Order of Creation

Chapter 3

  "So, this is the boy?"

Elphonse nodded. Two days after they had arrived at the capital, they were summoned to the king's residence. It seemed like Elbrim couldn't wait to see Albert for himself. Thankfully, they didn't have to go through all the fanfare that usually accompanies a summoning by the king, but that just meant there was more time for Elbrim to tease him. Honestly, he didn't know which one he wanted less. And it didn't seem that Albert was faring any better. The boy was unused to the attention the king was giving him, and it seemed like he was going to disappear at any moment.

"Father, could I ask you something?"

Amidst the chaos, no one had noticed Elbrim's second youngest child enter the room.

"Ah, Eloise. I didn't notice you there. What can I help you with?"

Eloise, also known as the Holy Princess, was one of the most beloved royals ever since her introduction. Despite being introduced as the king and queen's second child, thus placing her second in line to the throne, few actually knew about her actual background. While it was true that her father was Elbrim, her mother was an unknown even to those close to the king, Elphonse included.

"Uhm, you said that you wanted to talk about something, and then proceeded to forget about me. But seeing what is happening in front of me, I can understand why."

It seems that Elbrim completely forgot about his daughter when he met Albert. Even now, he couldn't remember why he wanted to talk to her. And this hadn't escaped Eloise.

"You said it had something to do with school."

That finally kicked Elbrim's brain into gear.

"Right, Eloise, I would like to introduce you to Albert. The two of you will be entering Freizaire Academy as part of the same class, so I want you to make sure nothing happens to him."

Elphonse, Albert and Eloise all looked at Elbrim in utter shock. Elphonse and Albert because they weren't aware of this arrangement and Eloise because she hadn't expected to be babysitting some uppity noble kid so soon.

"So, is this some kind of marriage arrangement, or is it a joke? Because if it's the latter, I don't find it very funny."

Eloise, despite appearing calm on the outside, clearly wasn't happy with it. And Albert wasn't helping his case by looking like a confused puppy wondering where his owner disappeared to.

"Elphonse, why don't you explain Albert's situation."

Resigning himself to always clearing up Elbrim's confusions, Elphonse started explaining everything that happened to Albert leading up to his admission into Freizaire Academy. After hearing that, Eloise understood the situation surrounding the boy.

"Ah, that makes sense. But why not ask your daughters. If I remember correctly, they're also at Freizaire Academy?"

Elphonse had prepared for that question the moment Elbrim had brought up the idea of having Eloise keep an eye on Albert.

"Well, for one thing, both Emilia and Rosaline are a few classes ahead of both of you, so they can't always keep an eye out for him. And the less time Rosaline spends around him the better."

Eloise sighed, realising that Elphonse was purposefully keeping the two of them separate.

"But you do realize that asking me to watch over Albert is a sure way to make Rosaline constantly be around, considering how she feels about me."

That had completely escaped Elphonse.

"You're not wrong, but it's not as if she can force her way into your class. And on the off chance she tries to, I do have someone on the faculty to keep her in check."

So he had at least prepared for Rosaline's usual shenanigans, which did put Eloise at ease a bit. Though knowing Rosaline, she wasn't sure how long that would keep her at bay.

"Very well. I promise to make sure that Albert is well taken care off to the best of my abilities."

"Thank you Eloise. As his guardian, that is all I can ask from you. And I do apologize for throwing this at you at the very last minute."

"It's alright Uncle Elphonse. I'm well aware of how my father works."

The two of them shared a smile. No matter what chaos life threw at either of them, they could at least rest easy knowing that they could rely on the constants that were Elbrim and Rosaline. Turning to Albert, Eloise thought it would be good to introduce herself to him.

"I hope you'll forgive me for the tardy introduction. I'm Eloise Alaine Hellierd, the second youngest daughter of King Elbrim Hellierd, king of the Kingdom of Lemoise. Though our first meeting was under unfortunate circumstances, I hope we can get along with each other as classmates and hopefully as friends."

Despite the formal tone of her introduction, Eloise's emerald eyes were warm and friendly, something that didn't escape Albert's notice. He still wasn't sure, because of his general weariness of nobles, he wanted to at least trust her. Something about her reminded him of his mother, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was. Whatever it was, he had six years to figure it out.

"I appreciate the sentiment," Albert eventually replied, surprising both Elphonse and Elbrim. Elphonse, who had come to terms with Albert's overall weariness of nobles, was surprised that the boy had a positive take on the princess. Elbrim though was worried that the boy might have an ulterior motive when it came to his daughter. Not letting things drag on, Elbrim decided to put pressure on the boy.

"So Albert, what do you think of my daughter?"

If looks could kill, then Eloise would have killed her father on the spot. Not knowing where the conversation was going, all she could do is wait for Albert's answer.

Albert on the other hand took some time to answer. He was pretty sure the king was warning him not to entertain any thoughts of romance with his daughter. He remembered when his childhood friend's father opened their door one day with a sword in hand. It took a lot of convincing from his wife that Albert wasn't intending on doing anything unbecoming to his precious daughter. At the end of the day, all fathers are the same.

"Well, she's an extremely pleasant lady. I felt like I've known her all my life despite this being the first time we've met. Hopefully we continue to get along and forge a friendship that lasts a lifetime."

Elphonse sighed. While Albert said the right thing, he didn't put the king's mind at ease. He made a mental note to let his friend at the academy know about this situation. No need to spring things on people out of the blue. Eloise on the other hand was pleased by Albert's answer it seemed. Clearly there was going to be a lot happening between the two.