(Italics are for dialogues spoken in Prajan language.)

.·。.·゜·༺♥༻ ·゜·。.

Gigi was enthusiastic to welcome her little brother into Angletonia; even going to the port to pick him up herself. She was all prepared, putting on a Kebaya just so he'd be able to recognize her, and bringing him Angletonian sweets.

Even though things were still a little awkward between her and her husband after the incident, she respected his courage to inform her of his condition and was grateful that he even thought of bringing her brother over. It would distract her from her marriage issues for the moment.

Aravin was the youngest among the Queen of Praja's children. The situation of his birth was peculiar since the Queen hadn't been expecting to have any more children after Gigi was born twelve years earlier. So it came as quite a surprise when she realized she was pregnant.

Back home, he always liked to spend time with Gigi, being too young to accompany his elder brothers to political events or sports games.

As the ship docked, the Prajan prince could be seen dashing down the port and jumped right into her arms. "Gigi! I thought I would never see you again!" he bounced back and forth as his sister caught him.

The Empress knelt to his eye level. "Now that you're here, we can agree that's not true," she giggled, pinching his cherubic face.

On their way to the palace, Gigi had to hold her brother back from sticking his body out of the car window, mesmerized by the view of Angletonian architecture.

I believe Chandra and Ramlan will be so jealous to know that I'm here!" Aravin chirped, recalling his half-brothers. "I knew I was going to go around the world."

Gigi beamed, knowing that he'd always had this adventurous side. It broke his heart whenever his elder brothers went out riding without him.

"So now that I am staying here. we can be together again!" he declared, enveloping Gigi's body in a tight hug.

"Of course," she confirmed.

"Can we play and eat and play again?" asked the Prajan prince with big, hopeful eyes.

"We sure can," replied Gigi.

"Just the two of us?" Aravin smiled, blinking up at her.

"Yes— I mean, no. Sadly, it cannot be just us," she corrected, giggling.

Aravin pouted. "Why not? Who else are we having?"

"Well, you're staying in the imperial palace for the summer. You'll get to see the Emperor and his son."

"The Emperor?" His expression turned sour at the mention of Cal. "The evil man who took you away from us? I'll kill him!"

"He's not evil!" Gigi blurted, surprised by her own sudden reaction. "I mean he's really good and gentle, Vin. I believe you'd like him, he's rather good with children."

Aravin scowled. "You said you wanted nothing to do with him last time. What happened?"

Gigi cleared her throat, struggling to hide the reddening of her cheeks. "I made some errors in my judgment."

"What did he do to you?" He lunged forward, placing his tiny palms on Gigi's shoulders. "Tell me!"

"Nothing particularly bad?" Gigi gulped, heartbeat racing up. She couldn't possibly tell his brother about everything that Cal had done to her... he's not even seventeen yet.

Aravin narrowed her eyes, unconvinced. "He's the evil man who snatched my sister, thus he would stay as such."

***

"Is this the Emperor?" Aravin asked as they entered through the front room, passing a huge portrait of Cal. "He's so ugly! So old, and pale as a ghost," he sneered.

Cal was at a conference and Junior was attending a class, so nobody that mattered would be able to hear them. Not that they could understand Prajan, too, but it's better to be safe.

"Could you please tone your voice down, Vin? Have you heard anyone talk about Father in such a condescending tone?" she pleaded. Her brother had always been so upfront in expressing his displeasure towards people or the most random things; but never had she thought that one of them would be her husband, the Emperor.

"Father is the ruler of the land!"

"Well, my husband is the ruler of this land."

Aravin grumbled but kept his mouth shut as they entered a chamber prepared for him.

"During the day you wear these clothes. For dinners you wear these," Gigi explained, showing him the newly-tailored Angletonian summer vests she had made for her brother. He was roughly the same size as Junior, but a tad shorter.

"Why do I have to wear these?" Aravin pouted as one of Gigi's handmaidens was buttoning up his shirt. "Give me my clothes back!"

"This is just temporary, as you've to fit in with the dress codes."

"But these clothes are so bland!" Aravin protested, lifting his sleeve. Angletonian male dress code was indeed much simpler and toned-down in design compared to the Prajan ones, which had more patterns and embroideries. "I'd look like a servant boy!"

Gigi sighed, having changed in an Angletonian dress herself. "But I'm wearing one of these dresses too. See?"

"It's ugly and I don't like it!"

"Vin, could you please just try to get along?"

"You don't love me anymore! I want to go home!" he snapped, turning on his heels and stomping out of the door.

"Can somebody please catch him?" Gigi asked her maids. "I haven't even shown him the entire palace, I'm afraid he'll get lost,"

***

The Prajan prince found his way to the gardens, feeling so upset at all the clothes and new etiquettes that his sister intended him to follow.

