*fwishh!*Alexis heard a loud whistling noise in the sky.
It has been exactly two years since he was thrown into the beast forest and while it was a once in a lifetime adventure and helped him alot, he knew he had to go...
He turned to the beasts hiding from him and cautiously looking at him and spoke,
"I"m going to miss you guys, the fun times we had together when I chased you around... goodbye!" He said and wiped a tear.
Some beasts sweatdropped while others cried.
Not because they were sad but because they were happy that the real beast of the forest was finally leaving!
Alexis then ran in the direction of the bright white flare in the sky.
He arrived at the same walls he was thrown into from... Alexis then walked out of the barrier and saw Philip waiting for him...
"Master, I"m alive!" He said with a smile as Philip scoffed but Alexis was sure that he could see a small smirk on his face.
"Brat, you"ve changed!" He said while looking at Alexis with one eye open.
"Eh, really?" Alexis said and checked himself out, not that he could, but just for the sake he did...
"Whatever, let"s go..." He said and touched Alexis" shoulder and disappeared in a flash of light.
-●-●-●-
Aurelius, Annalise and a few maids were waiting at a certain area waiting for someone to come.
"Mommy, what is happening?" A small cute girl around the age of five asked Annalise. She had bright red hair unlike Alexis who had a darker shade.
"We are waiting for your elder brother to come back home!" Annalise said with tears in her eyes.
"...Elder brother?" She asked Annalise cutely and tilted her head, the maids struggled to stand still, looking at the cute girl, they just wanted to cuddle her...
Aurelius was already clenching fist to control himself from hugging her.
"Yes! Yes! Your elder brother!" He answered her enthusiastically.
"..." She quietened down, her eyes turned red as tears fell from them.
"B-But I don"t want Elder brother, he will take mommy and daddy..." she said.
"...this" everyone looked at each other awkwardly.
Annalise looked at her gently and pat her head.
"Big brother won"t take mommy and daddy, he was always distant with everyone..." she said as depressing dark clouds gathered around her, Aurelius laughed dryly at his remark...
"Although he might take you away..." Aurelius said with a sigh.
"Let"s see how he would react to seeing you!" Annalise encouraged her daughter who nodded slowly, taking in everything everyone said into her head, slowly...
-●-●-●-
"Where are they?" Annalise asked Aurelius worriedly, her beautiful face now marred with a frown, they have been waiting for Alexis for nearly two hours now...
"I don"t know honey, I was with you the whole time... maybe something happened?" Aurelius said without thinking, it has been two hours, he then turned to Annalise who pouted at him.
"What did I do??" He asked himself but stayed quiet.
Just as he was about to say something, a bright flash of light engulfed the Hall of the Imperial castle...
The couple, the maids and the small girl heard two people talking about something as they arrived.
"Master, you didn"t have to buy new clothes for me..." Alexis complained as he touched the luxurious clothing that Philip bought him just before coming to the Castle...
"Do you really think I would let you walk into the Castle in dregs?" Philip asked him with no emotion on his face.
"They weren"t dregs, I made it out of beast skin and they were comfortable for me!" He retorted in a blank face...
The other group stared at the duo awkwardly, the duo did look like Master and student, they both had cold and distant faces...
"MY BABY!!" Shouted Annalise and hugged him tightly, for once Alexis lost his breath and suffocated.
She then proceeded to cry on him while Aurelius came forward and ruffled his hair with a proud smile on his face.
The little girl who was next to the maids felt neglected and ran away...
The maids quickly informed the Emperor who sighed and smiled wryly.
"Was that my sister?" Alexis asked Annalise who nodded, still sniffling after crying for so long.
"What"s happened to her?" He asked his father who explained how children think.
"I see... such complex creatures!" He nodded and decided to search for her, the audience could only shake their heads at his comment but smiled.
Their Prince was back!
-●-●-●-
Alexis walked though the hallway, it was filled with the portraits of all the Emperors of the nation.
He then touched the walls, feeling it"s cold and smooth texture he felt nostalgic as the corners of his lips turned up into a small smile.
Alexis saw a small figure enter a room and quickly went after it.
"Where do you think you are going?" He asked the figure...
The figure turned to Alexis, it was his younger sister who was currently crying.
He sighed, he had zero experience with children.
