Terrale, Near Red Cliff forest.

Built among the mountains and surrounded by red trees, a big city stood out among the sea of red. It was a major city, with almost two million people. Not just a city but also the administrative capital of the Red House Territory. A mass of land equivalent to a state under Alliance. At the far side, the foot of the mountain and also the border marked the start of red forest. There a big mansion was built with red stones to compliment the aesthetics of the overall territory. Spread over a large area, the mansion was divided into multiple blocks with rectangular fronts and wide entrances. The only difference which stood out like a sore thumb was the garden at the back of the mansion. Encased in a big dome-like class structure, the inside was filled with green leaves and many flowers not necessarily red. Inside the path was made with white marble stones, and sunlight piercing through the glass provided a peaceful view for the visitors. In the centre of the garden, near the fragrant flowers, a stone table of the same marble with decorative vein designs could be seen, with a tea set placed on top. On the chair nearby, a girl sat while reading a book titled "A Brief History of Sterling House." Her long, straight hair swayed along with the pages of the book as the wind blew through them, and her red eyes occasionally frowned as she tried to comprehend the book in her hands. She appeared to be Fourteen years old. Wearing a loose sleeve of dark green coloured fabric with occasional black stripes here and there that runs through the length of her dress.

“Elaina, what did I say about keeping it under control?” She said as the wind sped up and hit her long hair along with some pieces of grass, she raised her head and looked to the other side, where a girl with short blonde hair could be seen practising with her wooden sword. With each swing she made, a faint phantom of a beast materialised behind her in the air but the outlines couldn’t be maintained for more than five seconds. A gust of wind swayed the nearby plants whenever it appeared and disappeared.

“Ah, sorry,” Elaina said as she slowed down and wiped the sweat trickling from her head. She looked a year younger than the girl sitting in the chair. Her dress contrasted the previous girl's, they were tight instead of long and loose casual against the formal attire.

“Anyway, you should stop now. Mother would not like it if you exhaust all your energy,” the girl with black hair said, putting aside the book she had been holding, picking up a cup, and drinking from it, all the while maintaining her graceful posture. Her name was Eloise, the bigger sister of Elaina.

“Um... is it time already?” Reluctantly stopping her practice at the mention of their mother, Elaina moved towards the table and sat opposite Eloise. She picked up a cup and filled herself with a drink.

“Ugh, Sis, how can you drink such bitter tea?” Elaina said, adding some sugar to her cup.

“If you add so much, your teeth might give way. Didn’t she tell you not to add more than one spoonful of sugar?”

“It will be okay. Just don’t tell Mother, okay? Otherwise, I will be scolded.”

“If you promise not to blow winds in my face again.” Seeing her nod like a doll, Eloise sighed, wondering why her sister didn’t follow better table manners like her. “Also, keep your back straight and take care of those fingers as you hold the cup.”

“Ah, Sis it's too troublesome. Besides, you are even stricter than mother.”

“I am just helping you for the future,” Eloise said helplessly while keeping her cup away from Elaina, who was about to add a spoon of sugar to her cup too.

“My lady, the mistress is calling you,” a middle-aged maid with red colours and stripes suddenly appeared from the path and said to Eloise with a bow.

“What about me?” Elaina asked the maid with her large blue eyes.

“The lady told me to wash and dress you ready for tonight.” The maid found Elaina still calmly drinking her tea and thus decided to add. “ She said she would check soon.”

“Hey, you should have said it sooner. See you at dinner, Sis.” Elaina said as she drank her cup in one go and ran away like a scared cat. Eloise and the maid both shook their heads while the former slowly stood up. “Well then, see you at dinner.”

She followed behind the maid, and passed through the garden and into the hallways with green carpet and designs, passing guards in armour and butlers in their formal clothes who all gave a small bow upon seeing her, they reached their destination. A big red door with shiny wax layered atop the decorative outlines of a big star which was showering its light down to the mountain valley with forest.

“Mistress, we are here,” the maid gently knocked on the door and then remained silent.

