An Everlasting Impression
Golden amber eyes that shone as bright as a bar of gold would under the sun, fluffy pink hair as beautiful as the cherry blossoms from the far east. And beauty that can rival that of the goddess of love herself, it was just the same image on repeat. Like a broken record the prince of Immerheim couldn't seem to forget and kept that image of the girl lingering in her memories.
I mean how could she?
Everything about the women made their heart race like never before, a rhythmic thud that felt it guided an orchestra on what tempo they should take. Gearing up to play a masterpiece of the era. A pounding in her chest that filled her with warmth every time she thought of the girl. A surge of curiosity filled the prince as they wanted to know everything about the girl in their mind. From their likes and dislikes, from their dreams and aspirations. To even the littlest thing, the prince wanted to know everything about them.
Finally for the first time in a long time the prince felt amused by someone. As she leaned on the armrest placing her chin in her gloved hand a smile full of mirth stuck to the prince like glue. Peering through the curtains of the window searching through the crowd of people that greeted their carriage. Hoping maybe praying to catch that feline once more, yet a small ounce of disappointment crashed their mood as not once was the person spotted.
A sigh escaped the white-haired girl never going unnoticed by the person across from her. "My what has caught the cold-hearted prince's eye? Has a pretty lady finally reanimated that dead heart of yours?" Spoke the knight bright grin and all only to receive an eyeroll from the royal. "Oh, come on you know you'll have to marry someone anyways why not do so with someone you like?" Shrugged the two-toned hair knight.
Still the prince said nothing keeping emerald eyes locked on to the crowd of bystanders, continuously searching. Soon the carriage arrived and out the duo left, hopping out of the wagon in front of another castle outside her homelands. However, it felt weird to her to hear a language she was not yet used to being whispered around her with only a few words being somewhat understood by the royal.
As they made their way to the palace the emerald eyed prince kept her eyes forward. Unlike her supposed knight for the day who seemed more interested in the ladies within the crowd than actually protecting them. Rolling their eyes once more the royal looked around taking in the scenery of the Romance Empire. Nothing but greenery open air and a busy marketplace from where the eye can see.
Which was impressive as the hill they walked up on had a perfect view of the ocean, showcasing it's pride by the many boats and fisherman working away. The prince hummed recognizing the way the empire ran and the way it's people often talked with grand gestures, their bargaining skills being something the girl could acknowledge. Maybe even fond of their techniques, as her ears picked up on how quickly the prices dropped for each individual.
A small smirk appeared on the prince's face. 'Not bad I can appreciate a good hustler' The prince thought before being cut short by their knightly companion.
"What a place am I right Ceci!" Grinning from ear to ear as they scouted the area with signature gleam in their eye. "I didn't expect such a grand area for exploring!"
"Yea it's a quaint place." They shrugged. "Nice people, good market, seems like they have the ocean trade on their side too. I can see why mom and dad wanted us to introduce ourselves."
Their knight turned to them cringing at their royal's response only to face palm soon after. "You can't be serious..." The knight monotony stated. "Ceci, LOOK AROUND YOU! Open those robotic eyes of yours and take in the new environment! No suiter will like you if you're such a stinking killjoy!"
"And last I checked a womanizer such as yourself couldn't keep one relationship, out of the so called many suiters you have none seem to reciprocate those feelings of yours Gigi."
"Ouch, who hurt you?" Gigi said as she placed a hand on her heart recoiling slightly at the royal's harsh words. But then their magenta eyes gleamed mischievous intent, leaning in closer to the emerald eyed prince. "Was it the maiden who reanimated your heart~? Aww poor Prince Ceci finally got her heart broken~"
The prince snapped their fingers and off went flying the knight, laughing up a storm as they stuck the landing. "No need to lose your temper now your highness magic won't fix everything." The girl ended with a grin.
