As always Giliath demands your power stones!
*****
Wednesday blew by in a blink of an eye. To be honest, I wasn't expecting that I would be thrown for another loop this quickly. I thought things were back on track again. But this result...isn't out of the ordinary, if I had to take a crack at it? It's only been three days since the first declaration was made. An engagement between two of the strongest countries in all of Zemuria: Erebonia and Liberl.
One half of the coin is me, acting as Liberl's Crown Prince. Normally, this spot should fall onto Kloe, as she would be assuming the role of Crown Princess in the coming future. That would shed some light during Sky SC. She would parade around helping Estelle's party as Kloe during FC. This time around, she will not be adhering to that title. Yes, she will still be Klaudia von Auslese, but it is just that. She doesn't have to worry rising up onto the throne. She will have no reason to hide who she really is for that matter either. I have that pressure now instead.
And the other half of the coin is Princess Alfin. She is much more of a figurehead than I am. She's called Erebonia's Treasure for a reason. There isn't a single person out there who doesn't know who she is. She's much more visible on the spectrum as a whole. Every action she does has weight to it. She's even younger than I am, so I can only guess how much weight she actually carries on her shoulders. The surprising part was that she accepted this engagement.
As to how this engagement will go, only the Goddess Herself knows. I ain't no damn fortune teller. I know people who are, but that's an entire separate point. Will two of the most powerful nations joining hands become a cause for celebration, or become a breeding ground for chaos to ensue?
Life can't always swing in your favor. But I think that ended up being the case for what happened yesterday. I thought it would have just been a day where I would be chilling out with the princess at Karel Imperial Villa. And while that did indeed end up happening later on, things progressed in a way I didn't expect.
It happened right after we concluded breakfast. Our group was taken into the throne room. We saw His Imperial Majesty decked out in his royal garb, acting as if he was passing down a decree. Even Empress Priscilla was seated next to him. She did not have as much say in governmental affairs as the Emperor did, but her words still carried some weight. She even actively managed the place where we were now at, Karel Imperial Villa. She oversaw operations here, instead of the Emperor.
Meeting with Alfin's parents would have been a nice moment to enjoy. That is, if it weren't for all those reporters standing in the room. They were sectioned off and couldn't greet His Imperial Majesty directly. But once I saw 'em, I knew we were in for something. And boy was it something. The setting was formal and everything. Even Prince Olivert and Prince Cedric were there beside them.
The event took off, and it was the Imperial Family giving their blessings on the newly-announced engagement being shared by our two hands. Eventually it will end in matrimony, but that won't happen for several years down the line. This meant that Erebonia just gave the two of us their blessings. I even approached His Imperial Majesty and shook his hand.
A bunch of flashes followed that coming straight from the reporters. That article spread like wildfire, despite a mere twenty-four hours passing since then. But that was the surprise factor, that being Erebonia giving their blessing. That was one half of this engagement. All that remains is for Grandmother to give hers, and then it will truly be official. And the person I'm referring to here is Her Majesty Queen Alicia II. The sole monarch who has been ruling over Liberl ever since Kloe's parents passed away. They were supposed to take the throne during that time, and well that didn't exactly happen. This event only further solidified Grandmother's position.
And this engagement isn't your normal one where a bride would just propose to a groom, and a marriage would happen thereafter. No. I had a duty of a noble to uphold. And most nobles, like I've previously mentioned, have their partner determined from birth. You have very little in the matter. It is ordained by the parents of both sides. And it's not like I will be marrying into the Imperial Family here. It's going to be the opposite.
Princess Alfin will be leaving the Imperial Family to join Liberl's side. That means she will be stripped of her title of Crown Princess. She will just become a princess here, as Liberl is a monarchy. This throne will be a seat that I will be seated upon one day. I am not sure when that time will come exactly.
It is now four days into the calendar year S1200. All of the games still need to take place, with the earliest being Trails in the Sky. The first events of that will begin next year around the time Kloe and I begin school in April. The event to kick off will be Estelle and Joshua taking the Junior Bracer Exam alongside Scherazard. I do know Angie is looking to take this exam as well, but I am not sure if it will be this year or the next. We'll see. That begins in S1201.
Then you got the Crossbell games, the Cold Steel games, the Daybreak games, and onward. That covers a very large span of eight plus years. There's also Ouroboros's bullshit prophesizing the end of the world that will take place in S1210. I have no idea what that is referring to. There's still nine years until that point in time happens, and by then, I'll be twenty-two. A lot is bound to happen.
Like I said, this moment would have been nice to enjoy. If it weren't for all those damn reporters. I was almost blinded with how many flashes that took place. It was particularly intense once I shook His Imperial Majesty's hand.
It's tough being a figurehead, you know? I'm sure Princess Alfin is used to this if we take her standing as Erebonia's Treasure into consideration, but I haven't heard such a moniker yet by my people. And I don't know if I will for that matter. That doesn't mean you can ignore it, though. Every single action you take being in this position is scrutinized by different parties.
And on top of that, none of these folks know that I have a law-breaking Gamer System. Only Master is aware of its existence, and I plan to keep it that way. Others will just come across this system as an "ability". It's the easiest way to describe it without having to go knee-deep in water. Some things can't be explained, and I can leave it as such. Experimenting with the Party System was pretty fun, though. I'm sure I'll get more chances to do that.
I could have not chosen this route I'm currently treading. Being a noble, that is. I could have started my own adventure coming out of those caves where no one could contact me. I could have become a Bracer. Enroll in a police academy to become a cop, or even become a wandering martial artist. Hell, I could have even joined up with a country's military. My background was sealed back then and it could have rested in the grave. But I chose not to.
I decided to walk the path of a noble. I will see how things play out from here on with that vantage point. I will additionally partake in upcoming events as I please. As long as it doesn't cause an international disturbance, that is, haha!
Jokes aside, if there was a plus, the news folk did capture a good image of me shaking hands with His Imperial Majesty. It also showed Princess Alfin full of smiles beside me. Our group was present too. That may or may not have implications down the road, considering it showed Tio and all. She already alienated herself from her parents and now considers me as her family. And the bond she's created with the Epstein Foundation since she was taken in by them.
But that whole debacle caused the time to pass rather quickly. Before I realized it, the day had passed. At first it felt like a fleeting dream, but no. What happened yesterday was very, very real. I am very curious to see how things will progress from here.
It's not like I remained idle for the remainder of the day after that news article swept around our neighboring countries. It spread like wildfire. I actually used this opportunity to start what I had planned for this occasion. I ran it by His Imperial Majesty and he was on board with the whole idea. It was what made the papers after all.
A party to celebrate this engagement. Now I do feel a tad guilty not running it by Grandmother first, but I'm sure she'll approve it. It even prompted my next actions to take yesterday.