“Come in.” Hearing a cold voice from inside, the maid opened the door for the girl behind her and bowed, letting her pass, then gently closing it without entering herself. Inside was a large room with sofas and a glass table with a fireplace on one side. Near the middle, in front of a large window, a table was placed, and a woman with long black hair and eyes sat there with her back to the window, Matched with her otherwise red and black dress that exuded an air of superiority as she wrote something on a letter. In front of the desk was the red nameplate that read ‘Isabella Sterling’. Isabella, who finished writing, handed the letter to an older maid beside her, silently taking it. “I expect the report on it soon enough.”

“Mistress, I am afraid that isn’t quite possible.” The old-looking maid said to her while still maintaining her body posture with a slight bow. She moved her left arm and pulled a small five-star badge from her space pouch. “ It’s the direct order from Celestia. I hope for your understanding.” With that said, the old maid gave a final bow and started to walk towards the door. Eloise greeted the old maid as she left the room, who nodded but said nothing to her.

“Good evening, Mother.” Eloise greeted her mother seeing only two of them. Her mother looked almost like her but more mature with an equally beautiful face. “ Did something happen today?” She asked as she felt a little tense earlier seeing both of them.

“Nothing much. Just some off-record diversion of funds that I caught. But things were never simple here. Anyways, how was your day today? Surely you didn’t forget to review the book I gave you,” Isabella asked as she changed the topic, motioning her daughter to sit in a chair in front of her.

“It was wonderful as always, Mother.” Seeing her daughter maintain her posture as she sat, Isabella nodded inwardly.

“I have completed the review.”

“Well, let’s have a little test, shall we?” Isabella tapped her finger on the table, and tea leaves floated into the air, moving into a porcelain tea holder, followed by water. The holder started to release a small amount of aroma, but Isabella and Eloise’s focus was on something else.

“Tell me about our house’s history.”

“Yes, the House of Sterling has a long history dating back 2500 years and was the first house among others to be given the land near the Redcliffe area for management. We started as a small house with the first head named Rozovet Sterling but soon expanded into the largest house in the nearby territory. Our house traditionally emphasises knight training, but mages can also appear occasionally. With hills to the north, forests to the south, fertile plains to the west, and the Red Mountain ranges to the east, our territory offers a good geographical place. The great Starling River, which eventually meets the sea, also starts from here.”

“ A textbook-worthy answer. Indistinguishable from simple memorisation and compression.” Isabella said without any hint of being impressed. “Tell me, what is the importance of our house?”

“We have at least—”

“You are committing the biggest mistake by that. Those knights and mages outside don’t give their loyalty to us but to the constitution of the Alliance or Alliance in general. Having them or not makes no difference to our importance.” Isabella said as she shot her answer down. “ I asked, what makes Sterling House important?”

Eloise furrowed her brow, her toes tapping on the floor momentarily before she stopped. “I don’t know, Mother.”

“ You don’t find these things in the book straight away but small hints were on page 266, fourth para,” Isabella pointed out. “Do you remember what was on that page?”

“I don’t remember, Mother.”

“It's a Red Flower Juice Potion. Maybe that will ring some bells.”

Eloise thought for a moment and said, “It’s a potion used for calming spirits and healing spirit-related wounds, a speciality of our house and the second most profitable commodity we export.”

“ That’s right, it was one of the things only we can make. Its importance to the Alliance was what made us powerful. ”

Eloise bowed her head upon hearing this.

“Generally, I expected you to not confine yourself only to the books that I gave you.”

“I apologise, Mother.”

“I don’t need your excuses. Just remember, the world is big with many people lining up to replace you. If you don’t want to be cast aside like a rock lying by the roadside and blaming your fate for an unfortunate demise rather than your ignorance. I suggest you open your mind wide.” Isabella’s eyes bore into her daughter as she spoke the words from her childhood but she soon snapped out of it. Her eyes softened soon as well as her tone slightly as she spoke to her daughter, whose head was bowed in fear, her toes unconsciously tapping the ground in panic. “ Well, it's not that bad actually. You shouldn’t read more than what I gave through just yet or else Edward would be angry about you being holed up in the room.”

