Elianna's soft-looking lips were curled into a blissful smile as she walked beside Nicholas and Celine down the palace's opulently decorated hallways. She was practically beaming with joy at the idea that they were going to the beach. She pictured the massive, sparkling, beautiful body of blue water, imagining what it would look like up close.

  "I'm glad that went well," Celine commented, then looked at Nicholas. "I thought your dad was going to say no there for a moment."

  "Yeah," Nicholas nodded, looking at his cousin. "I honestly thought the same thing. Especially when he said he wanted me to help him with some admin things."

  Celine chuckled, "I bet you're glad you got out of that."

  "Extremely," Nicholas sighed. But he smiled a moment later. "It will be nice to get out of here for a little bit. I'm excited just to spend some time at the beach and relax."

  "Same here," Elianna said, and then looked at Nicholas curiously. "So, what is the beach house like?"

  Nicholas looked up and hummed, "Let's see, it's three—"

  "Ah ah ah!" Celine stated firmly, slapping Nicholas on the shoulder.

  "Oi!" Nicholas yelled, rubbing his shoulder and narrowing his eyes at Celine. "What was that for?"

  Celine pointed at Nicholas accusingly, "For trying to spoil it." She looked at Elianna and smiled, "Trust me, you'll love it."

  Elianna smiled and nodded to Celine.

  The three of them fell silent as they made their way up the stairs and to the fourth floor.

  Stepping off the stairs, Nicholas looked at Celine, "Want to just meet at the top of the stairs after we grab our things?"

  "Yeah, that sounds good," Celine answered.

  Elianna thought for a moment, then looked at Celine and Nicholas curiously, "How many days should we plan on staying there?"

  Nicholas and Celine looked at Elianna, then shared a gaze, before looking back at her again, and they simultaneously said, "A few."

  Elianna's eyes darted between them before she smiled and chuckled. While she knew they were cousins, she couldn't help but admire how they acted like siblings.

  Elianna nodded, "A few, it is."

  As they approached Celine's room, she shot them a quick smile and said, "See you soon."

  "Later," Nicholas said.

  "See you soon," Elianna replied, watching as Celine approached and entered her room.

  Elianna's eyes flicked to Celine's guards, who proceeded to stand by at her door. She leaned closer to Nicholas and whispered, "So, are the guards going to follow us there, too?"

  Nicholas' smile faded, and he seemed to think for a moment, "No, they won't be."

  A guard walking behind Nicholas raised a brow, "Your Highness?"

  Nicholas stopped and looked at the guards, "My father has already contacted your captain. He should've already sent guards over there beforehand and set up a rotation schedule. We don't need to be surrounded by guards while we are trying to relax. Additionally, the beach house is secluded and well-protected. We will be fine."

  The guards all shared an expression of uncertainty.

  Nicholas sighed, "If anyone asks, this was a direct order from your prince."

  The guards nodded.

  Nicholas turned and continued to walk when his eyes flicked to the side. He noticed Elianna walking beside him, looking straight ahead, with a smirk on her face, and her cheeks were a little rosy.

  Nicholas raised a brow, "What?"

  Elianna's eyes flicked to him before she looked forward and shrugged, "Nothing. It's just interesting when you get all princely and give commands."

  Nicholas playfully rolled his eyes and looked forward.

  As they approached Elianna's door, Nicholas looked at her, "Don't forget to grab a few days' worth of items, then meet us at the top of the stairs."

  Elianna looked at him, smiled, and nodded excitedly, "I will!"

  Nicholas smiled and blushed slightly at how excited she looked, then said, "See you soon."

  Elianna waved, "Later."

  She turned and entered her room, closing her door behind her. Leaning back against her door, Elianna couldn't contain the smile that formed on her face. She let out a gleeful cheer before she quickly ran to her dresser. Opening a few drawers, she pulled out a few tank tops, shorts, and undergarments, storing them all in her spatial ring.

  Elianna chuckled as she picked up a few bikinis, thinking that she would definitely need those. But, as she held her bikinis, she realized where she was going, and her face heated at the idea that she would be seeing Nicholas shirtless a lot. Her lips curled at the thought, thinking how she was definitely more excited for this trip now.

