Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Capital

The Emperor is wary of Zykrieg, after he saw Chiara kissing Zykrieg on the cheeks. The truth is, Chiara didn't kiss Zykrieg's cheek, it just seemed like it.

"Your highness, don't we need to wear a disguise?" Zykrieg said.

"Hmm, you're right, a lot of persons will notice Iara."

'Just me?'

They are going to the most expensive boutique store in the capital to choose some dress for Chiara.

Along the way, Chiara asked Zykrieg something.

"Brother Zykrieg, do you know how to wield sword?"

"Yes, Princess. I started to learn it last month."

The Emperor just listened to their 'friendly' conversation. A conversation went on and on until they arrived.

"Your highness the Emperor, Your highness the Crown Princess and Your little Grand Excellency, we've arrived." Said by the coachman.

The three of them get off the carriage, they already changed their hair color. They are now blondes and because of magic, the Emperor has a great amount of magic.

Zykrieg held Chiara's hand while walking, the Emperor also held her other hand.

They went to different stores. They made Chiara wore all the dresses and all the dress that suits Chiara, the Emperor bought it.

The Emperor also consulted Zykrieg's opinion and he agreed, Chiara looked like a doll, being dressed up by her owner.

While walking around the capital, Chiara saw a sword shop.

"Hey fellas! Come, come in! We are selling the best swords in town!" Said by the bald man who has a big figure.

Chiara ran towards that direction.

"Wait Princess, wait!"

"Iara wait up dear."

Chiara didn't know why she was going towards the sword shop.

"Oh dear, what are you doing here little girl?" Said by the bald man.

"S-swords!" She spoke.

"OHOHO! It's been a while since I last saw a girl paying interest in swords."

The bald man carried Chiara and lift her up in the air, later he placed her on his nape and made her ride his shoulders.

The Emperor was shocked on what he saw and ran towards the shop as well as Zykrieg, they thought that he will do something bad on her.

MEANWHILE...

"Waaah!" Chiara's eyes sparkled. "I-is this from Japan?"

"What a sharp eye you have, kid."

"This is Bokken, Suburito, Iaito, Shinai!"

The Emperor opened the door's shop and saw Chiara and the man laughing.

"You, what are you doing to her?" Asked by Arden.

"Huh? Blonde? Kid, do you know him?"

"Ahh! He's my Papa!"

"Oh! No wonder you look like a noble."

The Emperor frowned.

"Iara, did he do something bad to you?"

"Huh? What bad? This uncle is just showing me these Japanese swords. Tanren bo, is my favorite, do you have that?"

"Tanren bo?! Kid, are you doing martial arts? We have that!"

"Sugoi! Sugoi! Sugooooooooooooooi!"

"OHOHO, kid, you are Japanese, right?"

"Uncle put me down, please."

"Ha, okay."

He put Chiara down.

"Papa! I want a sword."

"Of course anythingfor you Iara dear."

"Mister how much is it?"

"One bronze coin is enough, sir."

"That's pretty cheap." The Emperor gave him one gold coin.

"S-sir it's too much."

"That's fine, the swords have a fine quality."

"HOHO, thank you sir. Hey kid, I have a kid in the Imperial palace, he's about your age. The name of my kid is Joseph."

"Joseph?! He doesn't look like you at all."

"Huh? How did you know?"

"It's a secret."

"HOHOHOHO, you're pretty clever."

After that they all went back to their homes, they dropped Zykrieg on the Grand Duke's mansion.

After a few days of waiting, it's already Chiara's birthday banquet.

First things first, the birthday banquet starts with an opening ceremony.

"Dear Gigracreans, my people, it's the birthday of Crown Princess, Chiara Natala von Severina, my daughter, I allow a celebration all over the country and no one isn't allowed to smile, drink and party."

"YEAH!!!" A loud roar was heard outside the palace.

First day, of her birthday has a hunting competition, it is held in the forest of Gampadia.

