"My Lady, you look absolutely beautiful."
"Our Lady is the most beautiful in the empire!"
"Indeed! No one can match up to her gorgeousness!"
"You've grown beautifully and splendidly, My Lady."
Lyfa and the other maids gushed as they stood a few feet away from their little lady, who was not so little anymore, feeling like proud mother hens.
It had been ten years since that time the Sylveris' territory was turned upside down because of the missing lady. Ten years since Triton tried to get engaged to Adira and was shot down by the lady herself. Also, ten years since her father engaged her to someone else.
She didn't really care at that point since it was normal for noble children to be engaged early and for her, as long as it wasn't Triton then she was fine with whomever.
What she didn't expect was for her to actually be engaged to the first prince of the empire! She hasn't even seen him! Not once!
What a mysterious fiancee this man is.
The Duke Sylveris was surprised as well. He also didn't expect the royalty themselves to propose such arrangement. He didn't want to force Adira into anything but his daughter didn't seem as unwilling as when the Dalriada family presented a similar proposal.
"Your highness—"
"Pish posh! Don't sound so distant and just address me how you usually do, Silfor!" The king waved his hands to dismiss the others and turned to his good friend.
"Mmm.. Anastasius, are you really sure about this arrangement? I mean, my very cute and lovely daughter is indeed a good choice and you won't lose out in choosing her. Heck! My daughter's the best that you can find and—"
"Okay, okay! I don't need your constant reminder about how much you love your daughter! How dare you rub salt on my wound just cause you got yourself a cute daughter? The audacity! So what's your problem?"
"... Well, I don't want Adira to be caught up in you royals struggle for power. She doesn't need to belong in your crazy and bloody world."
The father inside the Duke spoke and protectively kept his precious daughter away from the chaotic life in a royal's vie for the throne.
"However, your daughter's the best choice, right?" The king asked with a hidden evil smirk as he laid the trap in front of this idiotic parent who's usually very intelligent for his own good yet forgets everything when it concerned his lovely daughter.
Being the proud parent that he is, the Duke immediately exclaimed, "Of course! No one's better than my precious Adira! She's the best of the best!"
"And there you have it!" The king's grin broadened, feeling jubilant at this idiotic man for willingly falling into his trap. "You've no choice but to accept the arrangement.
I personally also like Adira as a daughter. Isn't it better? Hitting two birds with one stone. You earn a connection to the royal family, thus elevating your status than the Dalriada, and I get a beautiful daughter-in-law! How perfect!"
"You bastard! You just want to steal my Adira!!" Silfor, feeling wronged, accused the cachinnating King, reverting to how they were when they were but teenagers.
...
And so, that was how Adira got engaged to this prince she haven't met. Although she's heard stories about him from Casey— the boy she unexpectedly befriended.
Casey said that the prince was magnanimous and a genius at various fields. Though, Triton also said that the prince was a jerk.
Hmm? Why was Triton visiting so often anyway? I rejected the proposal, didn't I?
She thought to herself while walking down the hallway to board her carriage that will take her to the palace where the ball was to be held.
Tonight was the coming-of-age of various nobles who recently turned and turning sixteen and, obviously, Adira's one of them. Now the custom states that nobles who were currently engaged should be accompanied by none other than their fiancee.
But, her fiancee was nowhere to be seen.
She didn't think too much about it since if push comes to shove, she'll just grab her step-brother and force him to be her partner.
This brother, Ramir Driafor Eir Sylveris, was a child her father decided to adopt when her engagement to the prince was decided saying, "Because my lovely little angel Adira's gonna be taken by some bastard's son, someone needs to succeed the Duke's position."
And honestly, she had no qualms about it. She quite liked her new brother. He was calm, collected, sweet and kind. He was the perfect older brother.
Save for the times he relentlessly scolded her for harming herself when she fell off her horse— a lot of times— or those times she fell off their boat when they went to the lake... Oh! Or even those times she hurt her stomach from overeating and she wailed miserably.
