Celine and Elianna were walking side by side as they descended the lavish staircase. Once they reached the bottom floor, Elianna looked around, seeing the opulently decorated walls, and all the palace staff walking around. The staff would glance in Elianna's and Celine's direction, and give them a slight nod with a kind greeting before continuing on their way. It reminded her of what it was like to live in her mansion, somewhat, but in a far grander way.

  Celine looked at Elianna, hearing her chuckle, and curiously asked, "What?"

  Elianna shrugged and smiled at Celine, "Nothing. I was just wondering what it would've been like to grow up in the palace."

  Celine's eyes fell before she looked forward, "Nicholas didn't think it was all that great."

  Elianna sighed and nodded, "I know. He told me about his childhood before. He said that growing up, it was essentially a life of teaching him how to be a prince and attending educational lectures." She gave a sad smile, "He even said he didn't have fun all that often."

  Celine stopped and looked around. "When I was younger, I would come to the palace with my mom when she came to visit."

  Elianna looked at Celine curiously, "How often was that?"

  Celine tilted her head, hummed, and looked deep in thought, "I would say, every few months or so." She smiled and laughed, "And whenever we did visit, Nicholas would be so happy. He would always spend time with both of us or just me. He was the cutest kid, I swear." She smiled warmly and looked at Elianna, "I don't remember when, but at some point I started to view him more like my little brother than my cousin."

  Elianna smiled at the thought, "What would you two do when you visited?"

  Celine shrugged, "Hang around the palace, spend time with Josephine, sometimes we would go into the city." She chuckled, "With an armed escort, of course, and under adult supervision."

  Elianna's lips curled at the thought of Nicholas and Celine spending time together when they were younger. But the more she thought about it, a thought popped into her head. She looked at Celine inquisitively, "What about Tristan? Did you spend time with him, too? Maybe see him as a brother as well?"

  Celine's smile faded, and her eyes fell. Her brows furrowed before she closed her eyes and sighed, "Nick doesn't really tell you about Tristan, does he?"

  Elianna shook her head, "No, not really. Just that they don't really get along."

  Celine scoffed, "That's an understatement."

  Elianna's brows raised, "What do you mean?"

  Celine looked up, meeting Elianna's gaze. "When you see and talk to Nick, what do you think about him?"

  Elianna's eyes widened, and her cheeks reddened, "W-What? What do you mean?"

  Celine smirked and stifled a laugh, "Not what you're thinking." Her smirk faded, and she continued, "How would you describe Nick's personality?"

  Elianna's face relaxed, understanding the question. She smiled, "Oh, well, that's easy. He's nice, easy to get along with." Her smile grew slightly, "I would even say charismatic, caring, selfless, he just has that smile that lights up the room, and his eyes—" Elianna stopped, seeing the grin on Celine's face. "W-What?"

  Celine chuckled and shook her head, "Oh, nothing. If you want to tell me your feelings for him, I'm all ears."

  Elianna looked to the side, her face turning red, and she coughed, "I don't know what you mean."

  "Of course you don't," Celine jested. She sighed, "But yes, Nicholas is all those things. Tristan though..." Celine's eyes fell. "Nick and Tristan may be brothers, but you may as well compare them to night and day. Tristan can be mean and demeaning. He always acts like he is superior to everyone else." Celine's expression saddened, "Then there is the way he treats Nick."

  Elianna's brows furrowed. "Does he treat Nick badly?"

  Celine's eyes snapped to Elianna. She opened and closed her mouth before she smiled and gestured to the front doors, "Come on, let's go see what Josephine is up to."

  Elianna took note of the subject change and nodded. She didn't blame Celine for not telling her, since she wasn't sure if Nicholas would appreciate Celine telling her about his relationship with his brother when even he hadn't gone into detail about it. However, it did pique her curiosity about their relationship.

  Celine turned, and Elianna followed her as she approached the double doors, with the guards following them. When Celine opened the doors, Elianna had to blink a few times when the radiant sunlight shone through. Once her eyes finally adjusted, she looked around, seeing the beautiful garden. Following Celine forward, she could hear the birds chirping, a few bugs flew past her, and a gentle wind caressed her flawless ivory skin.