Cecilia scoffed before turning to continue their trot up the hill. Yet they were right. Cecilia was notorious for using their gift in magic to take shortcuts in life, however after a certain age it just became impossible to do so. Their responsibilities as the second prince weren't supposed to be as stressful, unlike her older brother, the first prince now King of Immerheim. But the way people stared at her with those eyes of judgement was nothing but suffocating.
All because of the magic she uses.
Hypocrites. All of them. After everything she's built for her homeland, the trade she's opened for the market, the training she gave the knights in the castle. All the things she's given them, meant nothing when she awoken her magic. Every single one of her achievements was like the dirt they walked on, meaningless. Her name was erased from everything instead given to her brother by name.
Secretly Cecilia still helped as she couldn't bear the responsibility of having her kingdom go into ruin over pettiness. But it hurt. That was undeniable, with a sigh they were met with fellow guards who halted the duo without a second to spare. Cecilia sighed before flashing her kingdom's emblem. The guards stepped aside deeply bowing at her presence. Walking passed the guards felt like a chore as the people after them continuously bowed.
Their arrival being known almost instantaneously, two knights in full armor rushed towards them escorting the duo to where they were expected. Cecilia instantly shut down as her body took over as this was a routine she was all too familiar with. From one room to the next people kept showcasing their respect towards the prince, however something she quickly realized was the number of beast kin within these castle walls.
Glancing around Cecilia hummed at the disproportionate number of humans to beast kin along with the difference in outfits. Most guards were nothing but beast kin, whilst the castle keepers were all human with a few exceptions. Subtly the prince leaned towards the short magenta eyed knight whispering her observations, a few nods were her response as green eyes kept scanning everything.
Everything was practically the same as her own home large corridor adorned with riches belonging to the Romance Empire. The marble flooring and red curtains, with the servants in the hallway doing nothing but bowing in respect until she left the hall. It was always the same mundane thing that she witnessed time and time again. Cecilia stifled a sigh as she kept her head held up high as she walked the path of her unseen future.
The halted at the entrance of a grand door, adorned by riches and an intricate design etched on to it. Cecilia glanced over to Gigi. With a nodded response she hardened her heart removing the grin she carried with pride. Bright magenta eyes darkened as her posture straightened head held high, and not an ounce of joy written in that face of theirs. Apart of her wished she never had to force the gremlin to hide that smile, but moments like this were inevitable.
Although they came to enjoy that free spirit the gremlin embodied, something about how quickly they can shift moods always rubbed the royal the wrong way. Still, they moved their gaze back to the door as it sluggishly creaked open. In the room revealed the rightful owners of this fortress. Five thrones lined up at the end of the room, each one respectfully having their owner sitting on it. Minus one. Emerald eyes bluntly stared at the empty chair.
It's mahogany structure and gold accents made it look grand for something that wasn't the center of attention. The blue jewels that ran across the headboard made the pink lining stand out more, which peaked the Immerheim prince's curiosity. It doesn't look abandoned so why was it empty? Her gaze moved back to the main family as she walked to the middle of the room, kneeling down with her knight slightly behind doing the same.
"Raise you head and state your name." Their tone was boisterous and commanding as his voice rung in the prince's ear like a church bell would. "And you, young knight, introduce yourself and your status."
Cecilia followed through first. Standing up in one singular motion robotically straightening up her stance, puffing out her chest slightly as she spoke from her diaphragm. "I am prince Cecilia Immergreen, second in line to the throne of the kingdom of Immerheim." Another bow followed. "My older brother, the King of Immerheim, could not arrive earlier today and for that I beg for your forgiveness. However, I can confirm that he will attend tonight's event."
A low hum came from the emperor giving the second prince a light chill, blue eyes shifted to the two-toned hair girl. Which was quickly responded by a quick motion and rugged posture. "I am Gigi Murin from the Kingdom of Freezia, now serving my loyalty to Immerheim, guard of the second prince Cecilia Immergreen." A bow followed. "It is an honor to be before you, your greatness."
