131-140

A flock of white feather birds is flying through the sky. Their wings flapping ever so gently as they used the currents of the wind to stay afloat as they glide amongst the clouds. The temperature today was not so bad. I could still wear a t-shirt even though cooler weather was right around the corner.

As of now, as I watch the clouds from up close while shading my eyes from the sun that was high in the sky, I was feeling a bit excited. In front of me, as I take in the sights around me, is a large metal gate much taller than myself. This would be the gate that I will be coming and going through from now on. This was the gate to my new home.

"Faith, get in the carriage. We still have a few minutes before we reach the front door." Adel yelled out. It was not just me who was moving in today either. There are another three carriages here lined up, one behind the other. One was mine. Another was Adel's, and the third was Prince Lances.-.

Sophie, Sei, and the maids also all came as well, but since I had my inventory, I just stored all our luggage in there so we could all sit in one carriage. This reduced the need for any more carriages.

I turned and looked at Adel, who seemed to be in a hurry, and sighed. I slowly began walking back to the carriage. "I just wanted to take it all in! You saw how small my home was."

"I know, but we have so much to do today." Adel was right. We still had a lot to do. Mainly Sei and I had a lot to do. Because I was in charge of protecting the only princess and the crown prince of this kingdom, I had to ensure the house and the property they lived in was thoroughly protected. i𝘯n𝚛𝑒α𝚍. C𝐨𝓶

That meant creating many magical defense systems from barriers to other kinds of traps. While I really doubt anyone will be able to break through the barrier I planned to set up since it will be continuously strengthened with my magic as I plan to form a link to the core, but one can never be too careful. And I had quite a few traps planned out. Like using illusions to create pitfalls. A riddle maze where people will need to solve the questions in order to continue on.

One of those riddles I planned to put in was taken from a show I watched once back on Earth. I guess the host of the show was some famous chef, but he was quite funny when he got mad at people. The question for one of the riddles would show an image of two slices of bread, followed by the question: "What are you!?" I started laughing when I heard the answer

But besides that, I planned to do things like making a wash basin fall on people's heads. Logs that swing in from out of nowhere and the old trip line that blows everything up in the area when you trip the trap. You know the usual.

As the carriage pulled through the gate, what entered my view was a wide open front lawn or more like a meadow. There was a single large tree that sat in the middle of this meadow that had a bench swing hanging from one of its limbs that was big enough to fit five people. While it seemed peaceful, the coup de gra of the whole thing was the large brick and mortar style house that had an Earthling western style feel to it.

What amazed me the most about this place was that it had four floors, and this was just the above ground area. It made me wonder just how many floors were underground. I was kinda hoping for like two or three underground, so I could have a secret lab. You know, like in those fantasy novels where either the heroes or the villains had an underground base of operations to do all their experiments? I wanted something like that so I could train in magic that I did not want others taking notice of or even creating some kind of secret weapon. I was thinking of creating the ultimate idiot smasher. This way, when idiots appear, I can just smash them.

This came to mind when I remembered the rabbit girl that Prince Rythilin had at his side. She had a massive hammer that looked wonderful for smashing idiots. Luckily I did not have to go far to find an idiot to try it out on because Prince Lance was moving in as well. I am sure if I asked nicely, he would allow me to give him a few whacks. Of course, I am joking. If I ever did such a thing, he would be squashed like a bug. So Unless he truly did something that would be considered an idiot move, I will keep the testing to only the idiots that appear before me.

I do wonder, though, if the nobles will try to break into the new house or not. The whole plan was to use Adel and Prince Lance as bait which was why they moved in with me. While I still have my misgivings about this, I will do everything in my power to make sure Adel is safe and, if I have time, Prince Lance too. But I will say if something bad happens, I might lose myself to my ancient will if I get too angry. Such emotions as hate and sadness might just break it from its chains and send me spiraling down a path I can not return from. This thought alone scared me greatly to the point that I have been checking for any signs of my ancient will the past few nights since the King brought this all up. I still have the images burned into my mind since the fortune telling. The pain and sorrow I had in my eyes and the menacing smile I had on my face at that time. I do hope none of it will ever come true. While my life may be long, I do wish to enjoy the present with the friends I have made and cherish the time I will have with everyone.

Now I know I should not dwell on the things that I do not know about, but sometimes I just can't help it. For now, I will just push it all back into the box that can not be fully sealed and enjoy exploring this new place I will call home from now on.

The carriage pulled up under the stone awning that covered the front entrance. I could tell right away this was definitely a luxury directly pointing towards nobles as they probably did not wish to run to the door when it was raining out. It kind of reminded me of those luxury hotels you could see online back on Earth.

With the large overhang so rain and snow would not get the people entering and leaving wet. But the hotels and stuff that had such hover hangs usually had someone parking the cars of the people arriving who would then get soaked. Makes me feel bad for them because I have no idea how much money they actually made. And now I was one of those people who had an overhang and would get to be dry while the carriage driver would end up getting wet. I guess I should make sure he is getting paid extra.-. 𝒾𝗻𝐧𝓇𝒆𝒶𝒅. 𝒸૦𝒎

Oh, that was something else as well. The three carriages we arrived in are actually mine now. They were gifted to me by Sir Derek, who said I will need a nice carriage to go to the academy in. I guess he was worried that I would be looked down upon if I arrived at the academy on foot. But truth be told, I would not mind walking as the academy was not very far away. I could easily run there in ten minutes, and it would also be good exercise, but when I mentioned this to Adel, she thoroughly rejected the idea and told me to behave myself. So I gave up on the idea.

