The Alpha Prince's Witch Bride

Chapter 7

*THIRD PERSON's POV*

"G-Good morning, sister Felecity," Princess Firea awkwardly smiled and greeted her sister as she entered the antechamber with her personal servant following behind her.

"I, Suta, greet Your Highness, the first Princess, Princess Felecity," Suta also greeted the first Princess in a polite and formal manner while making sure that she was bowing her head properly as she faced at the direction of the first Princess. It is normal for a Princess to not respond to a servant if he or she does not want to, but the fact that Princess Firea also greeted her older sister is a different matter, and the second Princess instantly felt her sister's cold treatment towards her as Princess Felecity stared blankly at Princess Firea for a few seconds, then looked away as if she did not see anything.

"Uhm, sister, I'm sorry if I'm late," even though Princess Firea knew that she was not late for the appointed time by their mother, she still decided to apologize towards her sister in order to avoid any further misunderstandings or conflict between the two of them.

"Take your seat already, and shut your mouth," Princess Felecity coldly replied to her younger sister, but Princess Firea decided to ignore the cold tone of her sister's voice, and just smiled at the first Princess before she walked her way towards the couch across the single couch that the second Princess was sitting on.

The two Princesses and their servants remained in silence as they all patiently waited inside the antechamber, but Princess Firea was still thinking of a way to have a conversation with her older sister, and she tried to speak up for how many times, but she still did not have any idea what to talk about, and so the silence between the two Princesses remained and lengthened, not until the first Princess broke the silence surrounding them as she picked up her cup of freshly brewed Earl Grey tea poured into a porcelain cup, with three and a half inches high and has a diameter of three and one-fourth inches. The front of the cup has a hand painted scene of pink flowers in a landscape. It is surrounded by an ornate gilded cartouche. While the saucer has panels of hand painted flowers in gilded cartouches, the saucer has a diameter of five inches and is one and a half inches deep. Also, the handle, foot of the cup, and rims are trimmed with heavy gold, perfect for a tea set designed and made for the royal family.

"Did you practice your magic yesterday?" Princess Felecity asked before she took a sip with a small amount of tea from her teacup, without looking at her younger sister.

"Huh? Ah, yes, sister. I practiced for three hours yesterday morning after breakfast, and another four hours before dinner," Princess Firea answered happily with a huge smile on her face.

This is the first time that sister Felecity asked me about my magic practice. Princess Firea thought to herself as she looked at her sister who was drinking her tea elegantly.

"Then, were you able to make some progress?" Princess Felecity raised a question once more, which made Princess Firea smile awkwardly.

"Ah, hehe, I uhm...I'm...almost there...sister Felecity," Princess Firea answered bashfully as she started fidgeting with her fingers placed on top of her legs.

"Is that so? Then, does your answer mean you can now defend yourself from any attack of mine?" Princess Felecity asked and looked straight into her younger sister's eyes with her cold expression.

"Eh? N-No, I-I still can't do that, sister. Be-Besides, you're too strong for me, even Brother Falco is having a hard time when you two are dueling with each other," Princess Firea replied as she aggressively shook her hands in front of her, showing her disagreement with what her older sister just spoke of. And Princess Felecity only raised her right eyebrow at her younger sister before she placed her teacup back on its saucer.

"Then, that only means that you are still weak, Firea. You are still not worthy of being one of the Nature Dragon's apprentices," Princess Felecity said straightforwardly to her younger sister, which made Princess Firea's shoulders to droop, but the second Princess still maintained her awkward and fake smile in order to cover up the sadness that she was feeling from hearing those words from her older sister. After that, Princess Firea looked down on her fidgeting fingers as she tried her best not to be hurt by her sister's words.

"And you still have the guts to face mother like that?" Princess Felecity asked Princess Firea in a mocking way as she crossed her legs and arms in front of her as she stared straight at Princess Firea who was looking down on her lap.

"Do you have any idea what the other aristocrats are saying to mother because of you? You are already fifteen years old, Firea. At that age, our brother Falco had already mastered his fire magic, while I mastered my water magic. But you? You still can't even lift a spoonful of water from a small pail or even lit a match using your own fire magic, and the fact that you still have not tried practicing both air and earth magic," Princess Felecity spoke towards Princess Firea, who remained in silence as she looked down on her lap.

"I-I'm sorry," Princess Firea muttered, but her older sister was still able to hear her, which made Princess Felecity's anger to rise up.

"Sorry? Sorry for being weak? How can you even call yourself a Blackwood if you can't even master one of the elements!?" Princess Felecity asked as she glared at her younger sister.

"Y-Your Highness, Princess Firea is trying her best to practice every day," Suta tried to intervene and protect the second Princess, but Princess Felecity simply gave her a glare, which shut her up instantly because she knew she should not intervene with the royal family's conversation. As Princess Felecity glared at Suta, Princess Firea knew that her lady-in-waiting was in danger if she did not stop her sister any minute now, so she quickly spoke up and caught her sister's attention.

