Lattice Kingdom

The Crown Prince Residence, Royal Palace

Outside the stained glass window, beyond the walls of the palace is the place that was once lively even when it was swallowed by the endless snow.

The laughter echoing through its high walls, the uniform beats of shoes on its paved floor. Everything is gone now and it has been more than five years since. 

St. Kassia Academy standing in bleak silence was akin to a boulder pressing on his heart. Adelheid traced the academy's outline through the blurry glass with his cold fingertips while thinking of the old days and that bright smile.

The days of dealing with the kingdom's problem made him weary and irritable. Calamities spring up one after another, the borders that had been silent for several years are starting to boil once again. To pacify the masses they needed finances and recruit more people for the army. 

He had been out and about dealing with these issues diligently while his uncle sits up there continuing to waste money and energy. If not for the fact that he could never have an heir in this life, the royal uncle could have fathered dozens of offspring from various women he bedded.

That could have been a lot easier. At least he did not have to shoulder this burden… 

Adelheid was taken aback by his own thoughts. 

Footsteps from behind called him back.

"Your Highness, Her Grace Camilla wishes to inform you that she will be sitting in the royal temple to offer a prayer for the kingdom and will not join you for supper." 

It was the lady in waiting assigned to his wife. Adelheid waved his hand off and drove everyone out of his chambers. He understood Camilla's devotion as this kingdom's Diviner but as his spouse, he could not help but resent. 

He still remembers her tearful face when she told him she will not be able to give him a child for now because her power was still weak. She blamed herself for the disasters befalling the kingdom that was why she offered to come to the temple to worship every night.

"When everything returns to normal, I can be free of this responsibility and we can finally go back to our happy days, my prince," she said sweetly. 

The happy days? He looked through his memories and saw a flash of that unrestrained smile. 

Adelheid rubbed his head. He must be crazy. Why of all people it had to be her?

It should have been Camilla, yes. 

Then he paused. He felt sad when thinking about the ordeal she has to go through. But lately, the longer Camilla stays away from him, the clearer he sees some things. 

The contradictions in her words, her past deeds and the people she surrounds herself with. 

Adelheid rubbed his head again. He can't quite put a finger into it but it made him feel strangely liberated from being bound. 

"My prince…?"

Adelheid's train of thought was cut off when he heard the sweet voice coming from the secret passage. For some reason, he felt a surge of panic. 

"C-Camilla…" he whispered. "I thought you were going to sit in the temple tonight?"

The light from outside spilt into the passage like a golden beam basking her with a gentle glow. Prince Adelheid found it hard to resist and he was gradually pulled in by the image she presented. The long strands of golden hair rested on the smooth skin of her shoulder. The thin white robe she wore rippled as she took small steps out of the secret door. 

"I was told you just arrived." she said. "Thinking that we may not be able to share another meal… I can't bear to…"  

Her teardrops fell as she broke into a run towards him.

Adelheid's head stung for a brief second when his body instinctively tried to avoid her touch. In the end, her soft warm body was still wrapped into his.

She tightened her arms on his neck and pressed herself closer. The contact made him feel like sinking into cotton. Comfortable yet suffocating.  

"Adel," Camilla whispered seductively into his ears. "It's been a while..."

He hesitated, "But your body."

She shook her head and stepped back. "I miss you. You just need to love me."

Her hand reached for the clasp of her robe freeing her body of its only layer of warmth.

The main doors of the prince chambers were deserted until the corridors. In the passageways, a man in a knight's uniform stood as the sole witness of the violent collision of flesh and fiery gaps spilling out behind the bed curtains.

Winter came like an arrogant ruffian this year. It hasn't been long since the harvest finished and the feast was held that the stormy autumn rain fell. After that, it directly pushed the weather into a deep chill. 

Ayan pulled her shawl tighter as she watched fluffs of snow slowly cover the whole land beyond the kitchen window. Gradually, no other colours can be seen except white. Like the soft serve vanilla ice cream she often buys back in elementary school. It looked appetizing. 

