“Hold on! Let’s go around the imperial grounds since we’re not allowed to go outside!” Blue shouted as she swiftly flew across the imperial grounds.
“Fifi look! Clouds!” Blue sprinted towards a cloud and we passed through. I felt moisture clinging from my hair.
“This is so much fun!” Even Ashnor kept on screaming how fun this is.
I discovered that there are other palaces inside the imperial grounds, I wonder who lives there.
Caelum Palace is now under construction, they immediately started to build Caelum Palace from scratch.
I looked over the horizon and saw mountain ranges from far away. This feels good, I could never get enough of this.
*****
The emperor remained seated as he waited for his daughters to arrive.
“We must do something before it’s too late.” He massaged his temples as he remembered what happened in the past.
“That must be prevented at all cost.”
Then laughter can be heard outside his window, so he stood up and draw back the curtains.
He saw the twins and Flizeria riding on Blue, laughing as they pointed from one place to another. They even flew through clouds, and Blue performed stunts as the children hold on tight to her. The emperor smiled to himself.
“I must protect this peace.” He mumbled to himself. “I must protect the children.”
A knock can be heard from the other side of the door.
“Your Majesty the duchesses are here.”
“Bring them in.”
Emilia and Lucilia entered the room and curtsied.
“Be seated.” The emperor sat down and took two pieces of paper.
“We interrogated the man they caught and found out that the nobility may be a part of the explosion.”
Emilia and Lucilia’s faces were filled with shock.
“What do you mean by the nobility, your majesty?” Emilia asked.
“I mean, they may be involved in the incident.” The emperor paused and cleared his throat.
“Well, some of them. This information is not yet sure since the man killed himself before giving us further information.”
“What did he say, your majesty?” This time, Lucilia asked.
“Nothing much, he says he knows nothing. We did a background check on him and found out he once belonged to a noble family.”
Lord Earl handed papers to Emilia and Lucilia.
“His family had fallen some time ago, due to excessive debt.” The emperor continued.
“So, we concluded that other families that have fallen may have been part of this. Of course, these are still speculations on our part.”
“So, why are you doubting the nobles, your majesty?” Emilia asked.
Instead of answering, the Emperor looked at Lucilia’s pale face.
“Because they could not have an operation without money,” Lucilia answered.
“Correct. If these families have fallen, they don’t have any financial power. Meaning, someone from the nobility is backing them up.”
“So, what do you want us to do, your majesty?” Emilia asked.
“Go back to your respective duchy. Monitor the noble families in your respective areas. Earl had already contacted the East and West of the empire.”
“Also, I would inform you that the banquet for the twins and Nix will be pushed through six months from now. Until then stay at the duchy, you can come here at the time of the banquet. You may go.”
Both of his daughters stood up and curtsied once again.
“Oh, I almost forgot. Flizeria’s turning two, two weeks from now. We’ll have a banquet, help with the invitations. You’ll go back after her birthday.”
Emilia’s face became sour, “You’re holding a banquet for her?”
“Yes, she’s still part of the imperial family.”
“But aren’t we closing the imperial grounds from outsiders?”
“We’ll be opening them back two days from now. Earl had already contacted merchants for the decorations, and a designer for Flizeria’s outfit.”
“But-“
“No buts, Emilia. This is an order. Help with the invitations. Lucilia, help with the princess’ dress. We must not close the gates any longer. The citizens will view the imperial family as weak if we prolong it.”
Emilia grudgingly nodded, while Lucilia was filled with excitement about helping Flizeria with her dresses.
When both of his daughters left, the emperor stood up and looked outside the window.
“I will not make the same mistakes again.”
*****
We are now eating lunch at the dining hall, we haven’t seen Lucil after she was called by the emperor. What could have happened?
“Ria, open wide!” Ashnor happily fed me.
“I want to feed Fifi too.”
“You can feed her during dinner.”
“Hmmm, okay.”
“Your highness, I can feed the princess” Cecil approached Ashnor.
“It’s okay, I want to feed her myself.”
Cecil went back beside Ser Wayne.
“Prince Ashnor and Prince Ashwin are serious about taking care of the princess huh?” I heard Ser Wayne whisper to Cecil as he chuckled.
“Yeah, they’re taking my workload from me, I don’t know what to do.”
Then Nix and his sister entered the dining hall.
“Oh, I didn’t know that trashes are allowed inside the palace. Aren’t the maids not cleaning the palace?” He looked at me and snickered to himself.
