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“Are you looking for this book, Miss Maria?”
Maria squeaked at the familiar voice and saw Alan’s towering form over her. He touched a book spine that she was looking at.
“A-Ah, yes, thank you, your highness.” Maria sputtered as the prince grabbed the book and handed it to her.
“No problem, Sophia needs help reaching the books too.” Alan said with a shrug, “Are you heading to study in the student council room?”
“Y-yes, Lady Katarina needs some help with the history lesson.” Maria said.
“Come on then,” Alan said, nodding his head, “The music room is in that direction too. I need to practice a bit for my next recital.”
“Oh, right, you have a recital in five days?” Maria asked, walking next to him.
Alan nodded, “Mhm, a few ducal families will be attending. I have a new song I wanted to play.”
“I’m certain any song you play will be lovely, Prince Alan.” Maria said lightly.
Alan smiled at her, “Thanks.”
It was strange, Maria always felt intimidated by the nobles at the school. No surprise given her background, even around Lady Katarina and her friends, it felt almost fantasy that she was interacting so casually with all of them. Even now, Prince Alan, one of the four princes of the whole kingdom, was talking with her like she was an old friend.
Sure, they have been friends for awhile now, ever since she joined the student council anyway. Yet it still felt strange, Prince Geordo always carried that royal air with him. Especially when he gets protective of Lady Katarina, his aura practically quadruples in intensity, enough to even make her shiver. Prince Alan however… He was calm. Serene almost.
She wasn’t sure if it was his water magic or not, but there was something very calming about him. She always felt at ease around him. She could hardly even think of ever getting scared of him. It… Was strange.
With Prince Alan leaving her at the entrance go the student council room, he casually waved as he walked off to the music room further down. Maria couldn’t help but look at his retreating back. Why was Prince Alan so different compared to his brother? Perhaps, she should ask someone who knows them both.
Katarina was having a wonderful day, she got decent marks on her homework, Prince Geordo and Keith got her loads of sweets to enjoy, and any doom flags seem pretty far away!
She blinked when she heard a knock on her door? She walked over and opened it and saw Maria.
“Oh! Maria, what brings you here?” Katarina asked, quickly dragging the girl in and closing the door. “I still have some sweets Prince Geordo gave me! You should try some!”
“T-thank you, Lady Katarina, but I’m not hungry.” Maria said, a blush forming on her lips, “I… actually need your help with something.”
“What?” Katarina asked.
“You’re… close with Prince Alan, right?” Maria asked shyly, taking a seat on the couch across from Katarina.
Katarina nearly choked on her cookie. Why was Maria asking about Alan?? Could it be???
“Lady Katarina?” Maria looked at her startled as Katarina quickly got her breathing back under control, before taking a sip of tea with an odd level of restraint.
“I am close with Prince Alan, he is Geordo’s twin brother after all.” Katarina said, “We played a lot as kids.”
“I see…” Maria’s blush was getting more visible, “What… what was it like?”
Beads of sweat trickled down Katarina’s head as she looked at Maria, “Um, he was very active! He enjoyed climbing trees with me! We raced all the time, I even got him to learn how to fish. He very sporty and loves running around the forest with me! Even Keith and Prince Geordo have trouble keeping up with us. Plus when he gets embarrassed, he gets all flustered. It’s so adorable! Oh, and animals love him! I always see little birds trying to land on him and he doesn’t seem bothered at all, he always cuddles with doggies too. He does get concerned about me climbing trees though… insisting it isn’t lady like and that I could get hurt. Of course, I still beat him no matter what in a race. Oh, and there’s-”
Katarina stopped herself, recalling all those memories again brought such a warm feeling back that she went overboard. Oh no… Maria’s blush was getting bigger. Can it be? Was it truly…?
“Maria?” Katarina asked.
“Yes?”
“Why are you asking about Prince Alan?” Katarina asked.
“Oh… um…” Maria stuttered a little.
