The day of the Crown Prince's Birthday finally came and I wasn't ready to attend a social event this early.
I needed more lessons on how to act like a Duke, to gain respect and reputation amongst the other royal and noble members, but I had no time to do so. I was like a lost wave trying to escape from the ocean.
My first plan and goal were to survive, but it's beginning to look more interesting than it was before. I had a healer Serenu on my side, who looked like he could kill for his master. A beautiful and talented assassin who completely belonged to me, a smart sister and what's important Zuri!
She was the intelligence that I needed... Her weird and unique abilities were one of the most useful ones for me to get all the information I needed about people in this place, but her sudden mood swings made me wonder if she even liked me.
"Well, whatever," I shrugged my shoulders as I got out of bed.
*knock* *knock*
"Young Duke, we must start preparing for the prince's party," Serenu called from outside my door, which woke me up instantly.
I had to do it, even if I had no idea how to act, I had to walk with my head held high and be confident. It wouldn't be a big deal if I messed up or make a mistake, it would only help me learn faster.
I opened the door and saw Serenu standing there with an excited expression on his face. In his hands, there was a large bouquet of flowers that resembled a crown. He handed them over to me for some reason.
"What are these?" I asked him confused.
"They're a gift for you, from your future wife."
"My future what?!!!" I raised my voice as I couldn't believe what just came out of his mouth. "How can you say that?!"
"It's true..." He smiled, "have you forgotten about your engagement with a lady Aurora from the House of the Vernon?"
"Oh yeah, I remember now." I sighed as I recalled the proposal.
Rowen was indeed engaged already with another noble lady when he turned five years old. Rowen's and the first lady of the house Vernon's mothers were childhood friends, so they probably had this silly idea in mind before Rowen was actually even born. I remember his fiance being arrogant and stubborn just like the previous Rowen, "these two really matched well," I squeezed my eyes as I placed my palm on my forehead, "what to do...?"
It wasn't such an important detail for me to remember and prioritise first, "man, to get engaged and marry in this era was as easy as drinking water in the modern one, except for, the water here could actually be poisonous," I muttered to myself.
"you will not get married here immediately, master," Serenu spoke again, "the lady is still young, you need to wait until she turns eighteen years old."
"Why?" I asked as I looked at him through my fingers.
"Because she won't be able to have any children for at least 3 years, and then it'll take another three years until she's fully grown and healthy," he explained calmly, "she is also the heir of the House of the Vernon, so she needs to live a little longer for the sake of the kingdom."
pαndα,noνɐ1,сoМ He was right, it did sound logical.
"So the wedding will happen when she's eighteen?"
"Yes, master. Now please, start preparing for the ball."
"Okay," I nodded as I forced myself to smile and nod again.
"Please come along with us, we're going to prepare your attire, so that you can present yourself properly," Serenu told me as he turned his back towards me.
"Alright, let's go." I followed him and left the room.
We went to our family's servants' quarters where I changed into a new set of clothes. I wore a light blue tunic that complimented my skin tone, with a white undershirt and pants underneath. I looked ridiculously fancy compared to my usual outfits. I added a black cape to complete the outfit, which gave me a very regal appearance.
"Young duke, your sister is waiting for your outside," Serenu informed me.
"Thank you," I replied politely, "and thank you for everything."
"Don't mention it, master," he bowed and headed away.
I walked outside and saw Nari looking at me with her eyes wide open, but I was the one here who was mesmerised by her beauty. Her long wavy pink hair reached down to her shoulders and her cheeks were red from excitement. She long black dress she wore was revealing and showed off her perfect figure perfectly.
"Wow..." I whispered as I took a few steps forward, the puffy sleeves on her shoulders made her look like a princess, I wanted to touch them.
"You look great, brother," Irene glanced from the carriage.
"Thanks..." I smiled at my sister, "please don't shout too loud, I'm trying to focus on my surroundings."
"Sorry." She lowered her voice.
Nari looked at me one more time and bowed her head, allowing me to enter first. On the steps that were inserted into a carriage to help us get inside faster and more comfortably, there was something sparkling on them, but I didn't mind them.
"young master," Serenu opened the carriage's door for me, it made me feel special.
"Thank you," I said as I climbed in and sat down on the seat. The carriage started moving once Nari entered and Serenu closed the door.
In front of me was Irene, sitting calmly with her hands placed together on her sparkling grey dress. I could see the light reflection from her short blue hair.
"Are you sure about this?" She asked me suspiciously.
"Of course, I am," I answered her honestly, "it's a birthday party for the prince. That means it's mandatory to attend." I knew what she meant, she was talking about my approach to the king.
"I hope so..." She sighed.
"He is the prince, after all," I leaned back, resting my head on the soft velvet cushion of the chair.
We travelled for a while, passing by the gardens and finally arrived at the palace. A cold, uncomfortable shiver ran down my spine. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down. Was I getting nervous now?
Irene put her hand on my knee, "are you scared, brother?"
"Not at all, I'm just not in the mood," I smiled.
"That's good," she giggled.
As we approached the castle, I could hear the noise coming from the area, I stopped breathing for a moment, until someone shouted loudly, "ahh, that's music!"
I relaxed again as I heard the familiar tune of a violin.
"Hmhm, we're here," Serenu announced as he pushed the carriage door open.
I looked around, noticing the many guests dressed in their finest clothes. They were smiling and laughing as they talked to each other. I suddenly felt overwhelmed by the sight of all those people, I had never been surrounded by that many people at once.
Irene stood up next to me, she placed her arm over my shoulder and helped me stand up, "we're here, brother."
"Yeah..." I nodded as I looked around, "so are you."
"Yes, I am." She grinned.
We continued walking towards the entrance of the hall, where everyone was gathered.
At the entrance, a large crowd of people waited for the arrival of the guests. Some of them were standing on stage, waving their arms to the guest and welcoming them inside. There was also a small orchestra playing for everyone's entertainment. This was the moment that I haven't prepared myself fully for.
"Well, I suppose this is the best way to start," I mumbled to myself as I kept on walking.
After the long corridor that separated us from the hall, the music stopped and the doors of the main entrance opened. I looked behind me to see if Nari was following us, she was with Serenu tagging along.
I felt how a heavy stone was lifted off my chest, as somehow this made me feel relieved. But a sudden realisation made me think, 'why was Serenu with us? He was supposed to stay at home and protect the twins in case of anything bad happened to them. This was weird, but the sudden stress and anxiety disappeared from my mind, as I found myself staring at the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. They were all dressed in their finest dresses and jewels.
But the one who was standing out the most, like the only blooming flower in the garden filled with weeds, was the woman next to Serenu.
Nari.
She was probably the most exciting woman I've ever met in my life, I just couldn't take my eyes off her glowing face. Her long pink hair swayed side to side as she walked towards me. "Young master, please focus," she whispered to me as she placed her hand on my shoulder. I noticed that she was wearing a necklace on her neck. As she drew closer to me, I could see the light reflecting in her beautiful starry night eyes.
"The Young Duke Rowen and The Lady Irene from the Dragon house," someone made an announcement.
"Ahh!" I gasped as I realised that we had to walk inside the hall now, "this is it..."
