At the entrance of Drakethorne Palace, a royal carriage stood ready to take the empress and princess back to their royal palace.
Alex and his mother, Sera, were standing at the entrance, facing the mother-daughter duo of the royal family, Catherine and Eva, who were about to bid them farewell.
They had initially planned to stay for a couple of days and even go out into the streets to look around Valentine City, but since Princess Eva reached level 9, they had to cancel their plan and return home immediately. They did not want to take any risks, and reaching level 10 was considered a very special occasion because at that level, they would unlock their class. They had to prepare her mentally and physically through various training techniques and elixirs that are stored in their royal treasury.
While Sera and Catherine exchanged pleasantries, using the etiquette ingrained in them from their noble upbringing, they were out in the open, where guards were posted, and they had to maintain their noble status when they were not alone, while Alex and Princess Eva stood nearby. Both of the younger pair had been taught this etiquette, too, though they hadn't fully mastered it yet. The etiquette covered how to speak, maintain status, and conceal emotions, skills that encouraged hiding their true selves and speaking smoothly without revealing inner feelings.
The Princess studied Alex's face; she had not examined him closely before, but now, she noticed how brightly his azure eyes sparkled, the mingling shades of blue giving them an ethereal look as sunlight illuminated his irises. His pale, smooth face retained a hint of roundness, with slight chubby cheeks, and his black hair was tinged with blue at the ends, likely inherited from his mother, though his father's black hue dominated overall. She found it all beautiful.
She had met many beautiful people at banquets and parties, but he was different—something about him felt special. She felt this distinctiveness when he pulled her along, and after learning he was only level 1, the sense intensified. While inside the gate, when he ran to shield her, the feeling grew again. He was an anomaly she wished to understand, though she couldn't exactly pinpoint what made him special.
Unfortunately, her visit ended just as she was becoming more comfortable with him. She disliked parting so soon but understood her duties and knew they would meet again, bound by their marriage agreement. Although uncertain about marriage itself, she knew she would not mind being around him—she found him both kind and brave.
"Thank you, Alex, once again, I would have loved to spend more time, but it seems we have to part here," Princess Eva said to Alex and turned quickly to give a curtsy bow to Duchess Sera.
Sera quickly made her lift her head, saying no need to bow to her.
Alex also gave a bow to both Empress and Princess, and at last replied to Princess with a slight smirk on his face,"How many times will you thank me? I know I am awesome and saved you; you should keep some thanks saved for when I save you again in the future."
Princess Eva giggled as she saw the shameless reply of Alex, she not wanting to lose, joined in,"Indeed, you're so awesome that black slime would have killed you if I had not saved you at the last moment."
Alex was struck by her reply; he had not expected such a quick reply. He was about to rebut the fact that he would have saved himself even if she had not helped, but the Duchess and the Empress started laughing, seeing their bickering, so he stopped himself.
Empress smiled,"We have already eaten breakfast and lunch, yet our children have not stopped bickering". She felt happy to see their bond growing stronger over time. Sera also felt the same way.
Empress looked at the sun, which was about to reach zenith,"I would have loved to stay longer, but unfortunately, it is getting late."
Grand Duchess nodded her head,"You are always welcome, and you too, Princess. You should come and meet us often; I feel Alex would love to see you." Alex turned red hearing his mother's remarks. He wanted to hide somewhere, but could not find a place, so he stayed rooted in his place. Likewise, Princess also felt shy seeing a grand duchess teasing her. She just smiled as she looked at Alex's red face, controlling her laughter within.
Empress first entered the carriage as one of the guards who had come with them opened the door. Princess Eva followed behind her mother, but just as she was about to step inside the carriage, she turned back and dashed toward Alex. Princess hugged Alex with enough force that Alex was unable to free himself."Thank you, I will miss you." Without waiting for any reply, the princess let go of the hug and dashed inside the carriage, her cheeks red, eyes not meeting Alex's.
The carriage door was closed afterwards, and through the window, the Empress made an 'okay' gesture with her hand as she joined her thumb and index finger together. Princess hid her face, not daring to look outside the window, but her slight red cheeks and red ears were clearly visible.
While all this happened, Alex stayed rooted in his place, with a "what just happened?" face. Grand Duchess was the one to bring him back."It looks like you have charmed her, my dear son. What did you do to her?"
Alex looked into his mother's eyes, which were filled with mischief, and replied, "I didn't do anything." She ruffled his hair with love, clearly not caring for Alex's reply. Alex was still thinking,'What just happened?' He even pinched his cheeks,"Am I dreaming?"
"No, my dear son, you're not dreaming", Sera laughed at her son's actions.
They both went inside their palace. Alex's father had gone back to deal with the aftermath of the fights that had happened with the beasts, so he was unable to bid farewell to the royal duo of mother and daughter.
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