Hah... What a long day it has been...
Heading back to the private lounge of the royal family in the palace with his parents after the opening ceremony and greeting the nobles, Alexus sighed inwardly as he took a deep breath and relaxed his body.
The parade around the royal capital last year was bearable for him with all the breeze blowing at him along with the slightly cloudy weather. But this year, they had to stand under the clear sky and unobstructed sunlight while maintaining a smile and waving to the masses.
Actually putting a face to the citizens of the kingdom he would've only seen as numbers during his studies, seeing them merry during the festival and enjoying their lives in the kingdom.
It was the only thing encouraging him to brave through the blazing heat.
Well, that and the thought of being able to see Alterisa once again after a long while.
When he arrived back at the royal palace, he immediately searched for Alterisa, and found her very quickly.
It wasn't difficult to search for the most beautiful girl in the kingdom and the girl he's so helplessly in love with.
Her heavenly beauty was even more accentuated in her light blue dress. Her silver-white hair glimmered so beautifully under the shimmering glimmer of the chandelier. Her eyes shined with the sparkle of a thousand stars. Her brilliant smile and her unmistakable presence and figure; all of them immediately washed away all of his fatigue.
He was a bit disappointed that she didn't wear his present, but it wasn't something that could be helped. It was meant to be worn during the announcement of their engagement. This few days until the night of the announcement was a short period of time compared to how long he had been dreaming of that moment.
He could feel his heart thumping louder and louder as he stared at his soon-to-be fiancee. But then, he noticed girls holding onto her and staring at him defiantly.
He recognized all of them immediately by names since they were close friends of Alterisa.
Very close friends...
It was obvious to see from their gazes that they're holding feelings beyond just friends for his beloved.
Then, he noticed lucas, Luke, and a bit further away, Keith staring at Alterisa in awe.
He was only out for a moment, yet all of them immediately swarmed his beloved like moths to a flame.
Even he wished he could be parading around the royal capital with her by his side.
He could help but frown at that moment.
But now, he was very excited. Reason being his mother had invited Alterisa, Lucas, and Lady Lisa to the guest lounge in the castle to chat.
Lily will also be joining him and his mother to meet them.
He didn't know if it was a reward from his mother for braving through the parade in hellish weather or not, but this was the greatest reward he could receive.
Meeting her was everything he wanted right now.
"Well then, I shall be resting here until Altair arrives. You two can go ahead to the guest's private lounge room. Lily must already be on her way as well."
"Yes~ Then, do your best for a little bit longer, dear~"
"Mm. I will."
Luke cupped the cheek of his wife lovingly, a soft smile on his face, before his regal expression returned.
He entered after one of the royal guards escorting them opened the door to the lounge, leaving the mother and son pair behind.
"Well then~ Let's go meet them, Alex~ I know you can't wait to meet her~"
"..."
"Ufufufu~ There's no need to be embarrassed at this point~ I saw you staring at her the moment we entered the venue~"
"...Let us make haste, mother. We shouldn't make them wait any longer."
"Ufufufu~ Okay~"
--------------------------------X--------------------------------
[Alterisa's POV]
Sitting around in the private guest lounge in the royal palace, mom and I chatted while drinking the tea the servants of the palace prepared for us along with some small snacks. Lu-nii was just sitting opposite of us quietly, joining in the conversation once in a while.
We are waiting for Sonia-sama, Alex, and Lily to come. Apparently, mom and Sonia-sama set this meeting up to relax after the opening ceremony since they haven't met each other for quite a while.
After a while, the huge, ornate double doors of the private guest lounge opened, revealing Sonia-sama's figure along with Alexus and Lily by her sides.
Mom, Lu-nii, and I stood up and greeted them with a bow and curtsy as they entered. And the moment the royal guard closed the door, Sonia-sama suddenly run to us with hurried steps.
"Lisa~!!! I've missed you~!!!"
"Sonia~!!! I've missed you too~!!"
Mom also run to her and hugged like a pair of lovers who haven't seen each other for years.
Well, since they're doing it~
"Risa-chan~!"
"Lily~! It's been a while~! I've missed you soooo much~!"
"I've missed you too~!"
Lily jumped and I catch her in my embrace, and we began squishing each other's cheeks like usual.
"Hey, good work on the parade. Did you get sunburnt?"
"Hello. Fortunately not. We've prepared our skins well with some ointments our alchemists prepared beforehand."
Meanwhile, Alexus and Lu-nii just fist-bumped each other.
"Risa-chan too~ It has been a while since we've met each other~ Do you miss me~?"