“Yes, Mother,” Eloise said and Isabella didn’t ask her anything further, but picked up the tea jar and filled both their cups. As she poured the tea into the cup, an aroma filled the room. Eloise felt her earlier anxieties dissipate as the scent entered her nose, and her spirits felt relaxed.

“I think that’s enough for today. How about we enjoy our tea now?” Two beautiful women, one older and one younger, happily drank their tea before Eloise excused herself to prepare for tonight’s dinner when she heard her mother saying.

“Tonight, your dad will also be joining us. Inform Eliana about it when you are at it.”

Eloise left the room after a curtsy bow. Gazing at the closed door for a moment, Isabella pulled a letter from her drawer that she had received just before her daughter knocked on the door. Her expression had been serious as she gazed at the seal at the end of the letter, which glittered with light. The image on it, resembling a star field with five large stars surrounded by smaller ones, seemed alive as the tiny stars rotated around the five main stars in slow motion. This was the official seal of the Starry Sky Alliance, comprising the human race with nearly every noble house on Terralea. It was a powerful entity whose authority could not be challenged; every conflict between noble houses required their approval, and attacks by foreign races were considered attacks on all. However, it wasn't the cause of Isabella's worry. It was the prospect of a new proposed law, up for discussion. Laws passed by them were binding on all and could make or break the fortunes of any noble house. As she read through the contents, she couldn't help but release a sigh of relief. It turned out to be just an invitation. She set it down and began writing her reply.

"Lady Isabella, the dinner will start in one hour," A sound from the maid from outside called respectfully as Isabella finished sealing the letter with the House Sterling insignia.

"The bath water is ready," the maid added.

"I will be there in a moment, give this to Fay and have her deliver this letter as soon as possible," Isabella instructed, handing the letter to the maid. Fay was the name of the old maid who left just after Eloise entered the room. Isabella stretched her body, which made a cracking sound after sitting for hours in the same place. But there was no time to waste on rest; she walked towards the bath to prepare for dinner.

It took her no less than 45 minutes, but she managed to get ready before dinner time. Her straight black hair was neatly combed, and her noble dress in shades of greenish-red shimmered as she reached the door of the dinner hall. The maids outside bowed and opened the gates for her to enter. And she also found both her daughters already sitting there on their chairs.

"Good evening, Mother."

"G-good evening, First Mother," Both of her daughters greeted her as she arrived. But Isabella's eyes narrowed as she looked at Elaina, who stood beside Eloise.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"Good evening to both of you," Isabella said, correcting Elaina, "though Elaina..."

"Y-yes, Mother," Elaina flinched at the use of her name and seeing Isabella's narrowed eyes, her nervousness heightened.

"I've told you to call me just Mother, not First Mother, like your big sister," Isabella said, observing the short blonde girl's body which flinched with fear. She wasn't Elaina's biological mother; Elaina's mother had passed away shortly after her birth. Despite this, Isabella loved her just as much as her daughter, Eloise. Perhaps a little more to relax her rules for her a little. Yet, for some reason, Elaina always showed fear and awkwardness in her presence, causing Isabella to worry.

"I am sorry, Moth—Mother," Elaina bit her tongue, but quickly regained composure and attempted to maintain a proper ladylike posture like her sister, though she wasn't as skilled.

"Mother, is Father at the mansion?" Eloise asked, sensing the tension between Isabella and Elaina and tried to shift the conversation.

"Yes, he will be here any moment now," Isabella replied, giving Eloise a look. Eloise's attempt to redirect the discussion seemed crude to Isabella, but she decided to let it go for now. Both sisters, especially Elaina, looked relieved to hear they weren't the only ones dining together tonight. Isabella shook her head lightly, having witnessed it all.

Soon, footsteps echoed outside, and a man with blond hair, red eyes, and a short beard entered the hall. He wore casual noble attire with a sword at his side.

"Father, good evening!" Both sisters greeted him enthusiastically as he entered, but Isabella frowned slightly at the newcomer. "You're late," She remarked..

"Ah, sorry-sorry, the guys at the regiment just won’t let me go without a party. Allow me to apologise," he replied hastily.

"W-wait, what—?" Before Isabella could finish, he suddenly drew close and kissed her on the lips, surprising her into a soft moan.

