Nicholas grumbled as he followed Freya down the hallway, "Do we have to do breakfast with him again. We literally just ate dinner together last night."

  Freya stopped and turned to look at Nicholas. She smiled softly at him, "Nicholas, while I know I may have my disagreements with my brother, his wanting to have breakfast with you is something that I actually understand."

  Nicholas's brows furrowed. "Why?"

  Freya chuckled softly, "Why do you think?" She reached out and gently caressed his cheek. "It's because you are still his son. Remember, you have been gone for years, and this is an opportunity for him to spend time with you. You understand, don't you?"

  Nicholas' eyes fell, "Yeah, I guess so."

  Freya smiled, "Good. Now come on, I'm sure they're waiting for us."

  Freya turned, and Nicholas and Elianna followed, with their guards strolling behind.

  Walking beside Nicholas, Elianna looked at him, "It's just breakfast." Nicholas looked at her, and Elianna's soft-looking lips curled as their gazes met. "Then, we can do something together afterwards."

  Nicholas returned her smile and nodded slightly, "Sounds good."

  Nicholas and Elianna looked forward as they approached the double doors to the royal dining room.

  Freya approached the doors, pushed them open, and walked inside. As she entered, she looked around, seeing William and Celine already in their seats.

  "So, I'm hoping I can become captain of the team, eventually," Celine was saying.

  William nodded, "Keep trying and you will." He smiled slightly, "The Rineheart blood runs through your veins. As long as you put your mind to it, you will be able to accomplish your goal."

  William looked up and saw Freya enter the room, with Nicholas and Elianna behind them, followed by their guards. William sat straight and clasped his hands on the table, "Ah, good, you're finally here. We were beginning to think you couldn't find them."

  Freya walked around the table and grabbed the back of her seat. "They were out in the courtyard training," she said, pulling out the chair and taking her seat. "So it took me a little while."

  William nodded and looked at his son and Elianna as they walked around the table. His eyes fell on Nicholas, watching wordlessly as he pulled her chair out for her again.

  Elianna smiled at Nicholas, "Thanks."

  Nicholas pushed her chair closer to the table once she took her seat, and he smiled, "You're welcome." Taking his seat, Nicholas sat straight, looked at his father, and nodded, "Father. Good morning."

  William returned his nod, "Good morning." He looked at Elianna, "And good morning to you, too, Elianna."

  Elianna sat straighter and nodded to William, "Good morning, Your Majesty."

  William looked at the butler who was standing in the corner, "Please go tell the kitchen staff that breakfast is ready to be served."

  The butler bowed deeply, "At once, Your Majesty." The butler turned and left the room.

  "So," Freya began, as she grabbed the pitcher of water on the table. She looked at her daughter and smiled, "What were you two talking about?"

  Celine shrugged, "I was telling Uncle William about the academy."

  William nodded, "She was telling me how she just became a starter."

  Freya smiled proudly as she began to fill her goblet with water. "Yes, we were very proud when she told us."

  "Starter?" Elianna said, looking confused. "Starter for what?"

  Celine looked at Elianna and smiled, "For the game I play at the academy."

  Elianna tilted her head to the side. "What game?"

  "It's called Gelul Ball," Celine said.

  Elianna looked at Celine curiously, "I've never heard of that."

  "It's the game that we play at the academy," Celine said. "Each house has its own team."

  Elianna raised a brow, "House?"

  Celine chuckled, "Did your mom not tell you anything about the academy?"

  Elianna shrugged, "She mostly just talks about her class and what students irritated her that day."

  Celine laughed, "I see. The academy is split into different houses to which the students are assigned. Each house has its own team that plays the game, Gelul Ball. They compete against each other." She shrugged, "It can get pretty competitive."

  "Tristan also plays for his house," William chimed in.

  Freya looked surprised. "I didn't know Tristan was going to the academy. Which one?"

  William nodded, "Yep, the one here in Zasaly."

  Freya looked at William curiously, "How's he doing?"

  William's eyes fell, and he tapped his fingers against the table. "He's gotten into some trouble here and there." He looked at his sister, "But, all in all, he is doing just fine." William looked at Nicholas, "What about you, Nicholas. Are you planning to join the academy?"

  Nicholas nodded, "Yes, Father."

  William nodded, then clasped his hands together, and learned forward slightly. "Where were you planning to attend?"

  Freya was about to take a sip of her drink, but froze, and narrowed her eyes on her brother over the rim of her goblet. "William," Freya warned in a whisper.

  Nicholas' hands clenched, having a feeling of where this was going. "I was thinking Tri-Union Academy."

  William hummed, staring at his son. "Have you ever considered Zasaly Academy?"

