The morning sun cast warm shadows across the gathering space as workers bustled around, arranging the seating with practiced efficiency. High-quality sofas were being positioned in careful vertical rows. The finest, most luxurious pieces were placed at the front where the most important figures would sit, with progressively simpler seating stretching toward the back. At the center of it all stood a podium, waiting silently for whoever would command the crowd's attention.
"So Natalia, are you nervous about your first meeting with the Crowns and common people?" her third female friend asked, settling into her seat as the preparations continued around them. Her voice carried genuine concern beneath the casual question.
"Hmm, why would I be nervous? There's nothing I fear," Princess Natalia replied with unwavering confidence, lifting her chin slightly. "Humph! Just you wait. I'll make everyone favor me and they will kneel in front of me giving me their full support." The determination in her voice left no room for doubt.
"Yeah, she's the best at everything," her second male friend chimed in enthusiastically, his admiration clear in every word. "In our class, no one could even come close to her in any field. She's incredible!"
"Except for me, that is," Little Man sitting beside her interjected warmly, looking at her with fond amusement. He rested his elbow on the table, propping his handsome face against one hand as he casually ate something, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Humph! Only in some sports and all. Otherwise, I'm at the top!" Princess Natalia glared at him playfully and hit his arm with enough force to make him stumble forward. His handsome head barely stopped from slamming into the table.
"Hehehe!" Natalia and the others burst into laughter at his dramatic near-miss.
The mood shifted slightly as the first female friend on the other side reached over and hugged Natalia's arm protectively. "Still, the atmosphere in the city isn't good these days. I've been praying for your safety constantly. I'm so happy you're fine." Worry creased her brow despite her relieved smile.
"Hmm, true. I also checked on information about you many times," Little Man added more seriously, his playful demeanor fading into genuine concern. "I'm really glad you're fine, Natalia." The others nodded in agreement, their faces reflecting the same worry.
"Don't worry, everyone. I'm fine and healthy," Princess Natalia reassured them all with a warm smile, her voice soft and calming as she tried to ease their concerns.
But the second female friend leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a cautious whisper. "But how will you tackle that fat man?"
A knowing smile crossed Natalia's face, and something sparked in her eyes. "That, I do have a plan for. But I'm waiting for something to arrive. I really hope he's successful in getting it today only." She spoke warmly, though her fingers fidgeted slightly with anticipation.
"What? You have a plan? That's what I told them before!" the second male friend exclaimed excitedly, unable to contain himself. "There's no way you'd back out so easily! You always put more effort into everything than any of us. Tell us what the plan is! Share it with us!"
"Haha, not now," Natalia laughed, shaking her head playfully. "I'm not sure if I can get it today. If I do, then just watch the surprise on that fat man's face. Hehe." Her eyes gleamed with mischievous delight at the thought.
Little Man glanced back at the three expert Queen guards standing at a respectful distance, constantly scanning their surroundings with professional vigilance. He turned back to Natalia and spoke softly, "Your subordinate must be quite meager in strength. Why not send those Queen expert women to get whatever you want instead?"
"Hmm, I'm sure he'll do his best," Natalia spoke in a low voice, her confidence in Zack evident despite her fingers fidgeting more noticeably now.
"Geez, Natalia, you're way too soft on your people, why are you using someone who is weak and saving those who are strong??" the first female friend said with clear irritation, her frustration bubbling over. "Why can't you act with the same decisiveness you showed this morning? If you were like that all the time, they would never disobey you and would give 100 percent toward you. I see that even one Queen expert guard is missing for your personal protection, replaced by just that little man. I think he's your sister's personal guard, right? What can he do if someone attacks you now?" She glanced disapprovingly at Alfie, who stood there with a dumb expression, yawning from time to time and looking utterly unbothered by the world around him.
"Come on, guys. They're my close people. How can I be hard on them? They're doing their best," Princess Natalia defended warmly, looking over at Alfie and then at Little Princess, who sat behind them near the bodyguard group, all alone and quietly observing everything with those slightly tired-looking eyes.
"Natalia, I've seen you all these years spending time with some other rock people. I think it's made you soft," Little Man said, his tone shifting to something more serious and concerned. He leaned forward, his eyes locked on hers with intensity. "A princess has to have a strong personality. Look around you. All five rock leaders are confidently bold and strong in their own aspects. And look at our Queen. She's the perfect example of a soft leader." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "I'm not degrading your mother, but look at our condition. The Crown people are barely satisfied. There's very little food in this city. Resources are negligible. All the energy tools are provided by us Crowns. The third rock is filled with nonsense things. The second rock barely has any source of income. And don't even talk about the first rock, which is a hell of a place."