Blue eyes darkened before Gigi was attacked by one of the members of the family, the man came at her guard like feral animal. Wanting to react Cecilia reached for the hilt of her sword ready to help her friend defend herself, however the voice that echoed through the room made her stop her actions. Every ounce of movement wasn't being made, only her emerald eyes moved watching the duel unfold. Anger started to heat up as she watched her friend effortlessly defend herself.
A frosty feeling started to climb up the prince's leg glancing at the ground watching it frost over, ice. Furrowing her brows in a concerned confusion glancing up at the knight, magenta meeting emerald in a silent plan the gremlin threw their cape at the prince. Line of sight from the emperor being blocked giving the prince enough time to use their magic. Grabbing the attacking royal's shadow pulling them away from their friend.
It stunned their fellow royal as they fell to the floor. Glaring red eyes stared at the man before it dyed itself back to their original color. Then followed a hearty laugh filled with nothing but amusement. "So, the rumors were true!" Joyously said the emperor. "You wield dark magic, a first for any royal to wield such a power. Does your king have such a talent? Besides his brains of course."
Her heart felt heavy, hearing everyone speak of her accomplishments with a different name hurt the prince. She should've been used to such emotion but god did it still hurt. Sighing the prince answered the higher royal whilst keeping her sights on the man who attacked her knight. The entertained royal eased their worry as they begun to explain the actions of their next of kin. Something that made the prince raise a brow at the actions of such a man. Still even the prince thought was unbefitting of a ruler.
Silently the girl picked up the orange cape and walked over to Gigi handing them their respective cape. A small glint of joy washed over the shorter girl's eyes as they took their belongings. Yet they remained calm by bowing muttering a deep thank you. Cecilia sighed deflating from their robotic posture for a second before moving to the blue-eyed emperor. His blue gaze turns serious as Cecilia criticized his abrupt treatment towards them.
Before the prince could officially sour their connections with the Romance Empire as a whole, a light tug got the fuming royal to bite their tongue. A small chuckle came from the man, "Fear not for you are in the right and for that I must apologize." The man stood up from his grand throne followed by his wife walking slightly towards them.
"However, take this from my perspective, I am both a father and ruler I have more to lose than you think." Cecilia shrunk slightly as before her the emperor flashed a tiny smirk showcasing white fangs, "Someone like you with unknown power is a threat as is, now imagine my reaction if you didn't try to save your own."
A concerned look was the prince's response as she too ran through the outcomes of the duel. The firm hand placed on her shoulder brought her back now staring at a warm gentle blue, "See? I'm glad all the rumors were just that, rumors." Turning towards his children he continued, "Please my children give our guest a warm welcome. And may you enjoy your stay here in the Romance Empire."
And with that the grand royal duo walked away not before the empress flashed the prince and their knight a small warm smile. Causing both the girl's heart to beat faster. "Oh yes and one more thing." The higher royal spoke, "The one to cast the magic you felt wasn't me."
The Immerheim prince and Freezian knight's eyes widen as they saw the empress give them a mischievous grin. Before fully existing the room the lady of the fortress waved her hands summoning an ice statue of the shocked duo. Amber eyes glowed dangerously before walking away following her husband as the frosty air trailed behind the royal. The door closed with a loud thud as it echoed through the room. Leaving the room in a rather deafening silence, before Gigi broke it in the rudest way possible.
"What a woman—!" Instantly the prince wacked the knight full force to make them understand how crude their words were. Yet the gremlin just laughed regaining that playful energy that always chased them. "What?! I'm not wrong, I'm sure even you felt it!" The gremlin gleefully yelled back.
"Christ Gigi you need to learn to hold your tongue." Cecilia sighed out before they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Well, they knew who or at the very least the prince knew, lord knows if their knight even bothered to remember. "Can you not speak about our mother like that Freezian?"