Katarina took a heavy breath, it was now or never. She had to know the truth before deciding her next steps, for the sake of Mary’s happiness as well as Maria’s!
“Maria, are you… in love with Prince Alan?” Katarina asked.
Maria’s whole face turned red, “What?! I uh! I, I , I-I! NO!”
“You’re not?!”
“It’s not love!” Maria spluttered, shaking her head, “I uh… I just… Prince Alan and I have been running into each other a bit recently and I can’t help but feel… safe around him.”
“Safe?”
“Y-yes, it’s a warm, comfy feeling.” Maria explained, “Like the warmness you feel when an animal decides it’s a good idea to nap on your lap. It’s comfy, safe. It’s not love, but I…”
“You feel safe and comfy,” Katarina started, “And when you interact, there’s a level of trust and warmth in your interactions. Like you can really relax around them, you can show a different side but it’s not romantic. It’s someone who’s closer than a friend, but not a lover.”
“Y-yeah.”
“Oh!” Katarina snapped her fingers, Keith had told her something very similar when they were kids, “You see him like a brother!”
The redness came back to Maria’s face almost instantly and she let out a noise akin to a tea kettle.
Prince Alan, for one, didn’t think much initially about Maria Campbell. He didn’t dislike her, far from it. In fact, she carried a warmth that reminded him of Lady Stella, a warm feeling that oozes comfort and safety. Maybe it was a Light Magic thing. He always felt comfortable around her. He would like to think they got along well, he never had much one on one interactions with her due to student council work and Mary dragging him all over the place to either see Katarina or pick things out for Katarina. However, it wasn’t long before Katarina saved Maria from bullies and became quick friends. It wasn’t long before both Mary and Sophia would accompany Katarina to check on the light mage outside of student council business.
That… well, that was not until he was going to the music room one day to practice, he was reviewing some of his music sheets in one hand when he hear voices. Looking up, he saw what he recognized as Maria’s bullies, and Maria herself against a wall, almost curling in on herself.
“Honestly… how they let a commoner like you into the academy is a mystery.” One of them sneered.
“Yeah! What light magic? You were born from an infidelity! That should be grounds for expulsion!” Another chided.
Alan felt himself scowl slightly, honestly, how on earth did everyone in his circle not suffer the same brainrot as some people?
“Hey!” Alan called out, making his presence know, the bullies turned, paled, and quickly curtsied.
“Prince Alan! A pleasure.” One stuttered.
“And what’s going on here?” Alan asked, placing his free hand on his hip. “Did you need Miss Maria for something?”
The girls tensed, “We… we were just speaking to her, reminding her of manners and all, y-your highness.”
“Well, Miss Campbell has some student council work to finish up.” Alan said, gently taking Maria’s hand and slowly moving her away from the wall. “I doubt the president will like the fact you prevented her from getting her work done. Or do you insist on hindering Student Council members?”
“O-of course not, your highness, we’ll… we’ll take our leave.” The bullies scurried away like ashamed children and quickly vanished from the hallway.
Alan took a breath before looking to his side, “You alright?”
Maria blinked at him, before blushing.
Alan looked down and saw he was still holding her hand, he quickly released it and mumbled, “Sorry…”
“O-oh, oh no!” Maria stuttered, “I… uh. I… I’m… thank you. Prince Alan.”
She quickly bowed, only for Alan to gently tap her shoulder, she looked up and Alan smiled at her.
“No problem, Katarina and Mary told me about what happens sometimes, don’t be afraid to use work to get out of these situations, alright?” Alan asked, “You’re a member of the student council, rank or not, those ladies should respect decorum and not harass you.”
“Um… I’ll, try.” Maria said.
“Where are you heading?” Alan asked.
“O-oh, I’m heading to the library.” Maria said, “I intended on study there for a bit, the recent lectures were a little complicated and I couldn’t mark everything down.”
Alan nodded his head, “Then I’ll escort you there, I’m heading to the Third Hall Music Room anyway. I need to practice my violin today. The library is on the way.”
