'Now that I think about it...'
Arjen had a dream last night, and it's been bugging him since. He dreamt of the stranger he met before, the one who whispered into his ear about Sora knowing things. Arjen was really off for the whole morning just because of that dream.
So Arjen finally decided to ask, "Hey Sora. Do you remember that red haired stranger?"
"Yeah, why you asking?" Sora was just a bit surprised that Arjen decided to bring him up.
Arjen looked down and fiddled with his shirt, "I...I just wanted to ask...do you know him, personally?"
Taken back by her brother's question, Sora sighed, shrugging her shoulders, "Just a bit...I think. He looks really familiar to someone I met in the past, but that's all."
"Oh...I see" Arjen still didn't feel like Sora was telling him everything, but he couldn't just make her spill. But that doesn't matter, he'll find out sooner or later.
He wanted- no, needed to know who that stranger was. Why did he smile like that too him? How does he know the title, -nim? And why did he add that onto his sister's name, speaking to her like they were old colleagues.
Arjen wanted answers, but there weren't any. So he decided to do what he always did; find them himself.
***
Arein turned her head to her brother and sister who were walking beside her. "Hey, Arjen, Sora."
"Mhm"
"Yes?"
"Was the third prince mentioned in the book?" Arein asks.
"Yeah" Arjen nodded.
"Well, we've seen everyone in the imperial family, except for the third prince. What kind of person do you think he'll be?"
"The emperor, crown prince and 2nd prince all have a calm aura, so wouldn't he be similar"
"Pfft" Sora nearly cracked up when she heard Arjen say the word; calm to describe the the prince. "Have you guys seen the dude? He's the compleat opposite of calm. More like a stupid sadist if you ask me."
"So..." Arein placed her hand under her chin, "The third prince is like Sora!"
"What!? Arein!" Sora walked over to Arein and stared into her eyes, "Why compare that rat too me!"
Arein tilted her head and placed a finger on Sora's lips, "You said stupid sadist, thats you in two word."
"Oh, don't forget; workaholic" Arjen pointed out.
Sora stumbled back a few steps, she placed her hand over her chest, acting like some arrows shot her. "I'm hurt~!"
"Yeah, yeah" Arjen rolled his eyes.
"Anyway!" Arein wasn't looking ahead, she was facing her siblings, so she had no idea who was in front of her. "What insult do you think that Sora will say to the teache-oof" Arein rubbed her head, looking up too say that she bumped into Ishina.
"Your next lesson has been canceled. His majesty the emperor, has asked for your presence" Ishina says.
'WHAAAAAT?! Why so suddenly!?'
Arein and Arjen, were both taken back by the message. They both weren't ready to meet the emperor yet! Especially since last time! Sora nearly killed half the servants in the room, now only Ishina would serve Sora, everyone else would just freak out!
"Hah?" Sora looked disgusted after hearing what Ishina just said. Why did he call so suddenly?! Sora held onto her shirt, clutching onto something. She was going to test her new baby today with the teacher, but now, it's all ruined!
'FUCK YOU ERIC!!!'
***
So the three siblings were now standing in front of the emperor, who was sipping tea. He glanced down to the three, only to find that Arein and Arjen were the only one's there.
Eric looked up, seeing Sora in the arms of Ishina, just chilling there, also sipping tea.
"Why didn't Ishina tell us earlier!?" Arein and Arjen cried in telepathy.
Sora, listening to her siblings cries, she continued to sip her tea.
'Dang, these poppies are totally worth the wait'
Looking at his youngest daughter, Eric closed his eyes, "Ishina."
"Yes" Ishina bows, tightening her hold on the princess in her arms.
"I have heard that for Arein and Arjen, that their lessons are too excessive"
"I am just trying to improve their skills..."
"Ishina" A cold breeze suddenly filled the room, Eric narrowed his eyes at Ishina. "I will not repeat myself. You should know this."
"...I will correct myself" Sora looked up, seeing Ishina bow to the emperor made her tea taste bitter. The poppies no longer had their sweet flavour.
