Two figures walk down the palace loggia, their posture straight and their steps elegant. One's graying hair, which was once pitch black as the night sky itself, was tied back neatly into a bun, secured with a pearl hairclip. The other, much younger, had long blonde hair that travelled all the way down to her waist like a river of pure gold flowing from her scalp.
Thalia and Thedosia walked down to a small closed off garden in the palace periphery, where their little gazebo was set up along with a coffee table and their afternoon tea.
But upon entering the garden, they were met with the sight of two swords engaged in a furious duel. One seemed to be a young knight, with dull brown hair, while the other was none other than the Crown Prince of Halycra.
Their duel only ended when the young soldier collapsed on the ground in defeat, Leander's slender saber pointing at his throat.
"Your posture has gotten better, James. So has your agility." He was breathing heavily as he sheathed the saber, addressing the brunette.
"Thank you, Your Highness. I've been doing some extra practice outside of the usual training." He grinned and got up, brushing himself off.
"Good. I can tell it's paying off. Oh, Mother! Lia!" Leander noticed the two women sitting patiently in the gazebo. He rushed to see his mother, dismissing James.
"Finally, Have you gotten the time to pay your family a visit?" Thalia asked dryly.
"Sorry, there's a lot on my plate right now." Leander smiled sheepishly as he sat down next to her.
"Do not sit next to me, you stink!" Thalia protested.
"Obviously? I wasn't playing hide-and-seek for half an hour so I wouldn't be sweating." Lee rolled his eyes.
"This garden isn't a place for your swordsmanship training! It's a place of elegance, some peace and quiet-"
"Oh, shush Thalia. My garden, my rules." Leander grabbed a cookie and leaned back, sighing deeply.
Celestia chuckled at Thalia's grumbling, "Now now, Leander. She isn't wrong. You have a proper place for your training. Don't just pick up your sword anywhere."
"I didn't pick up my sword anywhere. I was just... blowing off some steam."
Celestia raised a brow, "Oh? What has gotten my poor son so worried that he decided to practice his sword in the middle of nowhere?"
Thalia rolled her eyes, and Leander sighed, "Nothing, Mother... Leave it."
Truthfully, it wasn't really 'nothing'.
Lee munched on a few more snacks as his mother and sister chatted on light topics.
He kept mulling over the past few days, the garden party in particular. Which Ducal family had she been promised to?
His mother, the Empress, would have the answer to that. But the problem was, how should he extract the information from her without being too obvious?
Suddenly, an idea clicked.
"Mother?"
"Yes?"
Thalia made a confused sound. "Mother? I haven't heard you call her that since... forever."
"Shush, Thalia. Don't interrupt when the elders are talking."
"What-"
"I said shush."
When she noticed the seriousness in her brother's voice, she had no choice but to lean back and grumble silently. After all, she had never seen Leander get mad at her, and she didn't want to either.
"Anyways, what were you saying?" Celestia prompted.
"Ah right." Leander pondered for a moment, trying to phrase his statement. "You mentioned, some time ago, that the nobles have been... rather eager for suitors."
Celestia progressed cautiously, "And...?"
"And... I was wondering, how many of the said nobles are Ducal houses?"
Boom. He'd landed the hit.
"I'll answer you, but before that, I want to ask you something too. Why are you asking this?"
Leander awkwardly cleared his throat, "Um, well... I'd like to know the Empire's... um.. marital situations. Since it's... related to the economy. You know, 'happy wife, happy life'?"
Thalia laughed out loud, "'Happy wife, happy life?' Somehow, I can already tell this is something about a certain someone."
Even without her saying the name outright, Leander understood her implication immediately and looked away, blushing, "It's not about her. Not everything is about her."
Thalia's lips curled upward, "Oh? How do you know who I'm talking about?"
"Stop playing coy-"
"I was talking about Duke Calvethra's daughter." Thalia interrupted, forcing back her mirth as she maintained a serious expression.
Leander, however, deflated like a balloon. "Seriously?"
Giving in, Thalia burst out laughing. Celestia, who'd been watching the exchange with a smirk on her face, shook her head. "Enough both of you."
Leander pouted, "You didn't answer my question."
"Hm.. Alright, alright. Let's see..." She paused for a moment, racking her brain, then spoke again, "There aren't many, I suppose."
"Names, Mother, I need names."
"Well, first off are the Calvethras. Both the older daughters are at appropriate ages, and the Duchess even voiced her concern about Lucrezia at a tea party I attended last week. So I assume the Second Lady isn't quite ready, or willing."
"Ah, I see," Leander nodded, feigning interest.
"Next would be, the Duchy of Heisenberg."
Leander sat up straight, "Cedric wants to get married?"
Celestia sighed, "No actually. He's at the age where he should be thinking about having an heir, yet the man refuses to even look at a woman. His mother was terribly worried as well, but recently she decided to look for young ladies and force him into it. He is the Duke after all. A head without a successor is like a tree with no fruit."
Leander hummed. Cedric Heisenberg, his mother's nephew and the Duke of the North, was only a few years older than him, about twenty five. Yet he was always even more adamant than Leander himself when it came to his responsibilities.
Thalia chose that as the perfect moment to tease Leander again, "Well, you should really focus on finding a wife and getting an heir too. Oh, I forgot, you've already-"
"One more word, Thalia, and I will throw you off the highest tower of the palace."
Thalia grinned, "Oops. Why so touchy?"
Leander shot her a dirty look, before nodding for his mother to continue.
"Then, the Duchy of Blackridge and Montclair. While Jonathan is yet to find himself a young lady..."
Celestia trailed off, hesitating, while Leander perked up, "Go on."
"Well, I heard that... the young Lady of Montclair is engaged unofficially to Blackridge."