"ALESTERIA~!"
"Alesteria~!"
"Alesteria~!"
'Ah, now I know why I feel irritated minutes ago. It was a premonition.'
Alesteria looked at the boy who interrupted her sleep and saw a boy with light blonde hair and deep blue eyes, there is even a dimple on his cheek as he smiled brightly at her.
Even though he is smiling like that, Alesteria knew that this boy looks like someone who causes trouble.
Alesteria looked at the boy once again as she is still in her nanny's embrace and gave the boy a blank look, clearly displaying her irritation towards him.
"Wow, Ales is staring at me! Do you find your brother handsome?"
'I find you annoying.'
The boy, who is also the first prince of the Vlatka kingdom, is named Aldrich Thaddeus Alaric.
Obviously, he is Alesteria's older brother.
Alesteria remembered the first time he saw this boy and it immediately reminded him of one of his friends in the mountains. He was the same in terms of they may look innocent but they cause trouble whenever they went.
That is how Alesteria puts it, but she can tell that this boy is much more dangerous.
The first prince didn't seem to notice the irritation in her eyes as he simply smiled brightly at her. He extended his hand and opened his palm, revealing a cute little flower crown with white and pink flowers combined.
"For you~!" He said as he tried to reach Alesteria but he was still short, and so, the nanny has to lower herself so that Aldrich could reach Alesteria.
Aldrich gently placed the flower on top of her head as he smiled brightly again, this time, he is poking her soft cheeks.
Alesteria was surprised at his mischievous older brother and the annoyance in her eyes quickly fades. She sighs and reached for the flower on top of her head and when she did, she smiled widely.
'Okay fine. Since you are this cute, I'll forgive you.'
Alesteria is weak to all kind gestures and sincere gifts.
It was a pretty shade of white and pink flowers that are in the same species, there are yellow pollens in the center giving them a contrast. It seems that it had recently bloomed as she can still see fragments of mana inside.
"Your highness! You shouldn't give the princess a flower!"
As she was admiring the flower, it was suddenly taken away from her head as gently as they could, which made Alesteria's eyebrows twitch.
It was the one who accidentally implied that Alesteria is not His Majesty the Emperor's daughter.
Aldrich noticed that Alesteria was upset because the gift was taken away from her, looked at the maid with a cold stare as his aura revealed itself.
It was a beautiful shade of gold. It was light and blinding, but at the same time, it felt like it would swallow you whole.
"That was my gift to Alesteria!" He shouted.
Nanny had to take a step back at his outburst while holding Alesteria securely as a strong gust of wind knocked the maids down.
Alesteria could see Aldrich's aura wildly spreading across the room as the air intensified. Nanny also has a hard time fighting the aura because of how powerful it is.
Oddly enough, it just felt like a breeze to Alesteria.
"Control your temper, stupid brother."
The aura Aldrich was emitting soon diminished as a blue color surrounded the room, almost like a barrier.
It felt cool, not cold, to the skin.
Alesteria looked at who spoke and hed eyes immediately sparkled in delight upon seeing the second prince, Aimilios Theodore Alaric.
If Aldrich is expressive, Aimilios is the opposite of that.
Aimilios is the type of boy who keeps his thoughts to himself and is always calm. He is also considered as the secretive type as he likes to never display any of his intentions to other people.
This seems to make sense to Aldrich but he still pouted. The aura surrounding him slowly disappeared as the air in the room became easier to breathe in again.
'Aimilios timing is just perfect.' Alesteria thought as she continued to stare at him.
Aimilios saw Alesteria staring at him and he immediately walked towards her, seeing that his baby sister became upset because her flower crown was taken from her.
He decided to take the flower crown from the maid and proceed to give it to Alesteria as he extended his hand.
"You can look at it but you can't touch it." He said then he turned to the maid.
"This is okay, is it not?"
The maid, who has left no choice but to agree to the genius prince, nodded silently as she backed to the corner while bowing her head.
The first prince pouted again and whined at his brother.
"Why are you allowed to give it to Alesteria when I was the one who brought it?!" He complained.
'Goodness. How childish...but it was cute.'
Aimilios looked at his brother like he is an idiot, which in his mind, he is.
"It is because you are rough. Alesteria is fragile and I am gentle."
"What does that mean?!" He shouted once again but Aimilios decided not to talk any further.
Meanwhile, Alesteria gave out a laugh and unknowingly clapped her hands which caused the two boys, and the nanny, to stare at her cuteness.
They both looked at her and Alesteria saw that they have a warmer gaze and a softer look on their faces.
They both reach for her, Aimilios on her right and Aldrich on the left, as she grabbed their hands from each side while she smiling brightly at them.
She also grabbed their finger which she can only hold because their hands are big compared to hers.
