[1] Return Of The Prince

1.1

A man dressed in a futuristic aristocratic outfit confidently entered the ducal residence of Seisyll, a prominent noble family within the Delta Star Kingdom. With his long light blue hair tied back in a sleek ponytail, it swayed elegantly in the air as he made his way inside.

As the Imperial Prince Theo Del'um de Crovan suddenly barged in unannounced, several ladies who were busy with their work were taken aback and left speechless. They had no idea how to react upon seeing such a prominent figure in their presence.

Unaware that it was the working hour for the servants, Theo found himself in a sea of dust and stood still, feeling frozen and uncertain in this unfamiliar situation. It was the first time he had faced such a scenario and he was unsure of how to proceed.

In that moment, a slightly older lady stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Theo, addressing him with the proper honorific, "Greetings, Your Imperial Highness."

The maids quickly followed the lead of the lady butler and bowed hastily in respect to Theo. As he saw a familiar face among them, Theo breathed a sigh of relief.

"Lady Leia," Theo greeted the lady with a shallow smile, and proceeded to explain the reason for his unexpected visit to the Seisyll Estate, "I have come to meet Lady Emilia."

"I guessed so, but unfortunately, Your Highness, Lady Emilia is not currently present at the Seisyll Estate," Lady Leia replied with a tinge of pity upon seeing the disappointment etched on Theo's face.

"She's not here," Lady Leia reiterated gently, sensing Theo's spirit waning. "As for her whereabouts, I'm afraid I do not have that information at the moment."

"Is that so?" Theo's spirits dampened at the news. "Perhaps she is in her dormitory?" he inquired with a glimmer of hope.

Lady Leia smiled at Theo's hopeful inquiry, and he interpreted it as a sign that he may have guessed correctly. With a grateful nod to her, he swiftly departed just as abruptly as he had arrived, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

The servants who had been standing still in front of the Imperial Prince finally released the tension that had been building up within them. As most of them were betas, they couldn't help but feel nervous in the presence of such a powerful alpha, despite their best efforts to remain composed.

The alpha's aura exuded a hidden aggressiveness and a sense of dominance that couldn't help but intimidate even the strongest of betas, let alone the weaker ones who couldn't help but feel a sense of panic in its presence.

As the commotion died down, one of the maids couldn't help but murmur to herself, "It's been a while since they last met, yet Prince Theo still has such a close relationship with our lady. I hope they can maintain their friendship like this forever…" Her words were tinged with a hint of wistfulness, as she too longed for a friendship like that in her own life.

Lady Leia simply smiled at the maid's words, knowing that there was likely more to the relationship between Lady Emilia and Prince Theo than just friendship. After all, for an Imperial Prince to rush to meet with their Lady right after coming from the battlefield, it seemed unlikely that their connection was purely platonic.

"Their relationship may very well change once Lady Emilia comes of age," another maid chimed in.

The bystanders, being outsiders to the relationship, could see more clearly than those involved.

"It's difficult to say with certainty, given Lady Emilia's nature," Lady Leia added, her tone laced with a meaningful subtext. The maids who had overheard her words let out a collective sigh of frustration, knowing that the uncertain nature of their Lady's personality made it impossible to predict the future of her relationship with the Prince.

…

As a small hover car approached a villa located on the outskirts of the No.1 University of Delta Star Kingdom, Core-delta University, the vehicle's engines began to quieten.

Stepping out of the car, Theo was immediately struck by the advanced security measures in place at the villa. Despite being a highly protected planet, the villa had advanced security. 

As he put on a harmless look, he approached the front door, a scanning device quickly registered his presence and alerted those inside of his arrival.

As the system verified Theo's identity, the doors to the villa opened from the middle, revealing a figure inside.

"Welcome, Theo."

The moment the man entered, his ruby-coloured eyes fell on the lady whose eyes were staring at the door, waiting for him. Theo's eyes flashed with pleasant surprise at that sight. 

It had been a full five years since they had last seen each other, and in that time, Emilia had undergone a tremendous transformation. Now, as she stood before him, Theo could see that the once 16-year-old girl had blossomed into a fine and graceful lady.

Theo stood at the door, gazing at the woman before him with a mixture of familiarity and unfamiliarity. He remembered the days of war, when he was forbidden from contacting anyone outside of the military and the emperor. Those were dark times, but now he felt a sense of relief and joy at the sight of Emilia.

Before arriving on the capital planet, Theo had made inquiries about Emilia's current situation. He learned that after years of homeschooling, Emilia was finally allowed to attend university. However, he knew that the only reason the Empress allowed her niece to attend was for the sake of appearances.

But knowing something and actually seeing it with his own eyes were two different things.

Theo felt a momentary hesitation in facing the now 21-year-old Emilia. As she continued to stare at him without uttering a word, a blush crept up on his pointed ears, betraying his internal turmoil

Theo shifted his gaze away from Emilia and spoke in an awkward tone, "Did Lady Leia inform you of my arrival?"

Emilia's lips curved into a gentle smile. She was dressed in formal attire, unlike the usual comfortable clothes one would wear at home. "Yes, she did," she replied softly.

"It was supposed to be a surprise," Theo admitted, feeling a tinge of embarrassment as he rubbed his nose awkwardly.

As Theo looked at Emilia, he couldn't help but feel like he was staring at a miniature version of the Empress. If he didn't know any better, he would have mistaken her for her aunt's cloned body, rather than her own niece. Emilia remained silent, but her inner she-wolf spoke up.

[The Delta Star Network has been broadcasting the end of the war since this morning. It would be strange not to know that he is returning.]