“Y-You shouldn’t need to worry about that, your highness.” Maria said, “I can… I will be fine.”
“All the ladies are busy today, and based on recent actions, some may take notice. It’s safer if I travel with you.” Alan said, shaking his head, “Besides, we’re both members of the student council, I doubt people will raise that much of a fuss.”
“If you insist then…” Maria nodded.
Alan nodded his head, “Come on then, what parts of the lecture were you looking into?”
They started walking down the hall and Maria looked at him, “O-Oh, just the parts regarding magic stability and development in nature. Something about magic imbued stones was focused on, but there’s a few details I was missing.”
They continued to chat on their way, and Alan couldn’t help but note how Maria gradually became less nervous as they spoke. That made him feel good. he wonders why.
Maria was doing some shopping near the outskirts of her town. Spring break was here and she decided to return back to her village for it’s duration. She had a basket of bakery ingredients to test some new recipes. Thanks to Katarina and Keith coming by their first summer, Maria and her mother didn’t need to buy as much produce.
“Hey! Maria!!”
Maria blinked at the familiar voice and saw a young man with dark brown hair walk up to her, an older gentleman trailing behind him. It… Took a moment for Maria to place his face.
“Prince Alan?” Maria blinked as he walked up to her. He pointed to a ring on his finger.
“Yeah, I wanted to check out some of the villages, but Katarina told me to wear a disguise. So I borrowed a ring from Ian.” Alan said, “So you don’t need to address me formally.”
“U-Um…” Maria glanced at the gentleman behind him. Who lightly bowed.
“I’m Neptune, Prince Alan’s magic tutor. For today, in exchange for not having three or more attendants with him, I am accompanying him as his escort.”
“A pleasure.” Maria said, now that she thinks about it, she heard about Neptune before. Mostly from one of the teachers at the academy. Master Neptune was from a Viscount family, his magic level was considered average, if not below average. Despite that, his mastery of magic resulted in him being one of the most skilled mages in Sorcier’s military magic unit.
“Please don’t think much of me, Miss Campbell.” Neptune said abruptly, adjusting his glasses, “I’m simply Prince Alan’s escort today. Shall we be off?”
“O-oh, of course.” Maria stammered, briefly noting how Alan looked confused for a moment. “Do you want to come over to my home for some tea? I’m heading back right now.”
Alan glanced at Neptune and the tutor simply sighed.
“If Miss Campbell does not mind. Then we shall join for tea.” Neptune said.
Maria couldn’t help but feel like the older man’s tense aura slightly dissipate, it made her feel less nervous. So she smiled. “Then follow me.”
The three began walking down the dirt paths, eventually into Maria’s village. No one paid Alan any mind thanks to his change in hair color. They ended up chatting about their plans for the remainder of spring break. Besides a recital he had scheduled for the end of the break, Prince Alan seemed to have a pretty busy schedule. Geordo was shadowing Jeffrey in a town further north while Ian stayed behind to help the queen with some of her duties. Alan was tasked with helping the king go over paperwork, apparently it was his turn since all his other brothers did their rotation with the king in previous years. Today, however, was one of his free days.
It was… interesting, learning so much about the royal family and even how the princes are treated based on their rank. Despite Prince Alan and Prince Geordo being twins, Alan is treated almost like he’s a full year younger. Perhaps she shouldn’t be surprised, she did hear the rumors about how Prince Alan was sick, not to mention directly seeing those rumors as true with his MME condition. To think that was already a few months ago too… time sure does fly.
“Princ- ah… um, Alan, I have a question for you.” Maria said.
“Shoot.” Alan looked at her with full focus, making the lady a little nervous.
“Well… may I… may I ask about that condition of yours?” Maria asked.
“You mean about the whole MME stuff?” Alan asked.
“Yeah, I know we learned a lot from Doctor Haledae when he treated you and everything but…” Maria looked ahead for a moment, “How does it affect you daily? Does it bother you?”