But now, I had a huge area to run around in and work out as I please. I can not wait to begin a proper morning routine. Of course, Sophie will be joining me, whether she likes it or not. I promised I would train her, and she will need to stick to a strict schedule. Sadly we have not had time to do much in the way of training as the company kinda butted into me getting a mission from the mercenary guild.

But everything will come in due time. I will soon be just as busy, so my training will be even slower. I will have to wait until we have our academy outings. From what I understand about these outings is that we venture into small worlds and will look to hunt for treasures which I am all for. I believe that we can keep the treasures we find, but if we hand them over to the academy, they will give us a certain amount of merit points.

I, of course, will hand what I find over as long as it is not shiny. I mean, I haven't really had a chance to get any new shinies since I left home. It's not like my big brother will suddenly show up and go here, Faith, I found this for you. Now that I think about it, it has been almost half a year since I left home. A lot has happened since then. I do hope everyone is okay. I hope Mother has not kicked Father out of the house yet. And I hope Big Brother is treating Rachel well. And I really hope that my little nephew Leo is as healthy and fat as when I left him.

I do plan to make a trip home the first chance I get. To check in and see how everyone is. Maybe by then, I will have figured out how to make a proper teleportation magic circle. Then I can set up a connection between my house in Cyrilia village and my home here. I think that would make for an amazing thing. Being able to have my Mother's home cooking whenever I want would be really nice.

"Faith! We can't get out if you are going to sit there and daydream all day. This is your home, to begin with, we are just guests!" Adel woke me up from my thoughts causing my cheeks to blush. I wonder how long I was out this time.

But Adel's words did sound funny. I do not remember gaining any properties. I was only told I would have a place prepared for me to live in. "Adel!" Prince Lance suddenly yelled out, causing Adel to quickly cover her mouth. Hmmm? Was I not supposed to know something?

Wait… As I got off the carriage, an older gentleman was standing there in a black butler suit and a monocle in his right eye doing a perfect bultlery bow. "Miss Faith Cyrilia, I presume. My name is Jeeves. I was hired to be the head caretaker of your new home."

I pursed my lips as I looked at Jeeves, who looked exactly like the butlers you would see in a movie back on Earth. He even had that prim and proper air about him. "Ummm… Thanks…. But may I ask a certain question. Not to you but to Princess Adel."

I turned and looked at Adel, who quickly averted her eyes. I guess she knew she was in trouble. Even Prince Lance was looking away. "Now, if I may ask. I thought I was only having a home prepared for me and not given to me to keep. So can someone explain to me when I suddenly inherited an estate!?" I walked over to Adel, who kept trying to look away from me, and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at me as I smiled brightly at her: "Adel? "

Adel pouted her lips as she looked like she was ready to cry as she said: "Well, you see, Faith… We wanted to give you a gift, and well, we figured… Hey! Why not get her a new home so she can do whatever she wants with it?"

I turned to look at Prince Lance, who was nodding his head like a newborn chick. But once I made eye contact with him, he froze and began looking everywhere except for at me before suddenly yelling out: "It was Father who decided on this!"

I looked at the two, who were both nodding their heads at me, and sighed. "So this huge estate is now mine?"

Both the princess and prince nodded their heads like baby chicks at my question. "So if I were to tear it down and put up tents for everyone to live in, it would be okay?"

Once again, their heads nodded up and down. But I could have sworn I saw their eyebrows twitch. Well, not like I am really complaining. It was just unexpected, is all. I let out a sigh as I turned back around and gave Jeeves a slight bow. "I apologize for my rude behavior just now." 𝙞𝓃𝙣r𝘦а𝘥. Co𝙢

"Young Miss does not need to worry about this old man. I took no offense. I am sure the incompetence of the princess and prince who did not think to explain things clearly is at fault here." Ouch! Jeeves really slapped the two of them in the face. But this did tell me one thing….-.

"Just so I am clear here but do you by chance know the two of them well?" I asked.

"I was in charge of their care when they were younger. I have now resigned from the palace once I heard this position was opening up. I wished to work under someone who is so willing to help the people. I have heard many good things about you, Young Miss." It was not that I was ignoring how Jeeves went from calling me Miss Faith Cryilia to Young Miss. I had kind of figured it would happen since that is what Annie and the others call me. But the way he talked to me seemed slightly different, as if I had gained his approval just now.

"I see. Then I will be in your care from now on. If you need to, you can spank both of them if they do anything that angers you. They are…." I paused and turned to look at the prince and prince with a big smile. "Under my care after all….."

"Faith, I don't like the sounds of your words! Why does it sound like you will treat us horribly!?" Adel cried out in a panic while I was laughing on the inside. I was finding this fun since I had never seen Adel like this.

"Don't worry, Princess Adel, we will make sure to take very good care of you. Now, if you can just place your bags by the tree over there, we will be sure to send out some rope and a sheet so you can make some tents. As for how to prop them up…. Well, I am sure you will figure it out. Now then, if you will excuse me…." I turned and walked over to Jeeves, who smiled and led the way into the house, ignoring the prince and princess as if they were not even there. But I only got two steps towards the door when Adel ran up to me and grabbed my arm:

"Faith, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hide it from you. We were going to surprise you, I swear! Can you please let me off this one time? Can you go back to calling me just Adel?" I turned and looked at the eyes that were brimming with tears, and my heart dropped. I forgot Adel was someone who did not have true friends. Only Sophie and I could be considered as such. And here I was treating her as a stranger….

I reached up and wiped the tear that was threatening to fall from Adel's eyes and sighed. "Sorry, my joke went a little too far. Don't cry, Adel."

"Mmm….." Adel nodded while pouting.

