"She looks similar doesn't she?" James asked the taller man beside him. "Her personality as well."
"The princess? Are you implying that the half-breed is her?"
"You never know~"
"Don't be delusional, Sloth. Pride...died. She killed herself-"
"Uh-uh, she was killed by a beast." James corrected him.
"As if something of that level can kill her. She deliberately..." Pain flashed through the man's handsome features. "The main point is that we all saw her copse."
"Envy, what if her soul came back?" James glanced at him slyly.
"The only person who can see through souls committed suicide when Pride died." Envy's brows furrowed.
"We all know how much Greed treasured her. All of us do but he's on another level. Of course, no one can replace you as her loyal hound." James let out a chuckle.
He continued, "The princess's name is the same as Pride, why do you think Arche gave her the same name as his first daughter?"
"You think he knows something? My lord fancies her a lot too." Envy's navy blue eyes were stuck on Freya, they weren't similar, they looked exactly the same.
"Mason, you're making her uncomfortable. She's looking around, she must've sensed your stare." James patted his friend's back.
Mason combed back his nanny grey hair, longing flashed through his eyes, "I miss her."
"You're not the only one. Do you still keep in touch with the others?"
Mason shook his head making James shrug his shoulders, "If you deal with your resting bitch face and aloof attitude, you might have more friends."
He only rolled his eyes at James's words, "I'll get going. My lord will kill me if I don't sort out the documents by the time he's back. Good luck with your crush, Sloth."
James waved him goodbye. Ah, he better go find Luca now. That clueless idiot only has Freya in his eyes, it's going to be tough for him.
Freya woke up with a headache the next day, f*cking hangover. It was all her uncle's fault! She never knew that the 'peach juice' Andrew gave her was alcoholic. The sweet taste of fresh peaches got her addicted.
She blinked at Arche who woke her up, then buried her face into his chest...and continued to sleep. Arche shook her helplessly, this sleepyhead.
But maybe it was a good thing. Arche recalled his daughter being alert 24/7, even the slightest whisper made her eyes flicker. That fact hasn't changed but at least she learned the joy of sleeping.
"Daddy, I feel awful. Can I skip tutoring today?" She whimpered with those teary eyes.
Arche started teaching her personally not too long ago. After all, she's going to have the exam next year. Honestly, she didn't need help at all, but it was nice to have her father teach her.
There were some subjects that she disliked...for example, ancient language. She hated that, memorizing the symbols wasn't a problem for her but she had to decipher them too.
But 'don't like' and 'don't know' were two different things. She still excelled in all of the compulsory syllabi.
"You're just lazy aren't you?" Arche knew her too well. Freya sulked and whined, "But it was my birthday yesterday...my birthday...ah, Dylan!"
Freya pushed Arche away and jumped out of bed. Arche who was shoved by his daughter held his chest, did she have to use so much strength?
"Oh, aren't you energetic now?"
"...I got scared awake. I'll see daddy at breakfast." She waved and headed to the next room to get dressed.
"Yes, yes." Arche sighed and got up. Time for his morning training.
.
.
.
"Your highness!" The guards greeted her while she gave a nod. The two looked at each other before asking, "Would you like us to accompany you?"
"No need. You guys can go rest, good work." Her smile made their legs go weak. Was the princess really related with that cruel king of theirs?
Freya knocked and entered the room. The teen sitting on the bed stared at her. She pulled the chair beside the bed and sat down, "Did you sleep well, Dylan?"
"...yes."
Freya didn't expose his lie. The panda eyes were too obvious, she held back her smile.
"That's good. So why are you here?" Freya tilted her head.
"...to find you."
As she expected. She patted the boy's head, "You wanted to pay me back the favor?"
She earned a nod. This kid was still a kind child, though his eyes were now empty. He must've been through a lot of hardships these years, there was a brief description in the novel.
"There's no need. Go back." She got up. "If you need money, I'll provide you with some."
Her wrist was suddenly grasped tightly, making her flinch. She looked at the teen, "Is there anything else?"
"Can I stay here?"
Freya stood there unmoving, his grandmother must've passed away for him to not want to go back.