He gently touched her arm, his voice steady and filled with conviction as he continued. "Natalia, you're our savior. You can't afford to be soft with them."
His grip tightened slightly, not in force, but in reassurance. "I support you because I believe in you, wholeheartedly. I've watched you for years, seen how hard you've worked on yourself. I was there when you were injured during many ordeals, and I stood by your side and helped you as you struggled to grasp those complex theories."
His voice softened, yet it carried weight. "I was there when you cried alone in the corner of the classroom, pushing yourself beyond your limits."
He met her eyes, unwavering. "So don't falter at the final moment. Carve your own path. Be decisive. Be strong."
Princess Natalia's eyes sparkled as she gazed at her friend's passionate expression, absorbing every word he spoke. His hand remained on her arm "Umm, I will do that!" she finally said, smiling sweetly at him, her determination reigniting. She didn't pull her arm away, comfortable in his supportive presence.
As they continued talking, the seats around them slowly filled with more and more people, the gathering space transforming into a proper assembly.
.
"Look who's here! My dearest friend, Isafold Dreka!" A warm voice rang out beside Mother Isafold, who was sitting in the first row with perfect posture. "Long time no see! Where are your three handsome husbands? Are you divorced?" The voice dripped with false sweetness.
"Hmm, Sveindis Randverse, the underground bitch crawled onto the surface," Mother Isafold replied calmly, not even bothering to turn her head. "Did your hole people throw you away?"
"What should I do?" Sveindis said with an exaggerated sigh as she settled comfortably into her seat. "Princess Natalia strongly insisted I be present, so I can't help it. Supporting my leader is my duty. Unlike someone else who opposes her leader and creates her own little faction of people, and still barely making any profits." She smiled coldly. "Why not join us and earn a lot more?"
"I'd rather live a life of poverty than join hands with you people who treat people as toys," Mother Isafold declared, her voice unwavering. Her moral compass refused to bend, no matter the temptation.
"You're as strict with yourself as always," Sveindis observed, leaning back with a knowing smirk. "Why don't you bend a little and have fun in life? You could have become a leader if you hadn't stopped yourself from doing deeds that could have made you profitable back then." The mockery in her tone was unmistakable.
"I followed my heart, and I don't have any regrets," Mother Isafold stated firmly. Then she turned her gaze directly onto Sveindis, her eyes serious with a penetrating gaze. "Your leader will sooner or later vanish from this world."
"Hmmm." Sveindis's expression darkened immediately, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Now you're coming openly and threatening to kill our leader? Should I treat this as blasphemy and ask our dear leader to put some action against you?"
"Ara, I never said anything about killing anyone," Mother Isafold replied smoothly, a pleasant smile crossing her face. "There are different ways a person can vanish. Such bloody thoughts you have, Miss Sveindis. But even though you complain to him, I'm sure he doesn't have time to put any thought into your words, since he must be busy thinking about how to make the Queen his!" Her smile widened with satisfaction.
"GRR! You bitch! Smile all you want!" Sveindis snarled, her composure cracking completely. "When our leader sits in that Queen's place, then I'll personally make you VANISH from this city!" She glared at Mother Isafold with pure venom in her eyes.
"No need to threaten this old woman. I've enjoyed my life enough and have lots of cute little children of mine," Mother Isafold said peacefully, her smile never faltering. She looked over at Big Guy, who was helping around by carrying heavy furniture with ease. "BLAKE! Son, can you come here for a second?" she called out loudly, her voice warm filled with maternal love.
Big Guy heard her immediately and swiftly made his way over, standing respectfully before her. "Mother Isafold, what happened?" he asked with concern, completely ignoring Sveindis as if she didn't exist.
"Can you please bring some water for your mother? My throat itches from saying bad words to this lady." Mother Isafold spoke gently, patting his arm with affection.
"Umm, okay," Big Guy replied casually. He went off somewhere and returned moments later with a glass of water, handing it to her carefully. She drank it gratefully and gave the empty glass back. "Don't tire yourself out, son. There are people here hired to do this work."
"Hehe, Mother, don't worry. I've eaten a lot before coming here. I have lots of energy!" Big Guy spoke in his characteristic nonchalant way, his goofy grin spreading across his face before he turned and went back to helping.
Sveindis remained quiet throughout the entire exchange, her jaw clenched tightly as she watched the display of genuine affection.