In other words, he was just like her father. Overprotective.
"Stop spacing out Adira! You'll fall off the stairs!" Came his stern voice from behind her and her back straightened like a bow's tense string.
"Br-Brother, good evening." She stuttered a bit as she turned to him nervously. She really couldn't handle his strict expression. She always want to cry when she sees it.
He sighed when he saw the panic in her face and felt bad for her. He didn't want to make her wear that kind of expression when she's with him. He just can't help it that he feels extremely worried for her.
He brought his hand up to her head and gently patted her while softly coaxing her, "I'm sorry. Brother doesn't want you to fall to your death so why don't I help you down?" and offered his arm.
She visibly brightened at the gentleness of her brother and immediately clung to his arm like a spoiled little princess before smiling widely up to him.
The latter could only sigh and smile at this precious little gem that was given to him.
Ah, why does she have to be engaged to that jerk?
He anguishedly thought to himself while helping Adira down the stairs and into the carriage.
"By the way, where's that je— I mean, the first prince? Shouldn't he be escorting you?"
"Mm. I don't know. You know I've never met him before and I think I also won't be seeing him this time 'round. So with that said... Will big brother please escort me instead?" She acted cute to rope her brother into helping her. She knew very well how weak he was to her when she does this.
Ramir answered, without the slightest bit of hesitation and very automatically as if on reflex, "Of course."
It'd even be his pleasure. But, never met him? Who was that white-head she spoke regularly with then? Wasn't that the jerk?
Ramir's confusion slipped past Adira as she cheered. Now, she won't have to embarrass herself by attending the ball without her fiancee. Her brother was plenty enough.
Despite him not growing up within the nobility, he didn't lose to those so-called higher nobles at all!
His soft and silky straight ebony bob-cut hair framed his delicate and handsome face so well he blew up in popularity the moment he was introduced to high society in his coming-of-age last year.
It was known that he was an adopted child of the Sylveris family yet this didn't dampen the fangirls' heated adoration for this bachelor that the Sylveris' household servants had trouble organizing the proposals sent to the castle everyday!
He was even placed on the same pedestal as the princes and other nobles as one of the most sought after bachelors in the empire!
And although the first prince was announced to have been engaged already, this didn't put a stopper on his surging popularity at all!
"Hmm.. weren't you and the first prince the same age?" Adira suddenly asked.
"Yeah. Why?"
"So you've seen him! What does he look like? Does he really look like a monster with sharp teeth and bad breath and horns?! Triton said he was!"
Triton, he was that pest she rejected that still kept coming, right?
"He said that?"
"Yes! But Casey told me he was a handsome prince— the most handsome even— and that I was darn lucky to be the one chosen for him amongst the horde of girls that was gunning for him!"
Casey? Who's this new jerk? Is he that old* boy?
"However, I refuse to believe either of them! I will only believe what my dear brother says!" She exclaimed and successfully inflated Ramir's pride. He felt he just trampled all over them and was still the closest to her.
"Aye! He's a jerk." Was all he said, wearing a victorious smirk. He won't allow them to steal his precious Adira!
"But enough about that jerk! We're here so conduct yourself well. I will be by your side as well to pick up your lapses." He reassured her which earned him a sweet smile.
"My dear brother really is the best!"
Alighting off her carriage, she was about halfway up the stairs when the wind blew unexpectedly hard and caused her hair to obstruct her vision that she had to turn her head slightly to get it away.
A neighing of the horse and a carriage, which was a little too inconspicuous, halted below them and felt her heart suddenly jump upon laying eyes on the crest.
She forgot she was about the same age as her and was taken in by a baron's house three years ago.
She unconsciously gripped her brother's arm too hard that caused the latter to turn to what she was staring at so intently and noticed a lady walk out of the carriage, accompanied by her adoptive father.
Her light pink hair fluttering in the wind and her looking up at them before smiling kindly.
She's here.
Notes:
*Old because Casimir's hair resemled an old person's white grayish hair. So Ramir calls him old in spite.