"Alejandra!" The Duchess called from her quarters as maids surrounded her, styling her hair and dressing her up. 

"Yes, Mother?" Alejandra dropped by on the door rather quickly. Her hair tied up in a fabulous bun and her hair sprinkled with flower ornaments. She wore an uncharacteristically long dress, one that reached all the way past her ankles. 

It was a blue coral dress, that sparkled with glitter, and brandished with sapphires and pearls. She looked like a mermaid.

"Can you tell your Father to change my attire for the Crown Prince's official return?" Roselia complained with her hands on the wall, as she gasped from the sudden tightening of her corset. "Not that tight!" She smacked the hands of the maid and did it herself.

Alejandra sighed. "You know we can't do that, Mom. Dad specifically said we have to dress up today." She leaned on the door frame as she watched her Mother groan while looking at herself in the mirror.

"Do I not look beautiful in my coat and pants?" She grimaced. "Should I poke some sense into your father's eyes."

"He'll find you hot in anything you wear, Mom." The Lady smirked.

"Alejandra! Don't say such uncivil things!" The Duchess scolded but her red face said otherwise. "Where is your father anyway?"

"He's busy preparing the carriage and the gifts to the Prince." Alejandra explained. She walked away and ushered one of the maids away before finishing and fixing up her Mother's dress herself.

"Thank you very much, Alejandra." Roselia sighed as she twirled around in front of the mirror. She frowned. "How am I supposed to apprehend criminals in such fashion?"

"You're not supposed to."

"Tell that to the incompetent guards."

"They're Royal Guards, Mom. I don't think it's right to say that."

"I was head of them once. I know how lax they are."

"Fair enough."

Roselia fixed her contours and puffed her cheeks with a bit more makeup before stepping out of the room with her daughter. "Oh and Liselle?" She addressed her head maid. "Can you pack my swords in my luggage?"

"Mom."

"Fine."

Liselle chuckled at the mother and daughter and bowed her head. "Have a good day today, Your Grace." 

"Thanks, Liz. See you later!" Alejandra waved as the door behind them closed and they made their way down the stairs with her father waiting for them in the main lobby.

"Put this in the back carriage…and this one, save it for tomorrow night's ball." He told one of the servants who nodded and moved quickly on their own. He began to address another servant when he heard his wife's voice.

"Joseph!" Roselia called with a skip in her voice. She gazed at her husband dressed in a fine white buttoned suit. With glorious golden shoulder straps and apparels. The Duchess gasped and sped down the stairs, much at the worry of her daughter.

"Mom! don't run on a dress! Ack!" Alejandra felt her foot slip but she caught herself. She couldn't catch her mother who jumped off herself while running down the steps.

Joseph blinked, panicked a bit, then immediately opened his arms and prepared for his wife's fall. Roselia smiled as her fall wasn't dangerous whatsoever, as she fell slowly like a feather. 

She gently landed into her husband's arms, princess carry style. "Rosie, you really gotta stop scaring us like that." He chuckled and kissed her in the lips.

"It's rare seeing you this handsome." She teased and pinched his nose and he smiled even more.

"You two will be the death of me." Alejandra caught her breath as she walked down the steps carefully and calmly. She held onto the rails like her life depended on it. "I am never going down stairs with you again, Mom."

"Oh quiet, Alejandra. This is what it means to be in love." Roselia laughed as Joseph put her down on the floor.

The Duke looked at his wife and daughter with a mix of worry and tenderness. He glanced towards the Duchess's eyes who understood his feelings but her eyes also told him to act normally. 

"You both look beautiful." Joseph complimented but earned a smack from his wife.

"Why did you make me wear a dress?" Roselia grouched. "You know, I like being able to move more."

"Well it's been a while since I've seen you in one and the Emperor asked the three families to dress like this." Joseph said.

"Wait…" Alejandra raised her hand. "Three families?"

"Since Duke Bay will arrive with the Prince, the other three major families are expected to be present in the palace upon his arrival." He explained as he guided them outdoors and into the carriage.

"So is Auntie Amelia there?" The Lady asked with sparkles in her eyes and the Duchess winced from behind her.

"Ahh…sadly, your aunt is a special case." Joseph glanced at the glowering Duchess behind her daughter. "She's far too busy keeping the North at bay from the monsters."

"Oh."

"Your other aunt will be there though!" Joseph tried to cheer her up. 

He felt bad for his daughter, since throughout her entire childhood until now, she only saw her Aunt once. It was when she was 7, and Amelia was sparring with Roselia and coming out victorious. Ever since then, Alejandra had always wanted to meet her.

Without knowing the context of that battle, Alejandra idolized her aunt. Every time she read Amelia's feats on the paper, she squealed in excitement. Yelling at how it was her Aunt at the paper.

She held Amelia in such high reverence that neither Roselia nor Joseph wanted to take it away from her.

"Other Aunt?" Alejandra looked puzzled. "Aunt Camilla or Aunt Ferris?"

"Ferris." Roselia smiled as she told her daughter.

"Oh! Really!?" The Lady smiled widely. 

"She's visiting as a proxy for the Duchess of the North." The Duke explained. "Oh, and Alejandra…"

"Hm?"

"This'll be your first major public appearance." Joseph's face turned stern.

"I know." She smirked. "Today and tomorrow, I'll be sure to act as prim and proper as I can."