"S-Sonia-sama. P-Please not too strongly!"
Umph! I-I'm being suffocated by her twin heavenly pillows!
"Ufufufu~ You don't need to be embarrassed~ What a cutie~?"
W-Who's embarrassed?! I'm literally not breathing!"
"Well then~ Let's take a seat~ I'll have a maid prepare more stuff for us~"
"Uhn~"
Phew... I thought I'd see the gate of heaven there...
Well, to be fair, being in that position would be heaven for a lot of people.
A group of servants came quickly with tea and various desserts after we all sat down. They all placed it on the coffee table before us and left after Sonia-sama gave them her permission, and we all began chatting relaxedly.
Sonia-sama and mom immediately chatted with each other. They seemed to be talking about the private tea party mom will hold in our estate.
It's a once-a-year event where mom, Sonia-sama, and many other high-ranking noble ladies in their private little circle could gather and forget about their standings and just be the good friends that they are. I would be really excited too if it was me.
Hm... Should I do that too in the future? We won't always be able to do sleepovers after we've grown up, but we could do a private tea party together! I can invite Lily, Evelyn, Celine, Illya, Valerie-chan, Noir, and even Kiara, and we could all just have a fun time like right now!
Uhn~! That's a great idea~!!! Hehehe~
Meanwhile, sitting opposite of me, Lu-nii and Lily were chatting with each other. He seemed to be telling her stories and updating her on what we've been up to since we last met.
I kinda feel bad for Lily since it's hard for her as a princess to come and go out whenever she wants.
Maybe I should be the one to come to the palace and chat with her instead...?
Hm... That might be a good idea. Maybe we could make a schedule and set a time out of the day to meet up and relax!
The time we've spent together while she's teaching me how to act like a princess has been very fun, and I want to continue that!
Uhn, let's bring this up to Lily later!!!
As they were all having their own conversations, i've also been talking with Alexus.
He was sitting very close to me. Not touching, but our shoulders could touch if I leaned over.
Umu... I would've told him to go away a little bit, but considering it has been a while since we've met, I'll indulge him a little. He must be feeling very lonely and deprived off of human interaction.
"I've missed you so much, Risa. It has been quite a while since we could talk like this in private."
He smiled ever so softly at me and I couldn't help but smile back.
"Well, both of us have been especially busy with preparations for this year's festival. Good work on the parade. You must be burning under that sun."
"I didn't mind the weather. I've had swordsmanship training under the blazing sun longer."
"Ooohh~ As expected of the amazing crown prince~"
I giggled.
He's only a year older than me, but he's saying such a thing like it's nothing. Regular six or seven years old would've complained and bawled their eyes out if they were to be forced to stand or train under such hot weather.
Well, I've also trained under the blazing sun before though.
"...Why do I feel like you're being sarcastic."
"Eh~? It's just your imagination~ Ehehe~"
He scoffed softly and shook his head.
"Acting cute won't earn you forgiveness."
"I don't need to act cute. I'm already cute as it is~!"
I've witnessed Alterisa's naturally adorable appearance every time I woke up in the morning and look at the mirror.
Moreover, with all the exercise I've been doing, proper skincare, washing my hair with shampoo and conditioner, and eating healthily, I've become even prettier~!
Practicing magic also seemed to have made my skin and complexion even better too!!
Seems like having mana continuously run throughout my body rejuvenates my body and enhanced it greatly! That's why Lawliela-sama and all the capture targets and villainesses who were very strong in magic were very beautiful.
I've become even prettier than the Alterisa in the game because of my hard work~! Of course, I'll take pride in it!
I smiled smugly and looked at him. But instead of a weird look, I expected from him, he was smiling.
"Uhn. You right. You really are."
"!"
W-W-Wha-?!
W-What's with that reply! You should've sighed or told me not to be narcissistic!
Kuh! Such a devastating smile at this close of range is too powerful! I couldn't defend against it!
S-Seriously! He should be more considerate of a young lady and remember his own appearance.
He shouldn't be smiling like that so suddenly. I didn't had a chance to prepare myself...
My heart skipped a beat right then...
I pouted, feeling the heat in my cheeks, and punched him softly on his shoulders.
To which, he was stunned and began looking at me in pure shock before going into a fluster.
W-What? Why are you the one embarrassed now?
Hmph! Seriously. This prince needs to be more considerate of his surroundings.
Well, I will acknowledge your skills as the "Prince" of the drama club.
AN: I hope you guys enjoy this chapter~! Please vote and comment your thoughts~!