"Ouch... my foot! Hey!" She finally managed to step on his foot to break free, blushing furiously as she sat down alone. Glancing at her daughters, who were avoiding eye contact with reddened ears, Isabella wished she had stepped harder. Whenever she was with him, her carefully crafted image always suffered a casualty.

"Shh... You're all grown up, yet still so shy. What's there to be shy about? We're married."

"I'm not thin-skinned, just not as shameless as you,"

The man, Edward Sterling, said as he sat down. Normally as the lord of the house, his seat would be at the centre of the rectangular table, but he moved it to sit beside Isabella, facing their daughters. "Why do they keep forgetting my position even after I've told them?"

Isabella retorted with a resentful glare, embarrassed by his display in front of the children. "You shouldn't change your seat so casually."

"Oh, come on, you're too strict. There are no outsiders here," Edward replied casually. He was a high knight and lord of the Sterling house, though he rarely behaved as such outside, if not for Isabella.

"What about you two, Eloise and Elaina? Anything interesting happened today?" Edward asked.

"Nothing noteworthy," Eloise said reservedly.

"I finally caught that squirrel I've been after, and then..." Elaina, in contrast, shared every detail without hesitation. She also forgot about Isabella who also listened to her daughter running all over the forest and jumping the trees, becoming more concerned the more she listened. But she couldn’t bear to stop her daughter with her cheerful face and so, decided to punish the main culprit besides her.

"Ouch… hey, I didn't do anything this time," Isabella ignored Edward's protest as she turned to Elaina, her youngest daughter. "Elaina, you're too old to be chasing after squirrels or jumping from tree to tree. It's not proper." She said after Elaina finished her words.

"I won't do it again," Elaina muttered, chastened by Isabella's reprimand. Before Isabella could say more, Edward intervened.

"Hey, come on, she was just having fun. When I was little, I used to chase birds all day in the Red Mountains," Edward interjected, leaning closer to Isabella. "I even caught a big bird there one time. Remember that?"

Isabella gave her shameless husband another light kick under the table as the servants began serving dinner. The atmosphere lightened, and dinner continued merrily until Isabella decided to inform Edward about the letter from the Alliance.

"Hm... You're leaving tomorrow afternoon?"

Isabella nodded. "Yes, the new vote for a new bill was about to be called. And then there's a situation in the southern continent that the Alliance wants to brief us on. But since they've called for main representatives from every house to be present, I suspect there's more to it than meets the eye." Her words made Edward frown. In normal situations, nothing good comes when the southern continent is mentioned. He didn’t even remember how long it's been since someone even mentioned them. They are after all like forbidden words in the Alliance.

"Mother, is that the trip you were mentioning about before?" Eloise asked, wiping her mouth with a handkerchief.

"Not just me, you're coming along too," Isabella confirmed.

Edward looked surprised. "You're taking her with you?"

"Yes, it's not often we get the chance to go there. It'll be good for her," Isabella said.

"Hmm..." Edward seemed uncertain but didn't object.

"Get ready tonight, let the maids know what you need, they will do it…” Isabella then turned to Elaina, who seemed like she wanted to say something but still bowed her head. She sighed softly and gave up, saying, “We're not going for fun, and you'll be bored there.”

Isabella understood her daughter's character well, reminiscent of her bold husband. Like him, Elaina enjoyed freedom whenever possible, a luxury not afforded at Alliance meetings. Isabella couldn't permit Elaina to wander off while she and Eloise were occupied with the sessions.

"Why don’t you take her with you? She can stay by her uncle’s side while you’re busy," Edward suggested, glancing at his dejected daughter. On the off chance she didn’t, he already planned to take Elaina exploring in the Red Forest.

"Fine, just don’t say I didn’t warn you," Isabella relented eventually and stared at Edward "And if I hear you’ve shirked your duties after we return, be prepared for consequences."

"Hahaha," Edward chuckled dryly at her response. Soon after, Eloise and Elaina excused themselves and headed back to their rooms. Isabella was about to follow when Edward caught her hand, a sly smile playing on his lips.

"Shouldn’t we make the most of our time together, since we won’t see each other for a while after today?"

