Chapter 4: Greeting the Royal Family

They arrived at the Royal Palace, a place so luxurious that it was difficult to imagine.

The home of the Royal Family was in front of them as they stepped out of the carriage.

Arisanna has been in the royal palace before as they also had to greet the Royal Family every now and then. However, she wasn't close to the princes nor the princess there since she and her brother always distanced themselves.

Besides pleasant exchanges, they never really interacted. Due to this, Arisanna felt a bit nervous but calmed down when she saw her brother's nervous face.

'I am not alone,' she silently smiled.

Their father courted their mother and so naturally, her brother courted her as they made their way into the palace. They followed a blue-haired attendant who wore a monocle. His hair was tied into a small ponytail with a cute bow at the back.

There they were, inside the throne room.

There in front of them situated the Royal Family.

The emperor and empress sat on their respective thrones. The two princes stood beside the emperor and the princess stood beside the empress.

Arisanna didn't get a good look at them because she was too busy planning out how she would interact with them.

Her heart always beats heavily during moments like these, no matter how many times she met the Royal Family. However, she didn't let it show. She took too many etiquette classes to fail now and so she kept a straight face.

They didn't need to kneel as they had the title of Duke and Duchess. However, gentlemen had to bow while the ladies curtsied.

Arisanna wasn't sure how she did but she tried her best to elegantly curtsy the most perfect curtsy you would ever see her curtsy.

"Lift your heads," rang out the voice of the emperor.

The Royal Family bears the last name of "Alaric", which directly translate to "all-powerful ruler", which is quite befitting.

She then got to finally look at the Royal Family in detail.

The blonde hair that symbolizes the rising sun, and the bright magenta eyes that existed outside of this world, were all characteristics of the Royal Family. Of course, Arisanna didn't know why they had these defining traits.

'Maybe it was because people picked abnormal people to rule over them?' she once thought.

The current Royal Family had three children who will be in line for the throne.

The first prince, Alexander Alaric, was a man of the noble people. He was known for his strong status and his talent in swordsmanship. Apparently, he faced several demons all by himself when he was young and it made a favorable impression on the public.

The second prince, Arthur Alaric, was more known for his magical abilities. He was a named prodigy at a young age and was quick to uptake. He currently is under the guidance of a famous Grand Sorcerer.

Last but definitely not least, the first princess and the youngest of the three. Bridgette Alaric, unlike her brothers, was known for her extensive knowledge of vast subjects. She was extremely smart and quick-witted. It was said she proposed several plans that got followed through.

'Quite the battle, the fight for the throne. Honestly, I think anyone would be happy with any one of these siblings.'

The emperor sat up and went forward to shake hands with her father. He wore a very friendly smile.

"It has been too long since you all visited!" he laughed.

The empress quickly followed him, "Truly, many things have happened in the capital. We have much to catch up on."

The emperor then turned towards the three royal siblings, "Show Reynold and Arisanna around the palace. You kids go have fun."

And so the adults left the children to go talk about whatever they talked about.

Arisanna was always curious about what they spoke about. Each time they came, they acted very friendly to each other. She couldn't blame them though, they were close friends. But it always seem so lively every time they talked that she had to ask.

"Official business" was the only answer they told her but she suspects they like to gossip about different affairs. They probably made fun of the nobles trying to make a good impression.

And so cue the awkward look between her, her brother, and the siblings of the Royal Family. To be fair, she and Reynold had always been a bit shy and so they never properly interacted as kids. But now they were a bit more mature and so they had to talk.

The first prince smiled and spoke up, "Care for some tea?"

"We will be honored," Reynold politely nodded.

"Please, no need to be so formal," the prince said.

And so they guided them to the garden of the Royal Palace. Arisanna tightly grasp her brother's hand while she walked and it seemed like the princess took note of it. She kept glancing at her and Reynold as they walked.

The garden was anything but beautiful, as expected of the palace. There was a beautiful arrangement of flowers and so many pleasant smells filled her nose. Arisanna smiled at the sight of flowers.

"How have you been liking the capital?" the first prince once again spoke up as the maids poured them tea.

"It has been nice and everyone was very welcoming," Arisanna replied.

"I heard they opened a new dessert store near the palace correct?" she then continued while contently sipping her tea.

"Yes, we had the opportunity to try them recently. They were quite well made," the second prince replied.

"Good desserts are hard to come by these days with so many stores around. I am sure competition is rough," the princess added.

"Quite so. We must have passed through countless stores as we arrived at the palace. We don't have many dessert stores up in the North so it was quite an unfamiliar sight," Reynold replied.

"What… is it like up in the north?" the princess hesitantly asked.

"Well, to be quite frank, cold," Arisanna lightly laugh.

"I heard, the weather there is always cold correct?" the second prince asked.

"Yes, it snows every other day there. I think we are quite tired of snow no?" Reynold smiled and turned to look toward Arisanna.

"One will always be tired of something they see constantly," Arisanna smiled back at her brother.

"Yes, Theodore has told us quite a bit of the weather there," the first prince sipped his tea.

He then looked at the pair of siblings in front of them and asked, "I heard you both are quite well-versed in magic and swordsmanship."

"Of course, we also need to protect ourselves up in the North. Demonized beasts come and go and so it wouldn't be safe not to know how to fight," Arisanna smiled.

"I hear you fight them every day Reynold," the second prince spoke up.

"I will soon need to be able to do so if I want to take over my father's post," Reynold chuckled.

"I also hear that Arisanna is also good with magic," the second prince further inquired.

Arisanna politely nodded her head, "Unlike my brother, I am better at magic than him."

She felt a pinch under the table.

Arisanna smiled and held back her laughter.

"Would you care to duel Reynold?" the first prince asked.

The prince looked at Reynold. Reynold looked at him.

'What form of socializing is this?' she panicked inside.

"It would be a pleasure to do so."

And so they both stood up and grabbed a wooden sword.

Arisanna widened her eyes at her brother's bold actions.

'Well, isn't this nice?'

The second prince looked at her, "So how good are you at magic Arisanna?"

She looked back, "Well enough to fight. I am quite comfortable with it."

"Shall we compare at a later date?" he raised his eyebrows.

She blinked and smiled, "Alright, it would be my pleasure."

Their heads then quickly returned to the two who were going to duel.

Arisanna discretely looked at her brother and sent a telepathic message, 'Give us a good show.'

He smiled, 'Of course, I will.'

They both got into their respective positions.