[A/N: Here is fun slice of life chapter I decided to add before the tournament arc. Enjoy!]
|Rachel|
"Are you sure this is okay?" I asked Kathyln again, twirling to get a good look at my light pink and white pyjamas.
"Don't worry, Rachel," she reassured me. "We can't spend all night deciding what to wear. Our guests will be here soon."
I let out a small pout but nodded in agreement. I was excited about the prospect of a girls' slumber party. It had been so long since I had one in my previous life, and I was grateful that my fellow noble and princess friends were willing to join me.
As we finished getting ready, the anticipation in the air was palpable. I couldn't wait to play games, eat snacks, and tell stories with my closest friends. The thought of a night filled with laughter and memories brought a smile to my face.
Finally, we heard a knock on the door, signalling the arrival of our guests. I took a deep breath, feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. But as soon as the door opened, and we all greeted each other with hugs and smiles, any anxiety melted away.
Claire, Tessia, and Lilia were just as excited as I was, jumping around as we started to play some games. Laughter and giggles filled the grand room as the hours ticked by.
As we lounged on the bed, Lilia suddenly asked, "Have you guys heard the nicknames the other students have given you three?"
Tessia sat up in interest, "What nicknames?"
"The Lunar Goddess for Tessia, Ice Empress for Kathyln, and the Golden Brilliance for Rachel," Claire replied with a giggle.
Kathyln raised an eyebrow, "Why the nicknames?"
"It's because of your personalities and how you carry yourselves," Lilia explained, "You all leave a strong impression on people."
Tessia blushed at the compliment while I smirked, "I can see why they would call me that."
Kathyln rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the small smile on her face.
'She's showing more emotions than before,' I thought.
"Have you guys heard the nicknames that the other students have given the four guys?" Claire said as Lilia nodded.
Curiosity piqued, we asked her to spill the beans.
"Well, the girls have really gone all out. Gary is called the Silver Wolf, Alistair is the Crimson Prince, Lancelot is the Night Raven, and Arthur is the Azure Knight," Lilia said with a giggle.
We couldn't help but laugh at the creative, yet slightly odd, nicknames bestowed upon the guys by the female student body.
"I think they suit them perfectly," Tessia remarked as we continued laughing.
"Want to play something more exciting?" I suggested, grinning mischievously and causing the laughter to die down.
"What do you have in mind?" Tessia asked, snuggling her head into a pillow on the bed.
"How about truth or dare?" I proposed. "We take turns being asked a personal question that we have to answer truthfully or perform an action that everyone else tells us to do."
Dead silence filled the room until Claire finally broke it. "Then let's start with you, Rachel," she said, taking the initiative.
I nodded eagerly, ready for the game to begin.
"Hmm," Claire hummed thoughtfully. "Let's start with an easy one. Do you have love Lancelot?"
Without hesitation, I answered, "Yes, I love Lancelot."
The other girls exclaimed in surprise, and Lilia blushed deeply at my confession.
'Poor girl,' I thought, 'she doesn't have any experience with romance.'
"I've got an idea, let's go around and share who we have a crush on or love," I suggested, clapping my hands in excitement and gesturing towards Kathyln.
Her usually stoic expression flushed with a hint of pink. "I'm not really sure," she admitted.
Tessia chimed in with a curious expression. "What about Gary? Don't you like him?"
Kathyln hummed thoughtfully before replying, "I feel this strange pull towards him. When I'm near him, I can't help but feel all fluttery inside, but I'm not sure if it's love."
I couldn't help but grin. "Sounds like love to me, Kat."
"Do you think so?" she asked uncertainly. "I guess I might love him then."
But her voice lacked conviction, as if she wasn't entirely convinced herself.
I mentally noted to give her some space to sort out her feelings before turning to Lilia. "Lilia, have you ever had a crush on someone?"
Lilia's cheeks turned pink as she shyly nodded, "Yes, there is someone I had a crush on, but he turned me down."
"Ooh, do tell!" Claire exclaimed, nudging Lilia playfully.
"You all know him very well," she started, "It's Arthur. He is a great benefactor to me, he helped me become a mage but he indirectly rejected me."
'Ah yes, she did like Arthur because of what he did,' I thought as I remembered that plot line that introduced Cecilia and Nico, without their names of course.
Suddenly, Undine's presence interrupted my thoughts.
What happened? I asked her telepathically.
She smirked mischievously before responding, You have an intruder behind you.
I quickly turned around to find a familiar face standing behind us. He looked startled, his azure eyes darting around as he prepared to make an escape.
But not if we could help it.
With a coordinated effort, Kathyln's ice mana and my water magic stopped him from running away.
"Care to explain why you're here, Arthur Leywin?" I asked, trying to hide the anger and shock in my voice behind a smile.
______________________________________
|Arthur|
"A slumber party?" Alistair inquired, tilting his head to the side.
I nodded, "Yes, the girls are having it in Tessia's room."