  Freya slowly lowered her goblet onto the table and whispered slightly louder, "William."

  "No, Father, I have not," Nicholas said matter-of-factly.

  William nodded, "Well, you should think about it. They have a great edu—"

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  "William," Freya snapped, cutting her brother off.

  William shot his sister an irritated look. "What?!"

  The room fell silent, and the guards in the room looked around awkwardly.

  Freya huffed, "Don't try to influence his decision."

  William sat straight, "I was merely informing him of his options."

  Freya was about to speak.

  "Thank you, Father."

  William and Freya both looked at Nicholas.

  Nicholas raised his chin, meeting his father's gaze. "I appreciate the information. But, I am set on Tri-Union Academy."

  Elianna smiled and subtly reached for Nicholas' hand under the table.

  Nicholas' lips curled slightly, feeling Elianna place her hand over his.

  William stared at his son, and his lips twitched slightly before he nodded. "As long as you are sure of your decision."

  "I am," Nicholas said with conviction. He adjusted his hand, interlacing his fingers with Elianna's. "I've grown quite fond of Tri-Union City and the people in it."

  Elianna's smile widened, and her cheeks grew slightly red.

  William leaned back into his chair, his eyes locked on Nicholas. But a moment later, his and everyone else's eyes flicked to the doors as they opened.

  The butler had returned, pushing a large cart full of plates and trays, with maids walking behind him.

  "Ah, good," William smiled. "Breakfast has arrived."

  The butler pushed the cart against the wall, and the maids jumped into action. They grabbed the silver-covered trays and additional pitchers and placed them in the middle of the table. Next, they put plates, silverware, and an additional goblet in front of everyone. Once the table was set, the maids took the covers off the trays, revealing an assortment of food which consisted of a variety of different breakfast foods.

  Elianna's eyes widened, and her mouth watered at the sight. She didn't realize how hungry she was, and when she heard Nicholas' stomach grumble, she knew he was hungry, too.

  With the breakfast ready, the maids and butler backed away, standing against the wall.

  "Perfect," William said, and gestured to the food. "Dig in, everyone."

  Everyone grabbed their plates and began to fill them with the several options available.

  Placing two pancakes on his plate, Nicholas looked at Elianna, "Want some pancakes?"

  Elianna shook her head, "No thanks. I'm going to go for a waffle."

  Elianna reached for the tongs to grab the waffles, but Nicholas grabbed them before she could. Her brows raised as she watched him grab a waffle and place it on her plate.

  Elianna looked at him with a smile, "Thanks."

  Nicholas returned her smile, "Of course."

  Celine and Freya grinned at Nicholas and shared a look.

  William's eyes shifted between Nicholas and Elianna before he finished filling his plate and began to eat.

  As William took a bite of his eggs, he said, "So, Nicholas." He looked at his son, "Your aunt said you and Elianna were training in the courtyard this morning."

  Nicholas swallowed the bacon he was eating, "Yes, Father."

  "What kind of training?" William asked.

  Nicholas shrugged, taking another bite of his bacon. "We were just going to do some physical exercise. But then we noticed the royal guards having a training gauntlet."

  William pierced some more eggs with his fork and nodded, "I see. Did you watch them train?"

  Elianna smiled, "We actually got to spar with them, Your Majesty."

  William's fork froze halfway to his mouth. His eyes snapped to his son, and he quickly looked him up and down. Then, his gaze darted to the side, and the guards all flinched as his intense gaze swept over them.

  William slowly took a bite of his eggs and nodded, "I see. And, how did that go?"

  "We won," Nicholas stated. "Well," He tilted his head to the side, thinking. "More like Elianna won. I got knocked down by a blast of wind."

  William's mouth froze mid-chew, before he continued and swallowed.

  "You won in a spar against the royal guard unit?" Celine said, looking at Nicholas and Elianna with surprise. "Dang, that's actually amazing."

  Elianna took a bite of her waffle and nodded, "Yeah, we did." She sighed slightly, "Though, for a moment, I wasn't sure if we were actually going to win. The guy I fought against was really skilled."

  "That's to be expected," Freya said with a smile. She took a sip of her drink. "The royal guard unit consists of the top ten percent of the troops. It's a volunteer assignment, and they place you through extensive training."

  Elianna nodded, but her eyes shifted down, and she sighed, "Yeah. Makes sense."

  Nicholas raised a brow at Elianna, "You okay?"

  Elianna nodded, "Yeah. It's just that I've been training with my father for most of my life. So, I didn't think I would struggle in a spar like that."

  Freya smiled at Elianna, "You must also realize that you have never seen combat or real action." Elianna looked at Freya, confused, as she continued, "Many, if not all, members have seen combat before they joined the unit, either with bandits or magic beasts."

