Noticing that Mira is calm and silent as usual, Angus felt relief. He still remembers how Darren and Mira react when Elder Nirvas Yawan glares at Mira bluntly. Although he didn't care about all these cunning nobles, some were still important in the Kingdom's government.
'No… This is not true. These people do not see Mira at all.' thought Angus inwardly.
He notices all the nobles in the hall are not looking at Mira. All the nobles' eyes are fixed on him and Anna. It is as if Mira and Darren do not exist.
'Did they camouflage themself? With their unique silver hair, they should attract these hideous wolves in sheep's clothing.' thought Angus.
During this time, "Angus… Angus… Hurry, Anna is hungry." called Angus while dragging him away, leaving Mira and Darren on their own.
Angus could only follow the little gluttony helplessly. He needs to be by her side to prevent her from making trouble. Fortunately, the nobles in the surrounding area still wanted to live and didn't dare to mock Anna's rude behavior.
Some still remember Angus destroying the whole court hall a few days ago. They also hear Head Judge Hugo's house suddenly become a blaze from a giant Fire Wyrm. At the same time, the old head judge disappears a few days later.
Anyone with a little bit of mind will definitely connect it to Angus. However, no one dares to accuse him since Angus is a high noble and a powerful magician like his Father. Moreover, all the nobles could feel King Leon's interference in this matter.
Arriving at the food table, Anna immediately grabs all the food she finds except the one with the green color or the vegetable.
"I never thought that out of three sons, you would have a child first." a voice heard from their side.
"Urgh… Shut up. Don't create more baseless rumors." said Angus to his Father.
"Like you care about it anyway." chimed Duke Jacob, Angus' Father.
"You and the king… *Sigh* No wonder you two could become good friends despite the age differences." chimed Angus.
"Hahaha… I believe you are the only one brave enough to speak bluntly about His Majesty in this place." laughed Duke Jacob.
"Tch… Did you know that a stuck-up person only dragged me into more trouble? Most of my trouble is coming from him." complained Angus.
"True. Your mom and Aunt even want to talk with His Majesty about this. But it is also not an undeniable fact that you grow faster, right? I doubt I could beat your ass again like before." said Duke Jacob with a smile.
"Alright, enough of this talk. So, how is life at the border?" asked Angus.
"It's boring. Since we closed the border, there has been no trouble. As for the remnant of Udrary kingdom, they are still busy saving their ass from the nearby kingdom's constant invasion." said Duke Jacob.
"I even have time to visit and hunt some monsters at Black Fortress with old Borkins." added Jacob.
"And while you are having fun, I am stuck with all that paperwork. Now, I truly regret becoming your heir." said Jason from the side.
"Not my fault. You are the one that urges me to become the heir as soon as possible. Not that I deny it. It is quite boring to stay in the territory all day." retorted Jacob.
"I guess this is also why eldest brother Jade didn't want to take back the position." added Jacob.
The Father and the two sons keep talking more as they rarely meet. Still, their behavior is entirely different than usual. Unlike Angus, Duke Jacob and Jason, who usually have noble and cold temperaments, are smiling and cheerful.
Angus wasn't surprised at this sudden change as they had just experienced the hard truth of war. Duke Jacob, the leader in the frontline, must already see a lot of horrible scenes and casualties during the war with Udrary.
Even the cold-hearted person will definitely be affected by such a scene, much less Duke Jacob, who is warm inside. If it is not for his undying loyalty to his friend and King, Duke Jacob may not accompany King Leon during his massacre for long.
In contrast, Jason is lucky. Since he didn't stay on the frontline or participate in the war directly. However, he still got the report of the casualty and the wounded one. For the young inexperienced Jason, this report heavily impacted his psyche and mind.
It took him at least a week before he could get over it. During this time, he couldn't help but miss his family and brother. He also regrets his past cold attitude toward his two younger brothers.
While Angus is having a little reunion with his Father along with his brother, Anna suddenly stops eating and frowns a little bit.