"I wanted to meet Tessia, but I guess I'll have to come another time," he sighed, sounding disappointed.
I teased him, "Planning to sneak in and meet her alone at night, huh? You've grown up, Alistair."
He blushed and swatted my shoulder, "Stop teasing me. I've learned not to fall for your tricks anymore."
As we were walking down the hallway, we unexpectedly ran into our friends and former opponents from Team Fighting Mechanics I, Gary and Lancelot. Both of them gave us a friendly nod as they approached us.
"What brings you guys here?" Lancelot asked with a curious expression.
"Alistair wanted to visit Tessia, but I informed him that they're having a slumber party in her room. We were just heading back to our own dorm," I replied, gesturing towards Alistair.
Upon hearing the mention of a slumber party, Gary's eyes lit up. "Kathyln's attending the slumber party, right? Looks like we'll have to find something else to do."
Lancelot quickly chimed in with a suggestion. "How about we have a boys' sleepover of our own?"
Alistair and I looked at each other, uncertain. "What exactly do you do at a sleepover?" Alistair asked, voicing our collective confusion.
Lancelot beamed, "We'll talk about guy stuff, play games and just have a lot of fun. It'll be a blast!"
Alistair was immediately sold. "That sounds like so much fun! Count me in!"
I groaned inwardly, not thrilled about the idea of staying up all night with a bunch of rowdy guys.
"Shall we head to your room then?" Lancelot suggested with a smile.
"Um, sure," Alistair replied eagerly as the two of them grabbed Gary, who seemed less than thrilled about the idea of a sleepover.
As they began to pull Gary along with them, I felt left out, which was a golden opportunity. However, before I could make my escape, I felt Gary's intense gaze on me.
I could sense the message he was conveying through his amethyst eyes: Don't even think about leaving me alone, Arthur Lewyin.
Feeling apprehensive, I reluctantly followed the group.
The thought of a sleepover with just the guys didn't sound appealing to me one bit, but I didn't dare leave Gary behind.
The four of us lounged on top of the beds, trying to make ourselves comfortable in our regular clothes. Alistair, the ever-energetic one, suggested we start with a game.
"How about we play truth or dare?" he said, prompting nods from Lancelot and Gary.
I inwardly groaned, not really in the mood for a game. But before I could object, Gary decided to start with me.
"Truth or dare, Arthur?" he asked, grinning wickedly.
I chose dare, and immediately regretted it when Gary's dare was to spy on the girls' slumber party for fifteen minutes and report back.
"That's too far, Gary," Alistair spoke up, but Lancelot seemed to be on board with the idea.
"We know the girls well enough, it's just a harmless prank," he said, nodding in agreement with Gary.
I let out a sigh, dreading the task ahead.
"How do I even get there?" I asked, already knowing the answer.
"Just use your beast will," Gary said with a wink.
I grimaced, not wanting to use Realmheart to invade the girls' privacy.
"Why don't we just stick to talking?" I suggested, hoping to steer the conversation away from the dare.
But Alistair and Lancelot were already discussing the best way for me to sneak into the girls' dorm.
"Fine," I gave in, not wanting to be a party pooper.
I closed my eyes and focused on my Realmheart, allowing it to take me to the girls' dorm. As I observed their slumber party from afar, I couldn't help but feel guilty for invading their privacy.
Suddenly, the aether that had been cloaking me dissipated, exposing me to the slumber party attendees.
'Gary, you're going to regret this,' I fumed inwardly.
Rachel spun around, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw me.
I frantically scanned the room for an exit, but Realmheart refused to activate. It was likely that the fifteen minutes of aether usage had drained it, leaving me vulnerable to Gary's prank.
My escape plan was thwarted as Kathyln's ice mana and Rachel's water magic interlocked, creating an impenetrable barrier around me.
Rachel's voice cut through the stunned silence. "Arthur Leywin, care to explain why you're here?"
My heart raced as I tried to come up with a plausible excuse. "I-I, um, just wanted to check on everyone," I stuttered.
Rachel's eyebrows arched skeptically. "At midnight?"
My face flushed with embarrassment. "Yeah, I was just worried."
"I suggest we give him a punishment he won't forget," Kathyln said, her voice filled with mischief.
Rachel nodded in agreement, a sly grin forming on her face. "Let's make him regret ever spying on us."
The girls huddled together to discuss the perfect punishment for me. Meanwhile, I tried to use my beast will to escape, but my attempts were futile.
After a few minutes of whispering and giggling, the girls turned to face me. "We've decided on your punishment," Kathyln said with a mischievous glint in her eye.
Suddenly, I felt a strange sensation wash over me, and the next thing I knew, I was teleported out of the girls' dorm and back to my own room.
[A/N: Remember to vote if you guys like this chapter! It helps me in gauging the quality of my writing! This was just a fun chapter I wrote before wanting to begin with the tournament. I will likely finish the tournament arc before my exams begin, but this volume will end in May. I have the goal of perhaps reaching 250 votes before my break ends. Let's see if we can reach that!]