Ellie and Celty went to the barracks an hour after Mura and Culti were taken away by the royal messenger.There were still a few meters away when they heard the sounds of screaming coming from inside. Celty didn"t hesitate and immediately ran towards the gate, Ellie was not far behind her.
When they opened the gates, they saw absolute chaos. Many guards were lying down on the ground with bruises and whip marks all over their body. The messenger, on the other hand, was tied up in a pole like a pig ready for slaughter.
"Hmmp! Bunch of weaklings." Murakami looked at the fallen guards in disdain.
"I still haven"t had my fill and they"re all down for the count. Useless trash." Culti lashed his whip and hit the messenger"s chest.
"AH! Forgive me! I won"t do it again!" The messenger pleaded for mercy.
"Great job boys!" Ellie nodded her head in approval.
"Ah! Mother and Celty! Both of you are here." Murakami happily waved at them.
"Brothers! Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Celty checked the two of them for injuries.
"Don"t worry, we"re fine." Culti smiled at her.
"Mother, It would be best if you call for the knights of the kingdom to handle this mess. The royal guards need to be purged." Murakami looked at his mother with a serious face.
"I"ve already sent word to your uncle. They"ll be arriving any minute from now. Let them clean up this mess, sweety." Ellie looked at her sons with pride.
There were rumors going around in the kingdom that the royal guards are using their influence to take custody of pretty girls and boys that struck their fancy. The commoners were powerless against this tyranny and they were afraid to inform anyone due to the guards" intimidation.
Ellie"s cousin, Rickusan, was the captain of a knight brigade. He told her that if his nephews were taken custody at any given time, all she need to do is send word and he"d handle the rest. He was desperate for a promotion and this event will certainly give him a lot of merits if handled properly.
True to his word, the knight brigade arrived a few minutes later. They rounded the royal guards and the messenger was also brought in for questioning.
Rickusan went to the jail cells and found some young men and women locked behind bars. When he questioned them, he found out that they came to the capital to attend the birthday celebration of the second princess.
These pretty young men and women were stopped at the gates and brought in for questioning. It was a good thing that the royal guards were busy with the birthday preparations and had no time to do their vile deeds.
Rickusan was smiling ear to ear because he knew he would get plenty of accolades for handling this matter. He personally escorted Ellie and her family back home to their residence.
"The messenger will be severely punished and the royal guards will be sent to the mines to atone for their wrongdoings. The royal family is busy with the celebration so this case will be handled at a later time." Rickusan grinned at his cousin.
"Will this be enough to get you promoted?" Ellie raised an eyebrow at him.
"It"s more than enough. I can"t wait to receive an increase in my pay as well." Rickusan winked at her.
"That"s good, at least our clan gained something from this event." Ellie smirked.
"How about you make one of your sons marry the princess? If that were to happen…" Rickusan gave Ellie a serious look.
"If your business is done, you can leave." Ellie softly snorted at him.
Rickusan raised his hands in surrender.
"Fine, but make sure to bring your sons to the Royal Ball tomorrow. That is what the patriarch asked me to tell you directly." Rickusan waved and left the residence.
Ellie pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. She doesn"t want to get involved in her family"s struggle to rise in the ranks of the n.o.bility.
"I guess it won"t hurt if I bring the two of them along tomorrow." Ellie made up her mind and went back inside the house.
-----------------------
The day of the Birthday Celebration finally arrived.
Colorful flags were raised in the capital to commemorate this joyous celebration. All the ambitious young men have waited for this day to come. They believe that with their looks, talent and skills, becoming the fiance of the second princess is just a walk in the park.
Some of them even hired private detectives to know the detailed information of their possible love rivals. The tension was at its peak when afternoon arrived. They only need to wait for a few more hours before the palace opened its gates and admit everyone in.
Meanwhile in Celtyrella"s home…
"My brothers are the most handsome men in the world!" Celty can"t help but praise the good looks of her brothers.
Murakami is wearing a dashing black suit with gold embroidery. His lean and fit body is radiating an aura of manliness that even made Celty blush. She has no doubt in her mind that if her stepbrother will seriously seek out a woman to be his lover, that woman"s only choice was to hug his leg and kneel in submission.
Culti, on the other hand, is wearing a white suit with dragon embroidery. His angelic feature is enough to make the hearts of the women around him swoon. His playful stare and adorable lips will no doubt bewitch anyone who gazes upon them.
"How can someone look so pure and devilish at the same time?" Celty forcefully shook her head to chase away the random fantasies that started to form in her mind.
"If the King isn"t blind, he"ll definitely choose one of you to become the princess"s fiance." Celty sighed as she spoke.
"Sorry, I"m not interested in any princess. Mother, do we really have to go?" Murakami had an irritable expression.
"Yes. It was the order of your grandfather, so we better make our appearance or else…" Ellie gave her eldest son a knowing look.
Murakami clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Relax brother, all we have to do is appear. We don"t need to do anything." Culti tried to pacify his older brother.
"Celty dear, make sure to not let anyone enter the house while we"re away. The patrols are concentrated near the palace and the security will be a little lax in this part of the capital. Make sure to be vigilant at all times." Ellie anxiously reminded her.