  Celine stopped, closed her eyes, and looked up with a smile. With a deep breath, she said, "I just love the feeling of this place."

  Elianna smiled and nodded, "Me too. It's just so peaceful." Elianna looked to the left, and her eyes fell on a few individuals dressed in yellow, with sun hats, who were tending to the garden. Elianna pointed at them, "I think I see Josephine over there."

  Celine's head snapped to Elianna, before looking toward where she was pointing. Celine smiled widely, then nodded. "It is, come on."

  Elianna followed Celine as she walked onto one of the paths on the left side of the gardens. As they got closer to the individuals, Elianna could see they were the same three ladies from before.

  Celine smiled warmly as she approached, "Josephine!"

  Josephine was in the middle of trimming a rose bush when she looked up with a curious expression at the sound of her name. As soon as her gaze landed on Celine, her eyes lit up and she smiled jovially, "Oh, Celine, my dear!"

  The other two ladies who were standing close to Josephine smiled and nodded toward Celine and Elianna.

  Josephine dropped her sheers and gloves into the basket at her feet and quickly began to approach Celine. "Oh, you've grown up so much!" Josephine said happily as she took Celine into a hug.

  Celine chuckled and smiled, returning the hug. She closed her eyes and rested her head on Josephine's shoulder. "Well, it has been a few years since I've been back."

  "That it has," Josephine said, as they broke the hug. Josephine placed her hands on Celine's shoulders and smiled as she admired her. "Oh, look how beautiful you've gotten." She chuckled, "You look so much like your mother. Though you definitely have your father's eyes."

  "So I've been told," Celine laughed.

  Josephine's eyes flicked behind Celine, "Oh!" She dropped her hands and approached Elianna. "Hello again, my dear!"

  Elianna smiled, "Hello." She was about to wave, but grew surprised when Josephine took her into a hug. Elianna was frozen for a moment before she returned the hug.

  When they broke the hug, Josephine looked behind Elianna and frowned. She pointed at the guards, "You lot best get out of my garden, before you trample over the place."

  The male knight at the front raised a brow, "We are to stay with the princess and Lady Elianna."

  Josephine crossed her arms. "And when you ruin the garden, who will tell the king?"

  The guard paled slightly, "W-We will make sure to stay on the path."

  Celine smiled at the guard, "Just stay at the edge of the gardens. We will be fine here."

  The guard looked at Celine, seemed to think about it for a moment, before nodding, "Yes, Princess." They turned to the others, "Let's go to the edge. And please, for the love of the divine, don't trample any of the flowers."

  The other guards nodded and began to make their way out.

  Elianna raised a brow, "Would the king be upset if they messed up the garden?"

  Josephine looked at Elianna and nodded, "Oh, yes." She then looked at Elianna curiously, "Did Nicholas not tell you who started this garden?"

  Elianna's brows furrowed. "No."

  Josephine smiled warmly, "His mother came up with the garden idea, and was the one who started it."

  Elianna looked surprised. "Nick's mother did?"

  Celine nodded, "Yeah." She looked around, admiring the different flowers and plants, "My mother always said that Evelyn had an eye for beauty."

  "Oh, that she did," Josephine chuckled, looking around the garden. She smiled sadly, "She loved this garden so much, and I would be out here all the time, helping her with it."

  Elianna looked at Josephine curiously, "You must've known Evelyn very well then."

  Josephine looked at Elianna, smiled, and nodded, "I was her personal attendant."

  Elianna's eyes widened. "I didn't know that."

  Josephine chuckled, "Nicholas didn't tell you?"

  Elianna shook her head, "No."

  Josephine looked down with a bittersweet expression, "I knew Evelyn very well. She never treated me as her attendant, but as her friend. She was the kindest person I knew." She smiled warmly, "I see so much of her in Nicholas."

  Josephine looked around curiously. "Speaking of, where is he?"

  "His father wanted Nick to attend a council meeting with him," Elianna said.

  Josephine's brows raised before she sighed and looked at Celine, "Your uncle couldn't let Nicholas relax while he was here, could he?"

