(Cael's Pov)
I'd like to say that I was wondering why… but honestly, I'd say it's pretty obvious. The reason why even though no one had come in to wake me up yet, I was already wide awake. I looked back outside a window which was towards the wall my bed was attached to, around the center of the room or so. Today was the day we've been anticipating for quite some time after all.
I sat down at the edge of my bed, glancing at my dear sword for a few moments. As usual, it was resting with its handle against the frame of the bed, since that was honestly just the quickest way I found for me to actually grab it in case of an emergency, which I definitely didn't simulate countless times in my head because it sounded cool as fuck.
But regardless, around a minute or so after I sat down, I heard some steps coming from the corridor. I guess it was finally time for someone to wake me up? Given the way the steps were articulated, aka the way whoever that is was walking, I already knew who it was. They were the most carefree steps you'd hear given this situation after all, which did technically give us 2 possible candidates, but they were heavy enough to be noticeably heard, which automatically disqualified Nala, due to her still being pretty little.
So that means that this is definitely…
"Caeeeeeeel! Wake up! It's time to rise and shine, we're going to court today—…?!"
After slamming the door open and almost finishing her sentence, she pretty much just, well, froze… literally. She stared at me for around 10 seconds in dead silence as if she was seeing a ghost or something.
"T-this can't be…"
Then… she fell to her knees???! Now hold up, what the hell is going on here! No matter how you look at it, isn't this reaction a little exaggerated?!
"Is it really that shocking that I'm awake…"
Before I could even react though, she crawled towards me in a fairly creepy manner to be fair, then grabbed me by my shoulders. As much as I'd like to say that I wasn't annoyed or creeped out by this though, the fact that she was still staring at me straight in the eyes as if I was genuinely possessed definitely got to me ever so slightly.
"Of course it is! Why the hell are you already awake?! It's only 7:30 in the morning, you know?!! You usually never wake up until at least 8 unless me or Nala wake you up!"
"Yeah, I wonder why."
You know how, like, cartoon characters get a vein pulsating on their forehead when they're angry? That was probably happening to me there. And rightfully so I'd say… I'm still half traumatized by her wake up methods from back in the village- well, the village ruins? Tents? Whatever, you get the point.
"Should we stop by a pharmacy or something on the way to court?! Does your head hurt? Did you stay up all night or something?! Did you not sleep well? Are you sick-"
"I'll genuinely hit you if you don't let go."
"Awh, don't be like that! Your beloved and awesome older sister is just worried about yo- woauch?!"
Yeah, I wasn't lying. Though I only lightly- maybe not lightly, but still she's the Commander's Lieutenant so I'm sure that an innocent and deserved punch in the head didn't do too much damage.
"What the hell was that for?!"
"I told you I'd do it, didn't I? I gave you plenty of notice."
"You little shit, in what world is that notice! You hit me like 5 seconds after you said you would!"
"That's because you couldn't shut up for more than 5 seconds, ain't it?"
But before we could continue.
"Now, now."
A few hand claps, alongside a familiar voice emerged from outside the open door's frame, until she entered the room.
"You two rarely argue, no? Why're you so worked up today out of all days?"
"It's because-"
"Sorry Maia, but I most definitely didn't ask you. For that matter, I heard you from outside the room already, so you probably deserved it."
"…then why're you asking? Isn't that a little unfair? Is this not blatant favoritism…."
"Anyway. What's your version, Cael?"
Luna smiled while asking me, and at the same time leaning on the door frame with her arms crossed.
"She was being annoying so I hit her after plenty of notice."
"It was 5 second-"
"That's because you couldn't keep your mouth shut for more than 5 seconds though, is it not?"
"Eugh… are you guys teaming against me or something? What did I ever do to you! Is this how you guys treat your friend and beloved older sister now that you're entering your puberty-"
"See? She totally deserved it."
"Yeah, I think so too Cael… I think so too."
"I mean, come one! Can you blame me? He was already awake when I came into the room to wake him up, you know?"
Hearing that, to my surprise Luna actually showed some confusion and also surprise of her own.
"Wait, actually?"
"Yes… that's the reason I was so shocked."
"Listen you two… I get that it's hard to wake me up, but it can't be that shocking that I woke up on my own for once."
"No, I'm actually on Maia's side with this one now…"
"It's more likely to see a goblin riding a bear and go hunting together than you waking up on your own."
"That so? Then you better find one and take a picture of it, since it should be more common than me being awake now."
"Well, wandering in the woods to photograph goblins isn't really a hobby of mine. I don't know about Maia though."
"Yeah, no. It's not really one of mine either."
"Then I think we can all 3 agree on both of you just shutting up and letting me be, right?"
They shared an understanding grin among each other for about a second or so, before turning towards me, sighing and replying.
