"No! I don't want to go!"

A young female voice rang out through the halls before a door was slammed shut.

"You cannot do this, princess!" An older female voice shouted from behind the door. A moment later, knocking sounds followed. "I beseech you, my lady! The king himself has requested this meeting! You will not disappoint him this time! You cannot!"

"No! I will sooner jump off my balcony before I go to that meeting and play the fool!" The young princess' sudden proclamation put a stop to the incessant knocking.

The silence that followed made her swallow her saliva as she tiptoed across her bedroom and pressed one of her long, pointy ears to the door.

"I shall pretend to not have heard that, princess. You know well the consequences of such words!"

"?!"

Almost falling backwards on her behind, the young lady recovered quickly, straightened her back and silently cleared her throat in preparation.

"Enough! I don't want to hear it! Leave me alone!" She huffed and puffed, making sure her stomps were audible, before throwing herself on the luxurious canopy bed filled with various silks and ornamental designs.

"As you wish, young lady. Think very carefully on it. The meeting will take place in three days time. You will be there!"

Those last words came with a final knock on the door, which made the young princess grit her teeth and throw the nearest pillow towards the voice.

"So annoying! And to berate me first thing in the morning…! Ugh!" She grabbed another pillow as she grumbled to herself, wrapping her small body around it. "I was having such a good dream too…"

The late moon creeped through the window and blinds, calling for her glistening blue eyes. Its rebellious shine early in the morning was inviting her, calling towards her to move.

"If only I hadn't been born a princess…" She muttered words she knew would get her a scolding like never before.

Thankfully, she had been alone when they came out-

THUD!

"?!"

Another knock at the door immediately put her on her feet. She was still hugging her pillow while standing on the bed, glaring towards the source.

"I said I want to be alone!"

"Mathilda, it is I…"

"!"

Hearing the hesitating voice behind the door, her eyes widened in glee before rushing towards to let him in.

"Aymeric! Come on in, quickly!"

"..."

As Aymeric timidly sneaked in, Mathilda closed the door and locked it again.

"Sister, why are you still in your sleeping gown?"

The boy of eleven years old, clearly a bit shorter than his sister, had a green, short-sleeved shirt, which instead of stopping around the waist, split to continue down from the front and back. It was engraved with golden strokes at the edges and around the collar. Under it, he had blue-ish garments to act as both a long-sleeved undershirt and pants.

His almost white hair was on the shorter side, with only a few bangs to the sides of his forehead. In the middle, however, a circlet with an emerald gem was stealing the spotlight from his blue eyes – an accessory adorned with the symbol of royalty.

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"Well, I just woke up and I don't feel like going anywhere today!" The princess finally answered, putting her hands on her hips and looking away. "In fact, I'm not leaving this room at all!"

Unlike her brother, her long almost white hair was still disheveled, and all she had on was a simple turquoise sleeping gown.

"Come now, I know you, you could not bear locking yourself in here all day!" Aymeric started with a low tone, and ended with a high one, almost startling his sister. "I know! We will go out together! We can make a day out of it, what do you say?!"

"Oh, Aymeric!" Having listened to him with teary eyes, Mathilda finally leaped toward him and embraced him in a hug. "You're so sweet!"

"Sister?!" The brother blurted out, both at the sudden action and the unexpected pinch on his left ear.

"Tell the truth now, did they send you to cheer me up?!"

"N-no! I came as soon as I heard the quarrel between you two! Even though Keerla is just an old lady-in-waiting-Ow! Ow! Why are you still pulling on my ear?!"

"Because despite how angry I am with her, she isn't to blame and shouldn't be looked down upon by us! She's a person too, Aymeric! Does the little prince understand?!" The princess switched to pulling on her brother's cheek, ending her scolding by imitating the one she's defending.

"I understand! I understand!" Cried Aymeric. "I do not like it when you call me prince with that tone-Ow! Ow! I yield!"

"Then you should call me Tilla like I've told you to!"

"But-"

"No buts!"

"..."

After a moment, Tilla released him and watched as he rubbed his cheek meekly while avoiding her gaze.

"I'm sorry… I was too harsh. I'll make it up to you, just wait a moment and I'll get dressed, okay?" She rushed behind a dressing screen and began putting on the closest thing she could find.