"Edward, I still have work to—" Isabella began, but Edward disregarded her protests, sweeping her up in a princess-style carry and heading towards their bedroom. Along the way, he didn’t hesitate to kiss her passionately, despite the presence of servants, leaving Isabella thoroughly embarrassed and a face wanting to die.

****

“Sis, what were you reading this early?” Elaina asked Eloise when they met the next morning on their way to the carriage. She noticed a book of about three hundred pages with a brown cover in her sister’s hand.

“History of the five houses,” Eloise said, but then gave Elaina’s clothes a look and pointed out, “Why are you wearing these clothes like this?”

“It’s easy to walk this way.”

“Walk or run? You will get earful from Mother again,” Eloise told her. Elaina, like always, tended to avoid noble attire with long skirts since she tripped over while running during her childhood.

“She will not,” Elaina said as she dismissed her sister, but her words sounded unconvincing, so she added, “After all, it was brought by maids.” She looked at herself just to be sure. A tailored silk dress with a flared skirt that fell just above the knees. A modest neckline with delicate lace to add sophistication, with minimal accessories: blue stud earrings and a necklace.

“...she might be thinking to preemptively strike you,” Eloise’s clothes looked opposite her little sister's. A rich black dress with a long flowing skirt embroidered with intricate silver designs, a high neckline, and long, flowing sleeves.

“Haha…” Elaina gave her a short laugh. “Anyway, enough with such talks. Sister, how many days do you think we needed to spend in the carriage to reach the alliance?”

“One hour,” Eloise returned to her book and simply replied, but the answer seemed to surprise Elaina.

“But didn’t Mother say it would take some days just to reach the alliance?”

“She did,” Eloise nodded. “Celestia, the city where the HQ of the Starry Sky Alliance is located, will take us two days to reach or about the time when you get a total of six meals consisting of breakfast, lunch and dinner.”

“...sister, though I don’t read as many books as you do, that doesn’t make me an idiot.”

“It didn’t?”

“Big Sis,” Elaina said with a cheeky voice as she hugged her, “ You could ask Mother to stop somewhere fun, right? You won’t allow me to get bored to death, right?”

“One more try at being cheeky and I will tell Mother you went for another squire chase in the morning,” Eloise pushed her back with her hand. “ Also stopping in between is impossible.”

“But aren’t most cities being interlinked by rivers?”

“Yes, Some 2000 years ago, the alliance started a plan called the Nebula Gateway project, interlinking all capital cities home to one another and, most importantly, to Celestia. But since it's an important trip, stopping in a different state capital city is almost impossible.”

“Couldn’t you have told me that at first?” Elaina’s words were ignored by Eloise, who sped her steps. “Hey, don’t ignore me.”

Soon in between the sisters’ talk, they arrived at the gate where both Edward and Isabella were already waiting beside the carriage.

“Morning, Dad…ah, what happened to your eye?” Eliana asked with a curious face.

“He fell after waking up,” Before Edward could explain the giant black ring around his left eye, Isabella answered for him, while also giving him a death glare.

“What about the marks on your neck? They looked like some cat’s paw.”

“Y-yes, it was just a cat, I found one last night,” Edward said with quick successions, though he thought Isabella didn’t need to punch him this badly. Wasn’t it just some servants seeing them walking while hugging? No need to get violent over it. “ As for the eye, I fell from the bed, just like your mother said.”

“Are you sure? It looks like someone punched you badly, though,” Elaina asked with suspicion towards him. She felt like everyone considered her an idiot who would fall for such lies.

“Eloise, Elaina, we are leaving if there is nothing else that needs to be prepared anymore,” Isabella cut Elaina and Eloise’s questions short. She felt her face might just burn off if she remained any longer. Eloise could read the mood, and Elaina simply dared not to question her mother, so they both nodded and got into a carriage with Isabella.

“Take care,” Edward waved at the fading carriage, which was more of a group of carriages with knights in front and back and separate carriages for luggage and servants.

“Well, since we have some time until we reach the port, get comfortable,” Isabella said inside the carriage to her daughters sitting opposite her. She half-closed the curtains after Edward was no longer visible and asked, “How much do you know about the ship we plan to board?”