"That seems fair enough."
Maia then got up, as she walked out of the room first.
"Breakfast will be ready in like 10 minutes or so? So you can take your time with coming to the table."
Honestly? The way they both dropped it so quickly was a little surprise, but not an unpleasant one to say the least. So with that being dealt with, in between going to the bathroom to wash my face, brush my teeth and taking care of some bowel movements, a little over 10 minutes passed, and I got to the table, joining the others.
After eating breakfast, we all simply rested at the table for about 15 minutes or so. It's not like we were in a rush or anything, regardless of the circumstance we were in. We only needed to get to court by 15:30 or so anyway, so we had plenty of time. That of course however didn't mean that we'd just laze around all day long though, because after we were rested enough, we all left the room almost immediately.
First and foremost: showers. We all took fairly long showers, which thankfully was more than possible to do basically simultaneously because Maia's house had more than 1. We washed ourselves properly, since from now on our appearances were our first priority.
By the time we were all fully cleaned up, and the girls did their skincare routine and all, it was already almost 10 in the morning too.
With that out of the way, several maids individually helped each one of us get dressed up with the clothes that Nala made for us. Well, in my case at least Luna was also watching for the most of it- at least after I had pants on, which did make it a little more embarrassing, but I unfortunately had to endure it since I didn't really have a choice.
It's not like I could just shoo her away after all. But regardless, she didn't actually just stand there doing nothing. The most important thing she did was helping me with my necktie, and waistbelt. Basically, though my outfit was mostly a long coat it was closer to like a military inspired one? Not quite, but if I had to give a better overview explanation, it was fully opened, but kept steady around my waist with a soft belt or something like that. It seems like you kinda had to tie? Button it? I'm not really sure, but it was from the back that you had to actually make this belt act like one from, so she helped with that.
Below it I did also have a vest like a suit does, which she also helped me tie up the buttons of, alongside the buttons on my coat's sleeve's ends. The coat's color was black, but it had subtle golden outlines which I guess is kinda like our signature color at this point, isn't it? With the eyes and all, but regardless, I personally think it looked really good. And since Luna who was grinning at me with a proud smug smile for some reason clearly also approved of my outfit, I'd say nothing else really mattered. My pants were white, and the same went for my vest and shirt beneath it all for the record.
Lastly, I had to wear my shoes of choice which were also designed by Nala by the way. Though compared to the outfit itself, they may not be anything special in the end, I still think they're pretty nice. Black high boots, keeping the borderline military like look, while mixing it with just undoubtable elegance, kinda like what you'd see a Duke wear in a manhwa, or something like that.
By the time we were all done and met up right in front of the door, it was now around 12:25 or so? What took the longest was of course for mom and the girls to get ready, but it was understandable honestly. What surprised me the most though, was that dad…
He actually looks like a Duke now somehow…
I glanced over at Nala who was in his arms at the moment, and I was genuinely horrified by how she managed to turn our dad into an actual Duke. No surprise in mom looking like a Duchess though, since she's always kinda had that noble aura to her. Well, I mean after all she is the one with the noble blood, not him… so it makes sense.
"Is everyone ready?!"
Talk about excitement.
Nala didn't really seem to give a shit about the fact that we were about to go on our court trial, and you know what? I respect that, shout-out to all the nonchalant individuals or borderline airheads like her. But regardless, there was an actual reason for her excitement, so I couldn't really make too much fun of it.
Yesterday she had actually refrained from explaining the outfits and her vision like last time, instead she said that she'd only do it after we were all ready to go, which was right now.
"Of course, we're all set and done. You can go on and tell us everything you need to, my little genius."
Well, there clearly was another one of them either nonchalant ones or airheads among us too. He sure is soft with his daughter, huh?
"Hu-huum! First of all, I have to explain why we're wearing what we're wearing, right? There's a really good reason for all of our clothes, so make sure to listen carefully, because I won't say it twice!"
Alright, alright… we get it your highness.
We all nodded.
"First of all, daddy and mommy. I gave daddy a full long coat-suit, and made the main colors red for the outside and black for the belt and shoulder cape! Why? That's obvious because his eyes are red, and because black fits him as he has dark hair as well. Other details like around his wrist's sleeve and epaulettes I chose gold because it's an Ashford signature color."
"Hehe! Daddy looks awesome, doesn't he?"
"Of course you do, I made your clothes after all! Next up is Mommy."
"Let's hear it then."
"I gave her a long dress, with an overskirt drape, because she looks more gentle and noble-like than daddy, while he's supposed to look strong and confident! I also gave mommy a tie around her stomach, with a golden flower accessory at its center. She also has a thin shoulder cape-like cloth, to match daddy's shoulder cape, but keep her gentleness and beauty. The main color is white because of her hair, and has golden ends, alongside a golden chest due to her eyes being golden as well."
