Princess of the Silver Ocean - Chapter 29

Yashiro opened the door and found that everyone was already seated and waiting for them.

“What took you guys so long?” Ai whined.

Astoria immediately let go of his hand and smiled.

“Geez, it’s not like you’ll starve to death, little fox,” he teased her, walking to her side and ruffling her hair.

She pouted at her brother and pushed his hand away. The king and queen laughed. Astoria noticed that Yashiro’s brother, Yoshito, was seated next to his sister.

“Hi, princess Nexi. Glad to see you again,” he said warmly.

“Hi,” she replied, walking to her seat, “You too.”

She sat across Ai, with Yashiro next to her. Looking at him, he smiled at her. Blushing lightly, she quickly directed her gaze away from him.

“Well then,” the king began, “since everyone is seated. How about we dig in before my daughter complains again that she is starving.”

Everyone laughed at that statement and began dishing for themselves. Yashiro was a real gentleman, dishing out food for Astoria, who just watched his odd behaviour. It was odd because no man had ever dished for her before, except for her father, but we all know that does not count.

“Here you go, princess,” he said, placing her food in front of her.

“Uh, thanks,” she said, grabbing her knife and fork.

‘Calm down, my heart. No, Nexi’s heart. Calm the hell down. Geez!’

He smiled at her, and everyone started eating. This meal was different from the meal she had back in the palace. Here, everyone was chatting and laughing. The ambiance was certainly pleasant, and she found herself instantly calm and comfortable. She felt like she was one with the Kuba family.

She would often catch the black-haired fox, Yashiro, stealing a glance at her before turning away. For the first time in his life, he felt delighted to sit next to her, to a woman. He was never a fox that was interested in things like dating or marriage.

He was more focused on his work, but something changed inside him when he met Nexi this time around. Seeing the beautiful princess sitting next to him and laughing with his family made his heart flutter. When they were done eating, the king said he had something to tell her. She watched as he stood up.

“The reason we wanted you to come and stay with us for the weekend,” he began, “was because tomorrow is the Festival of Paint.”

“The Festival of Paint?” she asked the king, confusion plastered on her face.

“Yes,” Ai responded, “Everyone knows this festival. I’m sure you heard of it. It’s celebrated here in Chesropis.”

Although she got some of her memories back, there were a few things she still could not remember. One of those things was this festival that is so well-known.

“It’s a festival which is celebrated every nine months. It’s more like a holiday,” Yoshito added.

She nodded, but Yashiro saw that she really had no clue what they were talking about.

“It’s a holiday that’s celebrated with great pleasure here in Chesropis,” the fox began explaining.

She was grateful that someone was explaining it. However, she was worried they would be suspicious of her not knowing about such an auspicious holiday in her fiancé’s kingdom, mainly since she would be marrying into this family.

“Basically, it’s associated with outdoor food parties, togetherness, fun, and dressing up like royalty. It’s celebrated for two days, starting tomorrow. I’m sure the citizens have already begun decorating their stalls by now.”

The king nodded in response.

“We wanted you to be here with us when we begin the celebrations, Nexi. You will be part of our family, after all,” the queen added, smiling.

The queen’s smile broadened, and a dimple appeared. Her smile warmed Astoria’s eyes.

“It sounds like a lot of fun,” Astoria said, “especially the dressing up part where we will all look like royalty.”

She actually found that interesting, and she was curious about how the holiday would turn out. Ai nodded enthusiastically.

“It is called the Festival of Paint because artists get to showcase and sell their paintings. I’m gonna be selling some of mine tomorrow, so I’m the most excited one out of everyone here!” the young fox exclaimed, happiness radiating off her.

“If you don’t mind, is it okay if I help you with that?” she asked the fox princess.

Ai wanted to nod immediately, but she immediately paused when she looked past her and noticed her older brother, Yashiro, sending her signals. It was as if he was saying, ‘Don’t even think of agreeing. I’m planning on spending time with her tomorrow.’ A cold sweat rolled down her neck.

“Hahaha,” she laughed awkwardly, “no, no, I’ll be fine. You spend time with my brother. I’m sure y’all have a lot to discuss.”

Astoria felt a bit disappointed by Ai’s reply. Looking at Ai’s gaze, she saw that the fox was looking at her brother, who was intently staring at her with a triumphant smile. When he saw her stare at him, his expression changed to a neutral one, and she realised what was going on between the siblings.

‘Ah, I see what’s happening. So he wants to spend time with me tomorrow, and that can’t happen if I’m helping Ai with her paintings? But I don’t think I want to be close to him. I might get a heart attack.’

“I prepared a lovely dress for Ai and Nexi,” the queen said, a hint of excitement in her voice.

“Ah, can’t we pick our own dresses?” Ai pouted, her arms crossed.

“Hey, I’m sure mother picked lovely dresses for the both of you,” Yoshito said.

Ai sighed and stood up.

“Guess it can’t be helped. On that note, I’m gonna go to the art room and finish my paintings. Bye!”

With that, Ai quickly left the room. The atmosphere felt strange and uncomfortable as the queen looked disappointed at her daughter’s reaction to preparing their dresses for tomorrow.

“Don’t take it to heart, dear,” the king said, trying to comfort her.

“Yes, mother,” Yashiro added, “I’m sure Ai was just excited about picking out her own dress. You know how she likes dressing up for such occasions.”

Their mother appeared to sulk for a moment, then grew thoughtful.

“I can’t help but pick a dress for her. She’s just so cute and adorable. She’s my baby,” she said.

“But she’s capable of picking her own clothes. You treat her too much like a baby,” Yashiro said, shaking his head.

“Yashiro is right. Let her make her own decisions sometimes. You spoil her too much,” the younger brother added.

“But she’s my baby,” the queen said again, softly grumbling.

Watching the scene in front of her, Astoria let out a soft laugh. Her laugh was short and low. It felt good to laugh after the events that had happened to her this week. The queen somehow looked adorable as she pouted at the remarks of her two sons. Hearing her laugh, everyone turned to face her. She looked at them, nervous and a bit awkward.

“Ah, sorry,” she said softly, “It’s just that seeing this kind of interaction really made my heart warm. It reminded me of my mother.”

She was really reminded of her mother, who had died of cancer when she was eighteen. Her mother was just like this queen fox, always babying her and wanting to spoil her. She was the kindest person she had ever known, forever supporting her in whatever dreams she had. When her dad had told her that she was diagnosed with cancer, she had felt like her whole world had been broken.

Losing her mother would be like losing herself, so the day she heard the news of her mother’s passing, her whole world had turned from colourful and extraordinary to colourless and mundane. She had gone into depression for a few months. Thanks to Stan, she was able to find some happiness again when he suggested she take the police exam since she was into crime documentaries and murder mysteries.

“I see,” the queen said, standing up and walking to her.

She clasped her hands with Astoria’s. Everyone probably thought she meant Nexi’s mother since she was now the princess, and they both had lost their mothers.

“From now on, you’ll be my second daughter. I hope you understand that I have begun to care for you just as much as I care for Ai,” the queen said, smiling and staring at her.

Her heart felt warm after hearing the sincerity in the queen’s voice. She smiled back and nodded.

“Thank you, Mrs.. Kuba.”