  Shaking her head of these thoughts, Elianna stored her bikinis in her spatial ring and fanned herself with her hand, as she felt a little hot. She made her way to her bathroom, where she grabbed and stored her hygiene items. Then, she made sure to grab a set of flip-flops before she made her way to the door.

  Stepping into the hallway, Elianna shot a quick glance toward Nicholas' door, but didn't see him. She turned and began to head toward the stairs, with her guards following her closely. As she approached the stairs, she smiled when her eyes fell on Celine, who was patiently waiting.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Nicholas isn't here yet?"

  Celine looked toward Elianna, smiled, then shook her head, "No, not yet." Celine pushed off the wall she was leaning on, "My mom passed by not long ago. So, we will wait for her before we leave the palace."

  Elianna nodded, "Sounds good. Think she is excited for the beach as well?"

  Celine smiled, "My mom? Oh, definitely. My mom loves the beach house." She chuckled, "Actually, she just loves the ocean in general."

  Elianna smiled, "Good. I didn't want her to come just to be a chaperone and not have fun."

  Celine shook her head, "Nah, don't worry, we will have fun."

  "Yes, we will."

  Celine and Elianna looked at Nicholas, seeing him approach.

  Elianna gave him a playful smirk, "Took you long enough."

  Nicholas shrugged, "Well, I had to get changed really quick."

  Elianna's smirk instantly faded, and her eyes fell to Nicholas' apparel. She noticed that he had definitely changed and wasn't wearing his workout attire. He was now wearing dark blue swim shorts, a black t-shirt, and sandals. She then slowly looked down at herself, noticing she was still wearing her workout attire.

  "O-Oh," Elianna said softly. "Probably would've been a good idea to change."

  Celine chuckled, "Don't worry, I still have to put on my swimsuit too." Elianna looked at her, and Celine smiled. "We can change once we get to the beach house."

  Elianna smiled and nodded, "I'm excited to see it."

  "And you will soon."

  The three of them looked toward the voice, seeing Freya approaching them.

  Freya smiled at the three of them, "We are all here, good. Did you all make sure to get everything you needed?"

  Elianna, Nicholas, and Celine nodded.

  "Good," Freya said, and turned toward the stairs. "Let's head to the portal, then."

  Elianna's brows raised as Nicholas and Celine began to follow her down the stairs. Elianna then quickly followed, walking beside Nicholas. She leaned over and whispered, "We're going through another portal?"

  Nicholas looked at her and nodded, "Yeah, we have to, since the beach house isn't close by."

  Elianna looked confused, "But, the beach didn't look that far away from the palace overlook."

  Nicholas chuckled, "It's true that the beach isn't that far. The beach house, however... Well, you'll see."

  Elianna nodded, then looked at Nicholas curiously. "So, what is there all to do at the beach house?" She chuckled, "Besides going to the beach, of course."

  Celine looked at Nicholas over her shoulder, "Don't ruin the surprise for her."

  Nicholas gave her a narrowed gaze, "I wasn't."

  Freya looked at Elianna over her shoulder and smiled, "You'll see."

  Elianna smiled and nodded.

  They descended the stairs until they finally reached the first floor. Elianna expected Freya to exit through the main doors, but she grew surprised when she turned left. She silently followed Freya, Nicholas, and Celine as they made their way through the opulent first-floor halls until they reached the back doors.

  Freya opened the doors, and they entered the right breezeway, which connected to the royal guard unit and headquarters.

  Elianna followed Freya as they exited the breezeway, and she grew confused as she noticed they were heading directly toward the pond. Her eyes scanned the area, noticing there were four figures standing around. Two of them were royal knights, one was a mage, and the other had Elianna's brows raising in genuine surprise.

  Nicholas and Celine both smiled brightly at the fourth figure, "Josephine!"

  Josephine stood there, dressed in a casual dress and wearing a large sun hat. She smiled warmly, "Hello."

  Freya looked at Nicholas and Celine over her shoulder and smiled, "I asked her if she wanted to come along. Hope you don't mind."

  Nicholas and Celine both shook their heads.

  As they approached the pond, Nicholas walked up to Josephine, and they shared a warm smile as they hugged each other.

  "I'm glad you're coming," Nicholas said.

  "Me too," Josephine said, as they broke the hug. She smiled happily, "It will give us more time to spend together."

  Nicholas nodded and smiled.