"My, my, I'm flattered. But you look just as beautiful as mommy, you know that right? You're a spitting image of myself when I was your age after all."
"Of course, I know that! But I'll get to my own clothes later, because now it's Maia and Cael's turn."
"Though I think we both noticed already…"
"Yeah, it's pretty obvious when you look at us…"
"That's right, you two are matching the same outfits, but of opposite gender. After all, you're the Eldest Ashford Daughter and Son, right? But since Maia is already really strong and powerful, and Cael is also going to become an adventurer so he's also a muscle head, you two are like the powerhouses of the family! That's why, I gave both of you long coats, military style. But there are a few differences, in case you couldn't tell. For starters Maia's is more like an actual uniform, isn't it? Since she has it buttoned up on her torso, while Cael's coat is fully open, and held by his waistband acting like a belt. That difference gives Maia's a slightly different shape on your legs, keeping her whole front leg area exposed, showing her beautiful white pants, matching Cael's."
"We also have our gloves that match, don't we?"
"I guess we do, huh? Though I'm still confused on why you have your archery glove on your left hand when you're right handed…"
"Shhhh… you can't expose all of your cards, can you?"
"Is that how it is?"
"That is indeed how it is, my dear little brother."
"…Got it. You can continue, Nala."
"Alright then. Lastly there's me and Rune, my baby brother. Daddy, you can put me down now!"
"There ya go little one."
"Thanks."
She walked up to Rune, holding his hand proudly before beginning.
"I'm wearing a dress similar to mommy's, but without the cape or the waistband, but the main colors of my dress are the same as hers, because we're matching. That's the same reason why Rune is wearing short black pants with golden outlines, a white shirt with a black vest and a short waist length coat. He's like a boyish version of daddy, but matching the same colors as him, no? I look a lot like mommy when she was young and Rune looks like daddy, so it's only normal for us twins to match with daddy and mommy, while Cael and Maia are matching because they're the Eldest and powerhouses!"
"Daddy and mommy look powerful, elegant and strong with their capes, Maia and Cael look similar but with no capes, while me and Rune look cute and are matching our parents. And when we're going to enter the court, daddy and mommy will be in front of everyone, while Maia will hold Rune's hand and Cael will hold mine, so the whole family is matching colors, and style!"
We were all silent for a while. It honestly just blew my mind that a 6 year old kiddo like Nala is the one who not only designed these clothes which look nothing short from something you'd buy in a high quality store, but also the fact that she genuinely thought of it all on such a dynamic level. I get thinking of the matching concept, but even the way we're going to be walking and presenting ourselves to court? Her dynamic layering is genuinely just beyond just "good" or "great". It clicked in my head yesterday when I saw them…but even more now.
Nala is a True Prodigy.
We were all fairly speechless now that she had actually finished, compared to the small interactions we partook in during it. I guess it kinda just hit all of us around the same time, on just how high of a level she truly was already. Luckily for everyone here though, Luna was the one to break the ice like often.
"Aaah-ah. You're really making me jealous here, you know? I wanted to have something made by Nala as well."
And Nala herself instantly went into sorry puppy mode when she heard that. Lowering her head and fidgeting her fingers and all, it was the full package.
"I'm sorry Luna… I wanted to make something for you and the others as well anyway, but I didn't have time to draw them. I could only do ours for now, b-but I promise that after the trial I'll make something for you-"
Before she could finish though, Luna had already walked to her and began patting her head.
"It's alright, Nala. I understand. Of course, I'm not lying when I say that I also wanted something made by you, but I don't want you to feel bad about it either. You did the right thing by prioritizing what you actually needed to make first. And look at the result."
She gestured towards all of us.
"You made everyone, including yourself look this good, no? So who cares if I or the others didn't get any right now? We can't go in the courtroom either way, so it's not like we need them, unlike you. So don't worry about it, alright?"
A few tears had gathered in her eyes, but it seems like that wasn't within Luna's permission either. Using her own thumbs, she wiped them gently.
"And no crying either… even if you don't have makeup on like your mommy, you're still going to get red eyes if you cry, you know? They don't really look good, trust me on that one. You put so much effort in these clothes, so don't let a little guilt ruin it by giving you big red ugly eyes. You can make me something anytime after the trial after all."
"…"
"Your answer?"
"…yes mam…"
"Good girl, good girl."
Luna then let go of her, and clapped her hands twice.
"Now then, it's about time that you guys get going, isn't it? The carriage is already outside, and you don't wanna be late, right? Then you should get going."
"I guess Luna is right."
"I agree, dear. Let's get going now, kids."
"Alrighty!"