How she missed her old world. Her family, Monica and all the convenience she once took for granted. Like her soft bed for example. Hot bath. The soups her mother made. 

Speaking of soups, the pork ribs she was simmering in the pot started to boil emitting a tempting fragrance. It needs to boil for an hour to soften the meat and extract more flavour from the bones. The warm tasty broth and the waxy texture of potatoes are perfect for this cold weather. 

Ayan thought of the twins, those boys rarely complained and she felt embarrassed for some reason. She missed her parents. She was the youngest baby in the family but now she is a parent as well. Truth to be told, though she looks calm on the outside, she was very troubled inside. 

What about illness? Injury? Hunger? What if there are bad people who might steal her boys? They looked so adorable and easy to snatch. Those things plagued her endlessly. 

The only experience she knew was from remembering how her mother took care of her and observing how other parents reared their kids. As a newly minted mother, she needs to align her thoughts with theirs, think of a way to make her children more comfortable and safe.

If their father takes too long…  

Urgh, she's beginning to get annoyed by just thinking about it. Why were things different when it comes to her? The heroine was placed right in the mansion enjoying the accommodation from the third lord the moment they arrived here while she… she and the children were put in a shabby cottage! 

Was it because she was the villain of the book and doesn't deserve any sort of convenience?

She gave herself a mental shake. Was it the invisible power set to control this world? No, it was Clayton himself. It was his conscious decision to choose this place. Sigh~ enough brooding, she had to keep this resentment burning so that she has more energy to punch Clayton when he returns.

Lunch was served steaming hot making the four of them sweat. Carmine puffed his breath while chewing on the potato hurriedly. The heat from the sticky texture was so comfortable he couldn't stop eating it. 

Raven loved the broth and drank it with an utmost serious expression before eating the meat and vegetables. Today's meal is pork rib soup, omelette and bread. This was already an extravagant meal for the villagers and some may raise eyebrows thinking she was wasting too much food this cold season. 

Other houses are content with a simple pottage, bacon and bread. Especially bread since it can only be baked once a week in the community bakery. Pottage is very simple to make. You only toss a variety of beans and vegetables in the pot to make it into a soup and that's it. It was the most common farmhouse food especially when you are on a tight budget. Meat and eggs can only be eaten during special occasions.  

When the meal finished, she urged the boys to the parlor where the hearth is lit. She had spread blankets in there for them to play or take a nap whenever they feel sleepy. 

The snow is getting thicker and she's concerned about the roof all of a sudden. The house has never had a tenant for many years, will the beams be able to bear the weight?

"I'm back Ayan!" Coco's voice rang aloud.

Before she could burst tears of happiness she was forcibly pulled in inside the fairy ring. 

"Welcome back milady!" 

Five new faces stood beside a handsome teenager looking at her eagerly.

Ayan who was a little overwhelmed by their enthusiasm: ???

There is one old guy with bushy eyebrows and a goatee, two young boys and two young girls wearing flamboyant costumes like those in the video game. Ayan reached to pinch the teenage boy's soft pink cheeks and asked uncertainly. 

"Coco?"

"Ayan."

"You, you grew up!" she gushed, "I'm not dreaming, am I?"

"It hurts, Ayan it hurts!" the big crystal-like eyes flooded with tears instantly. "Of course I grow up too. It's not like I'm going to remain small forever."

"Sigh~ the flesh is no longer fat. Give me back my little fairy boy." 

Coco's face wrinkled like a raisin as he blushed crimson. "Evil woman!"

"Tch, crybaby." she grinned, flexing her fingers in front of him. 

"Humph!" The poor fairy stepped back to hide from her evil claws. "A-Anyway, let me introduce you to… the Sylphs. This is Blue, Green, Red, Yellow and…"

"Let me guess, Old White?" 

The five young ones gasped looking at her incredulously. "You remember?"

bananapink

I have put confident protagonist on my tag but now I feel like she became a worrywart haha. Then I asked my colleagues if this is normal and they replied yes. I doesn't matter how brave and confident you are, when it concerns the people you care about, your brain sometimes turns into soup.