  Celine shook her head, "You know how Uncle William can be."

  Josephine nodded, "That I know. I tried to keep Nicholas as happy as possible while he was growing up."

  Elianna smiled, "I heard that you practically raised him."

  Josephine smiled warmly and nodded, "That I did. I would always care for him as well as I believed Evelyn would have." Josephine pointed to one specific apple tree, "Nicholas would always sit under that tree."

  Elianna looked at the tree and smiled, just imagining Nicholas sitting there when he was younger. "Doing what?"

  "Either read, hang out, or sometimes he would fall asleep," Josephine said.

  Elianna nodded, then smiled at Josephine, "Can you tell me what Nicholas was like growing up?"

  Celine grinned, "I'm sure you have plenty of embarrassing stories about him."

  Josephine chuckled, "That I do." She turned and walked toward her basket. "Come on."

  Elianna and Celine followed Josephine as she approached her basket and picked up two pairs of gloves.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Josephine handed the gloves to Celine and Elianna, "Here, take these." Celine and Elianna took the gloves, and Josephine smiled. "I'll tell you what Nicholas was like growing up, and you help me trim the bushes. Deal?"

  Elianna nodded and smiled, "Deal."

  ***

  Nicholas sat in his seat, feeling like he was going to die from boredom. But he continued to maintain his composure, sitting upright and keeping a straight face.

  "I see," William nodded, reading over a parchment in his hands. He looked at Eadon, "And have the stewards of Cildious and Ostria settled their differences?"

  Eadon nodded, "They have, your majesty." He sighed, "After some arguments and insults."

  William hummed, then set the parchment down, "Keep an eye on them. And—" William stopped, and looked down for a second. "Nicholas," William began, then looked at his son. "How would you handle this situation?"

  Nicholas looked at his father, and his brows furrowed slightly. This entire time, he had just been sitting and listening, and never before had his father asked for his opinion.

  Freya narrowed her eyes slightly at her brother.

  Nicholas shifted slightly in his seat, seeing that the councilmembers were all looking at him. He reminded himself to stay calm and spoke in an even tone. "You've always taught me that talking things out can solve most problems, Father," Nicholas began, and looked at his father. "So that is what I would do. I would speak to them together."

  William nodded, "So you would hold a mediation?"

  "Yes," Nicholas nodded.

  William hummed, looking at his son curiously, "And if that didn't work? What would you do?"

  Nicholas looked down, thinking. "I uh." He swallowed hard. "Replace them."

  William raised a brow, "Replace them? Why?"

  "What's with the questions?" Freya asked.

  "I'm just asking for his input," William stated firmly, not taking his eyes off Nicholas.

  Nicholas looked at Freya, then at his father. "Because, if the stewards are disagreeing or arguing with each other, it can cause tension between the cities. So, if the stewards are the problem, then they should be replaced to relieve the tension."

  Tysandra smirked, "Not a bad idea, Your Highness."

  Nicholas looked at her, and she winked at him when their gazes met. Nicholas quickly looked away, his face heating slightly.

  William stared at his son before nodding, "You're right, Tysandra, not a bad idea at all." William looked at Eadon, "Summon them to the palace. I'll have a mediation with them."

  Eadon nodded, "At once, Your Majesty."

  William then looked between Helena and Gaelin, "Any news from the Rangers?"

  They both shook their head, and Helena said, "None that is pertinent, Your Majesty."

  William looked at Helena, "Did they at least inspect the wardstones?"

  Helena nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty. They're still intact and haven't been disrupted."

  "I did receive word from the Tri-Union City forces," Gaelin stated.

  Nicholas and Freya shared a gaze before looking at Gaelin intently.

  "Regarding?" William asked.

  "More orcs were located in Ehomire forest, near Khison outpost. They have been dealt with," Gaelin stated.

  William leaned back into his chair, and his jaw clenched. "This is getting ridiculous. The Orcs are getting out of Calignar somehow or another."

  William tapped his finger on the table, "Nicholas. How would you handle this situation?"

  Nicholas' brows raised, "What?"