Rune nodded.
"Welp, seems like it's time. Let's go, my dear little brother."
"I'm right behind ya, my dear older sister."
And while everyone else had already stepped out of the house, I was the only one that stopped right before it, and turned around for a moment.
"We'll get going then, Luna. See you tonight when we're home."
"That's right, I'll be waiting and watching all of it, so you can go on without any worries. See ya later, Cael."
I nodded… and finally walked out.
I should've probably expected it, but the massive crowd that was outside even just the gates of the house did in fact take me aback a little. In fact, plenty of Recruits were already in positions keeping a clear area around our carriages until we went inside, but even in the minute or so that it took us to do that, I swear I saw so many camera lights that it felt as if I was looking straight into the sun.
We all went inside a single carriage this time around, since neither the maids or anyone else was coming for that matter. Our parents and Rune were on one side, while the rest were on the other, though their side did still have an open seat due to Rune being in mom's lap as usual.
Unluckily for me, I somehow ended up in the middle. So for the whole 2 hours and a half ride or so, I was stuck in between Nala's yapping, Maia's munching and still having to peel mandarins for Nala, which she somehow snook inside. Am I the only one among us siblings without an eating obsession or something? Or I guess Rune doesn't seem to have one either actually, which is definitely reassuring to some extent. Maybe it's just the women in our house? Albeit rather than being obsessed with eating, mom really seems to enjoy cooking.
But regardless, although the ride there was fairly painful, it wasn't actually that unpleasant either, so it flew by pretty quickly. Our parents went out first, and then it was our turn. Both me and Maia stopped to stretch our arms as usual as soon as we got out, but while doing that my attention was forcefully stolen by the actual massive building we had just stopped in front of.
"Say, Maia…"
"Hm?"
"This is a "court room" isn't it?"
"What else would it be?"
"This looks more like it could be The Commander's own house- no, institution?"
"Huh? Did you get carriage sickness or something? Mio's "institution" would be the Sentinel's headquarters, no? It's much bigger than this too for that matter."
"Right… so this is genuinely just a court room?"
"Look, it's not like I don't get what you mean. It's pretty… outstanding building to say the least, but are you not forgetting something?"
"Forgetting something?"
"Seems like it. After all, this isn't either an average court where an average judge takes care of things, nor is it the Royal Courtroom which is inside the palace. This is… The Supreme Courtroom. Here, even the King himself is just another person."
"…"
It's not like I had forgotten or anything like that, but…
No matter how you put it, this thing was like twice as large as The White House in America got size reference. It was almost intimidating to see such a large building up close honestly. But I guess Maia is right after all. Saying that this is the most powerful place in the entire kingdom after the Sentinel's Headquarters wouldn't even be an understatement either.
"Are you two done yet? How long are you planning on stretching for?"
"We're just about done I'd say. Isn't that right, my dear little brother?"
"Seems like it, my dear older sister."
"Then each of you take one of the twins… and let's go."
The others had taken a few steps ahead of us, while we all did our best to ignore the hurricane of pictures being taken of us every single second. After me and Maia caught up, we did just as Nala told us a few too many times on the way here. Behind that it was Maia, holding Nala's left hand. And behind mom was me, holding Rune's right hand.
Nala said that this formation kinda made us look like a spread wing or something like that? I think I see it I guess, but it's really up to interpretation. Truth be said though, neither me or Maia were walking directly behind them, but slightly towards their outer side, so I think that's where the spread wings image came from in her mind.
"We just have to keep this formation until we enter the building. There's still a little time left until the trial starts, so you guys can just roam around for a while as well. Neither me or Isolde have to go into the courtroom itself yet anyway."
"Ah, that reminded me dear, I heard they have a pretty good cafeteria here. Maia told me so. Should we check it out?"
"Is it worth it, Maia?"
We were kinda just minding our own business, while walking towards the building itself. Which as you'd guessed probably, was a pretty diverse one. I wouldn't be surprised if some if not most of the workers here straight up had their own rooms and indispensable supplies all within.
"I've only eaten here once out of curiosity, but I think it's pretty good. Though it's nowhere near mom's cooking."
"Haha, you flatter me. Maybe I should make you a strawberry tart tonight?"
"Wait, really?!"
"I don't see why not. I happened to want to make a tart one of these days anyway, so I may as well make a few tonight. Along that, maybe even some mandarin ones."
"Ah! I'll remember that! You better not be lying, mommy!"
"Isolde… what are we gonna do if all my princesses can think about are strawberry and mandarin tarts during the trial?"
"What's the problem, dear? Maia aside, I doubt Nala will need to do anything other than sitting down and looking cute."
"…alright then."
And right about there, as the doors closed behind us we were fully in, and now free to move however we wanted.