Winter Break II

The first semester of my second year wrapped up soon after the Inter-Academy Festival, casting an infectious energy throughout the academy. Everywhere I looked, people were brimming with excitement, laughter, and that rare lightness that came only when hard-won battles were behind you. 

'Maybe I'll finally see snow this winter,' I mused as Nero announced the start of the break. Last year, I'd missed it—even in the North, Luminarc's constant temperature control kept it a rare sight. This year, however, I had four full weeks ahead, with no restrictions on where I could train. A proper winter break.

But for me, those four weeks weren't just about taking in snow-laden vistas. They were a critical time to push myself forward, a chance to advance my swordsmanship beyond anything I'd achieved so far. I needed to master Sword Intent as a standard, not an occasional show of force, and I had to make Sword Resonance a card I could play—perhaps not with ease, but with confidence. Pseudo-astral energy could well be my saving grace in the field, a weapon to keep as a last resort. 

For now, though, I let myself bask in the moment.

"Are you really planning to head to the West?" Rachel asked from behind, a hint of a pout edging her tone.

"Yes," I replied with a nod, catching Jin's eye across the room. He returned the look with a slight nod of his own, confirming our arrangement.

Rachel's pout deepened just as Cecilia chimed in, "Will you be stopping at home before that?"

"Yes," I answered instinctively, without pausing to consider the impact.

Immediately, I felt it. The three of them exchanged a glance, eyes glinting with an unspoken plan, and then turned their attention back to me, expressions a mix of interest and something else I couldn't quite place. It hit me just a second too late.

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'Mother, Father, Uncle Chase,' I prayed silently, hands clasped as if it might spare me. 'Forgive your unfilial son for whatever chaos I'm dragging home with me. May I find a way to repent someday.'

Why was I offering up apologies? Because, as fate would have it, I was trapped in a self-driving car with not one, not two, but three princesses. And as if that weren't enough, a second car trailed us—a royal escort with three Ascendant-rank guards sent by Emperor Quinn himself after Cecilia let him in on her plan.

The true mystery was how she'd managed to convince him so easily. I'd have expected more resistance to an impromptu road trip involving not just a princess, but three of them. Instead, he had simply nodded, muttered something along the lines of "Take the necessary precautions," and here we were. 

I could feel the ache forming at my temples. Yes, I liked these girls, but did I also enjoy the quiet simplicity of life outside the eye of the empire? Yes. Very much. 

Cecilia caught me in my silent turmoil and flashed a smile that was far too innocent, and I saw Rachel and Seraphina exchange knowing looks. At that moment, I realized this wasn't just a trip. This was a full royal invasion. 

And here I was, the unwitting tour guide to a royal entourage that could rival a diplomatic mission.

Rachel sighed from her seat across from me, still visibly disgruntled at not claiming the coveted spot beside me, while Cecilia and Seraphina had made themselves right at home. 

"I hope my introduction to your family can be... memorable this time," Cecilia murmured, leaning in with a smirk as her breath brushed my ear. 

At her words, Seraphina seized the opportunity to take my other hand, fingers lacing through mine with a quiet but unyielding resolve. Rachel shot a wounded look my way, clearly feeling left out of the royal tug-of-war. 

My mother's parting words from when Cecilia visited us drifted back to me: 'Just... try not to make things difficult, alright?"'

'Mother,' I thought, 'things are about to be very difficult.' Not one, not two, but three princesses under the same roof—for four days, no less. 

I didn't know how their parents had agreed to this arrangement, particularly Alastor, who was almost fanatical in his protectiveness over Rachel. But here we were, barreling forward to an inevitable showdown in my family home.

It was official. My peaceful winter break had been thoroughly hijacked.

'Well, so much for a peaceful winter break,' I thought as Seraphina and Cecilia each claimed an arm like it was a prized relic. My attempts to wriggle free had proven futile—my arms had somehow become the battlefield in their quiet tug-of-war.

The car finally rolled to a stop in front of the towering gates of Count Chase's estate, looming like the gates of some grand fortress. Normally, the arrival of a princess—even just one—would involve a full procession, with everyone from the guards to the gardeners dropping everything for a proper welcome.

This, however, was not a normal visit. The three princesses had insisted on arriving incognito, as "friends," not royalty.