"Let's go in and choose rooms. We can then have lunch before I get to work dealing with the estate's protection systems." I announced before grabbing Adel's hand and pulling her along. I know I shouldn't gab her hand like this as it might make Adel have other thoughts, but I did not wish to treat her any differently than before. Plus, I just almost made her cry which was not nice of me either.

"Ummm…." Another voice sounded out, stopping me once again. I turned to see Prince Lance still standing in the doorway, causing me to chuckle. "You can come in as well. You can choose a room after us girls."

"Right! Thanks!" Prince Lance put on a silly smile as he walked in and looked around. Sadly I couldn't help but think his actions just now were kind of cute. But that is it, only cute, nothing more.

The inside of the estate was not lavishly decorated, which made me feel at ease. While it still was furnished with high quality furnishings, they were not over the top and very normal. I can only think that Adel had a hand in the decor of the estate. "You decided on this?"

"Yep! Do you like it?" Adel suddenly perked up at my question. I could hear the pride in her voice.

"That I do. Not overly lavish, but not plain either. It suits my taste very much. Thank you. But this still must have cost a lot though, right?" I asked.

"Well, the estate was actually one of my father's old estates from before he became king. It was just sitting here collecting dust, so he decided to award it to you. In truth, this was supposed to be a thank you gift from not only me but my brother, father, and my mother, the queen. Faith, I do not think you understand the accomplishments that you have gained so far.

"You have many merits already stacked up waiting for you to graduate from the academy. Not to mention that there are many nobles who would fight against you becoming a noble yourself at this time. To keep the courts quiet for the time being while we flush out as many of the bad eggs as we can, many things need to be put on hold concerning you." Adel explained.

"I see. Well, it is not like I am in a hurry to become a noble. Although it would secure my future and is one of my goals, but I still have a lot to do and a lot to achieve as well. Plus, the things I have been doing are not to gain merits but to help those who I want to help."

"That sounds very Faith like." Prince Lance commented as he finally caught up to us. Although, not even a second later, I heard a disgruntled snort coming from my side. I just hope these two do not get into some kind of brawl while living here. I don't know how things are at the castle, but I do hope that they can get along while living under my roof. I kinda like that word 'My roof'. It has a nice sound to it.

"Well, I am me and am not able to be anyone else even if I tried." Well, unless I used my acting skill, but I do not plan to be anyone else unless there is a good reason for it.

"That is very true." Prince Lance answered, which resulted in another snort. "Adel, are you going to be like this every time I speak?"

And now it has started. The brother-sister feud. "I have no idea what you are talking about, dear brother. Maybe you should stop talking and see if I treat you better. While you are at it, you can stop breathing as well."-.

"I would die!" Prince Lance yelled out.

"Tch… Not as dumb as I thought he was." Adel muttered in a not so low voice.

"I can hear you, you know!" I was actually finding this quite entertaining. Does this make me a bad person?

"If the two of you can not get along. Then I will have to kick the both of you out of the house and go along with Young Miss's first idea and toss you some rope and some sheets to make tents. So either get along or sleep outside." Jeeves stern voice filled the air causing the brother and sister combo to quickly shut up. I guess this is what happens when you take care of the royal children and are the one to always dish out punishment. Maybe this was why Adel panicked so much earlier. Since I had suggested it, she knew Jeeves would carry it out. Maybe this was the real reason why Jeeves came to work for me.

Now that I think about it….. Who is paying his salary…. I was starting to sweat. I had no money! All my money went to the company. How was I supposed to pay for my staff? This was bad…. Really bad! "Ummm, Adel…. About Jeeves's and everyone else's salary…."

"Hmmm? Father pays for it. What do you mean?" Adel answered, seemingly confused. But I, on the other hand, was internally pumping my fists. I mean, we just walked in, and I already see like thirty people standing here.

"Now then!" Jeeves clapped his hands as we came to a stop in the hall entrance. All the staff members quickly gathered together and stood behind him. And before I could ask what was going on. Jeeves, along with everyone else, bowed to me. "Young Miss, welcome home!"

Their voices echoed through the estate, causing me to feel a little flustered. This was my first time being treated as if I was royalty. It felt strange, but I am sure I will get used to it. I just hope I do not end up turning into one of those rich snobby girls I saw at the tea party. "Please raise your heads. There is no need to bow to me like that. Just act yourselves, please."

"This is something that must be done, Young Miss. It is your first day in your new home. It should be treated as a grand occasion. Once you have selected your rooms, a welcoming party has already been prepared out in the back garden. I do hope you will enjoy it." Jeeves replied with a smile. I was actually quite touched, but I hope they do not bow like this to me every time I come home. I do not think I will be able to get used to that.

"I thank you all for your hard work. I am sure I will enjoy it." I said with a smile.

"Then allow me to bring you to your room Young Miss. As for the others, girls on the third floor and boys on the second floor." Jeeves suddenly announced, causing me to be a bit confused. I can see splitting the girls and boys up, but why was I the only one following Jeeves? 𝒾𝐧𝚗𝙧𝙚𝐚d. 𝗰o𝓶

I turned and looked at Adel for answers. Adel chuckled at my questioning gaze as she explained: "As the master of the house, you will always have the top floor of the home as your place of residents. I worked hard on renovating your room, so I hope you do like it. I will take Sophie and Sei to go pick rooms on the third floor. Once we are done, we will come up to see you."

"I see.." I pursed my lips. While I would have been fine with a room like everyone else's, I can not let Adel's hard work go to waste. Plus, I was curious as to what it looks like. "Then I will see you all in a bit."