"I-It's fine, Suta. Sister Felecity was right. I'm too weak so I should train myself and work harder, r-right, sister?" Princess Firea spoke up with a trembling smile on her lips as she tried her best not to cry in front of anyone, especially to her sister.

"Tsk," Princess Felecity hissed as she leaned her back on the backrest and closed her eyes, while Princess Firea took a deep breath and looked at Suta who was also looking at her with worry, so Princess Firea smiled at Suta, thinking that with that smile, her personal servant will feel at ease and stop worrying about her already. But, Princess Firea could not fake any of her emotions at Suta and she knew that Suta would always know the truth about her if she kept staring at her straight in the eyes, so she quickly averted her gaze and looked back at her hands that were placed on her thighs. And once again, the silence enveloped the antechamber, but this time, no one dared to speak up anymore.

After waiting for another minute, the door of the antechamber opened and the first and only Prince of the Majiro Kingdom stepped inside the room. Then, as Prince Falco entered the room, all of the servants showed their respects towards the Prince by bowing their heads, placing their right hand on top of their left chest, and as for the female servants, slightly raising the hem of their skirt using their left hand. And as the Prince entered the antechamber, he immediately noticed the ear deafening silence in the room and an unpleasant atmosphere coming from his younger sisters, which made him furrow his eyebrows.

"Did something happen?" Prince Falco asked while looking at Princess Felecity, then at Princess Firea. However, both Princesses remained silent and did not even bother looking at the Prince.

So, something really did happen here. Prince Falco thought to himself, and after that, he took a deep breath and looked at the personal servants of the Princesses. First, as Prince Falco looked at the servants standing behind Princess Felecity, he noticed that all of them were taking some weird glances at the second Princess. Then, Prince Falco looked at Princess Firea's only personal servant, who was looking at the Princess with worry and a glimpse of sadness in the way she looked at the second Princess.

Did Felecity do something to Firea again? Tsk! Tsk! This woman is really a headache. Prince Falco thought to himself and took a deep breath. Then, he walked his way towards the couch and sat beside Princess Firea, and immediately messed the Princess's hair.

"Waah! Brother! Please, stop that! You're ruining my hair!" Princess Firea complained with pouting lips as she smacked her brother's right hand from her head, but the Prince just laughed at her reaction.

"Haha, then stop pouting like a duck," Prince Falco said and pinched his youngest sister on both cheeks.

"Owsh! Hthat hwurts!" Princess Firea complained while her brother was pulling both sides of her cheeks in opposite directions, but the Prince just laughed at her funny expression and way of talking.

"Tsk! Will you two stop acting like a child?" Princess Felecity grumbled while glaring at her siblings.

"So stop being a grumpy old lady, Felecity," Prince Falco replied to the second Princess, who just glared at him in response and rolled her eyes at him. Then, Prince Falco let go of Princess Firea's cheeks, who immediately massaged her cheeks with both hands. When the Prince was about to lecture his younger sisters, the door suddenly burst open, and the lady-in-waiting of the Queen, Lady Safhira, entered the room and bowed her head to the royal Prince and Princesses.

"Greetings, Your Highnesses. By the order of the Queen, I am here to escort the three of you towards the dining room of the Windshire Palace," Safhira spoke formally towards the Prince and Princesses of the Majiro Kingdom. After her announcement, the Prince stood up and looked at his younger sisters.

"Stop fighting already. That is if you don't want to anger mother or me," Prince Falco warned his siblings in a serious tone of voice, which is known to be a rare scenario for anyone who knew the Prince's characteristics to be a jolly person, and for him to be in a serious manner surely brings fear to those around him, even to his sisters.

"Let's go and join mother for breakfast," Prince Falco invited his sisters, who quickly nodded their heads and stood up from their seats. Then, as Lady Safhira walked out of the room, Prince Falco followed behind her, and Princess Felecity walked behind her brother elegantly, while Princess Firea walked in silence and looked down at her feet as she followed behind her siblings. And while the Prince and Princesses walk down the hallway, their servants follow behind them with a few steps in the distance in order to give some privacy to their masters.

After two minutes of walking, Safhira stopped in front of a double white door with two golden dragons facing each other and gold rails and a doorknob. Then, Lady Safhira knocked three times on the door's panel and announced her arrival, together with the Prince and Princesses of the Majiro Kingdom.

"Your Majesty, His Highness, the Prince, and Her Highnesses, the Princesses, are here to join you for breakfast," Lady Safhira announced, and she waited for a response coming from the inside of the room.

"Let them in," a strong voice from a woman came from the other side of the door, and upon hearing those words, Lady Safhira opened the double door and stepped inside the room. Then, she bowed her head at the woman seated on a chair at the far end of the table, and then, Lady Safhira stepped aside from the door's way.

"Please, come in and join Her Majesty, Your Highnesses," Lady Safhira spoke as she looked and bowed her head at the Prince and Princesses, who simply nodded their heads at her before entering the dining room. Then, the Prince and Princesses all stopped as they entered the dining room and showed respect to the woman sitting on the chair.