Cecilia watched as the person in questioned turned to the girl as they continued to speak in a heavy accent. Humorously the prince watched in real time the way the princess's words went in one ear and out the other, whilst still having that stupid grin of theirs. Only to ask if there was any place to eat and spar with people triggering the princess. Nothing like a laugh from Gigi to make the moment even worse as the girl begun to stomp towards them.
"Can you take me serious?! I could get you thrown out of here if I wanted to!"
"Right but can you even catch me?" Smirked the knight before laughing and running off. "If you can catch me than you can throw me out!"
With a snap of her fingers the prince held down the gremlin along with the princess, gaining nothing but slander as a comeback. A glance towards the first prince said it all as the man stood there watching them doing absolutely nothing to stop them. So, Cecilia just went ahead and left the room dragging along the Freezian by the cape all the while the princess yelled her frustrations. Which was just filled the halls with laughter making the prince groan in frustration.
The eyes around the castle kept glancing at them which frustrated the green prince. The scowl on her face deepening as another snap of her fingers made the shadows beneath them covered the duo. Only to reappear back outside from the shadows of a tree outside. Shoving the knight onto the ground receiving more laughter and an exaggerated cry of pain. To which red eyes met magenta shutting the shorter girl up clearing her voice nervously.
An apology followed suit after subduing the annoyance the prince held. Groaning in agony Cecilia looked to her side seeing her friend saddened by her actions. With a sigh she walked over to her friend patting the girl's head with her own apology. It was expected and they stayed there sat on the grass underneath the tree's shadow. Feeling the gentle breeze against her skin calming down the second prince, to which they sighed.
"Sorry, I'm just—I-I didn't mean to hit you..." Cecilia said falling backwards staring up at the mostly clear blue sky through the green leaves. "It's just why am I always sent first? Like ok fine I use dark magic, so I bring fear everywhere I go, but that's no right to send me practically defenseless everywhere I go!"
Gigi looked at their royal friend falling back to see what the royal sees quietly listening, "Even the emperor said so himself! I'm dangerous and needs to be acted upon accordingly...!" Bringing their hand up they brought along a wave of darkness, changing its shape mimicking a hand. "I never asked to gain dark magic...I never asked to be thrown out here..."
The shadow hand changed morphing into that of a dark horse. Emerald eyes grew somber as they made it run in one spot, which reminded them of how they felt, "I never asked to have my freedom taken from me..." Once again, the shadow changed now into a small bird. Cecilia stared at the shadow puppet watching the way it flew looking free.
But never moving.
A sigh exited the prince, "What does it have to take—what do I have to give to finally have something I can fully say was made by me, something I can fully say was mine...!" Cecilia's voice cracked at the end as her pent-up sadness showed itself. "It shouldn't hurt anymore but it does Gigi. Having someone else take the credit for something I did...something I was so proud of just...gone..."
Emerald eyes flashed red as she bawled up her fist in anger making the shadow bird promptly disappear, popping like a balloon with the only thing missing was the pop sound. "One day. One day I'll make them all pay. I'll make sure they have a reason to fear me!" Red eyes deepen in hue glowing as the mint undertones in their hair started to bleed red.
All Gigi did was sit up to properly look at her friend, a soft smile gracing their feature. No amused undertones held in it. Just a genuine sincere smile, "Hey, at least I never feared you" To that the prince's ruby red eyes widened with their hair reverting back to its normal mint shade. "I believe you'll find something Ceci, sooner or later your kind heart will be repaid in full."
The prince sat up red eyes still visible staying as meek as a mouse letting the gremlin continue. "And when that time comes, I'll be there by your side. Even if it doesn't, you'll still have my idiocy to keep you company!" Gigi gently punched the royal. The power behind it being close to nothing as the prince registered it staring at the spot as red eyes finally reverted back.
Lightly they scoffed, "My how lucky am I to have such a fool for company" They sarcastically said no real malice behind the words they spoke. If anything, it brought them comfort knowing they'll still have someone to talk to. "And don't punch me. I'll fire you the next time you do so." Cecilia said returning the gesture to the knight.
