of the room looked professional and tidy.
'As expected of a high-end tailor shop.' Alice complimented in her mind.
"Ah- please, sit down.. "
As the two of them sat down and waited a couple of seconds, the door leading inside the room suddenly opened.
Entering the formal room, was a young man that looked no older than 17. He possessed deep dark eyes, and silky black hair that was pushed back.
The boy walked slowly, carefully fixing his neat formal attire that is best suited for a tailor. A navy blue vest, a red tie with intricate patterns, gray fitted slacks, and shiny black shoes.
Overall, he looked like a normal high-end tailor.
"Pleased to meet you both.."
He bowed to show his respects.
"As mentioned by my mother, I am also attending the Knights Academy. I do hope to stay acquainted with you both.."
The Prince reached out to shake the tailor's hands.
"It is pleasing to meet you, may I know your name so that I could endorse you to my future prospects?
"Ah.. My name?"
He paused for a moment.
Then, with a heavy breath, the boy continued..
"My name is Lumen Norn, pleased to meet you.."