"Tsk"
Arjen glanced over to Ishina, she was impressed at how calm Ishina was, even in front of the emperor.
"Imperial Prince, Imperial princess. Please take a seat" Ishian couldn't move the chairs herself, since she was still carrying Sora. So she ordered the other servants in the room.
"Ah, yes. Thank you very much" Arein politely thanked Ishina like she would always do. But,
SLAM!
Arjen and Arein flinched from the sudden out burst of suppressing mana flowing out of the emperor, filling the room.
"Ishina. Just now, did I hear my child speak formally to a maid? What should I do?"
"My child...What funny words" Sora, still in Ishina's arms, clicked her tongue in annoyance. She was going to crack up if the emperor said that they were his children one more time.
"Huh? We weren't supposed to speak formally to Ishina?!" Arein asked.
"No" Sora answered.
Arjen looked over to his sister, "But! She's an elder? Aren't we supposed to talk formerly to Ishina?"
"Yeah, that's true. But, Ishina is a servant, we are masters. The servant is never supposed to put themselves above the master" Sora said those words like she had to memorise them.
"My sincere apologies, your majesty"
Arein and Arjen really wanted to help Ishina, it was their fault in the first place, but they were just too scared of the emperor.
"What did I say Ishina?" Eric asked.
"I shall treat them like the other members of the imperial family..." Ishain answers, lowering her head even more.
Arein felt a warm feeling when Ishina said, Treat them like the other members of the imperial family. And also a bit shocked.
"Fix your behaviour accordingly. There will be no second cha-"
"Sorry for the interruption, your majesty" Sora just wanted to enjoy her tea in peace, but the bastard of a king had to be a bitch. Sora also couldn't hold in that Ishina was listening to Eric like she was a lowly maid. She is, but not lowly.
Sora gave an eerie smile to the emperor, "But Ishina will follow my orders, not yours. 'Kay" This scene feels very familiar...
"Princess!" Ishina looked at Sora, who was in her arms. She was going to scold the princess of talking back to the emperor, but then Ishina remembered what happened last time.
Eric sat there silent for a second, lifting his head up from his tea. His eye's met Sora's,
Though Sora did not summon any of her butterflies, Eric had the nostalgia of seeing the red butterflies fly around her. The millions and millions of butterflies right beside the the pair of blood crimson eyes, staring back at him...
"...I see. Ishina, follow Aries's orders from now on" Eric commanded.
"Yes..." Ishina raised her head, glanced down at the princess in her arms. "Thank you" She says, only loud enough for Sora to hear.
"Whatever" Sora mumbled, looking away. That made Ishina noticed the redness rising on the tips of Sora's ears, the maid formed a small smile on her face.
"You, and you. Get my siblings some chairs" Sora pointed at some servants in the room. When the servants saw they were being pointed at, the waisted no time, quickly bring three chairs and placing them beside the table.
Some maids picked Arein and Arjen off the floor and into a chair. Ishina lowered her arms over the chair, Sora released her grip on Ishina's dress and sat on the chair. Placing her tea cup on the table, Sora used the spoon that was conveniently there to stir her tea.
"Fix your behaviour accordingly. There will be no second chance"
Sora has heard those words over a million times...Fuck this, PTSD really sucks. The trigger of her trauma seemed to be the emperor saying those words, too which Sora got defensive.
Two maids walked over to the table, pouring some tea for Arein and Arjen, who just sat there.
"I will be sending Eiji over" the emperor says.
"Understood, your majesty" Ishina was going to bow to the emperor, but she felt a small tug on her dress. Ishina looked down too see Sora giving her a message, she then remembered what just happened. Just lowering her head slightly to the emperor.
"Eiji...? Who's that?" Arein thought.
"If you want too know, just as the emperor, Arein" Arjen said.
"I don't want too! He's scary"
"Oh come on Arein, Eric ain't that scary" Sora says.
"Who's Eric? And Sora, I'm not you!"