Their bright chuckle filling the air giving more comfort to the prince's melancholy mood. And yet their eyes still held sadness as they looked off into the distance. Green grass being guided by the wind, blue sky semi covered by white clouds. Casting the occasional shadow through the land making the castle stand out more as its grand stature being highlighted every time the sun hit the glass windows.
She really did hope the gremlin's words rang true, as she couldn't handle another day feeling so alone. Feeling like a spectator to her own life as everyone around her ran towards another day, leaving the prince behind even when they too kept running. But towards where? You run and run for a distant future unknown to anyone hoping to give you some type of closure. Yet after so long Cecilia was finally reaching a point where she just wants a place to belong.
To stop running.
With a deep sigh the prince asked to be left alone. Something their knight refused to do, a rare event for them. Cecilia explained their reasoning but even with that information Gigi wasn't having it. The orange knight stayed put. However, the prince really did just want to be alone. And that's what they accomplished, with a weak apology and a snap of her fingers their friend was swallowed by the shadows and sent somewhere in the empire.
Finally leaving them to wallow in their sorrow. Slowly they got up and begun walking away letting their feet carry them to wherever they felt like. Which lead them to where they are now, lost. From the once clear area of the forest now lead them to an area full of trees, with the sun barely keeping up the ability to light the area. It did annoy the prince but in being buried in darkness gave them a chance to explore their talents.
Sure, they hated how much dark magic took away what they loved, but they needed to explore their options at this point. Raising their hand recreating the silhouettes from earlier the prince exhaled as they felt an anger rising. Pushing on they made everything disappear only to summon a spear in its place, carefully the prince wielded the weapon loving the way it felt in their hands. Slashing the weapon about made them feel powerful and with it came a sense of pride.
Red eyes glowed in the midst of darkness as they continued to test themselves, bringing their hand up a bunch of spears spawned behind them. Launching them through the woods only to disperse them bringing them all back towards her. Making them all pierce the ground before her, with a smirk the prince recreated the motion but with spikes only the outcome was slightly different.
All of them were supposed to come back at her but a distinct clash of metal caught their ears. Shifting their red gaze watching from afar admits the trees they spotted a figure. Eyes narrowed as they followed the movements of what they saw, until that something came pouncing on them. Raising a hand they casted a makeshift shield dark like obsidian but see-through like glass, catching the claws that clashed with their magic.
"What are you doing here intruder!" An icy yet raspy voice called for them. Cecilia obliged dropping the shield finally catching a full view of the girl before her. Red eyes widen as they shifted back into their normal hue likewise amber eyes did the same.
Cecilia felt bewitched once more as her heartbeat rung in her ears recalling the way the girl first made her feel. Those wonderful amber eyes, the pink fluffy mane, the cute tail and ears she had. It all gave the prince a feverish feeling as the heat on their cheeks made them uncomfortable. Taking initiative, the prince cleared their throat forming the robotic words they always said. But with the added feeling of embarrassment.
Why was that the only thing they could think of to tell the beauty before her?
Mentally the prince kicked herself as they felt stupid in acting so robotic. However, their replay was met with more stares as the girl cocked her head to the side. Ears followed the motions as one laid flat whilst the other stayed perked up twitching slightly with every movement the prince made. Cute. Still Cecilia kept a cool head despite the erratic heartbeat reintroducing themselves this time it caught their attention.
Their actions of embarrassment filled the panther gesturing grandly as they inevitably fell into a meek apology. To which Cecilia couldn't help but smirk in amusement accepting the apology in the process. She stated her name while flashing her emblem making the panther girl look more stunned. The pink girl understood who she stood before her and Cecilia found it more amusing to see their expression change by the second.
"So-Sorry I didn't mean to attack you your highness!" Said the girl full of fumbles in her speech. "Please forgive my rudeness my lord!"