  The mage who was standing by stepped forward and bowed, "Prince Nicholas." He stood straight, "A detachment of guards has already gone through the portal and secured the area."

  Nicholas nodded, "Good." He then looked at all the guards who were following them and said, "You are all dismissed. Report to Captain Dunfort for further orders."

  A sergeant, who was the highest ranking of the group, nodded, "As you say, Your Highness."

  The sergeant then looked at the other royal guard members. "Let's go."

  The five of them watched silently as the guards walked off, heading toward the royal guard headquarters.

  Nicholas looked down and sighed, "Finally."

  Freya then looked at the mage curiously, "No castle staff went through the portal, right? I told Victor we didn't need any."

  The mage shook his head, "No, Your Highness. Just a few guards."

  Freya smiled and nodded, "Good. Raise the portal, please."

  Elianna raised a brow, wondering what she meant. She watched as the mage turned and stepped onto the pond. Elianna expected the mage to fall into the wall, but to her surprise, he didn't. That's when Elianna looked down and noticed that there were stone steps inside the pond, leading toward the middle. And, in the middle of the pond, there looked like a step that was much bigger than the rest.

  The mage approached the step in the center, squatted down, and placed his hand palm flat against it. There was a flash of emerald light, and the mage stood up and backed away a step.

  Elianna's eyes widened as she watched the step glow with an emerald sheen. A moment later, a pulse ran over the surface of the water, and the step began to rise. However, it turned out not to be a step at all.

  The stone slab rose from the pond, with water pouring down its edges. The stone continued to rise, revealing that it was a large, rectangular object with an intricate design around it. The stone rose above Elianna, revealing it was taller than her and the others. Another pulse rippled over the surface of the pond when it stopped rising. For a moment, nothing happened, but then, the designs around the object began to glow emerald.

  A thick emerald line appeared in the center of the object, traveling from the top to its base. A moment later, the stone object seemed to vibrate, before the two halves opened like a set of double doors. As the stone doors opened, Elianna looked inside and saw that it was hollow, except for a rectangular stone arch. Inside the arch was a pool of emerald energy that shone brightly against the inside of the stone container.

  Elianna whispered, "Whoa."

  Nicholas looked at her and smiled, "You haven't even seen the beach house yet, and your jaw is already dropped.

  Elianna just silently nodded, staring at the portal, gaining a chuckle from Nicholas.

  Freya's eyes darted between Celine, Nicholas, Elianna, and Josephine, and she smiled, "Let's go, everyone."

  Freya turned, and Elianna followed her as she approached the portal. Freya walked through the portal first, followed by Josephine, then Celine.

  Nicholas looked at Elianna and shot her a quick smile before he walked through the portal.

  Elianna stood there, staring at the stone container and portal, still in awe at the display of magic. Part of her wondered how it worked and wanted to ask, but she thought that could wait for later. For now, she wanted to see the beach house and the ocean.

  Looking at the portal, Elianna stepped forward, feeling the nature magic pass over her, and she stepped through the portal.

  As she stepped through, the first thing Elianna noticed was that she stepped on a hard surface. She looked around, seeing that they had entered a dark brown dome-like area. There were no windows or doors, and the area was lit by lumous stones that were placed here and there.

  "Where are we?" Elianna asked.

  She looked forward, seeing Freya approaching one of the walls straight ahead, followed by Josephine and Celine.

  Elianna's gaze snapped to her left hand, feeling someone take it. She looked up and smiled when her eyes fell on Nicholas.

  Nicholas returned her smile and jerked his chin forward, "Come on."

  Elianna nodded and followed Nicholas as they walked forward. She watched Freya curiously as she placed her hand on the wall, which began to glow with an emerald sheen. A moment later, the wall itself seemed to dissolve, and a warm, comfortable breeze, followed by a bright, radiant light, entered the area. Elianna took a deep breath and smiled at the scent of the ocean air. The sound of ocean waves echoed in the area, filling Elianna with a sense of excitement.

  Freya turned and smiled at Elianna, "Welcome to our beach house."

  Nicholas let go of Elianna's hand as she stepped forward, her eyes glistening with wonder. As she stepped out of the dome, her feet falling on the uneven beach sand, her eyes widened.

  "Oh, Elianna began in a whisper. "Beautiful."