“Of course it bothers me.” Alan frowned, also shifting his gaze, “Lady Stella, and many other doctors and researchers did what they could to stabilize my condition so I can be where I am, but it doesn’t change the fact that I’ll be dealing with it for the rest of my life. I just learned ways to deal with it. I just take my usual medicine as needed and I’m practically normal, of course I keep the others in case of emergencies, but I try not to think about the negatives.”
“…I see.”
“Actually, Maria, there’s also something I wanted to talk to you about.” Alan said.
“What is it?”
“You know Lady Stella, right? She’s the healer in the castle? One of the other light mages in the kingdom.” Alan said.
Maria nodded, “Yes, though mostly from the pharmacology teachers.”
“Well… considering you have light magic… Lady Stella had been wanting to meet you.” Alan said, “And wanted to ask if you wanted to take up her post once she retires.”
“Her… post? As in… as in the royal healer?” Maria asked, his eyes widening for a moment.
Alan nodded, “Yeah, can’t expect her to stay with us forever, she does complain that despite the fact she’s getting up in age, she doesn’t quite trust anyone yet to look after us.”
Alan chuckled for a moment before looking a bit forlorn, “She also told me… having a light mage as the royal healer can help keep all bases covered, especially since… you know, some stuff shouldn’t be known outside of the castle.”
Maria bit her lip, she knew what he was talking about. It made sense after all, the existence of Dark Magic was supposed to be a guarded family secret. Too important to forget, too dangerous to reveal. If a royal family member was unexpectedly influenced by Dark Magic, a Light Mage would be vital to their recovery, the fact they can take up a post as the royal healer can help keep the magic a secret from the populace.
“You, don’t have to worry about it too much though, 'kay?” Alan said, looking at her again, “Lady Stella knows you want to head into the Ministry once we graduate, she said if you’re dead set on the Ministry, she won’t stop you, just… ask if you can be standby for when she’s gone.”
“O-Oh, I didn’t mean to-, I was just… deep in thought.” Maria said, mildly flustered.
“It’s fine, I can tell when you’re deep in thought.” Alan smiled, “You have a similar expression as Katarina and Mary when they also get super focused. Anyway, I figured I’d tell you now so you can consider it an option if you want it. But it’s still spring break, so let’s focus on having some fun.”
Maria smiled, “Of course!”
Neptune couldn’t help but observe the two, he wasn’t talkative like Gabriel or Clover, as stern as Lady Stella, or even as approachable as Orbos was. Still, he was curious to see how well Prince Alan as Miss Maria got along. He’s seen enough chaos surrounding Prince Geordo’s fiance, so he shouldn’t be too surprised by anything else. Yet, there was a feeling between these two that made him curious.
It wasn’t long before the three got back to Maria’s house, her mother looked in good health too from the looks of it. Perhaps it was a good thing this town was further away, not only did Alan’s ‘disguise’ work flawlessly, but stating only his first name did not ring any familiarity to her. It was nice to know his military status was not known too far outside the main capital city.
After tea did Alan notice the small plot Maria had outside and the two went out to tend to it. Alan stating he recognized the field as being some of Katarina’s handy work. Neptune simply sat on a small table next to the house as the teens tended to the plot. Maria’s mother came out, set a cup of water down for him and herself and sat on the other chair.
“I’m glad Maria is making friends.”
“Mhm, I’m also glad Alan seems to get along well with her.” Neptune said.
“Forgive me for asking, but is he your son? He doesn’t look much like you.”
“No, he’s the son of a friend of mine. Asked if I could watch him for the day.” Neptune said, “I was the only one available, and he didn’t like the idea of his son running around alone. Parents always worry after all.”
She chuckled at the comment, “I suppose so, they go to the academy together, yes? Just like her other friends?”
Neptune nodded, “Indeed, they mostly discuss school related issues, but they did learn they have similar interests recently. They are actually pretty close in grade ranking, and I hear they study a lot together with their other friends.”
“I see, that’s good.” She sighed, there was a smile on her face, but a similarly distant look.