"Maybe?" He thought and tried to smile gently at her...
She who saw the smile cried louder, the smile would make even the G.o.ds turn around and walk away without thinking twice.
It was such a horrible smile that even Alexis who saw the reflection decided not to smile anymore...
He trailed his fingers through his blood red hair and sighed.
Alexis slowly walked upto her and pat her head.
"Don"t cry!" He ordered her, who immediately stiffened up, more tears fell down her face.
"I said, don"t cry!" He shouted at her sternly.
"Its... not working!" Alexis screamed inside and kneeled down to her and gently wiped away her tears...
"Look, I"m being sorry for something I never did!" He told her gently. While the words did sound rude and insensitive, the tone in his voice helped her...
She nodded meekly...
"Do you want a hug?" He asked her, she then slowly looked up at him.
His face was blank with no emotion whatsoever but his voice was filled with warmth.
If Alexis heard her thoughts, he would kill himself... Warmth? Him? What a joke! He was just being Ge..Ge-Gentle!
She observed his face and giggled.
"Pwetty!" She said and hugged him while giggling.
Alexis was about to reach for his sword but decided not to... she might have flaws but n.o.body is perfect, besides it wasn"t all that bad...
"...I"m handsome" He muttered and lifted her up and threw her up only to catch her again.
"So... what"s your name?" Alexis asked her.
"My name? my name ish Ireen!" she said and touched his hair.
"So your name is Irene huh? not bad..." he said and threw her up again and caught her once she came down.
The Imperial family and the maids who heard her giggles smiled widely, while Philip who saw everything, smirked...
-●-●-●-
"Father, when will I be going to the Academy?" Asked Alexis while Aurelius was signing some papers...
"Hmm... today?" He told him as Alexis had the urge to punch him in the face.
"I see, then I shall prepare myself" he said and left the room while the guards bowed at him respectfully and closed the doors...
It was good that Philip always woke him up at dawn, it was now engraved into his sleep cycle. Alexis then ordered the carriage to return back to the palace so that he could change his clothes and go to the Academy.
Once he arrived, he quickly took a wash which became a mess...
The maid who accompanied him to the bath, Florestine, made a scene after finding out about his scars which became a big mess once Annalise heard about it!
He was now dressed in some n.o.ble clothing, it was literally a suit, a tailor had made it and it had become a huge hit among the members of the upper echelons who then bought the designs from him and made more extravagant versions...
The clothes fit Alexis perfectly, this was because Philip had already informed the maids to prepare bigger clothes for him beforehand.
Some were too small while others were too big, but many fitted him perfectly so there was no need to buy clothes anymore... although he would have a new set of clothes everyday in his wardrobe...
Alexis looked at the mirror and sighed again.
"I"m so busy..." he told himself and turned to Florestine who looked at him worriedly.
"Is there any matter, your highness?" She asked him.
"I was just thinking about it, I return home after six years in h.e.l.l and now I have to go to the Academy for four years and another one for another four years..." he mumbled.
"Are you stressed out your highness?!" She asked him and blushed.
"What the h.e.l.l are you thinking about?" Alexis asked her.
"N-Nothing!" She immediately shook her head.
"I"m still a pre p.u.b.escent boy... I can"t believe you..." he sighed and looked at her.
"I... I... it"s not like that!!" She shouted with teary eyes and saw Alexis who had a smirk on his face.
"Heh" he snorted in amus.e.m.e.nt and left the room while she followed from behind begrudgingly...
Alexis then entered the carriage with Florestine and was about to head to the Lunarian n.o.ble Magic Academy when he heard his mother shout.
"Alexis!" She shouted and Alexis groaned while Florestine giggled at his misfortune, he then came out of the carriage...
"What is it mother?" He asked her politely as Annalise hugged him gently.
"Be careful out there and visit me every week!" She said enthusiastically as Alexis smiled at her.
"You know I can"t do that..." he told her.
"Every month then!" She retorted.
"Once every five months, take it or leave it!" He offered his deal as she sighed...
"...fine, have fun Alexis, mother loves you a lot!" She said as Alexis tried to leave, Annalise quickly held him by the wrist.
"What did I tell you to say?" She asked him expectantly.
"...ugh, bye, l-l-love you too, let me go now!!" He quickly ran inside.
