"Guhahaha! Let it be known that the House of Dawson has served the Kingdom well! What are you lots doing? Where is the music when you need one!?" Roared the king in a jubilant mood.

He looked so happy and merry; it was as though his prior facades were nothing more than a cheap play.

Carrying a similar ambience yet totally different in how they expressed themselves, Father also turned to the three of us, flashing a smile of victory and comfort.

"This is why I looked up to you, my king! This level of familial love fits right up in my alley! Now, if you'll excuse me. I have people to entertain." Bid the second Prince goodbye, not even bothering himself to properly excuse himself any longer.

"May I be excused as well, Royal Father?" Asked the older one.

"Must you always ask me for every little thing? Go. Go and do whatever you want. You're a prince! Act like one!" Chided the king sourly.

In terms of temperament, the king appeared to be more similar to the second prince than the first one.

"May you live long and prosper, Royal Father." Hidden and twisted as his face might be, the first Prince didn't forget to politely bid his exit, making his way in the opposite way to which his brother went.

"Then let us not spoil your mood any further, Your Majesty. May you live long and prosper!" Followed Father promptly.

"May you live long and prosper!" And so did we.

"Hm...Go." He waved only a hand, void of any expression again.

Anyway, we finally finished the hurdle with the king of Boreas, the twins' biological Father, and made our way back. Father and Howard were in the front, leading the way, with Helena pushing me in tandem.

"Hey, hey, can you believe that? We're gonna get married for real! It's settled, Alex!" A spirited whisper came from the ruby-haired Princess.

'Ha...' I sighed mentally.

"Yeah, Helena...Hey, I know you're doing great, but let's keep it that way. Try not to stir trouble with the Heliards, okay?" Fearing she was about to sense the uncertainty buried in my answer, I changed the topic.

"Tch! Just how shameless that bitch can be? Relax. I'm not that stupid, Alex." Mocked Helena sharp before responding back to me proudly.

'You're never stupid. It's your temper that is the problem...' I rolled my eyes, hoping that they wouldn't make any trouble. Or, at the very least, leave me out of it...

Afterward, not much had happened other than the ensuing cold war with Helena and Lady Heliard, who, for some reason, refused to leave us despite the active persuasion from her mother.

The look on Helena's face was so pissed, I got that feeling that anything I'd say would only make things worse.

So...I just ignore them altogether. Thankfully, Sister Alyson and Mother were there to keep an eye out in case something did happen. They were much better than me at dealing with things like this anyway.

'Ooh...Trodin sure keeps his eyes on Margareth well...Hey, hey, big guy. Look at the people around you. They're whispering about how you, dude...' In the distance, I could see Trodin and Margareth talking with people, making a comment about them while I was at it.

Margareth, wearing a prim dark-green dress that completed her mature elegance, was conversing with the surrounding men, most likely merchants judging from their body language, and some nobles mixed in.

On the other hand, Trodin, with a perfectly fitted grey suit that showcased his powerful body, was standing with an untouched glass of wine in his hand, towering a head taller over the others around him as he kept his unwavering gaze locked on Margareth.

If people didn't know any better of his reputation as a righteous and incorruptible viscount, someone might think he was about to kidnap Margareth or something.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Peering to the side, I saw my Father and Grandfather standing stiff, face to face. Not much could be said since neither of them was saying much, but nothing seemed out of place.

Also, Howard was there, fidgeting like he was constipating. He'd been doing a good job at trying not to show it too much, but he couldn't fool my eyes. The palpitating veins, irregular arm movements, and his left shoulder, which always twitched whenever he was uncomfortable.

Yeah, bro was nervous as fuck.

'Hahaha! Now that is funny.' I chortled mentally.

"What's so funny?" Asked Helena suddenly.

"..." I blinked a couple of times. '...Am I laughing out loud just now?'

I sure didn't think so.

"...What are you talking about?" The words trailed off at the tips of my tongue.

"Sure you do. You're not fooling anyone, Alex. You know, you often have this stupid blank look on your face, but I can tell everything by your eyes." Refuted Helena pompously.

'The fuck? Are you a psychic or something?' I reeled my neck in.

"And who taught you that?" Interjected my Sister with a proud grin.

"Tch...You do, Sister..." Answered Helena, rolling her eyes.

"That's right, my Sister-in-law...From now on, we've truly become family. You can expect the true extent of my love from now on. Though what a shame I have only but a year to express them..." Said the older girl dramatically.

A year from now, it was time for her to attend Rockfelle, that's why...

"Go and enjoy your time there. It's not a big deal. You'll see us from time to time, and we'll also go there in a few years." Returned Helena with her lips slowly rising, almost breaking into a smile.

Brilliant as she was, Helena had always been one to wear her heart on her sleeves after all, so even though she tried not to show it, the emotions on her face were often easily discernable. However, compared to how she was before, she got a lot better at hiding her thoughts.

"Huhu...It's me, your Sister-in-law, you're talking about, my dear Helena. Do you honestly think a poor attempt such as this will fool me? Mom might've trained you to conduct yourself, but don't you ever forget that this person before you was the one who trained you to lie." Boast Sister Alyson, somehow proud...

'And here I wondered just where did Helena learn to polish her poker face...' I shook my head furtively.

"Ugh...Fine...But I'm not going to play dress-up anymore! Once is enough." Asserted Helena firmly.

"Why, that isn't up to me. You'll have to talk to Mom if you want out. And believe me, since I've been there...You might as well save your breath rather than trying to dissuade her at all." Shrugged Sister Alyson.

"Argh! Alex. Say something!" Groaned Helena, pleading.

"Say what?" I was caught off-guard, finding the ball had been thrown my way out of the blue.

"Anything! They make me wear so many dresses and accessories from store to store. It's a torture! I hate it!" Cried her.

'Yeah, I can see that...' I pat her head to comfort the girl.

My Sister briefly cast a sympathetic look at Helena, torn between her sadistic urge to play doll with the adorable Princess and her guilt.

Although she had now become the perpetrator, it was her place to suffer at Mother's hands before Helena came along, after all.

"Don't fret too much, Helena. Alex will be coming with us too. Not only will he be there to see you looking pretty and cute, but he'll get his own share of playing dress-up." Said her.

'The fuck?' Somehow, even though I barely said anything or did anything, I still got pulled in.

"You're serious?" Asked Helena, seemingly forgetting her plight from before.

"Yeah, are you serious, Sister?" And I followed, praying that she would be joking.

"What do you think Mom did when she found out about your little adventures to the Helington's apparel just the other day? She made a huge fuss to Father about how Sir Lodrick had spoiled this plan she had for her little boys." Whispered Sister carefully after peeking around to make sure Mother wouldn't be able to hear us.

"Ah, that...Yeah. That was a mess..." Joined Helena, wincing.

'That fricking punk Howard! It's all because of him!' I cursed the bastard who was still fidgeting beside my Father and Grandfather.

Yeah, bro need to suffer more...

"Hm...I need more time and experience to pull that off...Whenever I stared into Alex's eyes, I always felt lost without a guide. Ah~ Now I understand why Alice said that love was like an uncharted sea..." An out-of-place comment suddenly rang all of a sudden, stealing our attention.

Sneakily and very skillfully, Lady Heliard had slipped her way in and blended like fucking ninja while we talked. Moreover, I assumed she had been listening to us for quite a while already.

"Didn't I tell you to piss off, you foxy bitch!? And don't you dare run your filthy mouth as you like! Alex, my ass! Now, back off!" Barked Helena furiously in her violet dress, in pair with the color of my eyes.

'And here we go again...'

The night was still young...Apparently...