Cecilia couldn't help but chuckle at the statement only to respond fondly at the girl. Something that made the girl all the more nervous bringing the prince more entertainment. "I wasn't expecting for someone to be here in the middle of nowhere" The green prince said with a smile on her face.
A giggle came out the panther as an equally joyous smile was plastered on their face. "I could say the same thing to you my lord why is someone of your status out here?" As the feline walked closer to her Cecilia's heart began to increase speed. Watching the way their fluffy tail swayed curiously behind them made a lump form in their throat. "I would have expected you to stay on the castle grounds like every other royal who came to visit"
Cecilia raised a brow as she subconsciously scoffed at the statement speaking in a tone with a bit too much venom behind it. "And have to mingle with all those pompous freaks? No thank you." To this their only response was a hearty laugh that made the prince's heart melt.
"Sorry, sorry I didn't mean to laugh...it's just I totally understand you"
"Oh? Do mingle with royal's a lot?"
"You could say that." A wink followed the end of her statement stealing Cecilia's breath once more. "Well since you seem ok, I'll get going"
The prince wasn't too sure what made them act the way they did, but one thing led to another, and their hand was now holding on to the pink girl's own. As amber eyes turned to face her emerald ones instantly the prince let the girl go. Awkwardly they cleared their throat trying to find the words that constantly kept getting caught in her lungs. Ultimately Cecilia fumbled her way through her words only to get a gentle smile with soft amber eyes looking at her.
"I would love that, and it would be a great honor to have you walk me back"
To that the duo walked back—erm more so the prince followed the panther back as they mindlessly chatted. Neither ever bringing up their status just a genuine conversation that followed the pair. They even bantered once and awhile which was mostly about their taste in drinks. Something they weren't expecting however was their lack in what they called talent.
But the more the prince listened to the rambles of the princess they clearly felt the harshness that came from their own words. Cecilia felt their heart feel heavy as they grew sadder by the second. Hearing such demeaning words come out the feline directed towards themselves gave the prince a bit of annoyance. The girl had no right in stepping in and debunking the self-loathing allegations they had for themselves, since they just met.
However, the battle inside the prince's mind refused to die down, which was not made any better when the pink panther compared herself to her siblings. Cecilia's mood soured as the panther continued her rambles as the prince herself begun to recall their own sibling. What they took from her.
"Siblings suck." The green girl said full of poison. "They often think our own efforts are theirs and just because they're the more adored one they can get away with it."
"You seem to have more experience in this than me"
"When you're considered a bad omen and have an adored older sibling everything you do is considered THEIR accomplishment. Even when you have all the paperwork and went through trial and error for years it's not yours anymore it's theirs."
The panther girl latched onto one word, cursed, the royal was cursed? To which the feline hummed in response. "So why are you considered cursed? Should I be worried?" They jokingly said.
Cecilia stopped at the edge of the dark forest staying quiet contemplating on what to do. But they did technically saw them used their magic once, so it wouldn't be bad right? Sighing they buried the horrid pit in their stomach as they raised their hand. Emerald eyes turned into ruby ones as the prince maintained their hold onto the shadows around them.
The pink feline backed away with widened eyes which was a clear indicator for Cecilia to stop. Dropping their hand the prince looked away as they dreaded seeing the beauty leave her sight in fear. Instead, they picked up on the excited screech emitting from the shorter girl. Confused the prince shifted their gaze back to the girl who looked excited by the display of magic before them.
What the...?
"Aren't you afraid? Shouldn't you be...I don't know...scared?!" The panther gave them a confused look mirroring Cecilia's own. There commenced a silent battle of who could look more confused than the other person, but finally the panther cracked. Placing their hands on their hips followed by a look of disapproval, ears pulled back as their tail sharply moved. "Don't give me that look I'm positive you've never seen dark magic before!"
"Well, you're right I haven't—"
"Then why aren't you?!"