She asked Elaina, who was busy looking out of the window.

“T-that..umm…a big ship on water…umm.”

“Sigh…Elaina, though I don’t expect you to suddenly start reading books like Eloise, I do expect as the second daughter of Sterling to at least know their way of the journey and some background surrounding it.”

“Mmm...,” Eliana said. Fay, Isabella’s maid, who was also inside the carriage handed them a cup of tea. The inside of the carriage was rather large, with enough space for a table in between the seats. Isabella motioned both of them to eat the sweets while saying, “For now, we will be travelling on the streams of Nebula water systems. It’s the fastest mode of travelling.”

“But mother, isn’t water travel quite slow?” Eloise asked. As though she knew about them travelling with a ship over the river, she couldn’t get this thought off her head.

“Normally yes. Eliana, adding too much sugar is not good for your teeth,” Seeing Eliana put the sugar cubes back with a reluctant face, Isabella continued, “ Normally, we should be using teleportation formations or spells to travel. But it's very risky, and costly to maintain. And even more so as even one such formation requires heavy investment to be built and then they need to be rebuilt every year or so. So Alliance only uses it for very specific cases. Another way is to become a four-star mage but that’s easier said than done. So the Alliance thought of something different to speed up travel.”

“Sigh…if only your personality were not like your dad’s,” Isabella lamented as she found Eliana’s eyes drifting away. She just hoped instead of wielding swords every day like her father, Elaina would give some time to read books. She decided to instead focus on her first daughter. “Eloise, these days there are four houses for the title of ancient but originally they were five. Can you tell why?”

“That’s because…after the Divine War, House of Coven Ashenmoon, one of the Ancient was expelled from the alliance, and their power declined from then on. They are now referred to as the pariah of the human race,” Eloise answered. She referred to the sanctions placed on Thar by the Alliance, forbidding any kind of trade or exchange with it.

“You both are right, but also wrong on some points. First, their power has not fallen as much as anyone would tell you. It couldn’t happen because they could make their wizards, who occupy the top seats of Alliance. I cannot tell you everything now since I took an oath, but remember this. The reason wizards were considered superior to mages in almost everything is that they go through the Awakening Ceremony. Many do it at Oceania University, but the five Ancient Houses are the exception in this case. It is their ancestors who originally came together and created the whole ceremony, so naturally, each has know-how about the ceremony. Just this point alone makes them not weak.”

Though Isabella attempted to explain to her daughters, she knew they didn’t understand the true importance of having gone through the Awakening Ceremony and not going through it at all. But that’s the limit she was allowed to say about this and so she skipped to the next point.

"Secondly, they didn’t get expelled from the Alliance; they gave notice of their withdrawal just a day before the Alliance voted for the war and also their official expulsion. And so, our next point…forget it, looks like you will just fall asleep if I continue," Isabella stopped herself, noticing Elaina's almost closed eyes and Eloise's evident confusion.

"Anyway, remember this: that ceremony is a big deal and its knowledge can’t be allowed to fall into other species' hands. There were reports of imminent civil wars in Thar. That’s why this meeting might have been called—to discuss whether we should be involved or support any faction. Since the fall of Thar can be devastating to us if the Elves, the neighbours of Thar make a move and take control of the ceremony in the chaos."

It was at that time that the carriage reached the river port and four of them disembarked. It was a big port, with many people going about their lives. But the eyes of two sisters caught the biggest ship at the port. The reason was not the body made of metal or the red mountain painted over it, but how the ship floated above water. It was suspended just above the water's surface, not letting the water touch it at all. It made the ship stable against the swagging motions of river water. And if one concentrates a little more, one could see the water below the ship, shining with little light. It was the Alliances' answer to slow movement across their territory. The very river itself was cast with magic to allow the flying ships. The ships travelling like this could travel even thousands of kilometres at speeds, but the ship of Sterling House was not designed for such speed. It was made more for comfort and protection than anything else.

“Let’s go, otherwise it would sail without us,” Isabella said as she walked towards the ship. With others also hastily following behind.

***