Thinking that it would be the long-awaited reunion between the two of them, he was so disheartened and let down to find that her loyalty had shifted towards the man who had separated them in the first place.

That damned Emperor.

"If I see the Emperor," he angrily told himself. "I will punch him, kick him, and knock him down to the ground!" He threw a few punches and kicks, having started to learn martial arts back home. His mentor told him he had good reflexes, perhaps they would be useful to go up against the Emperor.

"This is what he'll get for stealing my sister! Hyaaa!" Throwing a roundhouse kick, he accidentally bumped into something and fell flat on his butt.

Looking up, Aravin's eyes landed upon the tallest man he'd ever seen in his life. Taller than his brothers, even taller than his father. He was clad in a black suit and a pair of pants that clung to his impossibly long legs.

Those legs were so incredibly long, like a flamingo.

The man looked at him, puzzled, tilting his head.

He was so... "Scary," he whispered with a shudder.

"Aravin!" Gigi rushed to catch up to him. It was really hard to run in the body-fitting skirts of Prajan kebaya. Seeing whom he'd just bumped into, she was horrified. "Oh goodness, what did you do? Sire, I am so sorry! Vin, apologize to His Majesty, please!"

Cal dismissed it with a hand gesture. "Poor fella ran into me and fell. It's him you should be worried about."

"Is that true?" Gigi turned to her little brother, who pouted as a reply. "I am sorry, Sire. I was going to present him to you at dinner, but he escaped when I was dressing him."

"Haven't I told you not to worry yourself with such formalities?" Cal smiled warmly, before setting his eyes on what she's wearing. "You look beautiful. Another one of your designs?"

She looked away as if that could hide her flustered face. After their fight, she needed a little time to rearrange her heart before she could act normally around him again. "I guess we will be going then, Sire..."

"Wait, Gi, do you have a moment? I need to talk to you about something important, it's about the Northern Region." He leaned closer, "If you can, I will be waiting for you in my office, just the two of us."

The northern region? Was that a euphemism for something? Shouldn't it be the southern region? She wasn't ready for him to seduce her only to push her away all over again.

"My apologies, Sire, but I can't. I have to introduce him to Junior."

Cal pressed his lips, disheartened. "Very well, then. See you at dinner, darling." He landed a kiss on her head.

Still longing for his touch, Gigi did not refuse.

A pair of small eyes were watching them with fury. Gigi had never behaved this way toward anyone that he'd known of. Nobody even dared to kiss them, aside from their own mother! Why would she let him do this? What exactly did this man do to his sister?

***

"I don't like it here, I want to go home," Aravin wailed as Gigi led him back inside.

"I had been expecting you all week and I thought we could enjoy summer together. But I won't force you to stay if you don't feel like it." Gigi cupped her brother's cheeks, almost given up. But seeing her husband had even gone through the length to ask her parents' permission, she'd feel bad informing her of the decision.

"But please, at least join the dinner, and let's see if I can make arrangements for you in the morning. Now, you can stay with me in the library for the afternoon."

Aravin sulked, hiding behind a pile of books. But as he was sitting there pouting, another player entered the scene.

"Gigi!" a cheerful voice called, followed by the pitter-pattering of feet. "Today's my last day of class for summer, can we go back to that book marathon?"

"Junior, you're here!" Gigi welcomed him into her embrace. "Does that mean that you won't be having any more classes till September?"

"That's right!" Junior replied proudly. "Those classes are much too easy for me anyway, I already got too perfect grades."

Gigi laughed at his antics. "Now wait here, I have someone I would very much like you to meet."

Junior looked curious, though agreeing at the notion.

Perhaps Aravin would be happier if he had a friend around his age?

Taking her brother's hand, the Empress led him toward the other Prince who had busied himself picking up his favourite books behind the shelves.

"Aravin, this is Prince Cal. He's the Emperor's son," Gigi introduced with a smile.

Facing the windows where his books were stacked, Junior turned around at Gigi's voice. The summer breeze swept through the open window, blowing his jet-black hair as sunlight illuminated his porcelain skin. Setting his eyes on the unfamiliar, foreign-looking child in front of him, he blinked his long-lashed eyes, lips curled into a pout.

"So pretty..." Aravin whispered inaudibly, staring at the other boy, completely mesmerized.

"Vin, don't you have something to say to him?" Gigi nudged. If her brother was rude to Junior, she was gonna be very upset.

Aravin gulped, recomposing himself, stepping over to the blue-eyed prince— head held high and mighty.

"Will you marry me?"

.·。.·゜·༺♥༻ ·゜·。.

But of course, who wouldn't be mesmerized by Junior, right? My readers know that all too well 🤣🤣🤣