The princes stared at the small hand that held their finger and they can't help but feel happy.
"She grabbed my finger, Theo! Look! She grabbed my finger!"
The other boy hummed, soft blush gracing his cheeks.
"Hmm."
'Oh lord, they are just cute brothers.' Alesteria thought to herself as she watches the first prince fawn over her hand holding her finger and the second prince just staring at it.
The door suddenly opened which caused great shock to the baby and she let go of their hands.
The princes became annoyed that their bonding with their sister had been cut short and were about to scold whoever interrupted them when they saw the familiar figure by the door.
"The emperor, his majesty, Emperor Artaxerxes Alaric."
Alesteria couldn't help but grimace at the sudden appearance of her 'father'.
'You must've heard that Aimilios and Aldrich are here.' She muttered in her mind as a man entered the room.
The man entered the room and everyone could see how dignified he is and how he carried himself rather elegantly.
He has long platinum hair that some of it covers his eyes. His left eye is black while the other is gold, with a hint of blue in them.
That everyone will be mesmerized by him but at the same time, he has such authority and commands that all of the staff in the room naturally bowed their heads to greet him.
The princes are no exception to that.
Alesteria was staring straight at the emperor when all of a sudden, her line of sight was blocked by Aldrich since the nanny was still kneeling.
"Greetings, your majesty. The sun of the empire."
"Hmm. Now move."
'That's not how you talk to your son, father.' Alesteria angrily said in her mind as she glared at the emperor.
It went unnoticed as Aldrich moved to the side and the emperor reached his arms for her, signaling the nanny that he wants to carry her.
The nanny immediately gave Alesteria to the emperor as he looked at the glaring princess. He didn't even notice it as he was just looking at her lovingly.
She instantly felt his strong arms envelop her as if he was protecting her while holding her dearly.
"Alesteria, my princess." He called, his voice is deep and cool, just like Aimilios' aura.
She stares up at him to meet his gaze as he stared back and she can perfectly see how handsome he is.
'Geez! A father like this is such a blessing, look at this face! So handsome!'
Alesteria had never seen anybody so good-looking in her previous life. But then again, she lived in the mountains and secluded herself.
"My sweet Alesteria. Daddy is here now." He said, but this time, softly.
He brushes his fingers across her cheek and she absentmindedly held on to one of his fingers. He looks shocked at first but gradually smiled lovingly.
"Bobapopo." She babbles cutely.
He chuckled at her babbling and poked her cheek with the finger that she was holding. She just stares intently at him and didn't notice that he had signaled one of the servants that he brought along with him.
She removed her gaze from him and saw the servants bow at her, even the knights that are by the open door, bowed.
"Now that the princess has grown, prepare for her receiving of her second name. I want it to be done as soon as possible." He ordered.
The servants and knights bowed.
"We will obey his Majesty's order!"
"And also..."
The servants raised their heads to look at him again as they waited for his second command.
The emperor stared at Alesteria for a minute as she responded by tilting her head to the side and staring back at him, unknowingly attacking the emperor with this cute act.
The emperor then opened his mouth and what he said next shocked the people who heard what he commanded.
"Also, prepare a ruby emerald stone for the princess' tiara."
Everyone, even Alesteria who knew what the ruby emerald stone is, stared at the emperor with wide eyes.
'Are you kidding me?!'
'ARE YOU kidding me?!' That is what Alesteria cried in her mind as everyone in the room became silent by the emperor's command. Everyone simply froze when they heard his command, and they were wondering if they had heard him correctly, but when they saw the emperor's expression, they knew they had. 'A-A ruby emerald…!' It is regarded as one of the world's most valuable gems. One stone of it may cost half of the budget of a lesser kingdom, and as it matures, it becomes stronger than metal. All of the people know this, it is just basic knowledge. So, it's understandable that they were taken aback when they heard the emperor's decree. 'Getting a ruby emerald is near impossible! And he wants it by the time of the princess' banquet!' Tristan, who is the emperor's aide, already knew who would be tasked to get the ruby emerald. It was inevitable for him, who decided
CONTRARY TO Tristan's and Bastian's wishes, after Xerxes visited Alesteria, he pushed through with his command to have the ruby emerald be placed on the princess' tiara. The job of finding the ruby emerald fell on both Tristan and Bastian. Tristan was entrusted to seek nobles who may have a piece of the ruby emerald whilst Bastian scours the east, where the ruby emerald originally came from. They can use all means and methods, even the imperial knights and the teleportation scrolls are at their disposal because their deadline is only by the end of this month. That is why Bastian can't help but scream out his frustration. "SON OF A GOAT! JUST THROW ME INTO A PIT AND LET ME FIGHT WITH LIONS INSTEAD!" The echoing of Bastian's scream pierced through Tristan's ears as they finally exited the main palace. Tristan rolled his eyes at Bastian's rough behavior while the people passing by stared at them for a mom