  Freya narrowed her eyes on her brother, "William. What are you doing? He has no training in military tactics. Why are you even asking him this?"

  William ignored his sister and looked at Nicholas, "So?"

  Freya's jaw clenched, and her hands tightened.

  Nicholas shook his head, "Aunt Freya is right. I don't know anything about tactics. I don't even know what the rangers are." He gestured toward Gaelin, "Let him decide."

  William looked at his son before nodding at Gaelin.

  "I would recommend doing what we have been doing. Continue to let the Rangers scout out Calignar and secure the border. We shouldn't send a large force into Orc territory without further information," Gaelin advised.

  William looked at Nicholas, "Is that agreeable to you?"

  Nicholas mentally sighed, beginning to feel frustrated, "Yes, Father."

  William nodded, "Good." He leaned forward, placing his hands on the table and looking at his son. "A leader isn't expected to know everything. It is okay to delegate."

  Freya's lips went partially agape as she glared at her brother.

  "Understood?" William asked.

  Nicholas clenched his fists under the table, wanting to leave. "Yes, Father."

  William then looked at Tysandra, "Did the other monarchs answer the invitations to the engagement party?"

  Tysandra nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty. They send their congratulations, but will not be attending. They may send messengers in their place, but it is uncertain."

  William nodded, "I expected as much." William looked at Eadon, "And what about the citizen invitations? Were they all sent out?"

  Eadon nodded, "They were, Your Majesty. We will have a large gathering. Many are excited at the news of both your sons being in attendance."

  Nicholas looked surprised, "Me? They're excited I'll be there? How do they even know?"

  Eadon nodded and smiled, "Yes, Your Highness. It has been a few years since people have seen you at an event, so it was declared that you would be there. They will enjoy seeing you in attendance with..." Eadon looked at William curiously.

  William took a sip of his drink, "Elianna."

  Eadon smiled then looked at Nicholas, "Yes, with Lady Elianna."

  Nicholas tensed, then looked at his father, "What does Lia have to do with this?

  "Yes," Freya stated, staring at her brother. "What does Elianna have to do with this?"

  William shrugged, "Nothing, it was just mentioned that Nicholas will be accompanied."

  "And she is quite the fighter from what I hear," Gaelin chuckled. He grinned at Nicholas, "I heard about your spar. The guards said she was well-versed in her swordsmanship."

  "Well, she was trained by her father, Lucian Vail," William added.

  Gaelin looked surprised, "What? I didn't know this. Lucian didn't tell me his daughter was here."

  Freya glared at her brother, "Maybe because Lucian didn't want people to know."

  William looked at his sister, then looked at Francis, "And how is the planning for the engagement party?"

  "Everything is going according to plan, Your Majesty," Francis said. "We are well within budget, and the party is on schedule to be set in nine days."

  Freya and Nicholas froze.

  "Excuse me," Freya began, her voice ice cold. She glared at her brother, "But what in the absolute fuck does he mean by nine days?"

  Helena, Gaelin, Eadon, and Francis all looked at Freya in astonishment. Tysandra smirked and chuckled while taking a sip from her goblet.

  Nicholas was wide-eyed as he looked at his aunt, as he had never heard her use that language before, since she was always calm and composed.

  William looked at his sister calmly, meeting her fiery glare, "The party is in nine days."

  Freya's jaw clenched. "I thought it would be in three days. You invited us to be here in two days."

  William calmly sat back into his seat, "Did you really think I would only invite you here for a day. No, I was going to have you here for a week."

  Freya narrowed her eyes, "So you tricked us."

  William shrugged, "Just like you tricked me by coming three days earlier."

  Nicholas looked down, his mind racing at this news. He had had enough, and his frustration was about to boil over. In a tight voice, he said, "May I be excused?"

  William was about to answer when Freya quickly said, "Yes."

  Nicholas didn't wait for his father to answer before he quickly stood up, his chair almost falling over.

  William narrowed his eyes on his son, watching him as he stomped toward the door, "Nicholas."

  Nicholas didn't bother looking back before he opened and slammed the door behind him.