“You… have something bothering you?” Neptune asked, vaguely recalling a similar look on Gabriel’s face many years ago.
“It’s nothing… truly. I’m just… I’m just glad she has so many friends now. She never… had friends here, and I’m sad to say I failed to be there with her too. I’m really glad, there are people who care about her.”
Neptune frowned, before shifting his gaze to the teens again, “I… don’t have a family myself, so I can’t say much. However, I know plenty who do have families, and honestly, they have the same worries as you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Concern for the child, or children.” Neptune said, adjusting his glasses. “Being a parent isn’t easy and well… we do what we think we can. Everything is clearer in hindsight, both the good, and the bad. Many worry whether they did all they could, whether the decisions they made were well, and if their own grief affected the children they wished to protect.”
Her eyes widened for a moment, before taking a breath and turning away. “I suppose so.”
“But the point is that… hindsight makes things clearer, but it cannot change what had happened.” Neptune said, “You can only look to the future, and hope your child can continue the happiness they find along the way. Despite the hardships that covered their paths. Besides, to me, it looks like both you and her are doing well so far.”
Neptune smiled at her and she blushed a little, before clearing her throat, “Yeah, we are doing alright so far. I believe.”
Neptune glanced back and saw the two teens discussing a sapling of sorts before planting it back in the dirt. He smiled slightly, today was rather peaceful it turned out.
“Lady Sophia? What is it?” Maria asked, before noting both Mary and Katarina were behind the smaller girl. Whom wore a look of mischief that gave the light mage a slight feeling of trepidation.
“Prince Alan napping is by himself in the council room.” Sophia said, “The other members shouldn’t be arriving for awhile and there are no pressing issues. We cannot let this opportunity slip!”
“What… opportunity?” Maria questioned, tilting her head slightly. Only for Mary to walk up to her.
“Sophia wants to prank Prince Alan again with a trick we did as kids.” Mary said.
Katarina smiled, “We find him sleeping, and put our respective hair accessories on him! As many as we can before he wakes up.”
“And… this is okay?” Maria asked, the idea of pranking a royal still didn’t feel… right, despite how long she’s been with the group by now. She has seen Lady Sophia try to get Alan to wear all manner of costumes on several occasions, but jumping him while he’s asleep?
“It’s fine, besides, the face he makes when he wakes up is adorable.” Mary mused, “Come on, get your hair clips ready.”
Katarina grabbed Maria’s hand and dragged her along with the other ladies, once standing outside of the room did she properly remove her usual pink flower clips. They weren’t the most extravagant things, but she liked their simple design and how it matched her dress. She turned and saw the others undo their hair ornaments. Mary took off the pearl laced orange flower bulb, Sophia undid both of her hair ribbons, and Katarina took off her blue hairpiece.
Sophia gently opened the door to the student council room and the four stepped inside before closing the door again.
There, Maria saw Alan slumped over the main table in a chair. He was fast asleep. Maria kept her gaze on him, he looked so… peaceful. It was nice, that warm feeling came back and she couldn’t help but smile a little. It was nice Alan seemed to be having a nice nap.
Maria broke from her thoughts when she heard Mary’s quiet sigh, “Honestly, Prince Alan… sleeping like that is bad for your posture.”
Maria giggled silently, she couldn’t help but see Mary act almost like an older sister to Prince Alan, rather than fiances. She saw Sophia and Katarina move quickly, attaching their ornaments to Alan’s messy silver hair. Sophia tied the ribbons to form silly short pigtails, Katarina pinned her hairclip further back. Mary moved up with an amused grin and styled her flower near the front portion of his hair.
Maria walked up after Sophia nudged her a little. She looked at the sleeping prince and couldn’t help but think he looked more like a princess now. She tried to hold back a giggle as she glanced at her clips again.
Well, at the very least his hair shouldn’t poke his eyes when he wakes up. She gently brushed his front bangs and used the flowers to clip them away from his face. She smiled and backed away, walking back to the girls.