The nobles went on their own tents, but some knights went to the tent of the Crown Princess.

"Princess, may I take the honor to have your lace on my sword?"

"Princess!"

"Princess!"

"Wait up." Chiara said, unbothered.

The knights formed a straight line and one by one, they received the laces.

"How about me Princess?" Asked by her uncle; Baron Arwen Briar Ralacie.

"Here, uncle." She spoke.

"I heard that you fired all the servants that I recommended for you. Good job! You can differentiate loyal servants from not."

"If it's okay, may I ask why you planted them?"

"It's because a lot of nobles loves to gossip, if they saw even a single hole on you, they will point it out, to remove you. Now, the gossip about you is untouchable."

"What gossip?"

"You threw a knife on a maid's face and spilled some dirty water on another maid."

"What?"

"Father, I'm next." Said by Chiara's cousin; Avalon Harlow Ralacie.

"Yes, yes, patience. Chiara, don't trust everybody." He said and left.

"What color do you want, brother Harv?"

"The blue one, thank you Nati!"

Avalon left after that, Zykrieg and his father went there too for the Princess's lace.

"What color do you want Grand Duke?"

"Anything is fine, Princess."

She gave him a black lace and tied it up on his sword.

"How about you, brother Zykrieg?"

"What is your favorite color Princess?"

"Uhm.... I think it's green."

"Then I want the green lace."

Chiara grabbed the last and one and only green lace and tied it up on his sword.

"Thank you, Princess."

'When will it end? I want to get out of this hot tent.'

A red-haired kid went towards her, it was the Archduke's heir, it was Gregory Edmund Bailey.

"May I have the honor to have the Princess' lace?"

"Yes, of course. May I ask, what color do you want your little Arch excellency?"

"Your favorite color, if I may."

"My favorite color's not here now, Sir."

Ouch! That's a complete heartbreak if it were me.

"Oh! Then the beige one please."

Chiara gave it to him and tied it up. Gregory left with an unsettling feeling in his heart.

'At last! I can finally go outside and smell some fresh air.'

Almost all the aristocrat women were happily chatting in a shade, they are having a tea party.

"Iara dear, can you give your father the lace that you made?"

"Sure, father."

Chiara gave him the purple lace, like his hair. Purple means royalty and she even embroidered the Empire's crest on it; Green Chrysanthemum, basically means hope.

On every lace she made, she embroidered it with Chrysanthemum. The Emperor kissed Chiara on the cheek after she tied the lace and the Emperor participated on the hunting competition. He also promised that he will hunt a cute little rabbit.

"Oh my, the Crown Princess is here."

All those judgmental eyes of the aristocratic women were on her when the Grand Duchess said that.

"Greetings to the Moon of this Empire, Crown Princess Chiara Natala von Severina."

"You can now raise your heads Madams."

"Princess, can you come here?"

The Princess went towards the Grand Duchess direction and the Count's wife raised one of her eyebrows.

"Oh my, Princess who did your hair? It's pretty." The countess said plasticly.

"Thanks for the compliment, my lady. This is done by my current lady-in-waiting."

"As expected, the maids are the one's who's dressing you up and tying your hair, because the Queen is gone."

The women's gasped. It is taboo to bring up the topic about the late Empress.

"Oops, my bad." Then the countess grinned evilly.

"Hahaha!" Chiara just laughed at it.

'Is this how you want to fight me? I am bullied much worse than that in my previous life.'

"Wait, I'm sorry for laughing but, let me just correct you, let me just correct you, okay? My mother isn't a Queen, she is the late Empress, and yes, she's gone long ago but that doesn't mean the Emperor's love for me ain't enough, His Majesty's more than enough and I guess if my mother is alive I'll be bloated with love every day." She spoke.

The countess faceturned sour and pshaw then walked out.

"It's nice to see how you handled the situation well, Princess."

"A wise man once said, 'Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience', well, excuse me Grand Duchess, I'll get going now."