  "He's a little angry," Tysandra chuckled.

  "He will calm down," William stated, staring at the closed door.

  Eadon nodded, "That I have no doubt. He's always been calmer than Tristan."

  "That he has," Gaelin nodded in agreement.

  "He's better at decision making, that's for sure," Helena added.

  "What the hell are you all talking about?!" Freya just about yelled, her eyes darting between everyone. Then she glared at her brother, "And why the trick to get us to be here longer?"

  William tapped his finger on the table, looking at his sister. In a commanding tone, he said, "Leave us."

  All of the councilmembers stood up and bowed before leaving the room, while William and Freya glared at each other. Once the door was closed, and only they were left in the room, Freya didn't waste a second.

  "What the hell was that?" Freya demanded.

  William narrowed his eyes on his sister, "What was what?"

  "Don't play games with me, William," Freya said harshly, looking at her brother angrily. "You were deliberately trying to get Nicholas to be a part of this meeting, and even asking for his thoughts and opinions." She gestured around the table, "Then, as soon as he leaves, your council members start talking about him, and even comparing him to Tristan."

  William placed his elbows on the table and clasped his hands together. "They were just making observations."

  "That's crap and you know it," Freya scoffed. She narrowed her eyes on William, "Let me ask you, little brother. Why haven't you named Tristan as the crowned prince?"

  William's eyes fell, and his jaw ticked. "I just haven't."

  "Uh-huh," Freya stated, unconvinced. Her eyes shifted to the seat Nicholas was just sitting in, then back to William. "Or, is it that you're trying to promote another?"

  William's eyes snapped to Freya, "Don't assume things, sister."

  "Then there was the fact that your council members know about Elianna, and how you're informing everyone that Nicholas will be here for the party, and she will be accompanying him." Freya continued. She leaned forward, staring her brother down. "Tell me, is that why you sent Elianna an invitation? To promote her beside Nicholas, and show he would have someone capable by his side?"

  William narrowed his eyes on his sister, "I sent Elianna an invitation because she is a close friend of my son. And, I've mentioned Elianna, so I don't get bombarded with requests by noblemen requesting their daughters to be granted an audience with Nicholas."

  "I genuinely hope that is the case, little brother," Freya continued, looking at William seriously. "I wouldn't want you to make me a liar after I defended you to Elianna's parents."

  William looked confused. "Defended me?"

  Freya nodded, "Indeed. They were hesitant to send Elianna, since they didn't know why you would invite her here in the first place. I assured them that you had no ill intentions with her, and you aren't manipulative." She scoffed, "Not to mention they were upset that they did not get an invitation as well to escort their daughter, or were even personally asked to send Elianna."

  William's eyes fell, and he leaned back into the chair. "I didn't know they were upset. I will need to apologize to them."

  Freya stared at her brother, seeing that he looked genuinely troubled by this. She sighed and looked at him softly, "You're a good person, William."

  William looked up, watching as his sister got to his feet.

  "But," Freya continued, looking him directly in the eyes. "Sometimes, you need to consider the feelings of others before making a decision."

  William stared at his sister, sensing the several different meanings of her words. He nodded before watching Freya leave the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

  ***

  "While covered in mud?!" Elianna laughed as she trimmed the rose bush.

  Josephine laughed and nodded as she looked up with a smile. "Oh yes, I tried to stop him from running into the palace, but he was moving his little legs as fast as possible."

  Celine chuckled and looked at Josephine, "I think I remember my mom mentioning this. Wasn't the palace staff upset because they had just cleaned the rugs?"

  Josephine smiled, "Oh yes, they were."

  Elianna laughed as she cut another branch and threw it into the basket. "I can just imagine him rolling in the mud at the pond."

  "He was always happy in his free time," Josephine smiled, looking at the rose bush before her.

  Celine looked up and frowned, "Unlike how he looks right now."

  Elianna and Josephine looked at Celine, who was looking up with a concerned expression. They followed her gaze, seeing Nicholas stomping through the garden.