I waved before turning and nodding my head to Jeeves, who then told me to follow him. The main entrance was huge, and I mean huge. Like you could fit my entire house from the village in the main entrance alone, well maybe I am exaggerating a little bit it was still very big. It had a set of stairs that led up to the second floor that had red wood railings and stairs with a soft red carpet adorning the steps. The main entrance's floor was made out of what looked to be marble. But nothing too flashy, just a simple black with light gray swirls. Besides that, there were two doors on each side of the staircase that led to somewhere. I was not quite sure yet. I planned to take a tour later. For now, I was following Jeeves towards the left hallway. I did not get to get a good look myself when we pulled up to the estate, but I am really wondering just how far back the entire house goes.

I was brought to the fourth floor by a magical elevator that went between the floors. Well, they call it a lift, but to me, it's just an elevator. When it stopped at the fourth floor, we exited to stand in a small room just big enough for ten people. There was nothing else but four white walls.

"Young Miss, please place your hand on the wall here and inject your magic into it. It is already waiting for you to register with it." Jeeves explained, which made me nod my head. I guess this was what you call a secret mechanism that brought you to the real room.

I walked over to the wall Jeeves told me to and placed my hand on it, and began injecting my mana. All of a sudden runic letters began forming on the wall. They pulsated for a second before suddenly spreading out in all directions, making a unique pattern on the wall before a glowing light began connecting them together. I watched with great interest as they slowly began to form a magic circle that took up almost the entire wall. In the center, I watched as it started to slowly become transparent.-.

And what was revealed was a small garden within a room that had windows on the ceiling and walls. An indoor greenhouse is a good way to describe it, but only part of the rooms was like this, while the rest was more rustic and very familiar in a sense. It reminded me of home… I almost began tearing up. Adel really did put her heart and soul into my room. She made it feel like home before I even stepped foot into it.

I slowly walked through the opening in the wall, followed by Jeeves, and began looking around. My eyes shined as I saw the decor. "Adel really outdid herself."

"The princess had been here during the entire renovation overseeing every detail to the point that the contractors wanted to kick her out on her head. She was very nit picky if anything did not match the image she had." Jeeves explained. I turned to smile at him but was stunned when I saw him bowing to me. i𝐧𝓃𝒓𝒆𝑎𝙙. 𝘤𝘰𝚖

"Jeeves!?" I stepped forward to try to help him up, but he seemed locked in place not willing to raise his head.

"Please allow me this bow. I must thank you. Princess Adel and Prince Lance have been like my own children. While the other princes were raised by their caretakers, I was in charge of the only princess of the kingdom and the crown prince. They have been under my care ever since the day they were born. And I know their personalities well. While they can be a bit off the wall, they are both good children. It's just before you came, Princess Adel seemed to always be down when she walked around the castle, and Prince Lance was always being taken advantage of.

"While they both have their good and bad qualities, they both have one thing in common. They are very kind children who love this kingdom very much. Princess Adel has not stopped talking about you since the day she met you. You have truly brought her out of her gloomy state. While some of her actions and obsessiveness can be over the top, she finds you to be very dear to her heart and would never betray you. So I do hope you will stay friends with her no matter how she acts.

"As for Prince Lance. While he is an idiot at times he is still a good young man and worthy of being king once he understands how to deal with people properly. Since meeting you, he seems to have changed and is now working hard to become a king worthy of your approval. This is something that His Majesty and I truly thank you for. So I do hope you will not shun him too much." Jeeves's love for the two he raised was clear as day. He may be old now, but it seems he really cared for both Adel and Prince Lance and still does to this day.

"Jeeves, please raise your head. I would not live under the same roof as someone I did not like. Both Adel and Prince Lance are good people and friends….. Well, Prince Lance is a good acquaintance. He still had a bit to go to be friends." Although I would not have been able to say no to His Majesty, I would have at least tried to make it so that only Adel came and not Prince Lance if I did not feel that he was a good person. I do have my own line that I would not want to cross. While I may joke about this and that about him, I don't hate or despise him.

"I thank you." Jeeves raised his head and smiled at me. His old age showing as his face wrinkled up. "I will now return to settle a few things. Please look around. I am sure Princess Adel will be up soon."

"Mmmm… thank you, Jeeves." After I saw Jeeves off, I started looking around my new room. The mid section was actually a large flower garden. The entire set up was self sustained which was truly impressive. I could see the runic inscriptions that made it so that the flowers would be watered at a certain time every day. I do wonder how long they will live for with such a set up. To the right of the room was a door that led to the rooftop. Even here, a magic barrier was set up to keep the rain and unwanted guests out. The area outside was huge, and I mean huge. You could easily hold a concert out here if one wished to.

Back inside, on the other side of the garden, was another door that led to a large living area that had a few couches and a fireplace that sat in the middle. All the furnishing kept the rustic decor of the room. Nothing was over exaggerated and was kept very simple. There were a few rooms off to the side of this that led to a library, a small kitchen, and an office with more bookshelves full of books, and within the office was another door that led to what looked like a lab of some kind. I think this was a magic lab because it was much different and had many runic inscriptions built into the wall for protection.

And lastly was the bedroom, which was overly huge. It had a door that led to a similarly large bathroom with a bath big enough to be a swimming pool. But what caught my eye was not the huge bed big enough for like ten people but the thing on the ceiling over the bed. "Why is there a huge picture of Adel on the ceiling!?"

I was currently standing in my new bedroom with my arms crossed in front of my chest while tapping my left foot off the ground, staring at a certain princess who was currently kneeling on the ground with her head lowered. "Care to explain?"

"Well, I thought that maybe you would like to wake up every morning to see me smiling back at you?" Adel answered while raising her head, but I squinted my eyes at her, causing her to quickly lower her head.