"Are you going to hurt me?" Firmly asked the pink feline, Cecilia shook her head. "Do you want to hurt me?" Once again, the prince shook their head no. "Is there any ill will in your heart to hurt the people of this Empire?" The prince firmly responded 'no' as they begun to feel annoyed by the girl before her.
But that annoyance disappeared as the pink haired girl flashed them a wide smile showcasing their white fangs, which reminded them of how the king would smile. "See! No need to be afraid of someone who isn't going to hurt me dark magic or not—!" A loud bell in the distance startled the prince as they saw the sunset in the distance marking the end of a long day.
"Dio, I have to go sorry!" Said the panther as they commenced their dash away to which Cecilia stretched their arm catching their shadow. "My lord please I really have to go!"
Red eyes narrowed, walking over to the girl Cecilia stood firmly in front of the girl staring into worried amber eyes. "Are you scared now?"
Amber eyes grew confused, "No? My lord, please I'm more afraid of what my parents would do if I don't arrive home right now!"
Cecilia hummed, "Fine. Where do you need to go?"
"I'm sorry?"
The prince rolled her red eyes, "You heard me. I'm going to take you where you need to go, fast travel you could say, now tell me. Where are you headed to?"
The panther's ears pulled back, "I needed to get to the castle I have business to attend to there." Once again, the royal hummed a response as the bell went off in the distance setting in more panic within those sparking golden honey eyes. "Can I ask one more thing?"
"As long as you let me go already, I really can't skip my responsibilities tonight"
"Tell me your name." Pink ears perked up then flatten as confusion set in replacing the panic, then the shock came in quickly as did an apology. Still the prince received an answer softening their facial expression, "Raora..."
'What a beautiful name...' The green prince thought before smirking in amusement. "Well, I hope you're not scared of the dark~!"
"HUH?! WAI—!"
Their screams were cut off by a quick snap of her fingers causing Cecilia to bell out a laugh as they watched Raora be engulfed by their own shadow. Until finally they were gone scarlet eyes soften as they bled back into their normal green shade. And a small smile graced their features as did a light blush when recalling their bright smile or when they laughed. Those amber eyes that reminded them of a sunset maybe even a sunrise leading them to give out a lovesick sigh.
'I hope to see her again' was the only thought in the prince's mind as she walked towards the main village only to snap her gaze pulling out her spear blocking an attack from— "Gigi! For fucks sake introduce yourself like a normal person!"
The orange knight wobbled as their hair covered their face, an unsettling aura begun to form around the short girl. A confused prince walked closer to the knight reaching out to the smaller girl, tapping their shoulder finally revealed an exaggerated face. Cecilia rolled her eyes whacking the gremlin across their head, only receiving a loud boisterous laugh in return.
"Aww don't be so mean~" Gigi said with a toothy grin, "Hey at least I let y'all have your date! And how'd it go? Dear prince did you enjoy your time with the beautiful girl?" Cecilia's face started to change in color along with their temperature rising by the second.
Promptly they walked off as that annoying laugh of theirs began to urk the royal. Of course, the hurried footsteps chased her as the royal kept stomping away. "Oh, come on tell me! She seemed like a nice girl, you even had this goofy grin when talking to her—!" Cecilia sharply faced her guard with an embarrassed scowl leaving the knight stunned by the new face.
"Shut up! I don't need you to remind me how I looked like when talking with Raora!"
Magenta widened at the mini outburst before they narrowed entertainment written all over them. Making matters worse for the prince was Gigi's intrigued smirk. The flame of embarrassment blew up as they shoved the now laughing knight. Storming off they hid their growing humiliation making their way towards the castle as the grand event was about to begin.
Later that evening the Immerheim duo got ready for the night. The orange knight put on their best suit possible—well to her maybe. But the suit was consistent of a deep orange mixed with black accents, then there were splashes of white around all the while she wore the red tie. To which was surprising that although the suit was pretty dramatic it looked cohesive for the freezian girl. The insanity of not being normal always seemed to make the girl look normal even to the prince.
