I turned back to face the officer. “I told you already. I’m not planning on joining the army.”
“But why, Day?” Em asked from behind me.
“Yeah,” Abby added. “This isn’t something you should just refuse. I doubt something this lucky would happen to you again.”
“And even I wasn’t able to get that type of offer, you know? Why are you letting this go?”
I turned back around to leave the examination field, but my companions blocked me. I sighed and reluctantly told them. “I have other stuff to do. I didn’t come here to join some army I’ve never heard about.”
“You mean your sister?” Ari recounted. “We’ll help you look for her! And once you get accepted, you can wait a month before joining! I’m sure that’ll be more than enough time to find her.”
“No. I’m good as I am. The guy said it, right? That you won’t be able to see the people around you as much once you join. I don’t plan on leaving my sister once I do get back with her.”
Ari continued to pester me to accept. “Then why don’t you accept it just for now? I’m sure your sister would be proud of you! You can always quit.”
“I said. I’m not joining! So why don’t we just leave this place already!? Plus, I already know where my sister is, alright?! I don’t need any of your help anymore!”
I had no idea why I snapped. Maybe it was how Ari was constantly pushing his own dreams and goals onto me. Or maybe it was that I had lost patience and just wanted to go find my sister again.
“Wait, really? Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” I could tell that Ari was trying to stay composed.
“Then where is your sister? I want to meet her!” Em told me, trying to calm me down.
“She… my sister is the princess…”
“Hold on, she’s what!?” Ari’s voice raised in shock.
“Okay, even if what you’re saying is true, how are you planning on meeting her then? It’s not that you can waltz into the palace and tell them your sister’s there,” Abby told me.
“Well… I have a plan for that,” I lied. “Let’s just get going.” I started walking again, but Ari obstructed my path.
“You know, I think I got a better plan for you,” he said. “Why don’t you join the imperial—”
“I already said no! Are you deaf!?”
“Can you just shut up!? Let me finish my sentence here! I’m trying to help you!”
I forced Ari out of my way and started making progress to the door again. Ari followed me in frustration.
“I was saying! Why don’t you join the imperial army, get promoted to a place guard, and then actually get a chance to meet with your sister!?”
I stopped, this time willingly, and turned back to face Ari. Would that really work? Would I really be able to reunite with my sister that way? It seemed like such a roundabout plan, but at least it was better than no plan.
“Do you think I would be able to meet the princess that way?” I asked Nathaniel, looking past Ari.
The officer crossed his arms and thought for a while. “Well, yes. Many guards stationed at the palace have the honor to see her highness at least once a week. And it is possible to get promoted to such a rank.”
“How long will it take to be promoted?” I continued asking, remembering how Ari had said it would take a century to rise a rank in the army.
“That, well… it could take around—”
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“How long it takes doesn’t matter,” Ari cut in. “I’m sure you can become a palace guard or even personal bodyguard in—”
“It does matter! I can’t be waiting for an entire year or two! If too much time passes, she’s going to—” I closed my mouth, realizing how far my anger had progressed. Irnoma had told me my sister would run from the Capital in search of me. Thank god I didn’t let that leak out, or they would think I’m some kind of fortune-teller. I turned back to Nathaniel. “Anyway, how long would it take to get promoted?”
He sighed. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think it will be that easy to get to it within two years. The fastest someone had proven their loyalty to the King was more than a decade.”
“Okay, see!? Now the argument’s over. Let’s head out.” I walked again towards the door which led into the building, and my companions reluctantly followed. Behind me, Nathaniel yelled something about trying to arrange a meeting with the princess if I accept an enlistment. I paid him no attention and raised my hand, sending him my last farewell without looking back.
----------------------------------------
We walked through the bustling streets in silence for a few minutes without a particular destination in mind. Ari admired a guard in shining golden armor walk by. Only then did he turn to me to talk about what happened at the recruitment station.
“So Day, why exactly are you so against the idea of joining the imperial army? And a high rank at that, too?”
I crossed my arms and didn’t look at him as I replied. “You and your thick military brain wouldn’t understand.”
“Yeah, well, isn’t that why I’m asking?”
“Okay, if you really want me to spell it out for you, then what I was trying to say was: I. Don’t. Want. To. Discuss. It. Period.”
“H—How does that answer… ugh, just— never mind.” Ari looked away from me.
“Umm… We should calm down for now,” Em told us softly. “Why don’t we go get some lunch to calm our nerves?”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Abby came in, sensing that the tension had finally started to die down. “It’s already long past our usual lunchtime, but I actually found the best place.” She looked at me for a moment, and I could have sworn it looked like she was about to give me a wink.
After traveling through the grid of roads through the medieval town, the activity on the streets started to dwindle. We were heading farther away from the palace at the center of the city, and fewer people walked the streets as we did so.
Finally, we arrived at a fine coffee shop at the corner of an intersection. The wooden sign read a simple “Coffee, Tea, and Dining” decorated with green painted vines. We pushed open the glass door, which sent the crisp sound of tinkling bells through the cozy atmosphere.
Inside, a few guests sat on hard wooden chairs in front of small tables. I heard an ambiance of silent conversations and quiet clinks of silverware as we walked to the front counter where a man and woman stood.
“Welcome, friends,” the man said as he stepped out from behind the counter. “Shall we find a table to sit at?”
“Yes. Thank you.” Abby replied politely. “And may we have a table on the left end of the café?”
The waiter looked confused. “I would suggest the other side. It is much brighter lit and warmer there.”
“I am sorry, but we insist.”
The man hesitated, but he bowed slightly. “As you would like, friends.”
We were led around a corner to a portion of the shop with a bit poorer lighting. However, indirect sunlight came in through the windows, lighting the room just enough to be comfortable.
As I surveyed the rows of tables and chairs, my eyes landed on a few guests at the far corner of the coffee shop. No, it wasn’t a few guests. Only one of them, a girl, sat alone at the table, sipping on a cup of tea and reading a book, while the four others were standing. Were they bodyguards?
That was when I realized it. The girl had long, wavy blonde hair. She wore a long, elegant ocean blue dress that made her young body seem mature. Her face was that of a twelve or thirteen-year-old, but when she placed her teacup down and flipped a page of her book, she emitted every sense of refined elegance. She looked so different yet similar to the first time I had seen her, but I knew she couldn’t be anybody else.
“Is that… the princess?” I asked the waiter, almost whispering.
The man seemed to panic for a moment, as if his own cover had been blown. “Y—Yes. Her highness had wished to dine here today. However, she did request for as little attention to be brought to her, so…” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “…can you friends please help me follow through on what her highness wishes?”
“Yes, we won’t bother her highness, Mr. Westius,” Abby said, reading the man’s name tag.
We took our seats at the table farthest from the one my sister sat at. I continued to gaze at her. The princess looked different from when I first saw her. The lighting of this room made her hair look darker than they were under the sun. In addition, her long hair wasn’t tied into pigtails, which made her look two or three years older. Her new attire also made her look taller and more defined. Was my sister, Alexis, like this outside of public?
However, I wasn’t able to look at her for long, because when I saw one of the guards looking back at me intently, I immediately turned back to the menu in my hands.
“By the way,” I said, putting my menu down and revealing Abby sitting across from me, “you planned this, didn’t you?”
Abby rested his head on his hand and looked to the side with an innocent face. “What do you mean? It was just a coincidence.”
“Then why did you—”
She looked back at me, straight into my eyes. “You should be thanking me, right? So what are you waiting for? Go reunite with your sister.”