Felix wasn't quite fond of swimming.
As a child, he hated the water. He feared it more than anything else. The deepest depths of the ocean gave him shivers-- who knows what's hidden underneath it all?
And so, he avoided swimming at all costs. When they had family trips that included water, Felix immediately declined.
However, when his Knight Training requires the said activity, Felix has no choice but to agree. Of course, knowing swordsmanship is vital in becoming a knight. Along with swimming, too. Being a knight required being ready at all situations, regardless of how bad it is.
That is why 14 year old Felix Robane is now mentally preparing himself.
Yes, you read that right. Fourteen year old Felix has now been practicing his Knight Training for three years. In two more years, he'll eventually graduate and (he hoped and prayed) that he'll become the Top Knight.
That wasn't the problem right now, though.
His father, Luther Robane, was sent by the Emperor in an expedition outside the Empire's barriers. So, the one in charge of teaching the trainees were the senior knights. They were mostly experienced and a bunch of guys who were in their early 40s.
Still, their teaching strategies wasn't as effective as Luther Robane's.
Then again... Felix had no right to complain. He needed to do this for the Empire. For the future. For Claude.
(Felix would be lying if he told anyone that he wasn't practicing his Knight's Oath almost everyday. He didn't want to disappoint Claude, after all.)
Speaking of Claude, he was now 10 years old. The little and innocent prince was quite mature now. And a bit taller, too. Not to mention, he was quite famous with the young ladies. Mainly Penelope Judith, who was friends with Odette.
Anyway, back to our favorite red head--- Felix.
Lucky for him, they weren't assigned to a literal ocean. They were only assigned to the huge man-made lake that surrounded the Royal Palace. It was so huge that a whole ship could enter. Also, the man-made lake was connected to Anastasius' secret garden. But no one really tried to even enter that part of the lake. They'd be dead in a ditch if they did so.
"Hey Felix!" a trainee exclaimed. "Let's hope ya don't disappoint your daddy's expectations, eh?"
Felix rolled his eyes. This trainee, in particular, was always getting on his nerves. He'd always receive useless 'insults' from the guy. He didn't quite mind it at first, but it was getting annoying and repetitive.
"Hey," he mimicked the guy from earlier. "Let's hope you don't drown from your stupidity, eh?"
Felix was, usually, a bright and cheery type. But when he said that, everyone who heard it got shivers down their spine. The trainee gulped and simply walked away. Felix just looked away and started stretching for the swimming exercise.
"To all aspiring knights," the trainer declared. "you will need to search for ten decoys displayed as bodies. You will need to do this in only an hour. The ten decoys are ranked from one to ten, one being the most important and ten least. Whoever gets the highest number will earn more points."
The training, then, eventually started.
There were only 40 knights remaining ever since the ceremony started 3 years ago. Before, they were arranged to age groups. Felix belonged to the kid's group, but now, they were all merged into one big group.
That meant that Felix was competing first place with people probably twice his age. Not that it bothered him that much. He was confident in his own skills. But his fear of water....
'You can do this,' Felix reassured himself, 'for the Empire.'
With that, the trainer blew the whistle and signaled the training to start. Felix simply took a deep breath and hoped for the best.
----------
It was now almost half an hour. There were only two decoys left--- the number eight and number one decoy.
Out of the 40 trainees, only 8 were only successful. The remaining others were still searching. And one of them was Felix. Thus, there were still 32 trainees that Felix needed to compete with.
Felix was actually expecting it to be easy. He thought that the decoys were placed in the nearby waters of the man made lake. But he was so damn wrong. The decoys were evenly spread out throughout the whole Palace. It took a long time to search for one.
Felix was about to give up until he saw something glimmering underwater. He slowly swam toward it and he couldn't believe his eyes. It was the number one decoy! It was the highest ranking decoy that could increase his score!
Quickly enough, he pulled it up. Lucky for him, it was only a small bag that had a few rocks in it. However, before he could swim back to their training site, he saw something glimmering underwater.
It was small-- something bright. It looked red, and thin. As if it wasn't meant to be there in the first place. He then went above the water and took a deep breath.
What is that? he asked himself.
He swam toward it slowly and---
A red... string? No, it wasn't a string. No.. it was something else. Felix shook his head and quickly swam up in the water again. He brought it up and then, there he realized.
It's a red bracelet!
----------
Odette was now 13 years old.
It's been three years since she passed out in the lake.
And it was... weird. Because Odette couldn't remember anything that has happened. She only remembered waking up and realizing that her favorite red bracelet was gone. She also remembered seeing Claude holding her hand tightly and a red head beside him.
What was his name? Odette couldn't remember, but---
"Princess, are you ready for your afternoon tea party with the ladies?"
Annabeth asked Odette out of the sudden, snapping her out of her thoughts. Then, it hit Odette. It was Annabeth's son, the handsome red head named--
"Felix!" she exclaimed aloud.