The knight noticed their gaze which was already a bad start to the night as all they did was flirt with the prince. Which was just enhanced by all the grand poses the girl decided to strike her with, all but one was scoffed at. Lightening up the mood that came back to haunt Cecilia.
"C'mon Ceci it's a party we're going to! At least make it look like you wanna go"
"But I don't." Firmly stated the green girl as she faced the short orange girl. "Every single one of them will either avoid me or out right call me slurs for the night."
The prince's gaze fell as they remembered where they truly stood in this world. And unlike Raora who treated her like a person dark magic and all everyone else just refused to accept a royal with such a power. With a deep sigh she continued to fix her red tie.
"I may as well not go, and it'll all be the same anyway it's my brother who is going to be the star of the show anyways." Cecilia continued as she straightened out her suit, fidgeting with the cuffs of her sleeves being the last thing she fixed. "You know what let's do just that—Gigi tonight we're going to explore the Romance Empire to its fullest!"
"As much as I would love to play hooky with you, the king gave me strict orders to not let you skip." Gigi said twirling her finger around before finally landing on her. "Anyways it's not like you can't ditch afterwards once his greatness arrives—"
At that moment a bird flew in through the window emerging through the dark night, only to shine with the light candlelight from the flame it perched next to. It's jade eyes and metallic feature made it all the more obvious for the prince. Dread filled the girl as she walked over to the dapper robot lightly arranging its top hat and bowtie. Still the royal hesitated before her frown deepened ultimately pushing one of the buttons on their invention.
Immediately it began playing an audio recording with the voice emitting from the bird being all the more recognizable for the duo. They had a slight hope in some good new like actually confirming they could ditch the event all together, however the scowl on the royal only deepened. Empty words from their brother only made their eyes flash red as the shadows around the began to bubble up in anger.
The orange knight wasn't too happy about the outcome either as their friend was now fuming over situations that should've been cleared up long ago. Walking over to their royal's side gently placing a hand on their shoulders. Ruby eyes went back to emerald as they huffed out an annoyed sigh pinching the bridge of their nose. Soon a groan came out the prince speaking in a harsh tone as the words spoken was beyond the Freezian's understanding.
Nonetheless the shorter girl stayed by their side not saying a word. Their rant went on for longer than it should have but it let the royal have a way to blow off some extra steam. Yet the more they processed how tonight can go the more Cecilia wanted to rip her hair off her scalp. Of all days to not show up for an event, why today? She kept reminding her brother about how important today was going to be, especially if he wanted a good relationship with this empire.
Another groan came out the green royal running her hands through her hair, finally she heaved a sigh. Calming down before she does something she isn't supposed to, taking in as much deep breaths as possible the prince quickly thought of a solution. A solution that involved being the one to set a good example for her own kingdom. The kingdom she wasn't ruling, the same kingdom she wasn't allowed to rule.
Cecilia thought of it. She truly did. But the idea of having her home go into ruin just made this horrible feeling sink her into despair. The royal shouldn't think ill of her family but oh how she loath the thought of having her sibling negotiate with other places. It was up to her to form a connection with all the locals and to leave a good impression for them all. And if they were anything like the emperor this should come naturally.
"Gigi..."
"Yes, your highness."
"Don't go doing some type of nonsense tonight" Cecilia said turning to fully face the orange knight, "As tonight we have business to attend to."
The gremlin gave the royal a knightly bow before looking up at the taller girl with a wide grin, "I shall be on my best behavior throughout the whole night!"
Cecilia nodded before motioning for the gremlin to follow finally walking out the room. The prince fixed up her hair as it was now time to make their way towards the castle. At this moment she wished she could rip her brother a new one, since this had become way too much of a habit for the man. Nonetheless it was officially time to leave an everlasting impression.