I really wished I knew what went on inside Adel's head, but this was just creepy! Who would want to wake up to a big picture of someone smiling back at them! While the picture was very well done and was at least proper in how it was painted, the problem was that it was huge and hanging over my head! It would give me nightmares! "Take it down!"

"But!" Adel seemed very reluctant about this, but I did not care!

"Take it down. Adel, you are a very good friend, my best friend at that, but this is just too much. I do not wish to have nightmares!" I'm sorry, Adel, but I had to say it!-.

"Nightmares!?" Adel looked as if I had just stabbed her in the heart, but what can I say? Even if it was a picture of my own mother, I would find it creepy as can be. Even if I was lovers with someone, I would never allow such a thing.

"Adel, you could put anyone up there in the same painting, and I would say the same thing. My mother, brother, or my father. It would all result in the same words coming out of my mouth. Take it down!" I hope, at least by saying this, she wouldn't be as depressed.

"Fine…." Adel pouted as she stood up and looked at the painting. "That was the best one too…."

I sighed and looked out to the living area and saw that the walls were quite bare out there. "Have them hang it on the wall in the living area." 𝑖𝓷𝘯r𝐞𝐚𝗱. 𝙘om

"Okay!" Adel perked up very quickly after hearing my words. Seeing her smile made me feel slightly better. I know I was kind of harsh just now, but I really couldn't stop myself when something this was done.

Now that rooms were set, it was now time for lunch. As I walked out to the back yard, I noticed Sophie had her head lowered this entire time. "Sophie? Is something wrong?"

"Ahhh… No." Sophie shook her head as she raised it to look at me. "I was just thinking. This entire time I had been sleeping in the same bed as you and thought it would be strange to sleep alone again. That and I was wondering if it was okay for me to accept your kindness like this. I mean, my room is big enough for a princess….. As a commoner, I could stay in a small room made for servants. I do not think…."

"Enough of that, Sophie. I do not want to hear any more words about commoners. Don't forget I am one as well. We are cut from the same cloth. I am just a bit special because I seem to be overpowered. But nonetheless, you will be going to the same school as Adel and me. You will be walking the hallways with us, so you must never lower your head and give the snotty noble kids a chance to look down on you. We will show the nobles that even use commoners are amazing people who will do amazing things. And if they try to bother you, then punch them in the face like I did that one girl."

"Yes! Listen to Faith. You have the kingdom's only princess as your backer, so punch anyone you want except me, Faith, or the king and queen." Adel added with a proud look on her face.

"Wait, what about me and our brothers!?" I chuckled at Prince Lance's outburst.

"Huh? Why would I include you stinky brothers?" Adel asked with a look that said are you stupid? You are nothing. Go away.

"Alright, be nice. Sophie, only punch Prince Lance if he tries to hit on you. Or looks at you in the wrong way. Tries to touch any part of your body. Or even appears in front of you." I said in a teasing voice.

"Am I supposed to never leave my room!?" Prince Lance yelled out once more.

""That sounds perfect!"" Adel and I both said at the same time. We looked at each other and began laughing. Even Sophie smiled at this.

"You two! Don't gang up on me!" Prince Land huffed as he walked over to the table that was filled with food and sat down. He then grabbed a pastry from the table and shoved it in his mouth.

He was definitely an interesting character. Easily bullied by the girls around him. At least it will make for fine entertainment at home as long as things do not go too far. "Ummmmm. Can you all not forget about me? I am here too, you know!"

I turned to see Sei walking all alone as if she had no friends causing me to chuckle. "You were so quiet I forgot you were even here."

"That's because I couldn't say a word with how you all have known each other for so long!" Sei replied.

"That is true, but you have known Adel for quite a while, have you not?" I asked. I mean, she would always send messages back and forth and would go to talk with Adel personally, so I figured they were very well acquainted by now.

"Yes, but only at a professional level, not as friends… Every time we have spoken to each other, it was either about you or something important that related to the kingdom. Never anything personal." I see, so it seems Sei wanted to be friends with Adel as well but can't because of her status. I guess rank and duty does make things like that impossible sometimes.

"Well, forget about your duty from now on. You are now I, Adel Gravos's friend!"

I watched as Sei's smile brightened, hearing Adel's words. It felt nice that everyone was able to speak on equal terms without needing to worry about status, especially since we were all going to be living under the same roof.

We sat down and began chatting while we ate the food that was prepared for us. I looked over at Prince Lance, who seemed out of place as he ate his food by himself. In a way, I felt bad for him because he was the only boy here. "Prince Lance, I heard that you are really buckling down as of late." 𝙞𝚗n𝓇𝘦аd.＆nbsp;𝗰𝘰𝚖

"Hmm?" I watched as Prince Lance's cheeks turned slightly red as he explained: "Well… I have you to thank for that. The incident at the slums was an eye opener for me. I realized I was just skirting through life while people were walking all over me. I did not wish to become a king who was nothing more than a puppet. So in truth, I am very grateful to you and the fact that you are so outspoken. If not for that, I would still be a frog in a well. Only seeing a small patch of sky and never the world around me. Also…. Faith, if you want, you can just call me Lance from now on…."

I looked over at Prince Lance…. Or should I just say Lance and smiled at him. He truly has changed for the better, which is a good thing. "Then…. Prince Lance." But I still couldn't stop myself from teasing him. When I said these words, the look of anticipation turned to one of gloom, causing me to chuckle. "Sorry, I couldn't resist. From now on, I will call you Lance."-.