Of course, this also meant I'd been forbidden from informing my parents or Uncle Chase of any royal details. All they knew was that I was bringing three friends along for the holiday. A small miracle, really, that they'd agreed without asking more questions. The three girls, however, looked far too pleased with themselves.

"Ah, Arthur's grand fortress," Cecilia teased, gazing up at the sprawling estate.

Rachel nudged me, her pout morphing into a smirk. "Think your family will be ready for all this?"

I swallowed, thinking of my unsuspecting parents. "Ready" was a stretch.

"Right, let's get going," Seraphina announced, releasing my arm and stepping out through the butterfly door with a graceful efficiency that only a princess could pull off. Cecilia followed, gliding out as if she'd done it a thousand times—which, knowing her, she probably had.

I stepped out after them, preparing myself for the inevitable reaction of the estate guards. I didn't have to look to know what their expressions would be. In a world as connected as ours, with news feeds and social media, everyone knew the faces of the princesses. Not just nobles—everyone.

Sure enough, the two knights were staring, jaws practically hitting the cobblestone drive, eyes bouncing from me to the girls like they were witnessing some new royal scandal unfold.

Rachel didn't miss a beat, giggling as she rushed forward to claim my left arm with a victorious, "Finally!"

The guards' eyes widened, flicking between her and me, like they'd just seen a giraffe waltzing out of the car. I could almost hear the gears turning in their heads, trying to figure out how Arthur Nightingale—of all people—had somehow been ambushed by not one, but three princesses.

One guard took a step forward, mouth opening as if to say something, but he stopped, evidently realizing he had no idea where to start.

The guards exchanged a look of mutual resignation, shrugged, and pulled open the doors. "Welcome back, Arthur. Greetings, Your Highnesses," they intoned, bowing with practiced deference.

The princesses waved them off nonchalantly as I led them inside, though not before the guards shot me another bewildered look as if to say, 'Good luck with that.'

We hadn't even made it to the front steps before the door swung open. My mother, father, and Count Chase were already hurrying out, their faces lit up with excitement. "Welcome back, Arthur!" my mother began, her voice warm… until her gaze settled on the trio of royalty standing beside me.

She blinked, visibly attempting to process the sight of not one but three princesses casually strolling up the front steps of our humble estate.

Her eyes settled on me, brimming with silent questions. I cleared my throat, trying to sound casual. "These are the… three friends I mentioned," I said, attempting a laugh that, in hindsight, might have sounded more like a small animal caught in a trap.

Count Chase raised an eyebrow that was positively loaded with skepticism, my father's jaw tensed, and my mother's smile froze in place, caught somewhere between 'Is this really happening?' and 'What have you done, Arthur?'

"Three friends," my father repeated slowly, giving me a look that said we'd be having a very serious chat later.

"Hello, Sir Douglas Nightingale," Rachel greeted my father with a warm smile, her tone effortlessly gentle. "We met a few months ago, though under rather troubling circumstances."

I knew what she was referring to—the time I ended up in a coma after the unfortunate events at the Sophomore Ball.

My parents and Count Chase immediately bowed in greeting. "It is an honour to meet you again, Your Highness," my father said, though his voice wavered slightly, caught between formality and surprise.

But Rachel quickly raised her hands, waving off the title with a smile. "Please! I came here as a friend, not as a princess," she insisted. "No honourifics needed."

Both Seraphina and Cecilia nodded in agreement. Seraphina even gave a delicate shrug, which, combined with her usual stoic demeanour, made her look like she was trying out some new style of casual indifference.

My father hesitated, clearly struggling to decide if it was possible to just ignore the royal titles they wore like fine cloaks, and my mother looked at me as if to ask, 'Did you plan any of this?'

"Alright, Rachel," my father finally said, a bit awkwardly, as if trying the name out in a sentence for the first time.

Just as my parents were starting to wrap their minds around the whole situation, Cecilia dropped yet another bombshell.

"Please, just call me Cecilia as well. Father. Mother." She smirked, all too aware of the effect her words had.

I was starting to feel the last shreds of my peaceful winter break slip away. The kind of quiet, restful break where I'd train a bit, catch up on sleep, maybe even indulge in a good book. But that vision? Gone, evaporating into thin air like morning mist in the wake of a hurricane