Chapter Text
Elenoir was... quite different.
It wasn't like Arthur thought Elenoir wasn't beautiful. God no, that couldn't be further from the truth. As Arthur looked around now, he knew could spend all day marveling at the beauty and wonder the foreign country held. He'd just thought that Elenoir was quite a jump from Alacrya, as the different cultures set in. However, he loved the cute accents and how integral nature was to their culture, along with the courteous people that greeted them once they arrived.
The overly hospitable behavior shouldn't surprise Arthur anymore, considering he's a Prince of Alacrya, the heir to the throne.
Why was he in Elenoir in the first place, you may ask?
If you were to ask Arthur, the only answer you would probably get from him was: it's because my Grandfather and Grandmother wanted me to be here.
The moment the Alacryan monarchy stepped out of the portal, they were immediately greeted by the friendly power couple of the nation, the king and queen of Elenoir alongside the former king (accompanied by their battalion of guards, of course).
"Old friend, how are you!" The still youthful Elenoir king greets High Sovereign Agrona, the man Arthur considers his grandfather, with a half-hearted pat on the back, which the High Sovereign chuckles at as they both exchange casual greetings. Arthur was surprised at how well his considered grandparents went along with the Elenoir royal family, considering how serious and stoic they usually are around other government officials. Is it maybe because they had some history together?
Or is it maybe because Arthur was going to be married to their daughter?
"Ah, let's not forget our future son-in-law." The Queen says as she addresses Arthur, a smile on her soft face and a twinge of a unique accent in her voice. Arthur is unsure on what he would feel at the word 'son-in-law', but he figured if this woman was going to be his mother in law, then he'd have no problem with it. Her gentle smile is enough to warm the whole area, and he feels himself immediately relax in front of her. "My, you look so young! Are you sure he's already twenty seven?"
"Bah, he is, but he acts like he's twelve from time to time." Agrona remarks, and the whole of them laugh. Arthur rolls his eyes, but he smiles nonetheless as he goes to shake both of their hands.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highnesses." He says softly, but his eyes wander and he realizes that it was only just the three of them (not considering the numerous bodyguards) with no princess in sight.
"Excuse me, but may I ask, where is the Crown Princess? I'm quite curious about seeing my betrothed, considering we've never met before." Arthur asks, adding in the last line for good measure.
The Queen sighs vehemently, her long locks waving in the wind. "Unfortunately, she's unable to accompany us today since she has business matters to attend to in Asyphin. But hopefully, we'll be with her soon!"
_-_
Soon, they are whisked away unto a very exquisite carriage. The royal couple had stated that Arthur and the High Sovereigns of Alacrya would be staying in one of the vacant luxurious guest lots that stood near their palace until the engagement party was to be held in a week, which was followed by the wedding. During the whole duration of the ride, they were offered good commentary about the different sceneries and the landmarks that adorned the whole country.
Arthur was in some sort of awe the whole ride, taking in the beautiful sights and the colors and the beautiful cherry blossoms and the adorable welcome banners. Alacrya was beautiful, but Elenoir was extraordinary. No wonder the country was considered as one of the most well off nations in the world. The Imperial Family must've been doing such a good job at keeping the country stable. Was that the reason why Alacrya and Elenoir had decided to marry them off? In order to put in a much more secure alliance between the two?
Who was Arthur kidding? Of course that was why.
And even if Arthur did not want to marry in such a manner, he knew he would never say no to Grandma Sylvia and Grandpa Agrona. When he was just a young child, somehow lost from his parents, Sylvia protected him, even going so far as to give him her beast will. He was bonded to their daughter, Princess Sylvie of Alacrya. Agrona took the whole situation in stride, and trained him and taught him as if Arthur was his own son. They did so much for him, far more than he truly deserved. Marrying a princess of their choosing would amount to little more than a water drop when compared to the oceans of love, help, and support they gave him.
He was honored to be close enough to the Alacryan royal family to be considered a member of the family in the first place. This marriage was good for the country of Alacrya. An alliance with Elenoir would be good for the economy. He was just hoping that the Crown Princess would actually be pretty nice, and not everything horrible poured into one person.