"Humph!" A perfectly timed loud snort by Adel seemed to try to mask out my saying his name. I looked over at her, only for her to quickly look up at the sky while eating a piece of meat as if she had done nothing at all.

I smiled and shook my head. Adel will always be Adel, it seems. When I turned and looked back at Lance, he had a silly grin on his face that was too funny not to laugh. But now that I pulled him into talking with us, he no longer seemed out of place.

We were all having a good time when Jeeves suddenly announced a newcomer: "Young Miss Dollen has arrived!"

Adel, who was stuffing her face with a pastry face suddenly turned sour. I looked over towards the garden entrance to see Grace walking over with a big smile on her face. Behind her, two maids were walking a few steps behind with two large boxes in their hands. "Faith! I'm here!"

I smiled and stood up to greet her. "Grace, it has been a while."

"That it has! I only got to meet with you once, but I did enjoy our time together. I do hope you forgive me for my unannounced visit. But when I heard you moved to the island, I had to come see you and give you a housewarming present." With that her two maids stepped forward with the huge boxes in their hands.

"This is?" I pursed my lips and looked at the boxes that were half as tall as I was. Her maids must be very strong!

"Allow me, Young Miss." Jeeves walked over and picked up the first box, knelt down to my height, and held it out in front of him. We had no room on the table, and it would be rude to place the boxes on the ground. All these noble etiquettes were taught to me by Adel. I did, however, feel excited to see what was inside. The first box was blue with a white ribbon holding the lid on. I reached up and pulled one on the ribbon so that it would untie before reaching up and pulling the lid off.

What I saw inside made my eyes glow with excitement. To some, it would just be a box of old papers, but to me, this was like a national treasure. The paper on top already told me what to expect in this deep box of papers. To be honest, I really wished to jump for joy. I did my best to compose myself as I asked: "Is this what I think it is!?"

"That it is. It is the complete set of runic equations for the airship. I went out of my way and made my father use one of his favors with the king to allow me to get a copy of the runic equations. There are several types of equations, from the most commonly used to the experimental runic equations that never saw the light of day. I do not know why but when my father said it was so that I could give them as a gift to you, The king happily sent all the documentation the same day. And that was just yesterday. " Grace explained. I really couldn't help but feel giddy. I mean, these were all runic equations that allowed things to fly through the skies. While I had the runes engraved in my mind, the problem was that I may not have been able to see all of them. There may have been some hidden.

"Thank you very much, Grace! I love it!" I said with a bright smile.

"And in this box, while not as extravagant as the first, I do hope you like it." This time Grace herself took the box from her maid and held it out to me. This box was much bigger, but from the way she lifted it, I guess it was pretty light. It had the same color ribbon, but the box itself was red.

I did the same as before and pulled on the ribbon to untie it. But this time, Grace set the box on the ground and lifted the top off herself. Inside was a huge stuffed animal. It was this world's version of a teddy bear, but the bear like creatures of this world had horns. I reached into the box and lifted it out, and hugged it tightly. It was very soft and warm. "Hehe… Thank you!"

I felt like a small child once more as I pushed my face into the large teddy bear. It was definitely a good present.

The party did not end until late due to Grace showing up. Jeeves had the house staff grill up all kinds of different things. It was quite fun. Something I haven't done in so long. Back when Cyrilia Village was established, Father used to have cookouts in the backyard. He would invite all the people who did not hate me, and we would have a fun time talking and eating grilled monsters. Some that tasted like ham and chicken, while others had tastes that were something I could not compare with earth standards. Although I guess using earth standards is something I should not be doing in the first place. I mean new world, new life, everything had its own name for each taste. But those were indeed good times.

I lay in my bed with my new giant teddy bear at my side, hugging it as I thought about the past. I guess this new home reminded me too much of my house back in the village… Well, I guess this is my home now, so I should just get used to it. I will definitely make sure to make a teleport though that will connect to the village. I do wish to see my family more often.

I will need to do proper defenses on the house tomorrow and then get myself ready for the academy test. I can't help but feel slightly nervous. I have met so many kind people so far, but I have also made many enemies, so I am expecting quite a bit of trouble. i𝒏𝒏𝐫𝑒𝐚d. c𝐨𝗺

"Let's just hope I have a future that is filled with happiness…."

—-.

The scent of blood fills the air. I am surrounded by people dying on all sides of me. The clash of magic and sword. Knights in armor are charging forward, killing the opposing side. Large monsters hover in the sky and send down large scale attacks on the ground below. Human versus human. Demi human versus demi human. War cries on all sides.

And I am standing in the midst of all of it. With a sword dripping in blood and blood splattered silver armor. "Faith, are you okay!?"

I turn my head to see a familiar face. Although she had blood smudged on her face, her beauty could not be hidden. The only difference was she looked much older. "Sophie?"

"Faith, what's wrong!? Is your ancient will taking over again!?" Sophie's words startled me as I looked at her as if she had three heads. I do not remember ever telling Sophie about my ancient will. How did she….

I looked down at my hands once more and realized they were much bigger than they should be. Even my chest was something to talk about. I was only now realizing all of this. "What… what is going on…."

"Faith…. Incoming!" Sophie yelled out as she stood in front of me with her arms open wide. I looked up to see Sophie forming a massive thirty layered barrier. But even then, each layer began shattering one after the other as if they were nothing but glass. On instinct, I raised my hand and cast a barrier in front of Sophie but to my surprise, even with all my magic power, the barrier shattered as well, and the next thing I knew… "Sophie! No!!!!"

