Princess Havina of Achlys, Princess Consort of Latodine

"Lady Shen, what did you—?" Miel was horrified. Artie blatantly affected the scandalous second lady?

Since yesterday, the seneschal was quite worried about what would happen if Artie met Havina in not-so-good terms. However, he was still relieved to know that Artie wouldn't actively wage war against women. It's just that… today's incident quickly degraded that relief he had.

He didn't know what Artie did, but he was scared that she might do the same for Havina. Who knew what would happen if the royalty of two kingdoms fell to the floor of Ellis Plains' ducal castle?

"What happened?" Gustova didn't faint from one attack of course. However, when she looked at Artie again, the archduchess's eyes glowed white in a blink of an eye and shot light towards Gustova again. This time, the psychic attack knocked her out. The knights hurriedly picked her up and took her to the maids to look after.

Artie and Miel stood in the hallway, and the seneschal quickly expressed his displeasure. "Lady Shen! You can't just force ladies to faint!"

The archduchess turned to him with a surprised look, but then, she remembered that Miel must have missed all the strange advancements Gustova was making towards Larkin. She then giggled and waved her hand. "It's okay. Besides, I'm trying to protect Larkin and you, Miel. That woman is vile. Don't let her find ways to make trouble for the three of us."

"Promise me you won't harm the princess. She might be a handful later, but please, in no circumstance should you shoot her with that light." Miel had also seen the streak of light and the strange red glow Artie had earlier. He was not a stranger to the red glow, but he had a feeling that it wasn't supposed to be a good thing.

"Sorry, I would be more careful and discreet next time." Artie then pointed her fingers to her towel hat with an apologetic smile. "Uhm, can you help me with this?"

Miel's eyes flickered. "Pardon my ignorance, but… what is that, Lady Shen?"

…

The ducal castle had gone from serene to boisterous in a few days. Three days before the wedding of the archduke… the guests started to arrive. However, on the day before it was when everyone would come eventually. Castle gates had opened even before the sun had risen, and the castle bridge had been drawn just the same. The city was livelier than the morning birds, trying to interest the incoming guests with their wares.

It was almost noon when the princess had risen from her sleep. She moved from her stiffened position, relieving her husband of her weight. Her long lashes fluttered as her eyes flickered. The sounds of the market woke her up from her nap, and the familiar smell of the flowering trees welcomed her. A smile curled her lips and showed her white teeth. Havina hummed as she brushed her hair with her hand.

"I must say… you didn't lie when you said Ellis Plains is more beautiful than Talcum." A well-modulated voice of a man echoed in the carriage as the prince stared at the sellers at the side of the road to the castle. The guards were standing around before them to keep the people from getting run over by the carriages. "The rich district is so neat and pleasing to the eyes… but why are they trying to sell?"

"Ellis Plains doesn't have districts. It's just one big city with noble houses making sure their parts of the city are nice and clean. Sanctions will be in order if the archduke took notice of disarray… getting stripped of their titles included." Havina giggled as she looked out as well. "Of course, the common folk were also well-looked after. Streetlife is prohibited here in Ellis Plains. They either have their own families or be servants.

"When I was little, I always wanted to live here instead of the capital. It's noisy out there, and all people wanted were their riches. Of course, it was natural to crave for wealth, but Ellis Plains is very different." Havina glanced at her husband. "Look at the common folk, what do you see?"

The prince looked carefully and didn't know what he was supposed to see. He just turned to Havina, and she asked without taking a look at him: "Do they look like commoners to you?" 

He took a long look: "Now that you've said so… yes, they are commoners… ah, I mistook them all for servants of noble houses. They seemed to be all well-off. I thought… Ellis Plains is a poor duchy..."

"Heheh, Ellis Plains might look poor because of the income and taxes collected from it, but the gap between commoners and nobles is barely economic. However, being part of the Plains' nobility comes with a lot of responsibilities to the Plains that some commoners wished to simply have common lives.

"Which duchy or territory in Galacia would oblige the noble houses to shoulder infrastructural maintenance and tax hikes for the people? Not only that, even the noble houses needed to have good standings to qualify for their gatherings and audience with the archduke." Havina chuckled. "The nobility outside the Plains had always said that the archduke hated the nobles, but it was just that he wasn't trying to give them too many privileges."

The prince cleared his throat. He then looked around again. Indeed, such a strange duchy...

Havina only hummed in response. She then looked across them to see the nanny with them, carrying their first child in her arms. A strange gaze descended on the baby's face before Havina realized that they had arrived at the gates of the castle. Soon, the carriage slowed down, and it was time to leave.

"The castle is just as I remember it." Havina had alighted the carriage. She then looked around and took in the breeze of the place she wanted to be her home before. After a swirl in her blue and gold dress, her eyes finally locked upon the steps leading inside the castle. There stood the guards… and by the door… a tall, handsome seneschal and a pretty maiden in a purple gown.

"Miel!" Havina called out and hurried up the stairs, even giving shock to the seneschal and the prince. She continued running and even almost collided against Miel. Her hands then flew to his arms, and she excitedly greeted him. "Miel! I haven't seen you for years! It's good that you stopped growing taller!"

"Princess Havina, what an odd thing to say to me after years." Miel only gave a slight nod. "Princess, this is Lady Artie Shen, Archduchess of Ellis Plains." He was already used to presenting Artie as such since they had all come here for her wedding to the archduke. 

Artie made a curtsy and smiled kindly at the princess. "Welcome to the castle of Ellis Plains, Princess Havina of Achlys, Princess Consort of Latodine."