The streets were loud with chatters and laughs, and the festival was in full swing. Among the sea of citizens was a small head of cyan, an unnatural color that raised many eyebrows.
"Wow~!" Alune cheered, her arms spread out. "Look at it, Caelus! Look at it! The people! The decorations! And—!"
She took a long, fulfilling whiff of the aroma. Immediately, her eyes widened with a sparkle as she let out an excited gasp.
Caelus, who was walking just behind, chuckled at her reaction.
"And what? Humans?" he asked jokingly.
"What?! No, not humans! Food! There's so much food~! Hey, hey! How much gold did Celine give you? Was it a lot? Cuz if it is, then I wanna try one of everything!"
"That... sounds a bit too unrealistic."
"Not to me, it doesn't! Come on, Cael! We're burning daylight out here! Daylight that could be spent on trying out everything! Woo~!"
She bolted through the crowd like a child, her arms spread as if to mimic wings, with a palpable smile that inspires freedom and happiness.
"Hah..." Caelus scoffed. "You sure are carefree in a place crawling with your enemies."
He glanced up at the bright blue sky, watching the clouds drift by.
"Not that it's necessarily a bad thing. For today, there is peace. At least... for now."
Under the afternoon sun, the winds were cold and crisp. It was perhaps the perfect weather for a nice, leisurely outing.
Caelus caught up with Alune at a stall selling drinks. Her eyes twisted left to right, from one display drink to the other. Not only was there coffee, but there were also iced drinks like lemonade, beer, and cider.
"Cael! Look at that!" Alune shouted, pointing at the lemonade. "That one looks good! And that one too! Ooh~ There are too many options!"
"Lemonade?" Caelus scoffed. "In this weather? You're gonna catch a cold."
"Nonsense! I'm immune. My body isn't nearly as weak as you fragile humans."
"Hah. Be careful about making such statements in public. Remember, you're surrounded by the very people you're denouncing."
"Pfft, and what are they gonna do to me? I'll just do what I'm best at."
"Running away?"
"Actually, it's sneaking away, thank you very much. Anyway, which one should I get?"
"I don't know, but you'd better decide quickly. Otherwise, I won't pay."
"Hey! That wasn't part of the deal!"
"It is now."
While the feline demon disguised as a human continued to pester Caelus, a small commotion was happening just further down the road. Where so many people gather to celebrate a momentous occasion, there will naturally be those who would take advantage of the chaos.
"Stop that kid!" shouted a merchant.
Heads turned. A young boy in ragged clothes darted through the crowd, clutching a small satchel to his chest. He weaved between people, shoving his way past startled strangers, his thin frame trembling with panic.
He didn't see the leg that slipped into his path until it was too late. He tripped with a startled yelp—yet instead of crashing to the ground, a hand caught him by the collar and hauled him upright.
"What's the hurry, kid?"
The boy glared at him — a tall young man with pale blond hair and distant coral eyes. His clothes were pristine, his posture composed. He was unmistakably noble.
Taylor Reinhall.
"No words?" Taylor scoffed. "You know, that makes you look a lot more guilty in front of a crowd."
"Hey!" a voice barked from behind.
The merchant who'd been chasing the boy shoved through the bystanders, his face red with fury. Without so much as a glance at Taylor, he ripped the satchel from the boy's grip and kicked him hard in the chest.
"Think stealing's fine, do you?!" he roared. "You filthy little rat!"
The first kick drove the air from the boy's lungs. The second made him choke out a cry.
The third never came, as a gleam of silver froze in the air — a blade, its edge resting just a hair from the merchant's throat. The man turned to meet Taylor's calm yet dangerous eyes.
"That's no way to treat a child, is it, my friend?" Taylor murmured.
"Who the hell are you?!" the man snarled. "Are you with him? I'll have the guards drag you off right—!"
He stopped when sunlight flashed across a golden crest hanging from Taylor's chest — a lion within a pointed shield. Even the most uneducated commoner knew what that symbol meant.
"Y-you're...?"
"Just as much of a person as anyone else," Taylor said evenly. "A man who breathes the same air and lives under the same sky. Yet we differ in one regard. I would never raise my hand to a child over something so trivial."
The merchant's anger faltered, swallowed by the weight of the Heir of the Golden Lion.
Taylor sighed, his expression flattening. Then, with a sharp motion, he grabbed the man by the collar and threw him backward. A single gold coin clinked against the stones between them.
"Payment," Taylor said quietly. "For the vegetables. Now, get out of my sight."
The man scrambled to snatch the coin before running off.
Taylor's gaze lingered on the boy for a moment, unreadable, before he turned and disappeared into the crowd. The whispers followed him, admiration woven through them, but he didn't look back. The music and laughter soon swallowed his footsteps, leaving only the faint gleam of sunlight where he had stood.
While the festival continued in the streets of the capital, the palace was buzzing with maids running around. Within its grand white walls, the crown princess of the Vectis Empire stood in solitude.
She faced a mirror that reflected her in a beautiful gown. Her hair was styled rather differently — all of it tied up in braids converging on a large bun at the back of her head. It wasn't anything she'd ever do herself, but for the sake of her royal image, she had no choice.
She stepped up and planted a hand on the mirror. Her eyes involuntarily lowered, and her lips parted. Beautiful was the lady in the mirror, but to her, it wasn't her true self.
"Oh my," said a voice from behind. "Is that truly my sister? You almost seem like a totally different person."
The princess turned to meet the person standing at the doorway of her room. It was a young man who shared the same hair and eye color as her. But their personalities could not be further from each other, she thought.
"...Asta," she said calmly, though her voice was laced with spite.
"Hello, Aria," he smiled. "I see your maids have done a splendid job. Right now, you truly look like the rightful Princess of Vectis."
"Is that to say that I never did before?"
"Not at all. But the way you carried yourself was... questionable, to say the least. Especially when you stood in my way of Caelus de Luvelaine."
Aria bit her lips. This was the first time he'd brought up that incident since it happened.
"Tell me, Sister..." Asta said, "What is your relationship with him?"
"We are nothing but classmates, Brother."
"Is that really so? I find it rather difficult to believe that a mere classmate would stand in my way for your sake. Tell me the truth. Did you know that he was a Fourth-Circle mage? Is that why you covet him?"
"I do not covet him, nor did I know that he was anything more than a fallen noble."
Asta stared at her for a moment, as if he were trying to find the truth behind those eyes. Then, he let out a sigh and walked over to his sister's side. He stood behind her, resting his hands on her arms. While he smiled gently, Aria scowled spitefully.
"Look at us," Asta said lowly. "The two children of the empire's greatest hero; her Imperial Highness, Empress Sellas D'Angelica, the legendary hero of the Great Crusade — she who led the Nine Lords of Angelica. And now, it is up to us to carry on her legacy."
"...You say that as if I even have that choice," Aria muttered. "Perhaps you are only seeking my favor right now because Caelus de Luvelaine is on better terms with me as opposed to you."
"Heh. Perhaps. Perhaps not. Rest assured, dear sister, I will have Sir Luvelaine on my side, with or without your help. It is up to you whether you wish to make yourself useful... or be left behind in the making of a new legend."
With that, he left, leaving Aria alone once again. She fell back into a chair with a heavy breath.
"I miss the college..."