Ashwin stood up and walked towards Nix with his fist clenched.
“Ashwin, he’s not worth it.” Ashnor stopped Ashwin.
“But he’s insulting Fifi again!”
“Don’t stoop down to his level.”
“Oh, are you scared Ashnor?”
“No.” Ashnor looked at Nix with a cold gaze.
“It’s not yet time,” Ashnor whispered to himself.
What does he mean by that?
“Yeah, whatever. Anyway, I’m hungry and I don’t want to eat together with the trash.”
“Then leave, you’re the one that is trash. Not Fifi.” Ashwin went back to his chair.
Nix looked at one of the maids.
“Bring food inside my room. I’ve lost my appetite because of that trash.” He pointed at me then walked outside again.
He’s really rude like his mother. I hope the princess will not grow up to be like them. We finished eating as the maids cleared our plates.
“Hey, Ashnor. What should we do after we’re done eating?”
“Excuse me your highnesses, but it’s time for your afternoon naps.”
Then we heard someone clear his throat.
“Prince Ashwin, Prince Ashnor. Starting today you’re going to have your classes. As of the moment the gates are still closed to outsiders, so for the meantime, I will be your teacher.”
Lord Earl approached our table.
“Classes?” Ashwin asked.
“Yes, you’re going to start your formal education, together with Prince Nix.”
“How about swordsmanship classes?” Ashnor asked this time.
“You will start that too. Your schedules will be handed out to your personal maids. Now, come follow me.”
Lord Earl started to leave, the twins looked at me with a sad expression.
“Does this mean, we can no longer be with Fifi often?”
“Let’s just spend time with her during our breaks.” Ashnor smiled at me as he patted my head.
“See you later Ria.”
Ashwin hugged me, “See you later Fifi.”
With that, the two of them followed Lord Earl.
Cecil held my hand as we walked outside the dining hall. Suddenly it became quiet, I was so used to being with the twins. Hearing them argue and laugh, that being without them felt kind of lonely.
“Are you okay, Princess?”
I looked up at Cecil and nodded.
“Do you want me to carry you?”
“No,” I responded.
What should I do now? The twins always know what to do.
“Princess, perhaps you don’t want to sleep yet?”
I stopped walking and looked up at Cecil.
“Huh?”
“Are you sleepy?”
“No.”
“Okay then, how about I’ll bring you to the library. You’ve never been there, right?”
The library? I really want to read books, even in my past life. I spent most of my time reading when I get a chance to go outside the cell. Well of course it was a requirement to read all sorts of books to be knowledgeable, but it was the only thing I’ve loved in my past life.
“Okay!” I smiled at Cecil as we walked in another direction.
“Just tell me if you’re tired of walking, I’ll carry you.”
We went outside the palace and went towards a place that I’d seen when we were riding Blue this morning.
Oooh, so it was a library. It looked like one of the palaces inside the imperial grounds.
*****
Somewhere outside the capital, in a town, whispers on the streets can be heard.
“Hey, have you heard?”
“It was awful.”
“Who could’ve done such a thing?”
A hooded man walked past these whispers as he headed inside a tavern. Even the men were talking about it.
“They say, the face could no longer be recognized.”
“It’s true! I’ve seen it myself! I was there!”
He went to the counter to order some beer.
“What can I get you, sir?”
“The best you have in the house.”
“Okay! Coming right up.”
His drink has been served as he continued to wait.
“It was a massacre!”
“They were once part of the nobility, right?”
“Yeah, they fell because of excessive debts.”
“Maybe they were killed by the people they were indebted to?”
“Maybe.”
Then another hooded man, years older than him, came to him and signaled him to follow him at the corner of the tavern.
“So, what happened?” Asked the younger man.
“He was caught by the imperial guards.”
“And that’s why his family was massacred?”
“Seems like it. The boss does not like failures.”
Both of their eyes were filled with fear.
“Then, we must be careful not to fail. This could’ve happened to our families.” The young man clenched his fists.
“There’s no escaping this.” The older man shivered at the thought of his family being mercilessly massacred.
“But who could’ve done this? Was there someone under the boss crazy enough to leave the bodies unrecognizable?”
The old man gulped as he remembered the boy he met when he went to the cave, “I don’t know, but I do know they’re doing a lot of nasty things at their headquarters. Let’s just wait for further instructions and remember not to fail. Also, here’s your share.”
Allan gave the younger man a pouch, the young man checked the contents and nodded. With that, the younger man got up, “See you around, Allan.”
“See you around Bruce.”