Her head maid raised an eyebrow. "Yes, Princess...? What of Felix?"
Odette smiled. "It's been three years, Annabeth! And I haven't even met Felix," she said with a sad tone. "I have only met him once, but it wasn't even a long conversation!"
Annabeth couldn't help but smile. "It seems so, Princess, but Felix is quite busy with Knight Training," she explained. "he can't even visit me. I'm the one who needs to visit him from time to time."
"Is he not training in the Palace grounds?"
She nodded slowly. "He is, Princess, but the Palace grounds is a huge place. Nearly as big as two whole villages, it seems. And Felix? He's training in the very opposite side of your Palace."
"Can I visit him, then? Just a short meeting won't be so bad!"
Annabeth shook her head and gave Odette a sigh. "I have said this plenty of times but....The Empress has forbidden you from exiting the Emerald Palace. You can't go to any other part of the Palace except the garden."
"But it's been three years, Annabeth. I am already healthy enough to go outside." she explained. "It's almost my debutante ball, and I haven't even step foot outside of the Palace."
Annabeth simply placed a hand on top of Odette's.
"Don't be too sad, Princess. You still have plenty of friends that come over to your tea parties. Surely, they will entertain you for the time being."
Odette pouted her lips. She just wanted to break free of her routine for the past three years. She just wanted her normal life back--- to when it didn't feel like it was so strict.
For the past three years, the Palace's Security has increased to a drastic measures. They doubled the Knights and hired the best doctors to cure Odette. However, to no luck, they weren't able to discern an exact reason for her illness. It was as if it wasn't there in the first place.
Besides that, the Emperor hasn't been visiting Odette often compared to before. He was always confined in his room and refused to join council meetings. Such information, of course, wasn't spread to the public. They didn't want malicious rumors to circulate throughout the Empire.
But it was concerning. Odette wanted to see her father, but her mother refused. She didn't want Odette stepping out of the Emerald Palace.
"What about Claude?" Odette asked out of a sudden. "Is he too busy to even visit me?"
"He is busy, yes. But knowing Claude, he'll make time for you."
Odette smiled. "Really?"
"Of course, Princess. Speaking of which," Annabeth cleared her throat. "you will be having a tea party with the ladies this afternoon. Her Majesty scheduled it, in line with the preparations for Prince Anastasius' arrival."
Anastasius? Odette wasn't quite sure how to feel about him.
She was a bit sad and pissed because he left with no warning. But it was also odd. She couldn't remember anything on the day he left. Still, he never failed to deliver letters to Odette monthly. It did give her reassurance that Anastasius was okay, but it still felt as if he was hiding something from her.
But now that he was coming back, Odette felt a bit happy. It was only a year left, and he'd be Crown Prince. After that, she'll have her debutante and... well, Odette wasn't quite sure what'll happen next.
She just hoped for the best.
----------
"Is it just me or are you getting shorter?"
Odette turned around and saw ten-year old Claude approaching her. He had his golden blonde hair messily spread, and he had a book at hand. He wore Obelia's Royal clothing custom made for him alone. Not to mention, he also had a big smile on his face.
"Hello to you too, Claude," Odette greeted. Her and Claude were practically the same height now; she was around 5'2 or so. And she prayed that she'd get taller. "and no, you're just growing faster for some reason."
Claude walked side by side with his sister. He noticed that Odette was wearing an extravagant outfit with her hair neatly tied in a high bun.
"Where are you going?"
"I have tea time with the ladies." she replied. "Do you wanna join?"
"Isn't the Empress there?"
Odette shook her head. "She isn't. Annabeth told me so."
"Well..." Claude took a deep breath. For the past three years, the Empress hasn't really paid attention to him. He simply avoided her at all costs and lived silently.
"Do you want to join me or not?"
Claude shrugged. What could go wrong? He thought to himself. "Sure! I'll be your escort to the tea party," he reassured.
----------
What could go wrong? Claude asked himself earlier.
Well.... pretty much everything.
As he and Odette entered the tea party, all eyes were on them. Claude had his arms locked with Odette's, and he stood tall beside her. He could even feel the ladies' stare. There were around seven of them or so, and he didn't even recognize any of them.
"It's actually my first time appearing in front of anyone after....." Claude drifted off, unable to recall.
"Seven years?" Odette finished Claude's statement with a giggle. "You were only three years old when you had your Opening Ceremony. Ever since, you haven't shown your appearance to anyone outside the Palace."
Claude nodded slowly. "Yeah."
Odette stole a glance over to him. "Don't be so nervous, little brother," she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "consider this as practice."
"Practice?"
"I want you to be my escort for my debutante, Claude."
Claude blushed. "Me?"
Odette nodded. "Of course, who else?" she replied. "now, let's go."