"Ho~ you want to make another deal with a demon?" She titled his chin up roughly, eyes narrowing.
"Princess Freya, there's no use in intimidating me," Dylan stated calmly. Freya exhaled deeply and let go.
"You can't stay here for too long. The demonic energy in the demon realm will corrupt you, you'll turn into a fallen."
"That's fine."
"There's no common sense in the demon realm. Murder isn't a crime, it's common to see demons taking drugs, alcohol is like water for them, even children gamble with their lives."
Freya flicked his forehead, "Unless you can accept that, you should go back."
"That's fine."
"Demons hate angels, vise versa. Living here will be hell for you. Just so you know, I won't baby you."
"That's fine."
'That's fine, that's fine, that's fine, is that all he can say?' Freya fumed in her heart.
"...you don't seem very welcomed too, Princess Freya."
Freya's eyes widened slightly before she showed a weak smile. She sat back down and looked straight into his eyes.
"If you go to heaven, you can get accepted. I'm someone who will not get welcomed no matter where I go. So you should reconsider."
"...I said something rude, I apologize." He bowed. "But my answer remains the same."
Freya ruffled her hair helplessly, "...How old are you this year?"
"13"
"Younger than me, huh? Well...I'll decide what to do with you after I discuss it with my dad. For now, I'll have them move you to another palace. If they mistreat you, just tell me. I'll come to see you when the decisions are made."
The boy gave her a nod.
"Just so you know, it won't be for free. I'm thinking of training you to be my bodyguard or maybe you'll become my secretary."
"I understand. I also still owe you a favor." Dylan smiled for the first time, his eyes turned a little more lively.
Ah, those empty eyes...Freya couldn't help but feel sympathy. She also once had that kind of eyes...eyes that were deprived of hope. Nothing matters when one reaches that stage.
Freya reached her hand out, Dylan jolted out of his own will. But she did not back down, she patted his head and smiled warmly, "Behave well. Sleep, they'll move you later."
Once she was out, she gave the maids and guards instructions. She was all smiles...that was until she was alone.
In the empty corridor, only the click-clack of her heels was heard. The princess no longer gave off the bright aura. Her person was there, but her heart wasn't.
She tried to ignore it, but the tingling sensation of her heart was like alarms blaring in her head. Freya felt uncomfortable, extremely restless.
Older sister...older sister...older sister! Why was everything so complicated?? After seeing that excruciating expression her dad showed, she didn't dare to question him.
She felt like there was something important she had to remember. Her heart felt empty and itchy. She fiddled with her earrings as she drowned in her insecurities.
"Hey."
Austin's face appeared right in front of her, scaring the daylights out of her. She stood there like a frozen statue before she tugged his hair ruthlessly, "Don't scare me like that!"
"Ow, ow, ow!" Austin grabbed her hands and brought them in front of him. Thank goodness he didn't go bald. "I've been calling you for a while now. You didn't answer me."
"...oh, sorry."
"...what happened for you to be so troubled?" Austin's thumb gently caressed her lips, "It's bleeding. Tsk, this bad habit of yours."
"It's fine. Where's Alistar? How come you're alone?"
The twins were the exact definition of 'BUY ONE, GET ONE FREE'. Freya who received no reply glanced at Austin, she took in the sight of his furrowed brows. Something clicked in her mind.
"...seriously? How old are you now-"
"Why are you here?" Alistar's cold voice rang in her ears. That question wasn't directed at her since she was pulled back by the shoulder.
The twins glared at each other, as Freya became their tug of war rope. They were glaring so hard that Freya could see sparks flying around.
"Hey..." Freya's voice drowned in their quibble. She raised a voice slightly, "Hey!"
"ENOUGH!"
The two froze and looked down, the menacing smile on her face sent chills down their spine. "If you want to argue, don't argue in the corridor. I'm having breakfast with papa, I doubt that you have eaten. Eat first, fight later, okay?"
With that, she pulled them both by the ears to the dining room. Seems like it's another day to be the pacifier.
(A/N: Once the more important characters are out, I'll write a character introduction chap. So don't worry about the Pride, Sloth, Greed thing~)