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I never knew time can really make haste to this empire.

It has been a week ever since the situation back in the Crimson Palace occurred. We were supposed to participate in the hunting event too, but because of the missing nobles and their pathetic charade, it was cancelled.

Same time I was able to replace the bad rumors with good ones the moment I was able to be of help in solving the charade problem with the nobles, whose planning to dethrone the current Imperial family.

That same day was also the day I learned Eldest' origin, which is a fallen deity. To think that I have a friend whose a deity, it sounds unreal but at the same time, everything that's going on in my life today is already unreal.

Ah, I recall it was also the day I've met the aristocrats who supports Klydeur and had a little bit of a heated arguement. They're kind of brave and prideful, especially since they had the guts to anger the Empress.

Good thing my side is dependable.

The Duke and even the Marquess. I think I misjudged them too early, or they just don't want anyone slandering a royal heir to the throne. Anyways, the Viscount is clearly a safe and honest person.

Oh right, I suddenly remembered the ribbon. That maid is probably working under Klydeur, I'm certain of it. Even Ashley is tailing behind me that time! Fortunately, even Lady Beatrice noticed. Are they trying to find dirt on me to spread as rumors again?

But that's not the main point. I could care less about my reputation since I've fallen down the drain to begin with. Not totally, but being a mama's boy is humiliating me, a mentally older person!

Besides the fact that Eldest is a deity whom I may have been rude with, or the fact that I had to witness new people such as Archduke Shaman, or maybe knowing the population of both nobles and aristocrats who opposes us.

I have a different point that makes me wanna go scream at the top of my lungs and ignore their judgemental stares!

The conversation between Klydeur and the Empress.

Just what was it all about?!

"What a gutsy kid you are."

"As I should be, mother."

"Then I allow it."

"Thank you, mother!"

Just allow what?! If you don't want any fictional world war to begin, atleast let me know what that was all about! Thinking about their conversations makes me worried and anxious.

Is this it? Am I gonna die? I mean, this is supposed to be the first thing to cross my mind since I'm scared of having to die like how Clydeur is originally fated to. But...

I clenched my hand into a fist as I stay seated on my garden's fountain, my silver eyes blazing and scorching a stare at the pitiful green grass.

But why do I feel pathetic?

My only goal is to make sure Aureus never kills me. I have no intention of becoming the Emperor if necessary for my survival. All I want is to live longer. Or if I have my own way, I'd like to find a way to go back to my own world.

I've been ignorant, thinking only about common things like if you die, then you're dead. Or if you get reborn, then live anew.

But did I really die in my modern world? I do remember getting ran over by a truck, but what if I was still alive? In comatosed state, I guess?

How about my sister? I'm the only one who works for us, will our relatives even care for her? Am I given a funeral or just got buried raw?

Oh Lord, am I having an in-denial phase after so long?

I sighed for the nth time, a hand covering half of my face, with a scowl evident on my facial expression. All these mixed-up feelings, confusion and frustration, welled-up on my chest as a heavy burden. "God, just why?"

It would have been better if I had someone to lean and rely on. But in this world, I have no one. If they knew the truth, what happened to my premonition before might happen to me.

When I thought all has gone in vain and nothing can ease my growing anxiety, a shadow loomed infront of me, blocking the rays of sunlight towards my pitiful form.

Looking up, my silver eyes greeted the golden eyes of a certain blonde girl around my age. It's been so long since the last time I saw her. Her golden hair flew by the wind that passed by.

"Seeing as how bad your mood can be, I suppose I can't say something rude at the moment, can I?"

Surprisingly, instead of getting annoyed or bothered by her sudden appearance, I silently laughed. "It seems that you're always here whenever I'm down."

"Well, you're wrong." Eldest nonchalantly stated, her arms crossed over her chest. "Since I'm always here all the time."