"Don"t worry Mother, I"ll be fine." Celty patted her chest.
"The Royal Ball will end at midnight. We have our keys with us so you don"t need to wait for us. Make sure to sleep early." Murakami patted Celty"s head.
"Understood." Celty nodded her head.
"Don"t miss us too much." Culti gave her a hug.
"Yes, have fun in the Palace." Celty hugged back.
"It"s time. Let"s go boys." Ellie walked towards the door and the three followed her from behind.
"Celty, make sure to lock the doors understood?" Ellie can"t help but remind her once again.
"Understood!" Celty nodded.
Ellie, Murakami, and Culti entered the carriage that RickuSan personally arranged for them.
Celty waited until the carriage disappeared from the distance before going back inside the house. She locked the doors and closed the windows. She was preparing to sleep early that night and prepare a delicious breakfast for her family in the morning.
A few hours pa.s.sed by and it is now ten in the evening. Celty was about to sleep when she heard a noise inside the house. She grabbed a wooden bat that her father gave to her a few years ago for self-protection.
"Could it be burglars? I better check to make sure."
Celty slowly made her way towards the stairs. Her movements were very slow and she kept her guard up. She listened closely to the noise that seems to be coming from the living room.
She gripped her wooden bat and peeked from the stairs. The moonlight that came from the window was barely enough for her to see the intruder that was inside her home.
She saw a lady that is perhaps around 173cm tall. She has wings softly flapping behind her back and she"s carrying something that resembled a sparkler.
[A/N: Alison"s sparklers are the fireworks that little kids play with (the firework that they wave around while it releases a spray of sparks) during special events/holidays like festivals or New Years.]
"Too dark! Let there be light!" The lady cheerfully shouted and the sparkler in her hand lit up the dark room.
"Now this is better. You can come out now Celty." The lady looked at Celty"s hiding place near the stairs.
"How did she know my name?! How did she find me?!"
Celty tried to calm herself down by taking deep breaths. After a minute, she left her hiding place and confronted the stranger inside her home.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Celty started her barrage of questions.
"h.e.l.lo! My name is Alison. The reason why I know your name is because I am your Fairy G.o.d Mother!" Alison waved her sparkler with a smile.
"Fairy G.o.d Mother? What"s that?" Celty was confused about the term "Fairy G.o.d Mother".
"Hmm…it is similar to someone that grants your wishes." Alison casually replied.
"Like the Genie in Alladin?" Celty asked once more.
"Something like that." Alison nodded her head.
"Then have you come to grant my wish?" Celty lowered her guard because she felt that Alison doesn"t hold any hostility towards her.
"Yes, I came here to help you attend the Royal Ball!" Alison waved her sparkler excitedly.
"Excuse me?"
"I came here to help you attend the Royal Ball!"
"No, I heard you the first time, but why do I need to attend the Royal Ball?"
"Because it is part of the script?"
"Script? What Script? Sorry. I"m not interested in going to the Royal Ball. I just want to sleep."
"B-But, you"re supposed to go to the Royal Ball!"
"I don"t want to."
"Ok! Time for Plan B!" Alison took out another sparkler and lit it.
She waved her hand and a small gate of light appeared.
"I have come nyah~" A little girl with cat ears and cat tail entered the living room with a smirk.
"Who are you?!" Celty gripped her bat once more.
"Nyah? Just call me Plutia." The cat girl narrowed her eyes.
"What do we do Plutia? She doesn"t want to go to the Royal Ball." Alison had a worried look on her face.
"That"s not a problem nya~ All we need to do is knock her out." Plutia pointed a finger at Celty. "Air Bullet!"
The invisible bullet hit Celty and she lost consciousness. Alison hurriedly caught her before she fell on the floor.
"No Violence!" Alison gave Plutia a disapproving look.
"It gets the job done so no problem nyah~" Plutia lazily stretched her arms.
"What done is done. Let"s just dress her up before we send her to the ball." Alison waved her sparkler and Celty floated in the air.
Alison cast a spell with her sparklers and dressed Celty in the most beautiful green dress she had ever seen.
"Not bad nyah~" Plutia commented from the side.
Alison waved her sparklers one more time and gla.s.s slippers appeared on Celty"s feet.
Plutia snapped her fingers and the three of them appeared outside the house.
"Mr.McGuffin she"s all yours!" Alison cheerfully called someone from the distance.
Sounds of barking broke the silence of the night. A magnificent sled appeared in the night sky and landed near Alison.
"Is this our VIP guest for the night?" Mr.McGuffin carried the unconscious Celty and helped her inside the sled.
"Yes. Make sure to pick her up before midnight!" Alison reminded Mr.McGuffin.
"Aye! Leave her to me. Let"s go boys!" Mr.McGuffin called out to his Huskies and they in turn ran with all their might.
The sled flew into the night sky and headed towards the direction of the Royal Palace.
"I hope everything goes smoothly." Alison had a worried look on her face.
"Nya~men to that." Plutia nodded from the side.