CH. 26 Eonon's Eternity

"Hurry up! Mother!" Cleo shouted as he ran along the decorated and crowded mainstreet of Eonon. It was finally the day. We decided to visit the festival street at its most exciting time of the festive week.

"Don't go too far!" I shouted a little worried but I couldn't keep my smile away. The two little boys' eyes were alight as they went from one stall to another unable to focus on just one thing.

"We've got a lot of time. Let us take our time visiting each place and not miss a single detail, alright?" I said and Noah nodded enthusiastically not letting go of my hand. He's been able to let me hug him and since then he wouldn't leave my side whenever we were together. Cleo who ran all the way to the middle of the street came running back to hold my other hand. He couldn't hide the jump in his steps and his knight Sir Nash was having a hard time keeping an eye on his little master.

I've got my three maids. Ivy, Reese and May with me along with the Squire Basil. He was still a squire but I chose him to be my guard to Seth's headache. Basil wasn't qualified but I know the boy has only one more step to become a full-fledged knight. He was the most familiar and the same age as Ivy, so I chose him. He was adorable.

"I thought Father will be with us." Noah asked, looking up at me.

"He had sudden business to attend to so let him be. He will join us as soon as he is done sorting his affairs in order. If he didn't then we can just take the festival to him. There are a lot of things here to bring him." I gently explained.

"Alright." Noah nodded understandingly. That man. He was the one to suggest we keep distance and ask me to take care of the twins but he was the one who was making them upset.

I didn't know what to think when he suddenly proposed such a thing. I felt conflicted the first day but now I was fine with this arrangement. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to take a step back but Seth did me a great favour by doing it first himself.

I wouldn't seek him unless necessary and would behave the same in front of the twins but… I shook my head dispelling the depressing things. It was fine. I am fine. I can do without that man and he was just a friend that I met on a summer trip and we parted ways at the end of the trip. It was a good memory. That's all there was. As for the twins, he said that he would take care of it. Why should I worry about something that would happen after I am gone? It was out of my hands and useless to worry about the things you could do nothing about.

"Alright, Let's go have fun!" I announced and off we went. From one store to the other. From one game stall to another. I bought a lot of things for me and the people following us.

I joined an impromptu craft class and managed to make three crude lockets that vaguely resembled a vertical bar with names on it. It was supposed to be a shining silver but my polishing skills were nowhere near so It turned out to be a blurry rough surface. I had small cuts on my hands but I managed to write three names on each of them. Seth, Noah and Cleo. It was satisfactory.

The black threads that were used to hang the lockets around the neck were the easiest part, so I made them pretty quickly with an old-fashioned weaving machine. I didn't understand its mechanism with all the dungeon materials but it was a fascinating experience nonetheless.

"These two are for you and give this to your father." I said and placed the boxed pendants in the little hands.

"Thank you, Mother!" Cleo was grinning happily and Noah was already putting it around his neck. I helped them both put them on and they were happy looking at their names on the locket from time to time.

"Do you like it that much?" I asked.

"Mn."

"Yes!" Came two enthusiastic replies that pierced straight through my heart.

Afterwards, I was running around from one craft shop to another making wonky tea mugs, distorted soup bowls and weaved scarves that had threads coming out here and there. It was even more embarrassing as the twins seemed to love them.

To get over my embarrassment, I finally decided to do something that would look cool. By the end of the day, My last stop was a foreign restaurant eating competition.

I was sitting in front of a large bowl of soup noodles that looked like they were made from spice that grew in hellfire.

"Your Highness, Would you be alright?" The shop owner who should be starting the competition was asking me in a worried tone.

I looked at some burly men and a mercenary woman, a housewife sitting nervously beside me. I smiled at them in a challenge, "Easy as pie." I declared and my competitors had fire lit under them. Many people gathered here after hearing about the Grand Princess' participation. I came here incognito but my cover blew because of my decision. I couldn't participate in this competition if I didn't register in the morning. So I had to use my title like an evil rich person.

kgh… The fact that it didn't hurt my conscience hurt me more.

"Hurry up before my noodle gets bloated." I said and took my chopsticks.

"You can't hold your chopstick yet, Your Highness." Ivy was shouting excitedly. As soon as the challengers heard it, I could feel stares on my hand. That girl has to be loud right at this moment, Damn it. I calmly put the chopsticks back and waited for fair and square for the start signal.

* * *

Seth made sure to find the merchant that Queen Audrey had mentioned in her letter and sent him to the guest palace. After that confrontation with the Grand Princess, Princess Viviana didn't leave her palace. So after sorting that matter, Seth hurried to join the twins. He promised to go together but this happened.

 When he finally found them, He was stunned into silence. The Grand Princess was crying as she ate red-coloured soup noodles along with a few other people sitting beside her.

During this festival, Seth allowed a lot of foreign merchants to enter Eonon and do business there. He was about to proclaim his land as a Kingdom soon so of course he needed to make many connections. So many merchants were eager to sign contracts with the Valorian royal family. This store was one of the many. What better time than a festival to start a business so it was a huge success and on his way, he heard the news. No stall was left unturned by the Grand Princess and the princes, this would for sure make the other nobility take interest. Whether they like the Grand Princess or not.

But he was never expecting to see the Grand Princess enter a food-eating competition.

"The challengers must register in the morning for the competition but Her Highness has threatened the shop owner with her title and entered the competition last minute after learning about the prize." Carcel, His Velia's commander, informed. She has to choose a no-name Squire as her guard so he has no choice but to send his commander to secretly protect her and the twins. Just a few knights weren't enough even though they were going incognito. But what use was that when she openly announced her identity?