"Sure. I know that." I responded, lowering my head, depression surrounding me again. The latter huffed out a sigh and decided to sit beside me, so I flinched in surprise. "Wait, that area is—"

"Is what—" she already sat down, feeling the cold wet area of the fountain I'm seated on. Oh boy, I'm sweat-dropping right now. I'm too late to warn her about it!

She have this blank look on her face, her golden eyes turned into slits as she sighed.

"Did you just pee?"

"No! That's the leak from the fountain alright?!" I shrieked with a grimace, not giving her a chance to embarass me with this misunderstanding. "I was about to warn you too."

She scoffed. "Too late, Cly."

I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. I'm mentally praying to the heavens that she's not offended. "Haha, sorry?"

"Yeah, yeah. You sure are." She rolled her eyes, ignoring my anxiety to anger a deity like her. "It seems you're in better mood now? Or not yet?"

Blinking my eyes, I blankly replied. "Well, no—I mean, yeah?"

Just when I thought she'll give me a weird look, it seems I'm the one who gave her a weird and suspicious look when she cackled like a devil upon hearing my response. I shuddered for a moment.

Can a deity be this evil-looking?

"What are you planning?"

She glanced back to me with a grin. "Somewhere."

"Somewhere? Wait, are you planning on going to a certain place?"

"Yep." Eldest then hesitated to stand up, recalling the fact that her dress is wet. With just a snap of her finger, her clothes changed into an informal attire, a little bit common to the commoners but still pretty decent.

I thought deeply about this occassion. Did this ever happen in my glimpses before? Maybe not. Since even Eldest didn't exist in those glimpses before, I should know better that everything that involves her isn't something I've seen or known before.

But why am I having a problem about her origin anyway? I should only think of one problem at a time! I still have the suspicious conversation between Klydeur and the Empress—

"Think about that some other day." I looked up to Eldest when I heard her speak. Wait, is she reading my mind now?! "Hey, I'm not. I mean, I do now, but your thoughts are leaking out earlier so..."

"So you did." I finished, making her frown. Hey, I should be the one frowning! Sighing, I shrugged. "I guess it's my fault for letting my guard down."

Eldest didn't seem to bother about my worries as she snapped her finger again. But this time, I have no idea what happened. I thought she already teleported but she's still here, standing infront of me.

My forehead creased in confusion. "Uh, did your mana burn out or you used the wrong magic?"

"A deity can't run out of mana. I'm omnipotent." Eldest sassily rebuked my question, making me stare at her blankly and not knowing how to feel.

If she's omnipotent, does she not know how to deal with depressed potatoes like me? Seriously, I'm in a bad and sad mood as it is and she's here, roasting me like a turkey?

Hell no, I'm not allowing it.

Before I can even bicker against her, I noticed she's been staring at me intensely, making me feel self-conscious all of a sudden. "What's the matter?"

"It seems we don't match our attire well. Let's change it again." As she snapped her fingers, I blinked my eyes repeatedly. Is she playing mind tricks or what?

But before I can even think she's gone pyscho, I realized my clothes suddenly changed. My clothes?!

"Oh." I stared at the attire I'm wearing in awe. It was a white polo shirt matched with a simple scarlet vest, a smooth black pants and a pair of leather shoes.

After admiring the magically changed attire of mine, I averted my gaze and observed her clothes. Indeed, it now matched with mine. She's now wearing somewhat the same to a jumper dress back in my modern days, which my sister used to wear all the time.

It was colored scarlet as well, and underneath is a white shirt, while wearing a pair of sandals. "Done yet?" I snapped back to reality when I heard her speak, making me shake my head.

"Don't get the wrong idea." I scoffed at her grinning face before standing up. To be honest, I sounded like a tsundere from that line, but I'm not.

Totally not.

"Now what?"

With an unwavering grin, golden lights flashed as it swirled around us, before the whole place glitched and somewhat changed into a different one in a second.

I roamed my eyes around in awe. This must be the capital city! I've never been able to step foot outside of the main palace aside from the place where the hunting event occurred before.