"Greetings to the Moon of this Kingdom, Queen Wazanea," the Prince and Princesses formally and elegantly bowed their heads at the Queen. The Prince placed his right hand over his left chest as he placed his left foot slightly behind him and bent his head to bow down, while the Princesses placed their right hand on their left chest and slightly raised the hem of their skirt using their left hand while bowing to the Queen.

"Take your seats, children," the Queen commanded, and so the Prince and Princesses quickly walked their way towards their respective seats. The Prince went towards the first chair on the right side of the Queen, while Princess Felecity went to the first chair on the Queen's left, and beside her, on the second chair on the left side of the Queen, Princess Firea sat down in silence.

After watching her children take their respective seats, the Queen gave a hand signal towards Lady Safhira, and the Lady immediately commanded the servers to serve the foods prepared by the most skilled chefs assigned to the Windshire Palace to cook for the Queen. As the servers placed different kinds of cuisines and foods on the long table, Princess Firea secretly took a glance at her mother, but the Queen immediately noticed her stares and looked in the second Princess's direction, and so Princess Firea quickly averted her looks and pretended to be mesmerized by the foods placed near her.

"Does the food look delicious?" the Queen suddenly asked, which caught the Prince and the First Princess's attention, and when they looked at the Queen, they both saw that their mother was looking at their youngest sister, and Princess Firea noticed their gazes at her so she raised her head and awkwardly nodded her head.

"Is that so? Then, help yourselves with these foods. Let's eat," Queen Wazanea said as the last tray of bread was placed on the table, and the servers stood still at the side of the room. After the Queen gave her permission, the four of them started eating in a graceful way, showing the etiquette they learned from their lessons when they were still children.

While enjoying their meal in silence, the Queen suddenly asked a question to the Prince, breaking the silence on the table.

"Prince, how was your lesson in the academy?" Queen Wazanea asked before she took a sip of her fresh orange juice from her glass. And before answering, the Prince first grabbed his table napkin and wiped the sides of his mouth.

"I would say that it was fun, mother. The professors are really great at teaching and guiding us," Prince Falco answered his mother's inquiry.

"That's good. And how about your marks?" the Queen raised another question towards the Prince, who smiled at her at first before saying anything.

"So far I am still maintaining my marks, mother. No failures and no marks lower than A," the Prince answered with a genuine smile on his lips, which was answered by the Queen with a nod and a smile on her lips.

"That is great. Keep up the good work, Falco. This way, you will become a great apprentice and asset to the Nature Dragon when he revives again," Queen Wazanea replied proudly to her son. Then, she looked at her first daughter who was eating in silence.

"How about the first Princess?" Queen Wazanea asked while she was placing some apple jam on her bread.

"I just finished practicing Air magic, mother," Princess Felecity answered to her mother with a small smile plastered on her lips.

"Really? That was great. Did you find any difficulties while practicing a new element?" the Queen inquired again and looked excitedly at the first Princess.

"Well, at first I was having a hard time since Air and Fire are different kinds of nature elements. Also, the enchantments needed for each element are different and longer from the other elements," Princess Felecity said, and the Queen nodded her head as an agreement because she herself knew how hard it was to practice a different element after learning and mastering a certain element. Even the Prince nodded his head and waited for his sister to finish her words.

"However, as my professor told me, I went back to the basic knowledge of practicing magic, and that is to try imagining the power coursing through my veins just like air passing through a hole, and after doing that for a few times, I was able to successfully form an air ball in front of me," Princess Felecity proudly told her mother about her practice and her success in her practice.

"You're doing great at controlling and using your power, Feleciity. I am looking forward to your further achievements as a witch and a Princess of this Kingdom," Queen Wazanea complimented her eldest daughter with a smile on her lips. And as the three of them happily talked about the achievements of the Prince and the first Princess, Princess Firea remained in silence as she did not want to get the attention of any of the people inside the dining room, especially her mother's. However, the thought of being unnoticed in a single room is unlikely to happen.

"How about my youngest daughter? How was your training? Have you made any improvements?" the Queen asked Princess Firea with a smile on her lips, and the second Princess swallowed hard as she took her table napkin and wiped the sides of her lips.

"Uhm, I-I'm still practicing, m-mother," Princess Firea uttered in a low voice, embarrassed to face her mother after hearing the great achievements of her siblings.

"Oh," that was the only word that the Queen was able to say, but she immediately shook her head and nodded her head at her youngest child.

"Then, you should continue your practice. I'm sure you'll be able to improve your magic," Queen Wazanea replied to the second Princess, and Princess Firea simply gave her mother a weak smile.

Yes, mother. I hope so. Princess Firea thought to herself as she picked up her glass of water and took a few gulps of it. Then, she placed the half empty glass of water back on the table and wiped her mouth with the table napkin.

"Mother, may I be excused? It is almost time for my magic practice," Princess Firea asked for the Queen's permission, and the latter simply nodded her head at her.

"Alright. Off you go then," Queen Wazanea replied and so Princess Firea bowed her head at the Queen and stride her way out of the suffocating dining room.