—

"Hah! Sophie!" The images in front of me were now gone. I looked around to find that I was back in my new room. I guess I had a nightmare. One that was a little too realistic. Watching Sophie being penetrated by magic, punching holes into her body as he tried to protect me, was clear as day in my head. That was a Sophie I did not know. That was also a me I did not know. I looked down at my pathetic excuse of a chest and let out a sigh of relief. At least it was only a dream.

It was still early, so I laid back in my bed and looked up at the ceiling. Such a nightmare was something I had never had before. But it did remind me of the fortune that I got with Sophie. Let's just hope that things never turn out that way, or else I might end up destroying an entire country in anger. "Hmmm?"

I suddenly felt someone attack the barrier I put up around the house. It was a powerful strike at that. I got up and covered myself in a robe as I went to the window and opened it. I put my foot on the window sill and jumped out into the air, and looked around. A flash of light caught my attention at the peak of the barrier, causing my lips to twitch. "Did someone really have to show up on the first night? Could they not let me have at least a single night off?"

My body disappeared from where I stood, only to appear once more in the air above the intruders. When I saw the figures in the air, my lips twitched even more. "You damn idiot, do it quieter!"

"Your Highness, if I don't try my best, I will never break this barrier. Whoever cast it is insanely powerful!" A female with long ears whined as she raised her large sledge hammer again. The smaller figure who held on to her back, two tails, twitched back and forth as if he was angry.

"Strong or not, if you wake up, Faith, I will make sure you lose a month's salary!"The smaller figure yelled out in a hushed voice.

"You have to be kidding me!" The long eared figure replied once more. I could hear her anguish. I guess that means this would not be the first time she lost a month's salary.

I smiled slyly as I silently floated down and stood at their side. "Your Highness, here I go again!"

"Just be quieter!"

"Do you need some help?" I asked out of kindness.

"That would be very much appreciated…."

"…."

"…."

"Hi!" I smiled brightly and gave the two standing there with their mouths wide open. I gave them a welcoming wave before putting my hands behind my back and saying: "Fancy meeting you two here."

<strong>*Crack!*</strong>

"Ummm…. Miss Cyrilia, why are you cracking your knuckles?" Seeing the stupid cat slowly backing away from me with each step I took towards him made me smile brightly from ear to ear.

"Miss Cyrilia, your smile is scary! We can talk about this rig… OOOff!" Oh? Maybe I should have let him finish his words?

"Your Highness!" The rabbit girl looked to be in a panic. She was holding her hammer, looking at me, and then looking at Prince Rythilin, unsure of what she should do.-.

I sniffed the air and smelt something that smelt off. "I wonder…." I floated down and landed on the barrier where the stupid cat was on his knees, holding his face. Blood dripped from his nose.

I reached down and grabbed him by his tail, causing him to yelp. "Nya! My tails! Miss Cyrilia, please let go! You're going to tear them off!"

"I wonder, why do you have a sleeping agent on you? What exactly were you planning!?" I was mad. And I mean was really mad. This stupid cat had not only tried to trick me into dating him, but now he comes to my house with a sleeping agent!? I know of this sleeping agent due to my Father making sure I was prepared for the open road. So he had asked a merchant to pick up a few different kinds of questionable drugs and their antidotes that were legal but could be used for sinister acts. Between poisons and sleeping agents to aphrodisiacs. I had an understanding of what they smelled like. And with my dragon senses being sharper than a dog's, I could easily pick up on the slight scent. This specific sleeping agent would knock a person out to the point that they would not wake up for ten hours no matter what was happening to them. This alone was enough to disgust me. Never mind the fact he was trying to break into my house in the middle of the night.

"Miss Cyrilia, it's not what you think! I use this myself!" The stupid cat cried out without me needing to even get any evidence. 𝑖𝐧𝓷𝓇𝙚𝙖d. c𝚘𝐦

"Uhh! Miss Cyrilia, his highness, does use a sleeping agent to sleep." The rabbit girl behind tried to cut in and explain, but I was not having any of it.

"You are telling me you come to my house, trying to break the barrier I set up to sneak into my house with a sleeping agent that you use for sleep in your pocket!? Do you take me for a damn idiot!?" I swung the stupid cat by the tail before slamming him down onto the barrier. "Do you really think I will not kill you!?"

"Wait!" The rabbit girl suddenly appeared in front of the stupid cat with her arms stretched out to her sides. "Miss Cyrilia, if you continue, I will have no choice but to fight you."

"Oh? You wish to fight me!?" My lips curled up into a small smile as I stepped forward and appeared behind the rabbit girl and grabbed the stupid cat by his tails once more, and flung him into the air! "If I wish to deal with this stupid cat, I will deal with him. He has crossed a line that I will never forgive!"

"Miss Cyrilia!" The rabbit girl disappeared and caught the stupid cat before he flew into the sky any higher. My lips twitched as I looked at her. She seemed to be much more powerful than I thought. The rabbit girl looked at me as she stuck the stupid cat on her back and readied her hammer. "I beg you to let this end here and now."

"Let me ask you something. If you set up a barrier so you could protect your home from intrusion and someone comes and begins smashing it with a huge hammer with bad intentions, what would you do in a situation as this?" I asked. I truly wished to know how she would answer.

"I would probably smash them into oblivion so they could never return to try again." I chuckled at the rabbit girl's honest answer.

"I see…. Since you were following orders, I really can't blame you, so how about you hand over the culprit, and I let you go?" I asked with a smile.

"Ah! Right, okay…." The rabbit girl went to fly down towards me, but the stupid cat on her back suddenly came alive and smashed her on top of her head.

"You stupid rabbit, she was trying to get you to hand me over!" The stupid cat yelled out.

