“That thing…..is the sky tube?”It looked like a giant worm with no eyes. It flew in the skies, carrying various people in its belly. It bore the insignia of the royal family, painted blue like the sky. If it wasn’t for the noise it made while traveling, it could easily blend in with the sky. It was a thing that people rode without a care in the world. “I refuse to ride in that thing. I will prefer a carriage.”“Even if I tell you Lord Sebastian has ridden in it multiple times, traveling all over the kingdom? Surely you can’t back down from that kind of challenge. Don’t worry, it isn’t as unstable as a carriage and it’s very safe and comfortable. You won’t feel anything after a few minutes.”“If you think you can trick me into…..”“We’re not going to ride it? I was curious about it though. It’s okay. I think I can travel faster than it.”“We’re going immediately. Where do we sit?”Duchess Everon couldn’t even begin to guess why there was fear in Natalia’s eyes. Marvis didn’t seem hur
{You seem nervous. Are you sure you want to do this right now?}“No better time than the present. Besides, you have to ascend soon. Let’s do this now.”{Very well}Natalia drew the magic circle according to Madaline’s instructions. The room she was given in the princess’s palace was big enough. It was a complicated magic circle that had various enchantments that she had never seen before in her life. The Fairy Mother was an ancient creature that had existed long before the god of Ducroft ascended so the origin of the magic circle could be guessed.However, drawing with blood proved to be hard, especially since it was her own blood. Draining it wasn’t easy in the first place so it took a long time for her to get enough blood to draw the circle. Once it was done, she sat down in the middle, her legs crossed within the boundaries and her hands crossed on her chest. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. {Please listen to my instructions properly. Mana is volatile if it’s not being r
"A traveling theatre?""Yes. It's a group that goes from city to city to tell stories of legends with their words and songs. It's beloved by almost every noble in the capital. I personally haven't had the chance to check it out but I think you should go." "I'll talk to her highness."The very idea was strange to Natalia but it sounded interesting. There were bards in the cities and in the royal court but it was nothing more than a pastime ignored by the nobles of Ducroft. Legends were ridiculous to adults, only enjoyed by the common people but if it was enough to impress the high society of Polivia, then she was curious to see it. "The traveling theatre? Of course. I was just getting ready to leave. I'll tell the servants to fetch us hats so we can leave soonest," the princess replied excitedly. "We….are leaving?""Of course. They perform in the middle of the town square and if we don't leave early, we might not be able to watch it at all. It's quite popular, after all!""Oh…. alri
“How was it?”“Ugh, I’m still looking for words to describe it that won’t contain improper and barbaric. It was a very….novel experience.”“Well, the culture difference between the two kingdoms is very great. Unless us, they don’t have very strict rules and a strict division between the noble class and the common class, at least in some areas.”“I think it’ll take me a while to adapt to the culture of this place. I even had to go through some impromptu test and quote Stuart Salman.”“There’s someone else who likes that lunatic? There’s no problem then! You’ve found your people, dear sister.”“You’re the lunatic!” she glared fiercely at him. He chuckled, closing the last of the documents he had just finished signing on his desk. “They have something called a salon that they debate arts and literature. The princess seemed very interested in discussing what they watched in the salon. It made me wonder exactly why they didn’t invite the traveling theater to perform in the Salon.”“Perhaps
The dark clouds didn’t look like they were going to clear soon. If anything, the sky got darker and the rumbling of thunder was so loud that it could be heard all around the kingdom. The king’s order spread quickly as nobody even wanted to be outside. It looked like the gods themselves were angry at the kingdom.“Your majesty….” Alana called. For a while now, Fredrich hadn’t moved from where he stood in front of the window. From the dark clouds, the rain had slowly begun to fall. The rain looked ordinary but it made a hiss as it touched the ground. One could only imagine its effect on the crops after the rain. Hearing her voice, he turned to look at her. She wore a thin gown covered with a red cloak. They were the only ones in the room so he could clearly see what she was trying to do. “My love,” he murmured, running his hand through her hair. “Are you very worried?”“Gaijin won’t let the kingdom be destroyed so easily. I’m not worried, just…curious,” he replied, kissing her forehea
“Your majesty, your attention is urgently needed in the Grand Hall,” the dwarf said, bowing. The tall lady facing the window slowly turned around. She was perhaps the most beautiful and regal woman the world had ever seen with her ebony skin and her flowing curly white hair. The tears that fell from her eyes made one feel a sense of responsibility as if to protect her. She wiped the tears away slowly, sniffing. “Your majesty…..”“Lead the way, Cedar,” she said in the most hypnotizing voice. The dwarf bowed as she walked past him in her flowing purple gown. A crown of gold and the finest jewels sat on her head. As she walked past other people, they lowered their heads in reference. The door to the Grand Hall was opened by two iron knights and she walked in. The heads of the others seated on the high chairs were also bowed as she made her way to the golden throne in the room. “You may rise,” she said when she was comfortably sat. “Your majesty, if I may, please rescind your order for
“You haven’t said anything. Do you resent me?”“....I…don’t know. It scared me to see you like that. Everytime I look at you, it feels like you would just disappear. It’s worrisome.”“I understand your hesitation. While I can't promise you that nothing like this won't happen again, I can tell you I'm not as fragile as you think. It took a few months for the basilisk's poison to break my body down at least. How long does even the smallest bit of Basilisk's poison kill someone?”Marvis didn't answer the question. He was just relieved she was still alive. It was entirely out of her control, fainting like that but he couldn't help getting worried too. She seemed very calm about it but he knew it wasn't normal to be like that. She was used to suffering and knew how to recover from it. An unmistakable metallic scent filled the air. It came from the person on the bed who was looking down at her body with shock. Alarmed, Marvis scrambled to her side. She raised her hand to hold him back, an e
Time flowed past like a river. The royal wedding slowly approached and so did the Leader’s Convention. As Natalia wrapped up the preparations for the wedding, she presented her idea to the Queen during Afternoon Tea. Natalia soon discovered she and the Queen were very similar. They were practical people who knew how to systematically plan things to work in their favor. “You wish to construct a building like a salon where people can view and discuss theater?”“Yes, your majesty. I assessed the problems and found this to be the most practical solution,” she replied. The documents she prepared with the help of Temara, Sebastian, Amaika and Marvis were in the hands of the Queen. She went through them critically, looking at the rough draft of the architectural design of the building. “So this is your plan to separate the noble class from the commoners? The design is not all bad. I’ve seen your brother’s work so I know I can count on you. When is this project slated to start?”“It has alr