  Elianna tilted her head to the side. "What does combat have to do with it?"

  Freya chuckled and set her fork down as she looked Elianna straight in the eyes. "You will learn more in one skirmish or battle than you will in years of training."

  Elianna's brows furrowed as she looked down. Her eyes widened, and she looked at Freya, "So, that's why Nicholas is going with Zera for field training—to fight and get experience out in the world."

  William froze, his eyes snapping to Elianna. Then, his eyes flicked to his sister and narrowed.

  Freya smiled and nodded, "Precisely. He will learn a lot with Zera."

  Elianna sat straight, looking at Nicholas excitedly, "Oh, then I really hope my parents will let me go with you."

  Nicholas smiled at her, "Me too. It'll be nice to have you around."

  Elianna's brows raised, and her cheeks reddened.

  Nicholas' eyes widened slightly, "I mean, you know, because we will get stronger together!"

  Celine nearly choked on her water from laughing, and Nicholas shot her a glare.

  Freya smiled at Nicholas and Elianna before she said, "Well, just in case you two do end up going together, perhaps you should start training together." She smiled humorously, "Not to say you did badly together during the spar, but you weren't exactly in sync."

  Elianna shot Nicholas a playful glare, "Yeah. I kept running into Nicholas' barriers."

  Nicholas smiled apologetically and scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, sorry about that. And for making you slip on the ice."

  Elianna's eyes widened. "That was you? I thought that was Leeman!"

  Nicholas cleared his throat and looked down, "Uh, no."

  Elianna huffed at Nicholas, "I'm going to get you back for that one."

  Nicholas chuckled, "Great." He looked at her and smiled, "But my aunt is right. We should start training together sooner rather than later."

  Elianna's eyes lit with excitement, "We can go spar after breakfast."

  Nicholas smiled and nodded, "Sounds good."

  William cleared his throat. "Actually, Nicholas, I have a meeting in the conference room today." Nicholas looked at his father, confused. "And I want you there as well."

  Nicholas' brows raised, "What?"

  Freya narrowed her eyes on William, "Yes. What?"

  William shot a look at his sister, then looked at his son. "The meeting is in—" He looked at the clock— "Forty minutes. So, hurry up and finish your breakfast." He looked at Nicholas' apparel, "And dress more appropriately for the meeting."

  Nicholas sat there, frozen, staring at his father. He felt a flood of emotions, trying to process them all.

  Celine's eyes darted to her mother, noting the furious look behind her eyes.

  Elianna looked at Nicholas worriedly, knowing this was something he was worried about.

  Finally, Nicholas cleared his throat, "But Elianna and I were going to train together."

  William looked into his son's eyes and said, "You can train afterward. You will be at this meeting."

  Nicholas' jaw clenched, wanting to argue, but he knew there was no point. He looked at his plate, seeing that he was almost done with his food. But he was no longer feeling hungry.

  "I seem to have lost my appetite," Nicholas said tightly, and looked at his father. "May I be excused?"

  William nodded, "You may. Just don't forget—"

  "Conference room," Nicholas said as he quickly stood up, almost knocking the chair over. "I know. Father."

  Nicholas turned and started for the door, his guards following.

  Elianna looked at Nicholas with concern and got up to follow, not even going to bother asking for permission.

  Celine looked at her mother questioningly, and Freya nodded to her.

  Celine stood up and followed Nicholas and Elianna out of the room, their guards close behind.

  "Seriously," Freya said tightly, staring at the doors as they closed. She snapped her head at William, "Nicholas doesn't need to be at your damn meeting."

  William looked at Freya calmly, "He will be there." He stood up from the table, "And that is final."

  Freya shook her head and scoffed, "Is this why you wanted him to be at breakfast? So you could ambush him by ordering him to be at this meeting?"

  "No," William said simply.

  Freya narrowed her eyes on William, and stood from the table, glaring straight into his eyes. "Then why didn't you tell me about it?"

  William met her glare, "Why didn't you tell me about Nicholas going into field training?"

  Freya's brows raised, looking genuinely caught off guard, "What?"

  William turned to fully face her. "Nicholas is the prince of Gavaria and my son. I deserved to know about this field training, especially since it can be dangerous."

  Freya opened her mouth, but closed it a second later, since William's argument was valid. "Well, now you know."

  William stared at his sister before he turned and began to make his way to the door. When he reached the door, he looked at his sister over his shoulder, "I expect to know everything about Nicholas' field training before he goes with this Zera."

  Freya stared at William, "Fine." She narrowed her gaze, "And just so you know, I will be joining this meeting."

  William chuckled slightly, "I already expected as such. You will have a seat."

  Freya nodded and watched as William left the room, with his guards following closely.