Mother Isafold looked back at her and spoke with quiet satisfaction. "See? Such a good son I have, who takes care of this old lady. I have loving husbands and beautiful friends. What do you have, Miss Underground Boss? A huge amount of money and a man who doesn't love you back?"
After saying this, Mother Isafold didn't even bother to look at Sveindis anymore. She simply turned to talk with other people on her other side, dismissing the underground boss entirely.
"GRR!" Sveindis glared at her with burning anger, her fists clenched, but she didn't say anything back. She had no response that wouldn't prove Mother Isafold's point.
Slowly, the entire seating area filled up as the time for the meeting drew near. The air buzzed with anticipation and tension.
.
PAT!
"Hey there, Hanna! Why are you here at the very back, hiding?" A hand suddenly landed on Little Princess's shoulder, making her turn around. "We've all been looking for you!"
Little Princess turned and saw her friend standing there with a bright smile. "Oh, hello. Sorry, I was just feeling a little off, so I sat here." She stood up and smiled politely, though there was a hint of weariness in her expression.
"Geez, you're like that because you're all alone! Come with us. All of our friend group is waiting for you!" The female friend started pulling her away insistently. "Come on, let's go from here!"
"But my big sister..." Little Princess spoke dejectedly, glancing back toward where Princess Natalia sat with her own friends.
"What about her? There's no use for you here," her friend said dismissively, tugging harder. "Stop always moving behind her like a shadow. Because of her, you always turn down our invitations to play. Come on! Let your big sister have her time. You're not going to help her anyway. Give yourself a break and enjoy a little!" The friend pulled her harder, and Little Princess's resistance crumbled. She smiled sadly but nodded in acceptance.
Alfie, seeing this unfold, was about to follow Little Princess when she turned and stopped him with a look. "It's okay. Stay here. I'll be fine among them." She spoke with quiet authority despite her sadness, giving him a direct order.
Alfie didn't say anything back. He simply followed the order and remained standing with the expert Queen guards, watching as Little Princess disappeared into the crowd with her friend.
After a few minutes, Alfie noticed Oliver approaching with a little maid trailing behind him.
"Hey, Alfie! Miss Expert Queen guards! Good work out here," Oliver greeted them cheerfully, bowing respectfully at the trio of guards, who bowed back with their usual stoic professionalism.
"Brother Oliver, you too," Alfie nodded back in acknowledgment.
"Hmm, is Sio okay?" Oliver asked casually while standing beside Alfie, his eyes scanning the crowd of people gathering.
"She's fine," Alfie confirmed. Then he asked, "I heard about Gracie. Was she okay?" His gaze shifted to the little maid standing beside Oliver. "And who's she?"
"Yeah, it was rough for Gracie," Oliver said with a slight grimace, remembering the incident. "I sent her home to rest. And this one..." He patted the little maid's head affectionately. "She's our youngest family member in our house. I hired her about a month back. I brought her here to get some experience with these kinds of events." He gestured toward where other maids were standing and helping with various tasks. "Go ahead and help out. Learn from them."
The youngest maid bowed respectfully and then ran off toward the other maids, immediately throwing herself into work with eager diligence. Oliver also spotted Maid Emmy there, standing near Princess Natalia and waiting attentively for any instruction.
"Where's Little Princess? I can't find her," Oliver asked, looking around with slight concern.
"She went to play with her friends," Alfie spoke casually.
"Play? That came out of nowhere," Oliver said with mild surprise, then shrugged. "I guess she also wants to have fun once in a while. It's good. Being too tight can break you fast." He glanced knowingly at the expert Queen guards standing nearby like statues. "Like these women who are way too rigid." He smirked at them playfully.
The trio glanced at him briefly, their expressions unchanged, and then simply ignored him as if he hadn't spoken at all.
"GAH! See this? They don't even bat an eye at this handsome man!" Oliver exclaimed dramatically, flicking his hair with exaggerated flair. "Miss Experts, you can look at this handsome face once in a while! It'll soothe your heart and make it warm with fuzzy feelings!" He struck a ridiculous pose, flashing his most charming smile.
The trio looked at him again, for exactly one second, and then went right back to ignoring him without batting an eye.
"Hahaha!" Alfie burst out laughing at Oliver's stupid, deflated expression, doubling over as Oliver's face fell comically.
They continued to bicker and joke around as the gathering space filled completely, the moment of the meeting drawing ever closer.
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END OF CHAPTER
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Author Blabbering
Oh.... Oh.... Oh..... I think you are ugly!
Yes you!!
Yes yes you only!
Ahmmm.... Sorry I was talking while standing in front of mirror..... Yes I was... it's the truth!
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