Elianna's head was practically on a swivel as they followed Victor through the palace. While she had been in the palace in Tri-Union City many times, the differences between the two palaces had Elianna in a state of awe. She stared at the beautiful palace walls, which had a vintage look but were opulently decorated with paintings and other decor. The red and golden carpet accented the decor, giving the palace a warm atmosphere.

  "This palace is beautiful," Elianna whispered, and Nicholas looked at her.

  Nicholas smiled as he noticed her wonderous expression as she looked around. "Yeah, I guess." He chuckled a little, seeing the gleam in her eyes. "You're acting like you've never been inside a palace before."

  Elianna's eyes flicked to Nicholas, meeting his gaze. She shrugged slightly. "I don't know how to put it, but this place just feels and looks so different from the Tri-Union City palace." She looked around at the decorated walls. "The one in Tri-Union City is beautiful and fancy. But this one, it seems more..." Elianna shook her head, trying to find the right words.

  Nicholas followed Elianna's gaze, seeing the dark gray brick walls. "My aunt would always say this castle is more antiquarian."

  Elianna's soft-looking lips curved. "I would agree with her."

  "This palace is also much older," Freya added, looking over her shoulder at Elianna. "It was built long before the Tri-Union Alliance was formed."

  "To be honest, I've always preferred the vintage look," Celine cut in with a shrug.

  Elianna nodded. "I like it too. It has its own beauty to it."

  Nicholas chuckled and looked at Elianna humorously. "We haven't even left the first floor yet. You've barely seen the palace."

  Elianna looked at Nicholas and smiled. "Well, then maybe I'll just need you to show me around."

  Nicholas returned her smile. "Just like you showed me around the Tri-Union City palace?"

  "Just think of it as returning the favor," Elianna said jestfully.

  "I'd do it, favor or not," Nicholas said, gaining a slight blush from Elianna. Nicholas looked at Freya curiously. "Aunt Freya, would it be okay if I gave Elianna a tour of the palace?"

  Victor looked back, eyeing Nicholas with a baffled expression.

  Freya smiled at Nicholas. "Let's get settled in first; then you can show her around."

  Victor's eyes shot to Freya, looking at her wide-eyed. He quickly cleared his throat before looking forward.

  Elianna looked at Victor curiously, finding his reaction peculiar.

  Nicholas nodded. "Okay." He smiled at Elianna. "Does that sound good?"

  Elianna looked at Nicholas and returned his smile. "Yeah."

  Elianna looked forward as they turned down another hallway. They walked forward for a bit, and when they entered the grand entry hall, Elianna's eyes widened in awe.

  The grand entrance was extravagantly decorated with statues and paintings. A beautiful golden chandelier hung from the ceiling, adorned with lumous stones that illuminated the area. A set of large double brown doors with black metal horizontal bars was built into the wall, with stained glass embedded into the wall above them. The sunlight from the stained windows bathed the room in a beautiful coloration. Then, to Elianna's right, was the grand staircase.

  The grand staircase was large, with a singular row going up before splitting into a V once on the second floor. On either side of the grand staircase were two hallways that went further into the palace.

  Feeling Nicholas' pull, Elianna was knocked out of her thoughts and looked forward. She noticed how Victor, Freya, and Celine were already heading up the stairs.

  Nicholas looked at Elianna, feeling her stop, and smiled. "You okay?"

  Elianna returned his smile and nodded. "Yeah, I was just admiring the room."

  He chuckled, "Don't worry. We will have more time to look around."

  Elianna nodded, happy with the idea, and quickly followed Nicholas to the stairs.

  As they climbed the stairs, Elianna admired their exquisiteness. The black railings to her left and right were neatly polished, and the dark brown stairs with the gold-trimmed black carpet runner added to the palace's beauty.

  They made it to the second floor, turned to the right, and began to climb another set of stairs, then another, finally reaching the fourth floor. Once they reached the fourth floor, Elianna noticed there were no more stairs to climb, and two guards were standing near the top landing, facing the stairs.

  Victor nodded to the guards. "Prince Nicholas, Princess Freya, and Princess Celine have arrived."

  The guards' brows rose before they nodded.

  "Understood," One of the guards said.

  Victor turned to the right, and Elianna and the others followed him. When Elianna looked back over her shoulder, she noticed how the adeptus said something to them. The two guards nodded, and one of them headed down the stairs before the adeptus, and the other guards with him continued to follow her and the others.

  Elianna looked at Nicholas curiously. "Why are there knights guarding this floor and not the others?"

  Nicholas looked at Elianna. "It's because the fourth floor is where the royal families' bedrooms are."

  "Speaking of the guards," Freya began and looked at Victor inquisitively. "Where are they? There are little to no guards in the palace?"

  Elianna looked to the side, thinking of when they were following Victor through the palace, and realized Freya was right. The only guards she noticed were the two who joined the adeptus and the ones at the top landing of the stairs. Other than that, the only other people they saw were castle staff who moved out of the way and politely bowed as they walked past.