1.2

Theo Del'um de Crovan, the only Imperial Prince of the Great Delta Star Kingdom and Emilia's childhood friend, stood before her. He had been away at war for the past five years and had returned taller and with eyes that held a profound depth. Emilia could sense that his aura had also undergone a drastic change.

The sweet cinnamon pheromone now carried a spicy and aggressive undertone, signaling a change in Theo's demeanor. Despite his efforts to mask his fierce energy, Emilia noticed the shift in his pheromones.

She observed an anticipation in his ruby-colored eyes, which, according to her studies, someone would show to their close relatives after years of separation.

'Lily, do you think something is wrong with Theo?' Emilia asked her she-wolf companion.

[Hmm. Hmm.]

Lily nodded her head twice to express her strong affirmation.

Emilia squinted her green eyes and finally left her comfortable sofa. She walked up to Theo and engulfed him in a warm hug, the kind he used to prefer whenever he was in a bad mood or did a good deed.

"Welcome back, Theo," Emilia said softly.

At that moment, the man's eyes sparkled with delight, and he hugged her back tightly. His eyes rested on her white blonde hair, and his wolf, Cinnan, became excited as he caught a faint scent of fresh lilies.

[Pheromones? But she's a sub-beta.] The spiritual body of Theo's wolf, Cinnan, thought, but he did not detect any trace of another spiritual body on Emilia.

Assuming it was the smell of Emilia's perfume, Theo took a deep breath, unaware that he was actually inhaling Emilia's super rare pheromone. Even Emilia was unaware of its existence.

…

That afternoon, in the small garden while Theo and Emilia were having their tea, Theo swiftly took out an envelope and pushed it towards Emilia. The latter was admiring two fairy butterflies flying and dancing around and did not notice Theo's small movement.

It was Lily, her wolf did.

As Emilia turned her gaze, she noticed an envelope with the royal seal. She gave Theo a questioning look, and he responded with a smile and a signal to open it while he pretended to sip her homemade tea.

While Emilia read the document inside, Theo diverted his attention to the fairy butterflies and boasted, "I kept my promise, Emily."

Emilia was puzzled by the promise Theo mentioned, but her focus shifted to the royal decree, which she realized was the highest kind approved by the emperor himself.

"My father agreed." Theo said cheekily, waiting for Emilia to praise him.

[Emilia! Your wish has come true! We can go to ancient Earth, finally!]

As a student who belonged to the Ancient Architecture and History Research Department, the ancient Earth had great significance to her as well as to the citizens of the Delta Star Kingdom.

[Emilia, your dream has come true! We can finally go to ancient Earth!] Lily chimed in excitedly.

As a student in the Ancient Architecture and History Research Department, the prospect of exploring ancient Earth was a dream come true not only for her but also for the citizens of the Delta Star Kingdom who revered the planet as the cradle of their civilization.

However, they were not the only ones who regarded the ancient Earth as their ancestral origin planet. The Moonveil Planetary Kingdom also shared the same sentiment.

For thousands of years, the planet was under the Veilan's authority, even though it rightfully belonged to both kingdoms. However, the Veilans, who were overbearing and tyrannical, blatantly ignored the galactic laws and occupied the planet on their own.

Emilia's interest in visiting the planet was sparked when she joined her university's Ancient Architecture and History Research Department. She was always interested in history and somehow learned about the origin planet. However, when she discovered that the Veilans had unilaterally taken control of it, she was deeply disappointed.

In passing, she mentioned it to Theo .

[It's been more than five years, is it?]

The she-wolf, Lily, voiced out after she felt Emilia's emotions. At that, Emilia rubbed the edge of the paper she was holding and smiled.

'He remembers such a minor matter. He's truly an exceptional alpha.'

Lily agreed.

Theo felt a sense of pride and accomplishment as he saw Emilia's pleased expression. He knew that the five-year-long war against the Veilans was worth his time and effort, as he had not only made Emilia and Lily happy, but also his people, the Del'ians, and even his father, Emperor Jordan Del'um de Crovan, had expressed his approval of Theo's victory.

As he looked at Emilia, he realized that she was not just another person in his life, but someone special, someone he wanted to protect and cherish.

Fulfilling her passing wish gave him unexpected gains. When he saw the blackened face of Empress Iona when he went to get his father's approval, he couldn't be more grateful to Emilia.

Emilia without her knowledge was the reason of her aunt's recent insomnia and headache!

Emilia's joy was evident as she expressed her gratitude to Theo. For years, she had become accustomed to concealing her emotions, but she felt comfortable enough to let her guard down and thank him for his hard work.

"The feeling is mutual, Emily. I am grateful to have you as my friend," replied Theo, his voice sincere and warm.

Emilia felt fortunate that Theo had won the war and they now had the opportunity to visit the ancient Earth. Little did she know she was the sole reason why the 'back then' young imperial prince, Theo Del'um de Crovan ran to the frontline to fight for (his people's) ancestral rights to earth!

When the two people were gratified and in high spirits, their body released happy pheromones. Even though it was little for Emilia that even she did not know, she plagued the alpha to laugh without restraint.

[Emily is happy!]

Cinnan, Theo's alpha, said so in Theo's mind. Theo perceived it and could not wait to prolong it.

"Emily, when shall we leave?" Theo tapped the little table between him and Emilia.

Emilia put down the decree and asked, a small smile hanging on the corner of her lips, "Let's go?"

"Fine!" Theo immediately stood up, and accidentally knocked down the table in the process.

Emilia saw how Theo could not wait to run back to the ancient Earth (with her) and thought, 'Why is he so excited?'

[Who knows…]