"Did he just..." Annalise mumbled and laughed, she knew his son meant it and she was very happy...
Florestine giggled seeing Alexis who had an embarra.s.sed face.
"Florestine, I"m stressed out..." he told her as she immediately quietened down.
"That"s what I thought, never speak of this again..." he said while looking at her seriously.
She nodded meekly and looked away, her face as red as a tomato...
-●-●-●-
The carriage stopped at the Northern gates, sometimes called the Entrance gate and was quickly guarded by four soldiers who rode on the same Tier 5 beast, the golden striped horse, that was used to carry his mother"s carriage...
Since Alexis was turning ten, he requested for his own carriage.
This carriage was painted in maroon and looked very luxurious because it was decorated with a lot of gold...
He wanted it to be something low key and to blend in with the others but it seems like the carpenters don"t think that way...
"Eventhough I specifically told them NOT to add too many decorations..." Alexis sighed loudly and stared at the common people who were staring at the carriage in awe.
"This is ridiculous, I"m getting way too much attention..." he mumbled as Florestine was making sure her clothes were worn perfectly...
"There"s nothing wrong with your dress..." Alexis said glancing at her outfit.
It was a french maid outfit, the same one with black and white and had frills on it.
"I guess it suits her..." he thought and closed his eyes...
"Are you speaking the truth your highness?" She asked him with a happy smile, Alexis opened one eye.
"Except for your weird interests in kids..." He told her, it was akin to shoving a bucket of cold water on her...
Soon afterwards, the carriage arrived infront of the Academy.
It was a very beautiful place, the buildings seemed very gothic and grand, he could now understand why it was called the "n.o.ble Academy"...
Alexis already got a lot of attention just from the carriage itself, but adding to the fact that there were four imperial guardsmen who had stern expressions, it was bound to blow up...
Alexis who saw a big gathering groaned but decided to come out of the carriage, Florestine followed him silently while the one of the guards quietly opened the door... the other three took the luggage.
Once Alexis came out, everyone was in awe, most of the male population was looking at Florestine with hearts in their eyes while the female population looked at Alexis weirdly.
They found him cute and very handsome but he was still a child, they felt complicated...
But there were some odd b.a.l.l.s that did look at him with predatory gazes.
The Imperial guard who opened the door was shocked at how disrespectful they were towards his Crown Prince and decided to announce the world of his highness"s grace...
Alexis who saw him prepare to shout quickly elbowed him.
"Keep quiet, I don"t want anymore attention!" He whispered to him as the Guard looked at him respectfully and nodded...
The group then walked into the premises of the Academy while a crowd slowly followed them from behind.
They entered the reception hall and requested to see the Princ.i.p.al...
"Please inform the Princ.i.p.al that CP has arrived!" Florestine said in an extremely rare tone of authority, the receptionist could only nod dumbly and send a telepathic message to him.
Efreel who was thinking of different ways to beat Trebourn was informed of the Prince"s presence from the code given and immediately left the room and kneeled infront him.
"S-Sir Efreel!" The receptionist who saw this scene was shocked.
"Who are these people?!" She screamed inwardly and stayed quietly...
"Efreel, let"s go somewhere private" Alexis spoke as the group was brought to his office and was quickly seated down...
-●-●-●-
"Your highness, what a surprise!" Efreel said with a smile while Alexis nodded.
"Indeed however, enough with pleasantries, I plan on studying here for four years and need a room..." Alexis said.
"Ofcourse, I have prepared everything your highness, including the room which I"m sure you will be pleased with it!" Efreel said and explained the education system in the Academy...
"Your highness, there are 14 levels in the Academy, level 1 is for four year olds and is usually just teaching them ethics and morals, this is in another building... since your highness is now ten years old, you will be attending cla.s.ses of Level 6, this cla.s.s teaches magic, mana theory and non mage subjects." He said.
"What are these "non mage" subjects, Efreel?" Asked Alexis.
"Science, Economics and all that" he said while Alexis nodded his head.
He prepared to leave when he turned to Efreel.
"I hope there is no discrimination on Non Mage students from the Mage students or you and I are going to have some problems!" Alexis warned him and released his bloodl.u.s.t and Saint Knight level mana on Efreel who sweated profusely...