At that, both siblings entered the gazebo. And it was pretty damn clear that Claude de Alger Obelia was a charmer because oh boy, even the picky Penelope Judith laid her eyes on him. The thirteen year old lady couldn't help but get smitten by the younger Royal.
There were seven ladies or so, their ages ranging from twelve to fifteen year olds. However, the most prominent names in the table were of the Judith and York Household.
Rosalia Judith was fifteen years old-- she was known to have a high amount of intelligence and wit. Some even say that she'd become a scholar for the Empire. There was no denying that she was a mastermind when it came to planning and resolving conflict.
Penelope Judith, however, was the exact opposite.
The thirteen year old was nothing but a troublemaker that was charming as hell. She knew her appearance was powerful, so she used it to her advantage. Though she was a bit rowdy, there was no denying that she'd be popular in high society.
And the last, but not the least, notable appearance was Lilian York.
She was of a noble rank, not quite low nor high. Somewhere in the middle. Their family was part of the Royal Family's faction and had their fair share of alliances. They also had a respectable reputation out of all the nobles.
Lillian York was no exception. She was a smart and kind-hearted lady that Odette loved. Out of all the ladies, Lillian was the one she considered closest.
"Glory and Blessing to the Future Suns of Obelia," all the ladies bowed lightly.
At that, the tea party started.
----------
"Why haven't I seen you before, Prince Claude?"
Claude gulped at the question. "I am quite busy with my studies, Lady Rosalia. I'm afraid that I haven't found time to attend gatherings."
Penelope smiled. "My, aren't you a studious one, hm? Unlike your brother, aren't I right?" she had a teasing tone.
Claude was unsure if that was supposed to be an insult or a compliment. He just nodded shyly and turned to Odette.
The tea party was now left with the five of them-- mainly Odette, Claude, Lillian, Penelope, and Rosalia. The others already left because it's been four hours ever since the little gathering started. It was getting late, too. Almost dusk.
"It seems that the day is getting late," Odette suddenly declared. "I presume that you also have your curfews, yes?"
Lillian nodded. "Yes, of course, Princess." the youngest among the ladies, being only twelve, replied. "Perhaps we can meet next time?"
"I'd be more than delighted to!" the Princess replied.
"Oh, aren't we getting our measurements for your debutante?" It was Penelope who reminded that.
"The princess' debutante is still far, Penelope." Rosalia said to her younger sister. "Besides, Prince Anastasius' arrival will come first before that."
Odette's eyes brightened upon the mention of Anastasius. "Yes, I do believe that is what we need to focus on.... right Claude?"
Claude couldn't help but feel confused. The last time he saw Anastasius, he was acting weird. His older brother was staring into the abyss. And he didn't know but... Anastasius just felt off.
"Yes. It seems that he'll be 16 by the time he comes back." he replied.
Lillian smiled at Odette. "He'll also be declared Crowned Prince, so there will be an extravagant celebration for that."
"Celebration?" Penelope beamed. "So there will be a ball?"
Odette nodded. "Different ambassadors, kings, and the like will be coming. All nations will, of course, attend such an important event."
Penelope squealed. "Perfect!" she then faced Claude with a pout. "Will you escort me to your brother's Coronation Ball, then?"
Huh? Claude bit his lip. "Uh..." he then looked at Odette, who was smiling at him. She seems happy that someone was actually asking him out. The ten year old prince just sighed.
"I'm sorry but..." he gave Penelope an apologetic look. "but I'll be going with my sister that day."
"My, isn't that sweet?" Rosalia chuckled. "Though, as far as I know, a certain someone has already asked her out for that day."
Claude's eyes widened. "Pardon?"
Lillian nodded. "Yes. She's been talking about him during our previous tea parties," she laughed. "she's been getting quite flustered over the letters from him, too."
"Letters?" Claude questioned once again.
Penelope crossed her arms. "It's just our cousin, Prince Claude," she despised their cousin. He was a know-it-all smart ass. "the nerd of Arlanta Academy, Roger Alpheus."
TO BE CONTINUED...
NEXT CHAPTER TITLE: "The Boys of Arlanta Academy"
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Hello, dear reader! How are you? I hope you're doing well.
As you can see, this chapter has already skipped three years into the future. It means that Anastasius will go back soon, and he'll have his coronation ball at the age of 16. After that, it will be Odette's 14th birthday or her debutante.
And then after that..... shit happens. Though, I won't tell it to you just yet.
Also, don't you think it's fate that Felix was the one who found Odette's most beloved red string bracelet? When will they meet?
Thoughts on Penelope Judith hitting on Claude? Btw, Penelope is only thirteen in this time, and Claude being ten. And if you remember clearly, it was mentioned in the manhwa that Penelope was Claude's fiancee. So maybe.... that might happen. But I am not yet sure.
Anyway, how is Roger and Anastasius while they are in Arlanta? Is Anastasius fully consumed by Aeterenitas' black magic or can he control it?
Stay tuned for the next chapters! <3