The sun had risen again. Everyone at the border was up. Serelia however, was still asleep, snoring quietly.
Arabella peeked her head into the tent, telling Serelia to wake up. "Serelia, wake up. Someone came to meet you."
"Ugh... Who can it be this time?" Serelia asked, rubbing her eyes as she got up.
Arabella moved her head out, and looked at the people. As she described their appearance. There were four royal guards, who was asking where she was. The moment, Arabella peeked her head back inside however, Serelia was already ready completely.
"Let's go."
"How did you got ready so qu-"
"No time to answer those questions, if it's the royal guards then it's mandatory for me to work fast."
Serelia got out of her tent, the four vampires looked at her. One of them smiled softly, as he bowed slightly. "Greetings, Young Lady Serenis. You are required to come to the kingdom again, as you know."
"Yeah, yeah. I know why." She glanced at Arabella and two other vampires. "Can they come along?" She pointed at them.
"Only if they come as spectators only." He answered.
"Good." She waved at the three. "If you want to know why was I called, you three can come along."
The three, curious to know why the royal guards were here, decided to come along. The guards guides them inside the cart, as the four sat down. It was a normal cart, not a royal one.
"The royal guards came in this?" One of them other two vampires asked, his name was Vesper.
"Well, that's because Young Lady Serenis, prefers this over the royal carts." One of the guards replied, Lucius was his name. He was also the one who greeted Serelia earlier.
"Serelia... Just how familiar are you with the royal guards?" Arabella asked.
"I am not, Lucius is just a personal guard my father asked to serve me." She answered, as she laid her head down in Lucius's lap, folding her hands to sleep.
Lucius chuckled slightly, as he caressed her head while reading a book. The other guards, Lilith, Isolde and Sybil. All three were talking amongst themselves about their life.
"Sir Lucius, does Serelia always sleeps on you like this?" The other vampire, Desdemona asked, watching Serelia already asleep on Lucius's lap.
"Hmm?. Yes, its normal. I am used to her using my lap as a pillow everytime she gets a break from her duties as a Sanguira."
"She does that everytime?" Arabella asked.
"Only when it's just us. Her father, Sir Draven doesn't like her behaving so casually with a guard."
"No wonder she doesn't gives a care about her father." Vesper mentioned. Draven was just protective of his daughter, but that also forbid her from doing whatever she wanted.
"Considering your lack of awareness... Are the three of you aware of what's happening in the kingdom at all?" Sybil asked, noticing how the three vampires had no idea over their situation.
The three became quiet, Arabella awkward answered her. "Well, we never loved the life within the kingdom, so we never came back during our breaks so..."
Sybil sighed at that. "Of course, that explains why the three of you are surprised."
"You can't blame them Sybil, even the young lady herself don't like those rules set up by her majesty, Theresa." Lucius mentioned.
"Your young lady at least bothers to come back here during her breaks."
"That's because she doesn't wish to leave her family away from her."
"Ugh... Can't even win an argument against you."
"Sybil, you can never win an argument against Lucius. Don't bother wasting your time on that." Lilith mentioned, as she turned the horse around to enter the Kingdom of Crisiniara.
"Young Lady Serenis, we have entered the kingdom. You have no choice but to go in the royal carts now." Lucius said, as he slightly tapped her forehead.
Serelia rubbed it, and slowly got up. She yawned a little, then got up to stretch herself. "Well, let's go then." Lucius also got up, and left the cart along with her.
"The three of you should go out as well, you should see the changes in the kingdom after years now." Isolde suggested.
One by one, all three of them got out. They recognised the gate, still the same stone gate as before. But Arabella saw Vesper's shocked look on the side. Both Desdemona and her moved away from behind the cart, and looked at the streets.
It was entirely different from what they remembered. The streets were proper and safely built now. They remembered it being terrible, because of the constant fighting among people in the past.
Arabella watched as Serelia got inside a royal cart with Lucius following her behind. She tried to rush to her, but was stopped by Lilith who grabbed her by the collar. "Don't even try, even if the kingdom had advancements, the rules are the same still. You can't stop a royal call out of your own will unless you are a royal yourself."
Arabella stayed silent as she saw the cart go away. "What does our friend even have to do with the royals?"
"You will know about it eventually."
...
MUNCH! Vesper created a noise, as he ate a cracker he just bought. Arabella and Desdemona sat at the fountain in the center of the kingdom, still lost in thought.
"There has been so much change here..." Desdemona mentioned, as he looked at the foundation. He remembered, that it didn't even existed last time he came here.
"What do the royals even want from Serelia?" Arabella asked again, as she stared at the sky.
"Mhmp!" She choked, as Vesper shoved a cracked into her mouth. "Don't focus too much, the way she was behaving. We shouldn't really be worried, let's just enjoy ourselves while we are here."
