"Hey!" Nicomaine snapped her finger in front of me.
My elbow rested on the carriage window as I leaned my chin on my hand, gazing outside when she called my attention.
I lift my gaze at her while raising my brow. "What do you want?"
"What's wrong with you?" Her face was scowling when she asked me.
I stared into nothingness briefly before returning to my previous position.
The moment I looked outside the window, she kicked my leg. "That hurts! What's wrong with you?" I complained as I looked at her while holding the part of my leg that she kicked.
She crossed her arms while glaring at me. "I am the one asking you that question. Answer it!"
I sigh. There are two possible reasons for Nicomaine acting like this. First, she is bored. And the other one, she had nothing to do. I should at least thank the god of this world because I only have one sibling.
"Why don't you worry more about yourself instead of worrying about me? We are about to reach the palace soon. Have you prepared yourself how you will face the prince?" I asked.
She bit her lip and looked away from me. "Tsk. I hate it when you are in charge of anything," she complained. She still crossed her arms while frowning her brows. "Just make sure your plan will work like what you said."
"Do you want me to let you act on your own?" I asked, already reaching for the window.
"No! Stop it," she hissed, grabbing my arm. "I'll follow your advice, alright? Just shut up."
I smirked at her as she clung to my hands. She glared at me but couldn't do anything to make the situation favor her. It looked like she was asking me to do her assignment, but she needed to make me a sandwich and orange juice.
After the siblings' war happened inside the carriage, we finally arrived at the palace. I looked around as I put my hand sideways and tried to reminisce about the last time I was here. It was six years ago before my mother died.
I sighed. "This palace still feels suck," I murmured. "But it feels so nostalgic remembering my childhood memories here."
Right after I said those words, Nicomaine hit my arms and passed through me to lead the way. I watched her walk away and say, "What's wrong with you now?"
I put my hand inside my pocket as I follow my sister walking the path through the entrance of Thornevia Palace.
The palace resides in Misthaven, the royal capital of Arventia. Well, this palace is not a fancy place like what you can see in the familiar adventure fantasy series you watch in series. It was just like a typical huge mansion you could even imagine.
When we were about to enter the palace, Nicomaine suddenly stopped walking. I stood beside her and asked, "Now, what?" I glared at her, but I kept my hands inside my pocket.
She held me in my arms tightly, but her gaze remained before us. "Brother, whatever happens, please don't you ever dare leave me alone with the prince again. I'm begging you."
I softened my gaze at her as I slightly opened my mouth. Then, before I answer her, I also look at the hallway. "Let's go and visit the crown prince. I know he will be delighted having his childhood playmates," I said.
As soon as we entered the palace, some prince's retainers escorted us. They led us as if they knew what business we had already. I can sense in their presence that they were happy that the prince's childhood playmates were here again to visit him.
"What a pleasure to have you here, Lord Nicodeim and Lady Nicomaine. What brings you here?"
The moment we step forward, that's the time that an unpleasant person suddenly appears and approaches us. I scowled as I saw the face of Lucan Dreymore, the Minister of State.
Nicomaine subtly pulled me closer when she noticed the irritation on my face.
Then, she gives the minister a fake smile. "Oh, what a pleasure to see you too, Minister Dreymore. I hope you have a wonderful day ahead," my sister greeted him.
I let them two act friendly even though they despise each other.
Suppose you ask me why. I can't pinpoint precisely where the hate started. I only knew that Dreymore was part of a faction that didn't support Nicolo as the next crown prince.
Dreymore puts his hands on his back and smiles at Nicomaine. "We deeply regret not being prepared for your visit, as I was unaware of it. We would have appreciated it if you had informed us beforehand."
Look at those words. I wish I could talk back, but if I did, I'm sure not only Father will disown me, but my sister will surely kill me. So, I would let the expert handle him.
Nicomaine chuckles while covering her mouth. "Oh, there's no need for that; you don't have to trouble yourself. After all, your presence isn't essential here," she said.
Her eyes widened as if she was admitting a mistake. "Oh, my bad. What I mean is, we're here to visit the crown prince because, during my last visit, my brother couldn't accompany me. I made sure to bring him along this time," she explains.
Between Dreymore's gaze, it is evident that he saw what my sister was implying here. He nodded softly and smirked before he said, "Do you mean the firstborn son of the king… Lady Nicomaine?"
My smile fades, and I immediately look at my sister when I hear him provoking her. I know Nicomaine started this kind of conversation, but it is not a good idea to attack her with that.
"Sister, do you think we should—"
"Yes, Minister Dreymore, you're right…" she said, cutting me off. The fake smile on her face remains. "...none other than Prince Nicolo, the one who will inherit the throne and the next king of Arventia." After she said that, her smile widened.
Dreymore suddenly looks away and clears his throat. That is his limit.
"Well then, Minister Dreymore, we'll take our leave now, as the prince might be waiting for us. Until we meet again," Nicomaine added as she waved to the minister and pulled me to start walking away.
While walking, I watched Dreymore walk away from us. Then I shifted my gaze to my sister, came closer to her ears, and whispered, "I thought we were not allowed to say something like that—aw!" She ended up pinching my arms.
"Whatever the situation is, I won't allow anyone to disrespect the crown prince. He may not officially be the crown prince yet, but I will make sure he will be."
When I saw her intense expression, I preferred not to remain silent. It was not a time to annoy my sister.
"You should still be careful with your choice of words. That is Minister Dreymore we are talking about. You know he had a say regarding decisions involving the prince," I reminded her.
Instead of becoming wary, her look becomes more intense. She still maintained her calm and elegant posture while walking, but I knew deep inside that she could feel the pressure of the job she would take from now on.
"He should enjoy his moments for now. He would never know until when it will last."
I lift my brows while gesturing a whistle but without a sound as I look away from her and shift my gaze to the long hallway. I am right for not teasing her at this moment. She's really in her serious mode.
"Minister Dreymore. I wonder how he was still in a position even though he was a member of the Rebels. This kingdom is already hopeless," she added.
Well, she is right. Dreymore participated in many anomalies in this kingdom just to destroy the reputation of the Thorne Family. However, he can still wander freely inside the palace like a saint.
"I hate nobles who supported a man like him. How do they not see that they're the ones who are destroying the kingdom? They shouldn't tolerate people who only want to destroy. Changing the heir of the king won't make this kingdom better. Their mindset and unity is."
My brows narrowed when Nicomaine said that as if it led me into something.
I looked at her. "What do you mean nobles supporting the minister? Where do they need to support Dreymore?"
She glared at me before answering my question. "Come on, brother. Don't act stupid just to make me look genius here. You know what I am talking about, right?"
I glanced at her for a second and then looked in front of us again. I heard her sigh and continued speaking. "Dreymore wants to solidify an alliance with the Duke of Eldermoor."
I nodded. "Ah, I heard about it. Dreymore is pushing the first son of the duke to be the potential candidate as a crown prince if Prince Nicolo fails to meet their expectations."
"But what angers me is his way of sabotaging the prince and even our estate. Can you imagine? He's transporting talented blacksmiths from Mistyvale to Eldermoor to give the estate a better source of resources than our estate."
A smirk comes into my lips. The answer I am looking for is now in my hands.