And then Chiara left proving that victory is always her twin.

'It must be nice being a man, you'll never be degraded in the Aristocrat world.'

Meanwhile, the Emperor is catching all the rabbits that he sees.

'Hmm, is there a green rabbit? Never mind, I'm going to get all the rabbits for my lovely Chiara.'

The Emperor's horse sighed, thinking that the Emperor is such an idiot when it comes to her only daughter. Zykrieg saw the Emperor, so he went towards him.

Arden raised his left eyebrow and his blood boiled when he remembered that Chiara kissed him.

"Your Highness, I heard that the countess tried to bully the Crown Princess, but the Crown Princess just laughed at her and told her some words."

"What?! My dear Iara got bullied? What did Iara told that witch?"

"She said that your love is more than enough."

The Emperor sighed happily and laughed very long, his laugh was only cut when they heard some scream in the forest, he immediately carried Zykrieg on his horse.

"Monsters!"

Arden was worried about his people, so he told Zykrieg to go back and warn the Aristocrats.

'Damn it! I hope nothing bad will happen to Chiara.'

He saw the other Aristocrats running away from the monster, he tried to go to the monster's location but Arwen grabbed him.

"Are you planning to die, Your Highness?"

"No! But I need to kill those monsters before it reaches my people."

"Then let those monsters reach them! What do you think will happen if you die?"

A silence was heard.

"Chiara will take the goddamn crown and those fuckin' damned Aristocrats will force her to get married with their sons and will try to control her."

"But my daughter will not be controlled!"

"Yes, she will not be, but do you want her to lose you at such young age?! Do you want her to feel loneliness and emptiness?! She's still a kid. Now think about it."

Arden processed it wisely and finally he went back to the camping site and a lot of Aristocrats eyes were gathered on him. It's bullshit.

'Why isn't he dead yet?' Is what on those damned aristocrats mind.

It was their plan to summon the monsters for the Emperor to die, the three Dukes and Baron Ralacie were not involved, the rest was.

"Are you okay, Your Highness?" They asked in sequence.

"I am fine, as you can see."

Arden smiled genuinely, but deep inside; he wants to crush the Count's family, HA HA.

They heard footsteps, a very loud footstep. Arden suspected that it's the monsters, so he told everyone to move aside. Chiara is quietly watching her father; she knows that it's not a footstep of a monster but a footstep of a deer.

When they saw that it's just a deer they were already breathing easily. They were finally at ease because they thought that the monster is already gone.

'I can smell a different smell among here, though it's just a faint smell.' Is what on her mind.

Chiara didn't let her guard down, it can be just near her.

She can't trust the fact that the monsters are gone. After a long while, the lowered their guards and that's when the monsters showed up.

"AHH!" was heard from a knight of the Viscount's family.

"T-The monsters are here!"

"AHHH!"

They are all panicking; the children were crying but some of them were not.

"GRAORGRAORGHHHH!!!" The monster growled.

What Arden was fearing for happened, a monster went to Chiara's direction, he can't come there because he's fighting the monster.

"Damn it!" He said frustrated.

"GRAORGRAORGHHHH!!!" The monster growled in front of Chiara, simply trying to scare her.

Chiara just smirked and laughed.

"Tss." Was what she said.

The monster growled again but Chiara is still unbothered by the presence of the growling monster. Chiara looked at the monster intimidatingly. The monster gulped and tried to growl but he stuttered.

Chiara looked at him with sharp eyes and said...

"Kneel." She spoke.

She repeated it again, in the monster's perspective, he saws Chiara as a monster bigger than him, but the truth is he is bigger than her.

"Don't make me said it thrice, I'll count up to three. One, tw-."

The monster kneeled in front of her and bowed its head.

"I-Impossible!" Said by them.

The monsters left their opponents and went to Chiara and formed a circle, they all kneeled on her. Do you know why they kneeled? Because the one who tried to scare Chiara is their leader.