  Victor stopped and looked at Freya. "That's because the majority of the royal guard unit is out of the city, Your Highness. The rest is at the headquarters, training, or here at the palace."

  "Out of the city," Nicholas said, looking confused. "What do you mean? Who is guarding my father and brother?"

  Victor looked at Nicholas, and his brows raised. "Ah, forgive me, Your Highness, and allow me to explain. To celebrate his engagement, Prince Tristan decided to go on a hunting trip in the woodland area to the south of Ostria. Your father decided to accompany him, and the royal guard unit followed to protect them. A few stayed behind to protect the palace and palace grounds."

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Nicholas' eyes widened. "What? They're not here?"

  Victor shook his head. "No, Your Highness."

  Elianna looked at Nicholas, seeing how his body shifted, and he seemed to physically relax.

  "When will they return?" Celine asked.

  Victor looked to the side, thinking. "If I remember correctly, Your Highness, I believe the king wanted to return the day before you were supposed to arrive." Victor looked at Celine. "So, two days from now."

  Nicholas smiled. "Good to know."

  Freya nodded. "I see." But then, her eyes narrowed. "Wait, who is in charge at the moment?"

  "That would be the Viceroy, Your Highness." Victor then looked at Nicholas. "However, now that Prince Nicholas is here—"

  "No," Nicholas quickly said. His jaw clenched, "Just don't tell Eadon that I'm here."

  Elianna eyed Nicholas worriedly, seeing him become physically tense, even more than before. She reassuringly gripped his hand harder, despite not being entirely sure what was going on.

  Victor looked surprised. "But, Your Highness. Technically, you're—"

  "I said no," Nicholas snapped, his eyes narrowing on Victor. "I'm just visiting. I didn't come here to rule in my father's stead."

  Victor's mouth opened and closed, obviously surprised and seeming not to know what to say.

  "How about this?" Freya said and smiled at Victor. Victor's eyes shifted to her as she continued. "If there are any problems, bring them to me, and I will address them. I shall act as Nicholas' advisor and voice."

  Victor looked down before curiously looking at Nicholas. "Your Highness? Is that acceptable?"

  Nicholas' eyes shifted to his aunt, who gave him a smile and a nod. Nicholas sighed, seeming to relax tremendously. He nodded to Victor, "That's fine."

  "Then I shall let everyone know, Your Highness," Victor stated before gesturing down the hallway. "Now, shall I continue?"

  Nicholas nodded. "You may."

  Victor then turned and began to walk down the hallway, with the others following.

  As they walked, Elianna leaned close to Nicholas, "Nick? You okay?"

  Nicholas looked at Elianna and smiled slightly. "I'm fine."

  Elianna's brows furrowed. She wanted to ask more, but decided to wait until they were alone. She nodded and said, "Okay."

  Elianna looked forward as Victor turned down a hallway. When she looked forward, she noticed that the hallway seemed more extravagantly decorated than the others. However, one significant difference was the paintings. She had noticed that the paintings on the first floor were mainly landscapes or architecture. However, the paintings on the fourth floor depicted people, either individual portraits or family portraits.

  Looking back and forth at the paintings, Elianna curiously asked. "Who are all these people?"

  Nicholas looked at Elianna before following her gaze. "These are paintings of the past royal family members." He smiled at Elianna, "Or, also known as my family line."

  Elianna nodded as she continued to look at the paintings with interest as they made their way down the hallway. They turned at the end of the hallway, and as they walked, Elianna's eyes widened on one specific painting.

  "Wait," Elianna said, her lips curving and her eyes narrowing. "Is that you, Mrs. Argyle?"

  Everyone stopped and looked at the painting that had caught Elianna's attention.

  Freya smiled and nodded, seeing the painting of an older male with brown hair standing beside a beautiful woman with flowing red hair and teenage kids with their mother's hair standing in front of them. They were all beautifully dressed and posing for the painter.

  "It is indeed," Freya said warmly. "That's my mother, father, and you already know William."

  Elianna nodded before she looked at Nicholas curiously. "Do you have a painting here?"

  Nicholas nodded. "My father had one made of us shortly before I left Zasaly." He tilted his head slightly. "I'm not sure where they hung it, though."

  "It's down here, Your Highness," Victor said.

  Everyone looked at Victor, seeing him gesturing to a few panting down.

  "Oh, I wanna see it," Elianna said, and she walked over to where Victor was standing, practically pulling Nicholas with her.

  Nicholas smiled and chuckled at Elianna's excitement as she approached the painting.

  Elianna eyed the painting, seeing William sitting elegantly in a large chair. Sitting on either side of him, in two smaller chairs, were two boys. Elianna recognized Nicholas immediately by his sea-green eyes, which she thought the artist had captured well. Elianna stared at Nicholas curiously, seeing how extravagantly he was dressed.

  "Awe." Elianna looked at Nicholas with a jestful grin. "You look so princely here."