While the three siblings had their conversation in their head, not saying a word out loud made it really suspicious to the other people in the room.
"Children are difficult..." The emperor mumbles after seeing the three siblings, especially his youngest, Sora was one whole headache on her own.
***
"...'Eiji' is the name of the third imperial prince, Eiji Nolbeia Yuriana" Ishina says.
"The third prince!?" Arein shot a look to her side where Sora was lying.
Sora blinked a few times and nodded, conforming what Ishina said was indeed true.
"That is correct," Ishina looked up at the three royals in front of her. "And please refrain from speaking formally to me."
"Um Ishina. May I as- I mean, what kind of person is the third prince?" Arjen corrected himself half way through his sentence, speaking formally to an elder was like something he would always do. It was difficult for Arjen to just change.
Ishina lowered her bow ever so slightly to Arjen, "As a head maid, I cannot speak freely about any imperial family member. I request permission to from you Imperial princess," Ishina turns her direction over to where Sora lied, bowing a full 90 degrees.
"Sure" Sora flicked her wrist lazily, "I could care less."
Getting permission, Ishina looked back at the two other blonde siblings. "The third prince has a rough personality. You must not disobey or contradict his imperial highness."
'What....?'
Arein and Arjen sat on the edge of the seat, looking at Ishina with question.
"He also has a nickname, The emperor's mad dog. He is merciless to anyone he considers an enemy."
'Whaaaat-!!?'
Arein and Arjen started to imagine what kind of psychopath person the third prince was. And the emperor was sending that kind of person to educate them!? What is he thinking! Is he trying to kill them!
"Pfft, the emperor's mad dog. What a name," Sora leaned her head off the side of the seat, chuckling. She even had tears coming out of her eyes, wiping them away with a finger. "Now this is just conforming that Eric is really kinky!" Sora bursts out on the seat in laughter, completely forgetting there were other people still here.
Suddenly to Arein and Arjen, after looking at their sister, the third prince doesn't sound as bad as before. They had to deal with Sora for their whole two lives. Comparing the two, the third prince just sounds like a 4th grader who just found out what Wattpad was, and gave them self the username; The emperor's mad dog.
The twins nearly forgot that Sora was their sister, and that she is the most idiotic psychopath they have ever seen.
Knock
Knock
"Eh?" Sora calmed her emotions down and looked over too the door.
"I'll get it, princess" Ishina walked over to the door, pushing open the handles and a butler stood there. Ishina moved out of the way, letting the butler walk in, bowing down to the siblings.
"Greetings to the fourth imperial prince, first imperial princess and second imperial princess. I have a message from the third imperial prince. The their imperial prince has requested for the three of you to come to his place."
Arein and Arjen were both taken back by the sudden invitation, why was the third prince suddenly interested in them? Sora on the other hand internally laughed, tilting her head back. "The emperor's mad dog," Sora narrowed her eyes when she thought of meeting this mad dog. "Perfect."
***
Somewhere else in the palace, a kid skipped around, humming a tune.
"I wonder~" he looked down at the box he had in his hands. "Would she like it?"
He hesitated for a moment, then just shrugged. "She love it! Kekek~"
The boy then continued to skip down the walkways, dragging a metal blade behind him. Leaving a trail of red with each step he takes. "A Poisonous butterfly, only for people to admire from afar... What a name~"
Emerald green eyes narrowed, he showed a wide psychotic smile on his face. "I hope she comes soon~!"
***
"Achoo!"
"Sora? Are you sick?" Arein looked at her sister, who wiped her nose with her arm.
Sora looked at Arein and shrugged, "I'm fine, but I feel like someone just talked about me..."
"It's probably nothing. So hurry up!" Arjen pulled Arein and Sora's wrists, leading them to their next destination; wherever the third prince lives. In which the author has no clue where that is.
"Yeah..."Sora looked at Arjen's hand, which was dragging her through the halls. "Probably nothing" Sora wanted to shake it off, but the thoughts still lingered.