“I didn’t know Prince Alan was such a deep sleeper.” Maria said in a whisper.
“He always is, it’s cute though.” Sophia whispered back with a smile. “Doesn’t he look like a princess now?”
“He sure does, the ribbons especially.” Katarina said, before she could say anything further, the doors opened.
“Why is the room so… sister?” Keith blinked as he opened the door. “What are you doing here right now?”
Katarina not-so-subtly shifted in front of where Alan was sitting. “Oh, nothing~ I just wanted to stop by and see how things were going.”
“But why-”
“Pray tell why you put all your hair accessories on my brother?” Geordo’s voice suddenly sighed from behind Keith as he walked in. He strode without a break and shook Alan’s shoulder. “Alan, wake up.”
Alan grumbled something, but blinked his eyes open. He yawned and slowly sat up, “What’s up?”
Geordo pointed to his hair and Alan saw the slight dangle of green ribbons and orange flower petals in his vision. He blinked, and his face suddenly turned pink.
Both Mary and Sophia were trying to stifle their laughter while Katarina had the biggest grin on her face.
“Yup, totally a princess.” Katarina smiled, watching as the blush on Alan’s face got brighter.
Alan felt around his head and slightly tugged at the ribbons on his head. “You guys are still doing this here?!”
“Why not, you look so cute, Prince Alan.” Sophia giggled.
Maria only watched as Alan tried to get the ribbons out of his hair, to no avail. How tight did Sophia tie those ribbons? After Geordo also tried and failed to undo the ribbons, Alan proceeded to pout with a blush until Sophia walked over to finally undo them. He almost looked like a sulking child. Part of Maria felt a little jealous as how easily Sophia and Alan interacted, it was so familiar, gentle and teasing. It felt like there was a closeness the two shared.
Maria thought back to what Katarina said, about seeing Prince Alan like a brother. Perhaps she was right. Maria felt herself blush a little, she wanted to do that too.
Alan was out in the town near the campus for some supplies he need, mostly just materials to keep his instruments in good shape and a few new music sheets he heard were released recently. More practice was better after all. He looked up from his small list of items to get and saw Maria walking down the same street.
“Oh! Hey Maria.” Alan called out, waving slightly.
Maria blinked before picking up her pace to meet him, “Oh, good day, Prince Alan. What brings you out here?”
“Getting some supplies for my instruments, you?” Alan asked.
“I decided to look for some ingredients the cooks wanted to try for the upcoming event.” Maria said, “They let me use the kitchen, so I figured it’s the least I could do.”
“Just as kind as ever, huh?” Alan smiled, “Here, where else do you need to go?”
“Oh, just to one of the smaller shops over there, I was told they have some really good spice imports.” Maria said, pointing to a store more tucked away. “After that, I’m done.”
“Then let me join you,” Alan smiled, “Then we can head back to the dorms together.”
“O-oh you don’t need to do that.” Maria said.
“It’s fine, Mary likes it when I keep you company anyway.” Alan said, recalling the several instances where Mary would send him off to find Maria for sweets whenever she and Katarina have tea together. “Besides, I like hanging out with friends, so I enjoy this too.”
Maria blushed a little, but nodded and walked after him showing him to the shop.
The door jingled open with the small bell and an older woman looked up from the counter, “Oh, you must be Miss Maria. And… oh, Prince Alan! A pleasure.”
“The pleasure is mine,” Alan smiled.
“What brings you two here today?” She asked.
“Miss Glenne told me there were some new spice imports recently, she wanted me to pick some up to try out.” Maria said.
“Oh! Yes, they are some quality spices, I’ll be right back.”
It didn’t take long for the older lady to come back with a small box. Inside were several small sealed glass jars, holding a variety of small seeds, leaves, nuts, and other things. Maria quickly gave the lady her payment and the two were off.
“With this out of the way, we should be able to head back now.” Maria said, looking at the box, “I wonder if I can use any of these in baking…”
“Geordo and Katarina really liked the spice cookies you made last time.” Alan recalled, “Maybe something like that? Or perhaps those buns Sophia and Nicol like?”