"But Your Highness, she made a solid point. Now that I think about it, we should never have done this. But as your servant, I can only follow orders. Just like how you always make me take a bat wit…. Mufo!" Right now, I was unsure what to say to this strange comedy routine. But it seems the stupid cat has officially stepped into the realm of perverted cat.

"Miss Cyrilia, it's not what you think! I only asked her once as a joke!" The stupid cat yelled out as if I cared.

"Why would I care about what you do with your rabbit girlfriend? What I care about is what you were planning to do after you broke my barrier? I will give you three seconds to explain. If I do not get an answer within three seconds, I will hit you for every second you do not tell me the truth." I actually meant this. While the rabbit girl was fast, I can say for sure that I could easily beat her in speed. But it did amaze me that she was using footholds to stay standing in the air. She is the second person outside my family who can use such magic. She must have very good mana control and lots of it since she has been standing here for a while now unless it is some kind of magic tool.

"What three seconds!? How am I supposed to do…. Ooff!"

I hit him again. His whole body flung backward, causing him to fall right off the rabbit's back and towards the ground. Did I feel bad for this? Nope! I was already holding back, and every time I hit him, I felt much better. I think after maybe thirty more punches, I will let him off.

"Your Highness!" The rabbit girl once more chased after her prince. What is strange is I can see that the rabbit girl liked the prince much more than just as her master. What kind of like, I am not sure. "Miss Cyrilia, You have gone too far!"

I looked down at the bloodied face of the stupid cat and tilted my head. "But he only has a broken nose and a black eye? Nothing serious…."

"You have repeatedly hit the crown prince of the Kingdom of Lodinia! I can no longer sit by and do nothing!" The rabbit girl shouted while getting into a battle stance. I personally did not care about any other kingdom. I was not born or raised there. I only know the kingdom I am living in now. And if the crown prince is this piece of work in front of me, then the kingdom, even if it is a beastkin kingdom, must not be ruled well.

"You touch Faith, and my Gravos Kingdom will end all trade with Lodinia!" I heard a yell coming from below me. I look down to see both Adel and Sophie standing there in their robes outside on the lawn, staring up at the sky. With them was Lance, as well as Sei and Jeeves.-.

"Prince Rythilin. My sister and I have heard everything from your conversation. It seems you have come to our kingdom to commit an act of war. Do you realize what this means!?" Lance yelled out in anger. To be honest, it was my first time seeing him so angry. And for once, he seems to have a proper air of royalty.

"For once, I agree with my brother. Prince Rythilin. You may be an esteemed guest of our kingdom, but this does not mean you can do as you please. Now let us hear your explanation of why you are here." Adel turned on her royal mode and was even more overbearing than Lance, but I think it was probably because she seemed ready to attack at any moment. Sophie seemed to be restraining her.

"This… Fine…." The stupid cat reluctantly agreed.

I waved my hand and opened a hole in the barrier before disappearing and reappearing behind the stupid cat and kicking him straight through the hole towards the ground. "Ahhhh! Your Highness!" And the rabbit quickly followed after.

I know I probably just caused an international incident by beating up another kingdom's prince but look what he was trying to do? Am I supposed to let him off easy? I don't think so. I slowly floated down from the sky, passing through the barrier before sealing it back up. By the time I landed, the stupid cat was already on the ground kneeling in front of Adel. 𝙞𝓷𝙣r𝚎𝓪𝑑.＆nbsp;𝒸𝗼𝒎

"I have already sent a message to Father. He will be here soon." Lance came up to me and explained. "While I do not wish to bother Father this late, this is an incident of great importance."

"Stay away!" A small voice came from my hair. Bell seems to still dislike Lance.

"It's fine, Bell. Lance knows better than to touch me without permission now." I said softly.

"If Faith says so…. But if he tries….." Bell did not come out, she stayed hidden, and her voice was only loud enough for Lance and I to hear. But I must say that for a small spirit like Bell, whose voice sounds cute, her words were scary. Even Lance was starting to sweat at her words.

"No destroying the kingdom…." I said in an amused tone.

"If you say so…." Bell seemed very disappointed, but what can I do? I did not wish for Bell to go around destroying kingdoms over me. She was too cute for that. She should not be doing such things.

"So why are you here in the middle of the night!?" I heard Adel yell out, causing me to turn back to what was going on.

"Ouch! Princess Adel, please stop kicking me!" The noble princess facade that Adel had on was no longer there as she viciously kicked the stupid cat. Sophie stood behind her, trying to pull her back, but it seemed to be a lost cause.

"Huh? Kicking you!? Who saw me kick you!?"

"Ouch! Stop it!"

"Stop what!?"

"Adel, cut it out!" Lance yelled out, causing Adel to snort and step back. He then turned back to me and pointed toward the sky. "Faith, can you make an opening for my Father? He is here."

I turned to see what seemed to be a large flying bird hovering over the house. "A Fogmal!? I thought they were extremely hard to tame!"

According to the books I read about monsters. There were a few kinds of monsters that people would tame to use as a form of transportation. Fogmal's were one of such monsters. But they were very hard to tame, according to the books.

"It cost father a lot of money to get that fogmal." Lance whispered as I was making a hole in the barrier.

A majestic bird about the size of a small plane flapped its white feathered wings and lowered itself down towards the ground. It lowered its head to allow its passenger to get off. The King fixed his kingly robes and patted the fogmal on the head before walking over to us. "Lance, what is the emergency that you called me out here this late at night?"

"Royal Father, it's like this…." Lance began telling the King what had happened while I added in what I knew. The King's brow furrowed as he looked over at the stupid cat and took a deep breath before letting out a mighty roar! "Are you trying to start an international incident!?"