"What are you planning now?" The prince took a few steps back, her sudden enthusiasm making him sweat.

"You know, I met someone recently and he took me to the White Garden! Can you believe it?!" She began, still behind the screen.

"The white garden? That is impossible!" He blurted out at once. "It is a myth, and you know it! You said so when we last spoke of it!"

"That's what I thought too, Aymeric! I couldn't believe my eyes! That's why I want to show it to you!"

"Can it really be…?" He muttered to himself, stunned. "Where is it?"

"Um… I'm not sure. I know the general direction, I think. I'm confident we'll find our way to it, don't worry!" She exclaimed before stepping out from behind the screen and flinging her hair in an exaggerated pose. "And here I am in all my beauty!"

"..."

Aymeric stood in place, his eyes darting around left and right.

She had a similar outfit as him, with the same green dress, golden strokes and blue undershirt. However, hers opened at the shoulders and hung loosely around the arms and legs. The whole thing suited her slim female figure still in the process of developing.

"What say you, my prince?!" She called out, the words carrying impatience rather than the nobility and royalty she was imitating.

"Ah! M-my princess is as radiant as the moon this morning!" Aymeric let out while scratching the back of his head.

"You still need a lot of work, my prince. I might have to tell Keerla about this or we might never have a queen to stand by you when the time comes." She chuckled, looking into the mirror to the side and fixing her hair.

"Spare me, please…"

"Relax, I'm just teasing. Let's go!" She ended by rushing to grab his hand.

"Wait! You forgot your royal circlet!"

"Oh…" Tilla reached for her forehead, noticing it at last. "Right."

She rushed back to her dressing table, opened a drawer and pulled out a golden circlet similar to her brother's. The same kind of emerald stone hung at the front. Putting it on and adjusting it slightly while looking into the mirror, she restrained a wince, then ran back to grab her brother's hand on her way out of the room.

The two royal siblings went on a sudden outing.

**👑**

"Next time, I promise you!"

"Yes…"

A few hours passed before the two began to make their way back to the royal palace. Although she had kept looking non-stop, Tilla couldn't find the way to this supposed White Garden.

Eventually, she decided it was getting late and their absence would stir up trouble if they didn't get back. Currently, they were in one of the uninhabited areas of the island, which was shaped like a flower with giant petals splitting it apart into different sections.

"He must have a really good sense of direction, I almost got lost out here." She mumbled about the one who had led her there last time.

"Lost?! Are you sure we can find our way back?!" Aymeric looked around in a frenzy, unable to recognize any of the surroundings.

"Relax, Aymeric. Look up." She pointed upwards towards the royal castle in the far distance.

"Ah, you're right!"

"Aren't you glad Blumenheim is built like this?" She nudged him as he let out a sigh of relief.

Just like the flower that shaped the island, the stamen was the structure that connected the many areas of this country. It stretched out of each petal and came together at a high point far above the island.

And on top of even that stood the elven royal palace in all its white, ornamental glory.

"Father always said we should call it Liamen'Iur, its true elvish name!" Aymeric proclaimed proudly, holding his head high and brushing the tip of his nose.

"Father was stuck in his old ways, Aymeric. Don't forget we are welcoming other races into our clan now and must adapt into a more universal language." Tilla explained while holding her finger up in front of her face.

"Why should we have to change our name, the name of our home and speak another language for others' sake? We elves are the true royalty, and have been since the Grand Descent!"

"..."

Tilla narrowed her eyes slightly, then looked away.

"I don't like it when you talk like those hateful old fools, Aymeric. Try to see beyond royalty and what is good for our race, and more what is better for the clan and everyone who shares our Sign. Can you promise me that?" She asked, turning to him with a slight wince.

"I… I shall try, sister!"

"Call me Tilla, you scoundrel of a brother!" She slapped him on the back and as she watched him catch his footing, the corners of her lips curled up. "Let's go home!"

Perhaps the two of them were still too young, or too inexperienced to have noticed, but this entire time on their outing, two figures had followed them and remained at a distance.

They continued to watch from the shadows as the two royal siblings made their way back to the royal castle.

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