_-_
They had an exquisite dinner once they arrived at the palace in Zestier, a beautiful structure that seemed like it was formed within a tree larger than any Arthur had ever seen before. Arthur figured he was in heaven for a moment when he tried the dishes. It wasn't like he hated the Alacryan cuisine; far from it. But nonetheless, he savored every flavor, every crisp bite, and every exquisite dish that entered his mouth. His particular favorite, however, was this heavenly rice based dish that made Arthur almost orgasm.
"That's kheer." The king says, smiling. "It's our dear daughter's favorite dish too."
Arthur nods, already knowing a bit more about the Princess. However, he does not want to think about the inevitable, so he focuses on the dish.
Afterwards, it was late into the evening. They all bid each other goodnight, and a chauffeur picks the Alacryan family up and they drive back to one of the luxurious guest cabins near the palace. There, Arthur basks in the fluffy beds and the cool, crisp air. Arthur buries himself into one of the many plush chairs of the cabin, absentmindedly reading the day's papers from both Elenoir and Alacrya that was left outside the cabin. He was a little thankful for the alone time, with his grandparents in another room of the cabin.
So now here he was; skimming through the news and the other related affairs that were going on in Alacrya. Some celebrity won an award, a sports team lost and another won. As a particular fan of figure skating, he looked up the scores from the recent event and found that Nico had done very well in the first phase of the competition; if he did well in his free skate event then he has a chance of placing first.
He used a communication scroll to catch up with his old friend, and wished him good luck and congratulations so far. Cecilia swung by soon into the conversation, and the trio quickly became a fit of giggles as they reminisced about their childhoods and all the mischief they had gotten into together.
After bidding his childhood friends good luck, Arthur read through many news articles, getting himself lost in the bizarre actuality of the world. A prince of Dicathen named Curtis was sued for shouting obscenities at a child; an ambassador got broke for donating too much, another got imprisoned. The number of government related articles were too numerous for him to count.
It doesn't take long for him to find an article particularly about him.
Arthur Leywin; future High Sovereign, engaged?
Arthur frowns, and sets the paper down. He doesn't want to read that article, not anymore. It wasn't the word 'engaged' that shook him, but 'future High Sovereign' does.
Every time he is reminded that he will eventually have the weight of Alacrya on his shoulders, he tends to shiver at the thought. The crushing reality of the situation would oftentimes get to him, and he tends to often feel suffocated.
He was a king in his past life, and grew to hate it. The lives in your hands, the decisions that affect an entire country, or worse, the entire world. No one man can have that kind of power and not let it get to their heads. It happened to him in his past life. He is not sure if he can do better in this one.
He shakes his head, as if trying to get the thought out of his mind, and he stands up and heads for his grandparents' bedroom. Thankfully, when he entered, they weren't doing anything remotely obscene.
His grandmother, Sylvia, looked up from the book she was reading with a gentle smile on her face. The matronly warmth seems to exude from her very being, and even now it feels like a nice warm blanket to Arthur despite being a reincarnate and despite being a full grown adult in his second life. "What is it, little one?"
Arthur smiles before answering. "Nothing, Grandma. Just feeling a little restless, and I want to blow off some energy before I go to sleep. I heard there was a skating rink nearby. Is there any chance I can go check it out, perhaps skate around for a little bit?"
Sylvia nodded. "Sure thing, little one! Have fun!"
Agrona interjected before Arthur could leave the room. "Make sure to take Cadell with you if you go."
Arthur groaned, feeling more like a moody teenager than the grown man he was. "But Grandpa, I-"
Agrona interjected. "I know, little one. You are more than capable of being by yourself. If we were in Alacrya, I wouldn't have given it a second thought. But we are in a foreign country. Going out and about without at least someone guarding you would be a bad idea.
Arthur knew his grandfather was right, so he complied without much hassle after that. They both went to the skating rink they saw on the way to the cabin. It was on the outskirts of Zestier, and looked quite isolated. Arthur hoped that meant that there wouldn't be that many people, especially since it was already late at night.
Grabbing a small duffel bag, his skates, a hoodie, he requests for a driver and off they go.