There were a lot of places to look at. I'm certain the festival finished a long time ago, but I was able to buy a festival-themed gift to Aureus before in our tea time with Klydeur.

And now I remembered what I gave to Klydeur as well that time. A bronze brooch. It must have hurt his pride a bit, to be given bronze. Even silver brooch is a little bit undecent, what more for a lower standard of jewel?

Maybe that's where the animosity between us had started. I wanted to test him out whether he's genuinely good in nature or just acting good from his hypocrisy and superior nature. A good call for me, since I was able to see his true self now.

If I hadn't, I have no idea until when I'll be playing right by the palm of his hand.

"Stop thinking about unnecessary things when I'm here."

I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard her complain, her expression crumpled with mixed emotions of annoyance and dissapointment.

How can a deity be so moody?

"It's not unnecessary to think about my family." I countered, waving a hand at her.

Eldest raised a brow. "It is unnecessary if you're not thinking of them in a family sense."

....I guess she have the point.

Sighing, I decided to concede defeat. "Alright. Enough of my family drama. We're here to relax, aren't we?"

She nodded. "Obviously."

There were a lot of people around us so I had to keep my pace with her as she walk infront, with me tailing behind like a lost puppy. Well, what can I do? I don't know the way here.

"So, where do we start?" I blinked my eyes when she asked a question.

"I thought you have it planned?"

She shrugged. "How about no?"

I sarcastically laughed. "Great decision, really."

"My thoughts, exactly." Turning around the corner, there we saw a wider space where a fountain is between. But it's not as huge as the fountain I have in my palace's garden.

I stared at the kids running around, with some elderly in a stall painting something. Is that a face paint?

Glancing to Eldest with eyes sparkling, she must have noticed my stare as she sweat-dropped. "You really want to have your face tainted?"

"It's just a paint." I retorted, casually walking towards the stall with her tailing behind me as if she's forced. I'm an addict for art, and so I want to give it a try. "Wait, do we even have the money?"

She smirked. "You think money is a problem for a deity?" With a snap of her fingers, a seemingly heavy pouch appeared in her hand, before throwing it towards me.

Thanks to my keen eyesight, I was able to catch it before it can land straight to my face. My reflexes seems to be improving by the day.

"Is that how you treat a crown prince?"

"Then is that how you talk to a deity?" She countered, making me frown as she walked past me with a triumphant grin.

The elders who finished face painting a young man then turned to us with a smile. "Hello there young ones! Choose your preferred design in here as you please."

One elderly woman showed us a booklet of their designs, and I'll tell you, they look majestic! As if a doodle art from the modern days existed in this era!

"They all look good." I commented in awe, with Eldest taking a peek beside me. She glanced to me, then to the booklet.

"Why don't you have it all in your face then?"

I gave her an are-you-serious look in which she responded with a laugh. "It might look like a mess. I choose this, then." I pointed at a certain designs that looks like fire with a sword on it. There's no reason really, I just found the design cool.

"Good choice, kiddo." The elder man spoke as he offered me a seat, in which I obliged. "This won't take your time that much."

"I don't mind the time at all, sir." I responded, in which he smiled as he prepared the materials needed for face painting.

Before I can even ask something, I looked back to check on Eldest whose looking somewhere else. "Hey, aren't you picking one too?"

She whirled her head, looking towards me. "Nah, my face is precious."

I scowled. "Mine is, too. And it's not like you'll get mud in your face or anything."

"You'll never know."

With a sigh, I just let her be as I waited patiently for the face painting to be finished.

I wonder where we'll go next. There's so much to see and I'm excited to roam around the capital!

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Heyo! This start of the chapter will be the last arc for this season, and as planned, the next season will start after atleast 4 or more chapters before facing the stressful situations oof—

Also, pardon me if there are wrong spellings/grammars, I'll check them again if I had the time.

-🍨