  Nicholas playfully narrowed his gaze on Elianna. "Thanks." His eyes shifted toward the painting. "My father always wanted us to dress nicely, to represent our status as royalty."

  Elianna nodded and looked back at the painting. Her eyes then flicked to the second blonde-haired boy. Her head tilted slightly, seeing his sapphire blue eyes, which seemed to match his father's. It made Elianna wonder if his eyes were really like that or if the painter just made them that way. "This is Tristan, I take it?"

  Nicholas' smile faded, and he nodded slightly. "Yes."

  Elianna's eyes flicked to Nicholas, seeing his mood change in an instant at the mention of his brother. She looked to the side, wanting to change the subject, when her gaze fell on the painting beside it.

  Elianna's gaze turned curious as she stared at the painting of William, who was standing and neatly dressed. But he wasn't the one who had caught Elianna's attention. It was the woman standing beside him with whom he was holding hands. She was an astonishingly beautiful woman with a bright smile, flowing blonde hair, and deep sea-green eyes. She was adorned in a golden dress that accented her hair. Atop her head was a beautiful tiara that was silver in the center and gold at the edges, with a golden gem embedded into the top of it.

  Elianna didn't need to ask Nicholas who she was, since she could tell by her eyes. The first thought that came to her mind was that Raina was right; Nicholas did have her eyes.

  "That's my mother."

  Elianna looked at Nicholas and saw him staring at the same painting she was. He had a small smile that was full of emotion and a softness in his eyes.

  Holding his hand tightly, Elianna smiled, "She was beautiful."

  "That she was," Freya said, coming to stand beside Elianna. She smiled sadly at the painting. "Evelyn was one of the most beautiful and kindest individuals I had ever met."

  "Evelyn," Elianna whispered.

  Freya nodded, her eyes watering slightly. "Yes, that was her name. Evelyn Rinehart." A soft chuckle escaped her lips. "Or Evy for short."

  Elianna looked at Freya, seeing her tearful gaze. Looking at the painting, she asked softly, "What was she like?"

  Freya smiled warmly and quickly wiped her tears. "That is a story for another time." She looked at Victor. "Which rooms will we be staying in?"

  "These rooms here, Your Highness," Victor said, walking down the hallway. He stopped and turned toward Freya, gesturing to the doors on either side of him. "The room on the right is for you, Princess Freya. The one on my left is for you, Princess Celine."

  "I'm guessing I'll be in my old room?" Nicholas asked.

  Victor nodded, "Yes, Your Highness."

  Celine looked at Victor curiously. "What about Elle?"

  Victor raised a brow before his eyes shifted to Elianna, realizing that was who Celine meant. "Ah, she will be in the room next to Prince Nicholas'."

  Elianna's brows raised, and her cheeks heated at the idea of sleeping in the room beside Nicholas'. She thought it was a silly thing to get butterflies about, but she couldn't help it. When she looked at Nicholas, she noticed his face looked a little red as well.

  Victor gestured down the hallway, "I can show you which one, Your Highness and My Lady."

  Nicholas nodded, "Yes, please."

  Freya smiled at Nicholas, "Try to get settled in first, before you take Elianna around the palace."

  "I will," Nicholas said.

  Freya nodded and opened the door to her room. "I'll be in here getting settled in myself. Knock on my door if you need anything."

  Nicholas and Eliannna nodded to her as Freya entered her room.

  "I'll see you later." Celine smiled at them as she went into her room.

  "Now, if you will follow me, Your Highness and My Lady," Victor said.

  Elianna and Nicholas nodded before following Victor. As they followed Victor, Elianna finally noticed how far apart the doors were, which she thought was strange. What was also strange to her was that the adeptus and the other two guards were still following them.

  Elianna leaned toward Nicholas. "Will these guards follow us to our rooms?"

  Nicholas sighed and shook his head. "No, they'll just follow me to mine since they consider me the priority."

  Elianna looked at Nicholas curiously. "What do you mean?"

  Nicholas was about to answer when Victor said, "Here we are."

  Elianna and Nicholas looked forward, seeing Victor gesturing to a door.

  Victor smiled, "This is your room, My Lady."

  Elianna returned his smile. "Thank you."

  "Thank you, Victor," Nicholas said kindly. "That will be all."

  Victor nodded and bowed before he walked off.

  Once he was gone, Nicholas smiled at Elianna, "I'm down the hall in the room on the left." His smile faltered slightly. "Tristain's is the room across from me."

  "Thanks for the warning," Elianna chuckled. She tilted her head slightly to the right and smiled, "So, will you show me around the palace once we're settled in?"

  Nicholas nodded. "Of course." He gestured down the hallway. "Just come to my room once you're done."

  "I will," Elianna said, and her smile faded ever so slightly as Nicholas took his hand away from hers, and she immediately missed the warmth of his grasp. "I'll see you later, then?"

  "Yeah, see you later," Nicholas smiled

  Elianna nodded, shooting Nicholas one last smile before she opened her door and entered her room. Once she was inside, her eyes widened to the size of moons.