"What was the prize?" Seth asked as he looked at the Grand Princess letting her maid, Reese, wipe her tears and runny nose.

"A jade tea set." Came the reply. Seth broke into laughter startling the commander who looked at him in a daze.

"Alright, Good work." Seth patted Carcel's shoulder.

"I'm just doing my duty, My Lord." Carcel replied stiffly but his face was blushing furiously. He never saw his master smile like that.

"Princess! Princess! Princess! Princess! Princess!" The chants around began drawing their attention and it seemed like the Grand Princess was about to win.

"Spicy!" The Grand Princess shouted as she slammed the large bowl down after finishing the red soup. There were laughs all around and she looked at her competitors. The next to finish was one of the burly men and the mercenary woman. The last to finish was the housewife.

"I was half expecting you to give up halfway but who would've expected. You got guts!" The Grand Princess winked at the housewife who was also sniffling with all the tears because of the spice.

"Bring me my prize!" The Grand Princess announced slamming the table and glared at the shop owner who, trembling, put a fine jade tea set in front of her.

"Excellent Piece!" The Grand Princess smiled satisfied.

"As a token of gratitude, I present my competitors each a hundred silver. A bunch of weaklings who couldn't even finish a bowl of noodles but without them, I couldn't have had a challenge however trifling it was. And as a celebration of my victory, I will treat everyone here to a bowl of spicy noodles. What's life without its little trials? Challenge yourself, folks!" She said and the crowd erupted into a roar. The challengers who lost to her also looked happy with her words and rewards. It was a happy ending for everyone.

Seth couldn't help but smile at the Grand Princess giving the twins the jade tea set. It was evening time and it was the longest day of the year. There was a troupe nearby and they began playing music. Seth couldn't take his eyes off the Grand Princess as she danced like a silly girl. Noah and Cleo also awkwardly imitated her little dances.

It was a sight that captured all his world and he couldn't ask for anything more.

But besides Seth, there was someone else who was watching her. That man just reached Eonon and he was in time to catch the Grand Princess in her little exploit. He too stood there as if his feet grew roots grounding him there.

The crowd saw the Grand Princess for the first time in their lives and the rumours they all heard seemed to be so far from the truth. She was a gorgeous-looking lady with a beautiful smile. Her bearing is valiant but not cold and as she looked at her two children, it was the most endearing sight. And what was even more marvellous was that the Grand Prince made an appearance and the sight of young lords running into his outstretched arms with big smiles was so infectious that the happiness lasted till the end of the festival. Later unbeknownst to them, the whole Valoria will be circulated with different variations of paintings of such a scene. Circulating the portraits of the royal family without permission was tantamount to treason but nobody spoke a word about who the people in the painting were.

Later the painting was named 'Eternity', it was depicted as the sight of a family finding joy in each other's presence despite the changing seasons. Some interpreted it as a lucky charm that would spread the infectious joy that contained within it to everyone around. Everyone has their own interpretation of 'Eternity' but what didn't change was that the depictions put a smile on them nonetheless.

Seth led the three after they finished dancing to their heart's content to another place. He took them to the highest building in Eonon, a clock tower, to watch the fireworks at the end of the day.

Noah tugged his sleeve and when he turned to look he saw the boy tugging at his mother's hand as well. What came after was a little unexpected. Seth didn't understand what was happening until the Grand Princess closed the distance between them and hung something around his neck. When he looked down, he saw a vertical crudely polished silver bar with his name on it. It was barely longer than his nail and the bar was thin.

"It wasn't much but I made it." He looked at the woman in front of him wearing a blush, a little embarrassed. It was a novel sight.

"I put effort into it, even if you don't like it, you must say you like it." She demanded and he laughed softly. "I like it." He said and she nodded satisfied with his reply. He looked down and the twins had the same kind of lockets around their necks.

"They started!" Noah exclaimed as a firework flew into the darkened sky. Cleo was tongue-tied as he watched with great interest.

Seth looked at the huge fireworks and then at the woman beside him. Because they were standing in the highest tower in Eonon, the fireworks looked huge and nearer. So when a firework burst into several sparks near them, she unconsciously stretched her palms as if trying to catch a falling star.

The sound of soft chuckles near Seth drew his attention and he caught the twins chuckling at their mother's adorable actions. When they met Seth's eyes, he put a finger on his lips and they nodded, falling silent so as not to disturb her.

With every firework that exploded in the sky, her eyes would open wide and from time to time she would stretch her hands to catch them as they fell. When the spark died down before reaching her, the excitement in her eyes would dampen a little and her lips would pout slightly. And when another exploded in the sky, her eyes alight once again and the pout would turn into a smile rivalling the sparks in the sky.

Seth's fingers twitched, itching to touch her face but he held himself from committing the same mistakes again. But when she looked at him with wide eyes asking if he saw something beautiful she just saw, he felt his chains breaking again.

Unable to contain himself, he lifted his twins into his arms instead startling the two boys. Their squeals turned into laughter and when their mother came to brush their hair, they pulled her into his embrace to Seth's delight. She took Cleo from his arms and Seth wrapped his arm around her waist. So that year, the last longest day, Seth spent his time listening to all the exploits the twins made throughout the day with their mother. They were all happy and the two forgot their worries for the moment.

Unaware of what was coming their way.