Arabella ate the cracker, and gasped for air. "Right..." She got up, so did Desdemona who realized something.
"We are still in our border uniform." The realization hit the other two as well.
"No wonder, the shopkeeper was so gentle with me." Vesper chuckled as he remembered how gentle the shopkeeper behaved with him. It was a thanks for protecting the border.
"We need clothes." Arabella suggested, then sighed. "The problem is, because of how many changes there have been. I doubt our previous homes are still at the same place."
"Right... It's been like how many years we last came?" Desdemona asked.
"Eight years." Vesper replied. "So we don't even know the current fashion."
"We need to ask someone about it." Arabella suggested. As she looked around to see who can help them.
"Hmm?" Desdemona perked up, as he noticed someone in the distance. "Hey Ara..."
"Yeah?"
"Isn't that a Sanguira mark?" Desdemona pointed at the neck of a female vampire, older than them. She had a Sanguira mark, a mark given to everyone who had worked as a Sanguira. Who held some groceries, and was walking away from a store.
"Our savior!" Vesper yelled, as he ran towards the vampire. Arabella and Desdemona watched as Vesper talked with the woman. He turned towards them, and signalled them to come.
"Lucky us." Arabella said, as the two walked towards them as well.
"So, you three are my juniors huh?" The woman mentioned, as the four walked down the streets. Her glasses shining under the light.
"Well yes we are, we came along with a friend who had some work to do. We haven't came here in so long, so we don't recognise many things." Vesper explained.
"It's fine, my home is a few meters away. You can stay there for a while, I'll find your home addresses until then." She answered with a gentle look.
The three thanked her, as they followed her. Soon after a while, they reached her home. The three stares at the good looking mansion, as they followed her inside.
She guided the three in the living room, gesturing them to sit down. As she took off her glasses. "The servants are at break today because of the festival. My other siblings also went to watch it, and my father had work to do there. So only I am in the house right now."
"Festival?" Arabella asked.
"Oh right you don't know because of never coming for eight years." She started explaining.
"Half a decade ago. Her majesty, Theresa's authority was challenged by a few individuals. To see whether they could truly outrule her. A week long festival was held every year, which took ten candidates from the entire kingdom. To see whether they could perform as a better ruler than Theresa herself."
She continued. "These ten candidates took part in this festival every year, if they could succeed in every trial. They could take away her majesty's position as the ruler, and be the new ruler."
She started to explain the trials. A total of five of them.
The first trial was courgae. To test, whether the candidate had the courage to rule, was put through different tests to try and break them.
The second was their ideology, this one depended on the people themselves. Because while some people may explain it better. They may not pass the trial if the people didn't liked their perspective.
The third was their skills. A ruler should be able to protect their kingdom on their own as well. Whether it was through leadership, or their own talent.
The fourth trial was a fight amongst themselves. A ruler should always be ready against backstabbing, to see whether they could still protect their authority despite that. This trial was held.
Finally the fifth and last, challenging her majesty, herself. The reason this festival is still going, was because no one has ever been able to come close to defeating her majesty, Theresa in a duel.
"I suppose, the three of you understand now. Why the kingdom changed so much? While this festival decides the future ruler, it also brings change within others to change as well."
"Wow... So much has changed since we last this place." Desdemona mentioned, as he drank the milk offered to them by the woman.
"Oh right, we haven't introduced ourselves yet." Arabella pointed out.
"Ahh right. Let's do that then." The woman replied.
"Arabella. Arabella Neveressa. My full name."
"Vesper Nocturne."
"Desdemona Tempest. I hope we aren't too much of a bother."
The woman smiled gently at their introduction. "It's fine, I don't mind. Anyways for my introduction."
And then a name dropped, that none of the three expected at all. "My full name is Aurelia Serenis."
The three of them choked on the milk they were drinking. "Are you three alright!?" Aurelia asked in a worry.
"W-we are fine..." Vesper replied while coughing a bit. "Just didn't expected the last name to be 'Serenis' as well."
"As well? Who else do the three of you know with the same last name as mine?" Aurelia asked.
Just as soon as Arabella was about to answer her. The door broke open, slamming straight into the wall. A lazy yawn coming as well, as the door breaker walked in.
It was Serelia. Lucius alongside her, who just had an apologetic look on his face, as if apologising to Aurelia in advance.
"It's a been a while, sister." Serelia called out, and stood in front of her. She noticed the other three sitting.
"Oh? You three are also here?" The three of them just watched Aurelia's expression.
"Ah..." The realization hit Aurelia. Three Sanguira. The festival. And the infamous door breaker of the house.
The other Serenis the three knew, was none other than her younger sister. Serelia Serenis.