  Elianna's eyes widened, seeing him neatly dressed in royal apparel, with his hair neatly combed, and a silver coronet on his head. It was a different side of him, but she thought he looked good nonetheless. But when she saw his frustrated expression, her stomach dropped, knowing that the meeting didn't go well.

  Elianna, Celine, and Josephine watched as Nicholas stomped over to the tree Josephine had pointed at earlier, and he sat down with a huff. He sliced his hand through the air, shooting a blade of wind into the tree. A ruffling of leaves was heard, before an apple fell and Nicholas caught it. He then used water magic to wash it off, before forming a knife made of ice, and began to cut the apple with a tight expression.

  "I guess the meeting went badly," Elianna whispered.

  Celine nodded, "I thought it might. Dang it."

  Josephine looked at Elianna and smiled, "You should go talk to him, dear."

  Elianna looked at Josephine, then at Nicholas. She hated how frustrated he looked, then nodded. She pulled the gloves off her hands before she dropped them into the basket and walked toward the tree.

  Seeing Elianna walk off, Celine sighed, "If anyone can make him feel better, it's her."

  Josephine smiled, "I know." Celine looked at her curiously, and Josephine continued, "Nicholas looks at Elianna the same way William used to look at Evelyn." Josephine reached down and picked up the basket. "Now come on, let's give them a moment."

  Celine smiled and nodded before she followed Josephine.

  ***

  As he cut the apple in half, Nicholas looked up at the sound of footsteps. His brows raised as his gaze fell on Elianna, and his face heated. His eyes looked her up and down, noticing she was dressed in a pretty spaghetti-strapped sundress that showed off her smooth legs, hugged her waist nicely, and accented her chest.

  Elianna smiled at Nicholas, "Hey."

  Nicholas quickly looked back at his apple, feeling his face hot. "Hey."

  Elianna smoothed out her dress and sat beside him. She looked at the coronet on his head and smiled, "Nice crown."

  Nicholas froze before he reached up and took the coronet off his head and stored it in his spatial ring. "I forgot I had it on. It's a coronet. It's not as flashy as a crown."

  Elianna nodded, and her eyes flicked to the apple in Nicholas' hands, watching as he cut the apple into slices. "Wanna talk about it?"

  Nicholas finished slicing the apple, then dispersed the ice knife. He leaned his head back against the tree and began to tell Elianna about the meeting.

  Elianna listened to Nicholas intently, even as he offered her some slices of apple. She listened to how he thought the meeting was boring at first, but then got frustrated when his father kept asking for his opinion, and then even more so when she was mentioned. But it wasn't until the party was mentioned that Nicholas had finally left.

  Once Nicholas was done venting, he let out a long sigh. "So, that's why I'm irritated."

  "I understand," Elianna finally said, after staying quiet. She shook her head, "And nine days." She let out a humorless chuckle, "My dad won't be too happy."

  Nicholas looked at Elianna apologetically, "I'm sorry."

  Elianna looked at him, confused, "For what?"

  Nicholas sighed, "Because if it weren't for me making you feel like you had to come with me, you wouldn't be stuck in Gavaria with me for a week."

  Elianna's brows raised, before she smiled, "Nick, you didn't make me feel anything. I wanted to come with you from the moment I heard the invitation. Even if I were going to be here for a month, I would still want to come and be with you."

  Nicholas stared into her beautiful, celestial blue eyes, smiled, "I'm glad you're here too. It makes having to stay here a lot better."

  Elianna continued to stare into his deep, warm, sea-green eyes. It wasn't until her heart began to race, her face began to heat, and her stomach started to flutter that she finally looked away. "So, uh, now that the meeting is done, is there something you wanted to do?"

  Nicholas looked up, sighed, and hummed, "Well, we were talking about training together."

  Elianna grinned with excitement and shot to her feet. "Then that's what we'll do." She reached her hand out to Nicholas, "Come on."

  Nicholas smiled at her and nodded. He reached out, and when he took her hand, a warmth passed through their arms into both of their chests at the feeling of their skin touching.

  Nicholas shot to his feet and smiled at her, "I promise not to let you run into a barrier this time."

  Elianna chuckled humourously, "I'll hold you to that."