Her two parents eyed each other and exhaled. They pushed her in the carriage then followed suit. After a few minutes of waiting, the carriage finally began to move again towards its destination.

The Imperial Palace.

Near the outskirts of the city, a large group of knights marched towards the city gates. There were certain prevalent figures leading the group on horses.

"We're almost there, Your Highness." Duke Bay murmured to the Prince, as he rode closer beside him.

"I see."

"Any thoughts on your head?"

"Just preparing myself." Ben stared ahead with a blank expression. "The moment I step within those gates, I won't be a soldier anymore."

"You'll be a Prince…and people will be after your head."

"They can try."

"Confident, are we?" The Duke grinned.

"I learned from two of the best. It's only right." Ben smiled back towards his second mentor, Duke Howard Bay, the strongest man in the world.

If he learned how to control his powers from Duchess Ramirez, he learned how to use his power and strength and make use of everything he has from Duke Bay.

He was under his training for 3 years and spent the most of his teenage years in the warfields of the West compared to staying within the safety of the Capital.

"It's been a while since you've seen your parents." The Duke remarked and Ben winced.

"I don't wanna talk about it." He pursed his lips. "I hate talking about them."

"You'll be forced to soon enough."

"But not now." Ben clicked his tongue and the man next to him chuckled.

"Sure, Your Highness." Duke Bay ruffled the boy's hair as they approached the gate and the guards greeted and saluted them.

"It's time…" Ben gulped. "I'm officially home, Crusz Empire."

And with that a thunderous roar of citizens blasted through the entire Capital as the Prince and his entourage paraded through the street, marking the Imperial's official return.

Cheers from every side and every corner erupted like fireworks as the Prince and his escorts rode through the city streets. Flowers were being thrown, as well as paper notes and screams of gratitude.

Ben smiled and waved towards the people who celebrated his return. The Duke smiled and rode beside him as he too waved and bowed his head towards the citizens of the Empire.

"Such a wonderful atmosphere, wouldn't you say?" Daniel, from the White Cats, watched the commotion from the second floor of their establishment. 

He addressed a woman, with straight long blonde hair, leaning and balancing on two legs of a chair, with her feet propped up at a table. "I've seen better." She bit on some cigarette shaped candy and grinned.

"Oh c'mon." Daniel laughed and glanced towards the waving Ben. "We gotta start watching his back now, huh?"

"Already on it." The blonde woman sat straight up on her chair and looked out the window. She clicked her tongue with a smile. "Gotcha." Then she snapped the candy between her teeth.

From the other side of the street, up at the rooftops, another group of hooded figures looked on over the festivities. "It's rare for the Capital to be this lively." An old man in a classy button up spoke.

"It's because you don't go out often, Hesser." An orange haired woman laughed from under her coat. "Stuck inside the base drinking tea all the time." She giggled in a mocking tone.

"Shut it!" An imposing woman shrouded in her cloak silenced the two. Her red hair flowed beautifully down her neck. "We don't want attention on us."

"I think being draped in dark cloaks on the brink of morning should be very attention worthy." The orange haired woman remarked.

"Say another word and I'll snap your neck, Katherine."

Katherine whimpered and quieted herself up with Hesser smirking from behind her.

The Red Witch, Maddison, stared at the Prince as he was returning home. "It's almost time to move." She turned away and began walking down the tiled roof. "Elijah, send me back now." A boy in grim clothing manifested from the shadows and soon the darkness swallowed the Master of the Underworld.

On the far end of the street near the gates of the Imperial Palace, a small banquet between the high society was being held as they waited for the Prince's inevitable entrance.

Alejandra sat by a chocolate fountain twirling around her drink.

"Bored perhaps?" Asher approached her. This time he wasn't adorned with the knight's armor and brandish and instead wore clothes resembling that of the Heir to the Lewis Marque.

"A little." Alejandra grinned as she sipped her wine and dipped her finger for some chocolate. "There's not much to do except gossip."

"Isn't My Lady into getting new information?" Asher teased and Alejandra giggled back.

"Fair enough, but I've heard of most of their stories already." Alejandra put her drink down and glanced at Asher. "Would you look at that?"

"What?"

"You're looking posh today. Not the usual rugged, cool boy thing you usually got going on."

"What the?" Asher's face frowned in confusion and Alejandra grinned. 

"Hehe…Let's get ready, His Highness is to arrive any moment now." She pointed out and Asher sighed and smiled.

"You are indeed correct." The man chuckled and gestured his arm to the Lady, who gladly took his offer.

Then finally, the last batch of onlookers, stood from the shadows of the alleyways and the hidden corners of the shops.

A man with purple hair and a menacing grin sat at one of the tables on a second floor balcony in one of the many food places in the Capital. He lit open one cigarette and glared down towards the people. "It seems one of us has been spotted."

He spoke with the cigarette between his lips. "Eliminate the useless tool who can't hide himself." He looked down at his food and murmured to the air.

"It appears many people are also watching and waiting to see what's about to unfold." He chuckled as he swirled his coffee around. "Crusz Empire, It's time we make our move." The man with purple hair smiled as he gazed towards the gigantic Imperial Palace.

His eyes then drifted slowly towards the Prince, laughing and smiling with the crowd. "Have a good night's sleep, Oh Your Highness, The Crown Prince. Since you're about to join your sister very soon."