Spark

Prince Landis hated public gatherings almost as much as his elder twin brother did. The only difference was that Landis was better at faking his enjoyment.

The twin brothers were the sword and shield of the empire, with Marceau being talented in swordsmanship and Landis in magic. Marceau had given up his title of crown prince to join the knighthood, so the title went to Landis instead. A powerful mage and a strong leader, it was only the right choice.

"You've delayed yourself long enough," Gibrus said.

The prince glanced at the elder mage and shook his head. "Never enough."

"I suggest we leave now before the king comes find you."

"Don't worry, Gibrus. I am never late." With a wave of his hand, the prince disappeared from the room.

Gibrus sighed. He should never have taught the young mage teleportation magic. Yet he know that even if he did not, the prince would have found some way to learn the magic on his own.

Elliott had left to speak to other noblemen. Royal gatherings were an excellent place to gather information. He had left Omalia on her own, knowing that she would be fully capable of handling herself in social affairs.

Sure enough, Omalia was chatting away comfortably with the young nobility. Both men and women were enchanted with her. Every gesture and word was perfectly placed.

"I am excited to see the princes," Dorothea swooned.

"Which prince?" Tierney asked.

"Prince Landis, of course."

"I, for one, am excited to see Prince Marceau. It's been two years since he made a public appearance," Aubrey said. Both she and Tierney were daughters of the Marquess. Tierney was the elder sister at sixteen and Aubrey was fourteen.

"Landis or Marceau—I'll take any one of them!" Tierney exclaimed. "Wouldn't it be nice to engaged to one of the princes?"

The other girls nodded. Then they turned to Omalia who was uncharacteristically silent. The ladies often forgot that she was the youngest in the circle due to her poise.

Omalia thought for a moment. She was certain she would never fall in love with Marceau again. "Prince Landis is quite charming. Though I hear that his mage is as well."

"That old mage? No one knows how old he is. Plus, he has never made an appearance before." Dorothea twisted her face in disgust. "I am sure he is nothing but an old man."

Soon the trumpets announced the entrance of the king, queen, and the two princes. Omalia and the other nobles left to stand in the dance hall. In the story, this was the first time Marceau and Omalia were to meet—though because she was a side character, she did not know exactly how they met. She only knew that she should avoid him at all costs. The other noble ladies rushed to stand as close to the royal entrance as possible, while Omalia stood further back.

The trumpets sounded again and the doors burst open. First the king came down the steps with the queen. The princes followed. Omalia heard some gasps. She was certain one of them was Aubrey, who certainly was not disappointed to see Marceau. He had grown much taller than two years ago, and his well-built body was difficult to hide even under the layers of court clothing. Omalia thought she would fall in love with him again when she saw him, but she only looked upon him with indifference. Now that she saw the story from Omalia's point of view, she could only think of this prince-knight as a capital scumbag. Apparently, heroines liked aggressive, stoic men.

Omalia kept her eyes on Prince Landis instead. Unlike his dark-haired brother, Landis had silvery white hair and soft grey eyes. They were identical except for the color of their hair and eyes. Landis certainly fit the image of a prince, with his gold-trimmed white clothing bearing the insignia of the wolf, the country's symbol. For a brief second, their eyes met.