Ceres

73

After the discussion, they headed out once again but it was now towards the royal palace. This, again, left Leonard in confusion and without any idea at all.

However, amidst everything, Ceres told Lennard and his group that she, Gil, and Leonard should still be treated as royal guards of the Fay kingdom. Hence, any conversation must not be made unless necessary. She didn't want to attract any attention and only serve as personal guards of the royal siblings. With this condition, the royal siblings agreed.

One must know that a personal guard can still be with them in the palace and also, even during the banquet. The only difference between personal guards and retainers is that, personal guards still maintain a distance to their employers. Because of this, during the banquet, Ceres, Gil, and Leonard can only be present at the banquet but only at the sides or shadows. They wouldn't be able to enjoy the banquet like the retainers.

On the other hand, as soon as the Winsterein royal guards spotted the Fay kingdom's convoy, they immediately went to report to the emperor. Because the convoy was delayed, they needed to really head fast and announced its arrival so that the emperor and the palace can immediately prepare. Anyway, everything was already arranged for the Fay kingdom's convoy and the emperor only needed to get ready for the formal greetings.

The arrival of the Fay kingdom's royal convoy was announced throughout the city and thus, a lot of people were looking forward to seeing it even though they will only see carriages and guards riding horses.

One of the reasons why they wanted to catch a glimpse of the convoy is that the royal siblings were the representatives of the Fay kingdom this time. One must know that Leona's beauty is one of the best in the continent. In addition, she was with Lennard, the crown prince of Fay kingdom. Lennard is also known to be handsome and not only that, he is also known as a talented youth in almost everything including political affairs and magic.

"Ahhh... I wish Princess Leona would lift the carriage's curtain even a little bit."

Someone was waiting at the sidewalk of the main road towards the royal palace. He was eager to see Fay kingdom's convoy and also, see even the shadow of Leona. Suddenly, a person beside him hit his head.

"She may be beautiful but she is still someone without any magic. It's a pity that she didn't inherit the talents of her ancestors unlike her brothers."

"Speaking of brothers... They left Leonard alone in the kingdom? Why can't they just include him since two of the royal siblings are already here!!"

"Can't you go somewhere else? We're talking about the princess here. Shoo!"

Thus, that person who wanted to see Leonard went away while protesting. She only wanted people to talk to.

In the convoy, Leonard held the reins of his horse tightly while thinking how insolent those people are.

"Maybe, this is how heavens balance things out. Those with beauty are really lacking in other aspects."

"True. Anyway, it was fortunate that our emperor has taken a liking to her and proposed to have our third prince become her husband."

"Only a beauty can really stand up to talented men."

"Aren't we all beautiful, too?"

The girls nodded at each other and thus, boosting their self-confidence.

Lennard heard these gossips. He has a keen sense of hearing since he has also enhanced his physical abilities.

He looked at Leona and knew that Leona didn't hear those things. Also, he knew that even though she may have heard it, she would just ignore it. That is just how she is. She only takes in the insults and still smile like nothing bothers her at all.

However, at the moment, she was playing with a handkerchief in her hands. This didn't escape Lennard's attention as he couldn't help but only shake his head.

"We must first greet the Emperor. Don't show uneasiness since it's just for formalities and nothing more."

He can only remind Leona to stop being nervous. She was, after all, a princess of Fay kingdom. It's inappropriate to show such gestures and attitude towards men outside their family.

Contrary to what he expected, Leona was not nervous about meeting the royal family of Winsterein kingdom. The reason she was nervous is because she kept on thinking about how to approach Ceres later and how to thank her.

Even though she is a princess of a well-known kingdom and has been used to a lot of weird situations and sudden development of scenarios, the matter about her seeing spiritual essences is too shocking. This is indeed a life-changing event of her life and perhaps, she may not be able to repay such actions even if they flip over the entire Fay kingdom.

"But... I don't know how to thank him. I think that whatever I say or offer would not be sufficient for what he did. I feel that he is a simple person that he wouldn't be swayed with even extravagant things. He is definitely beyond our reach."

Lennard blinked twice. He suddenly realized that his reminder of Leona was useless. His sister was thinking about something else. He couldn't help but brush his hair with his hand.

He, too, is still thinking of how to approach Ceres and hopefully, build good connection with her.

Hopefully, Ceres doesn't have any bad intentions. I wonder if my message already reached that person.

Lennard turned his head sideways and was thinking about a lot of stuff ever since encountering Ceres and Gil.

Meanwhile, Leonard was with Ceres and Gil; riding their horses beside the carriage of Lennard and Leona. They dutifully perform their tasks as personal guards. Of course, because of this, the gossips also didn't escape Leonard's ears. He could only grit his teeth and talk with himself deep inside.

On the other hand, Leonard has long been used to such things. He looked like a stern and quiet person but it's only because he doesn't say everything that he thinks. He keeps them to himself first.

What right do these people have to insult my sister? They don't even measure up to a tiny bit of her abilities.

Leonard knew that their little sister wasn't gifted. Even though they were an amazing royal family, their sister's condition was something that wouldn't escape anyone's eyes. Though their sister is beautiful and has a kind and strong heart, without any talent for magic, she was still labeled as useless and good for nothing in the eyes of other people and even those commoners. Thus, it doesn't only hurt Leona but also them as her family.

On theother side, Ceres was looking ahead but her mind was filled with other things.She also heard of the rumors about Leona and because of Gil's intelligencenetwork coupled with her healing the said princess, she knew the truth. -tbc