“They’re good choices…” Maria pondered, “Hmmm… I need to test the spices first to see which one might work best. Is there a confection you enjoyed, Prince Alan?”
Alan hummed for a moment, “Those custard and jam filled puffs you made were delicious. I think those were my favorite.”
Maria smiled, “Then maybe I’ll try those.”
The two continued to chat for a moment until Alan heard a commotion from behind him.
“Watch out-!”
“He has a knife!”
Alan turned his head just as he saw a glint of metal.
“Maria!” Alan quickly jumped in front of the girl as a man tried to grab her. He twist his hand away until he saw the metal again. On instinct, he reached his hand up and grabbed the knife by the blade. He quickly yanked and twisted it out of his hands and it clattered to the ground. The man let out a yell, but Alan made a precise strike with his fist into the man’s face. He reaked of alcohol. It somehow didn’t break his nose, but the blow was hard enough to send the man to the ground.
Once the adrenaline wore off, Alan winced as he went to his knees for a moment and looked at the cut on his palm. It was rather deep.
“Prince Alan!” Maria quickly moved to be in front of him and took hold of his injured hand. Taking out a clean cloth from her pocket, she wiped as much blood off the wound as possible. “Just a moment. Please.”
Maria took a breath as she held one hand over the wound and another supporting his injured hand. Light Magic flowed from her palms and onto the wound. Slowly but surely, it closed, leaving Alan with an oddly familiar tingly feeling.
“Thanks.” Alan said.
Maria shook her head, “I should be thanking you. Thank you for that… I…”
Alan smiled, she looked so much like a scared kid. He can’t have that. He raised his uninjured hand and patted her hair gently.
“Thanks for healing me, that means I shouldn’t get scolded too badly now.” Alan said, “Besides, Katarina and Mary wouldn’t want you hurt. Neither do I. So I’m fine.”
Maria’s face became red as a tomato and began spluttering again. Alan blushed and pulled his hand back, but before either of them could properly communicate further, guards suddenly swarmed the area. Plenty took care of the drunkard, and plenty swarmed him and Maria. Insisting they escort them back to the campus.
He supposed he can’t be surprised, he was a Prince, and Maria was one of three light mages in the whole kingdom. He shouldn’t be surprised an attack like this that would harm them would cause issues.
Still, as they were walking, Maria’s face was still red, but she gripped his coat with a small smile on her face. It reminded him of Sophia.
Alan couldn’t help but smile a little.
Mary hummed as she watched Maria and Alan tend to Katarina’s fields with her from the window.
“Not going down there to interfere?” Geordo asked, walking up next to her.
“I don’t see you doing anything about it, Prince Geordo.” Mary retorted, “Besides, it’s not like either of them are focusing on Lady Katarina at the moment anyway.”
“They’ve grown rather close, haven’t they?” Geordo mused.
“Indeed, though frankly it’s nothing more than a… Ahem, ‘sibling bond’ as Lady Katarina put it.” Mary said.
Geordo chuckled, “I suppose that explains Miss Maria’s comment to me a short time ago.”
“Oh?”
“She said, quite embarrassed, that she was jealous Alan was my brother.” Geordo mused, “She couldn’t really elaborate even if I asked, so I just told her how much I like Alan as my brother. She seemed satisfied with that.”
Mary hummed.
“What are you scheming now?” Geordo asked, though the smile on his face meant it in jest.
“Nothing, your highness.” Mary sighed, “I just… I can’t help but wonder if those two are a good match for each other.”
“A good match?” Geordo looked down at the field, “I wonder as well. Do they look cute together?”
“I can’t say yet.” Mary responded as she looked out the window. Still, it gave her some ease of mind, if she ever did leave with Katarina to some far away land, perhaps Maria will be there to look over Alan. They got along well after all.
Well, that’s a question she’ll ponder for another time.