'HE IS crazy, very crazy!' A ruby emerald is one of the rarest and most exquisite jewels known to mankind. It has a combination of both ruby and emerald whilst the color mixes with each other, creating an infusion of both colors, also considered rare because of the quality of mana that it contains. It can even hold up to a dragon's lifeforce and can withstand all disasters, but within the early stage of its formation can it be considered as fragile. If it reaches maturation, it can never be crushed nor broken. 'That crazy emperor! Doesn't he know how hard it is to find a ruby emerald?! That thing is the rarest of them all! What's worse, he wants to put it on my head?!' Alesteria knew what the ruby emerald can do. It was, after all, her own creation. The ruby emerald was just an accidental jewel created when she was beginning to control her powers centuries ago. It was a combination of her raw mana and the mana of a dragon, her friend. That is the reason why it can hold a dragon
IN A faraway land near the east, where the southern border is located, a man who is on a mission to save his life and lineage is desperately clinging on the side of the door as he hurls his guts out. 'I don't know why but I knew that I was never good with traveling. Why did I decide to ride a carriage instead of using the scrolls?' He regretfully thought as he hurls again. Tristan was regretting his choice right now but this was all because of Bastian, who had a bet with him that he will never be able to make it to Duke Versormer's territory alive. Bastian knew of Tristan's severe motion sickness. 'Why did I even agree to that stupid bet…!' The bet wasn't worth it if Tristan is being honest, but it would hurt his pride not to accept it. 'His house isn't even worth it, but I'll show him…' Tristan thought as he wiped his mouth. "Are you done emptying your stomach? If you want to be the
AFTER TRISTAN closed the door, he let out a shaky sigh as he clutched the book tightly.He knew what he did, but it was what he had to do. He thought of letting Bastian know and explaining, but he was not ready if ever Bastian will hold a grudge against him.'Ahhh! Whatever happens, happens!'Feeling frustrated, he turned to the left to go to the room assigned to him and get his bags so he can leave immediately, but before he could take a step, a small boy blocked his path.This young boy is no older than 3 years old, standing upright like he is older than his age, and soft gray eyes looking at him in the same way Saxon did.Tristan instantly knew who this boy is."Young lord Nicholae." He greeted him, bowing his head a little.The young boy named Nicholae nodded at him, his posture is similar to Saxon's as his eyes landed on the book in Tristan's hand."I see. So, you made a deal with father."
WORDS HAVE already spread throughout the kingdom that the emperor, who they knew was cold-hearted, issued a command to get the ruby emerald for the princess' tiara.Alesteria, who is the hot topic in the capital right now, was unaware of this rumor and is living peacefully...No, rather, she is just waiting for the moment to strike.'That emperor hasn't visited me for a week! Is he that desperate to obtain a ruby emerald for me?!' Alesteria spouted in her mind as she frowned.She was definitely not happy with the emperor right now, and if possible, she wouldn't be finding him.But the issue with the ruby emerald was a rock in her path.'If only I can speak, then I can...'Alesteria's thoughts trailed as her eyes landed on the drawer where the brooch was kept. The gem was priceless, but she wondered if the emperor has more.A painite can be conducted with mana and experimented with many types o
'HOW DID he get that so fast?!'Alesteria was dumbstruck, seeing the ruby emerald in front of her as it glistened from being hit by the sun, as she slowly realizes that the emperor has some strong connections.Very strong connections.'I might've underestimated him a little.'Another reason why Alesteria was so adamant about not having the ruby emerald is not just because it was her past mistake, but it will react to her mana as it is the same.She is the creator, of course it will react to her!Besides, a ruby emerald reacting to a baby? That is unprecedented in the last centuries.Alesteria knew that no one has ever made the jewel glow nor activate it using mana, and it is speculated that if you have the same wavelength as the source of the jewel, then it might react to you.And Alesteria, being the witch of the mountains and the creator of the jewel, will no doubt activate it.
"YOUR HIGHNESS! You can flip now!""Uwa!"Alesteria ignored Bella's praises and compliments as she tightly gripped the blanket under her, huffing and resting her hundred attempts at flipping herself.It is a small step but she's getting there, and boy does she feel a little good to achieve something while being a baby.It has been 4 months since she came to this body, and time flies so fast she barely noticed it.After the whole crying tantrums about the ruby emerald, it was then decided that they would change the jewel from a ruby emerald to an alexandrite, another rare gem.'Honestly, I'm not mad that it's not a painite but I guess I could work with alexandrite. I'll just make some changes in the future.' Alesteria said to herself as she shrugged.'It's not that I miss them or anything…' She strongly denied it as she found herself pouting at this thought.Aldrich is annoying but warm-