Because of her insatiable appetite, Anna gets her own table food from the rest of the guests. Otherwise, the other guest will be left with nothing. It is known that all the food in this area is prepared specially for her.
Yet, she feels some of the food is mysteriously decreasing. However, the food is still mountainous and a lot.
Noticing Anna to stop eating, "Anna, Is there something wrong?" asked Angus.
"The food is decreasing. Hmph!! There is a food thief." said Anna while pouting.
"Food thief?" replied Angus while looking at the mountainous food on the table.
'This little gluttony… Isn't there still a lot of food?' thought Angus inwardly.
"Anna, don't be like that. It's okay to share with others. Besides, there is still a lot of food." lectured Angus softly.
"But.. It's a food thief!!" retorted Anna.
Before Angus could say anything, "There!! Look, the food is suddenly gone!" said Anna while pointing at the nearby roasted meat.
Unfortunately, Angus and the others didn't notice it as there was a lot of variety of food on the table. They could only look at where Anna was pointing with confusion. *Giggle* *Giggle* At this moment, Angus and Duke Jacob heard a small laugh from below the table.
Hearing this, Angus grabs the cloth table decoration and peeks inside. Under the table, they find familiar twin creepy girls surrounded by some food.
"Thief!! Food Thief!!" called Anna.
"Oh.. Oh… They find out." said one of the Twin Gem.
"Give Anna's food back." said Anna while charging at the twin Gem.
Before Anna could charge at the mischievous twin, Angus stopped Anna and put some delicious bread meat into her mouth. In the meantime, the twin Gems already disappear from their spot to who knows where.
Seeing Angus' fast reaction, "Hahahaha… Now, you know how hard it is to raise a child." laughed Duke Jacob.
"Shut up!! Anna, don't run around. Just stay here and eat the food." said Angus gently in the last sentence.
"Mmm… *Munch* *Munch*" replied Anna obediently while munching the food.
Looking at the obedient Anna, Angus felt relief. He knows if the twin Gem and Anna play catch, they may destroy the royal palace. Fortunately, Angus didn't need to stop Anna for long.
As the sky turned orange from the sunset, a large horn and drum were heard across the capital city. Everyone could see King Leon on the high podium through the projection. He is accompanied by Jayna and Duchess Amberblaze.
All of them are wearing a special noble attire in white color along with a red accent. The memorial event is part of the Heart Kingdom tradition.
However, they didn't have strict rites or procedures like in the religious kingdom. In fact, the Heart Kingdom memorial service is similar to any strong kingdom in Firuman.
"Wooahh… Angus, Big sis!! Big Sis!!" called Anna excitedly,
"Hush.. Anna, don't make too much noise." said Angus while carrying the naughty troublemaker.
At this moment, King Leon approaches the sound-amplifying magic tools with his signature stern face.
"Let's take this moment to pray for our… Friend.. Brother.. Sister.. Father.. Mother… Son.. and daughter of the Heart." said King Leon in a low voice.
Then, King Leon starts to close his eyes, followed by Princess Jayna and Duchess Amberblaze. Soon, everyone in the capital city and royal palace closed their eyes. No one knows who plays the music, but everyone is sure they can hear a melancholy tune.
Unbeknownst to the people in the capital city, these strange phenomena happen in the entire Heart Kingdom. Even the naughty Anna and Twin Gem are also humming the melancholic tune.
After a few minutes, which feels like hours for everyone, the melancholic tune stops. Everyone opens their eyes with tears, especially the one that lost their loved one. King Leon uses this opportunity to give a speech while the rest try to calm their sadness.
After a long speech, Jayna stepped onto the podium and raised her arm before her. During this moment, Angus notices that Jayna's eyes have turned into fiery phoenix one.
"Thank you. You could rest in peace now." said Jayna in a low voice before a sudden spark appeared in her hand.
The tiny fire spark in her hand spread through the wind and scattered across the capital city.
"Angus, Big Sis become sparkling sparkling like a star." commented Anna.
"Yes, she is." replied Angus absentmindedly.
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