Might & Magic of Emotions - Nijisanji Fantasy

Chapter 1: Interests and Connections

- Capital city, Kingdom of Helesta | Days later... -

After the bandit problem was dealt with, Lize, now with two Felgardian princes with their own retinue of royal guards returned to the capital city of her kingdom where they were welcomed warmly. It was a surprise to the citizens when they saw that the two of the three princes of the House of Felgarde are in their lands now. Even more, they came with the Second Princess of Helesta and in a short amount of time, rumours started to circulate around them, including the possibility of one of the princes having a less than professional relationship with Lize. Royal censors caught wind of the rumours and they quickly derailed them.

When the two Felgardian princes entered the castle and into the courtroom, everyone inside had the same reaction as those from the outside, but they nonetheless welcomed the two foreign princes. While the two royal families conversed, Lize developed an interest towards Falric who quickly proved himself to be an honest and pragmatic person.

She never had any interest with the other princes of their vassals. They have tried to woo her and her sister, Diana in an attempt to somehow start a relationship with them to no avail. This led Lize to see princes from other royal families to be insufferable beings, although her kindness always prevented her from saying that out loud, and she was thankful that it did.

However, (Falric's) case was different. When other princes would continually praise Lize and her sister in order to win them, (Falric) said what he wanted with care and caution, and is not afraid to voice his disagreements on one thing or another. Several princes living near the castle gave her gifts while on the other hand, (Falric) gave her advice on how to be more confident in her abilities. When other princes saw her for her beauty and riches, (Falric) recognized her intelligence and knowledge in literature and military arts. Whatever the case, the Second Prince of Felgarde has caught her attention and her interest only grew.

It was a peaceful morning in the Kingdom of Helesta. The citizens are going about their daily lives as preparations for the Peace Festival continued without delay. News of bandit attacks didn't stop, but they were quickly subdued now that the Helestan military has brought out the reserves to better deal with threats. Lize stood on the balcony on one of the higher levels of the castle as she gazed at her people below.

"Is something the matter, milady?" Sebastian Piyodore, an unassuming little chick with a monocle over one eye asked Lize as he perched on her shoulder.

"Ah, it's nothing, Sebas. I was just thinking of something..." Lize trailed off, but Sebastian caught on.

"It's about Prince (Falric), is it not?" The chick asked.

"H- huh? How do you know?" Lize questioned, surprised.

"Pardon me for saying, but I was observing your reactions whenever you interacted with the Felgardian prince. I noticed that your reactions are significantly different to the times when you spoke with our kingdom's princes." Sebastian answered.

"I guess so. Prince (Falric) is just so..." Lize spoke but trailed off again.

"Different?" Sebastian adds for her. Lize nodded.

"Yeah. He is a prince, but he acted as if he isn't. At least it felt like it." Lize muttered.

"I admit that I find him to be an oddity for a royalty. Do you happen to be attracted to him?" Sebastian asked, which caused Lize to flinch.

"W- what? No! That's just preposterous!" Lize embarrassedly exclaimed. "It's not like we know each other that well." Lize said. Sebastian was amused and suspicious but didn't press the issue further.

Lize remained silent, staring into the horizon as the morning sun lit the capital city in a brilliant light. She wanted to dismiss (Falric) from her mind but something within her is preventing it. Her trying to suppress thoughts about the Felgardian prince only served to fuel her curiosity and it annoyed her.