Chapter 157 - 2
The Cirlus Kingdom is an archipelago with hundreds of islands as its territory. The capital is located on the largest island among the other islands. Some of its territories are also located on the Clorius continent's mainland and serve as port cities. Similar to the Dwarven Kingdom, the Cirlus Kingdom also has the most developed magic tool technology among the other kingdoms in the human region. But, the Cirlus Kingdom wasn't just focused on that. They also prioritize their tourism aspects. The Cirlus Kingdom has hundreds of islands with fantastic coastal views. But the most beautiful scenery is on the main island and the capital city of the Cirlus kingdom, Blue Turtle Island.
The academy people will spend their vacation time on Blue Turtle Island on the recommendation of King Raghnall, and they will be considered important guests.
The magic train carrying the academy people finally arrived at Blue Turtle Island. They landed in the parking lot for the magic train not far from the royal castle.
After the people from the academy got off the magic train, they could feel the beach area's fresh breeze. Coincidentally, the royal castle was not far from the coastal area with the best view in the kingdom.
King Raghnall was waiting for them in the parking lot, along with a middle-aged woman. She has long, wavy blonde hair decorated with a tiara on top. Her face is very similar to Princess Rinne, even though she has a different hair color. That woman is the Queen of the Cirlus Kingdom and the mother of Princess Rinne, Wilona Cirlus.
"Father! Mother!" Princess Rinne ran and hugged them both.
"We're glad you made it back safely, my daughter." Queen Wilona smiled and rubbed Princess Rinne's head. King Raghnall just nodded and looked at merlick and the academy teachers walking towards them.
"Welcome to the Cirlus kingdom! Merlick, the teachers as well as the students who will be the future of mankind." King Raghnall smiled broadly at them.
"Thank you, Raghnall! You shouldn't have bothered to pick us up in person." Merlick laughed at his welcome. He thought a King and Queen should not welcome them in such a place.
"Haha...don't worry about it! My wife missed her daughter very much and couldn't wait in the castle. So we decided to wait for her and welcome you personally here. Alright, we'd better continue the chat in the castle. The weather is a bit hot here, and I have prepared a place for you to rest. I'm sure you guys are tired after a long journey." King Raghnall pointed at the dozens of horse carriages waiting for them.
Unlike the Dwarven Kingdom, the Circus Kingdom still uses traditional land transportation. Even so, there has been a bit of modernization on the horse-drawn carriage. The carriage has a spring system that is softer and reduces shock, inside the carriage is cooler thanks to the cooling magic device. Besides that, there are many other modern things in it.
It didn't take them long to reach the royal castle because it wasn't far from the parking lot. The royal castle of Cirlus is not the same as other royal castles. The castle has a refreshing blue dominant color. Although it doesn't look luxurious and grand, the castle feels very comfortable.
The maids led the people from the academy to the rooms provided for them to rest. Three people will occupy each room. They could choose who they would live with, and the men's and women's rooms would be separate. Ziel got a room with a pretty good sea view and stayed with Dalvin and James.
"James, aren't you from this Kingdom?" Dalvin asked James. He looks tired and is going to rest.
"You are right. My hometown is one of the small islands in this kingdom. My father is a human, and my mother is an elf. I have slightly pointed ears because I am half breed." James smiled bitterly and pointed at his ear. He looks embarrassed when he talks about his background.
"What do you think? Whatever your race, we don't care. You're still our friend. Isn't that right, Ken?" Dalvin laughed and patted James on the shoulder.
"He's right. You don't have to worry about that." Ziel knew from the start that James was a half-breed. He didn't mind it, or maybe he didn't care.
"You…" Their words touched James.
"OK. You can't cry at a time like this. We are currently on vacation on one of the most beautiful beaches in the human region. You should be happy. Besides, you can go back to your hometown. The most important thing is to see the girls in their swimsuits. Hehehe..." Dalvin rubbed his hands and laughed pervertedly.
"You… have a point." James reluctantly had to agree with Dalvin's words.
"Of course I'm right! You can imagine Princesses wearing swimsuits, right?" Dalvin smiled teasingly at James.
James was subconsciously tempted by his words and imagined Princesses in swimsuits and running on the beach. He has the same perverted face that Dalvin showed before.
Ziel ignored them and looked at the view of the beach from his bedroom window. Ziel suddenly raised his eyebrows while looking at the sight of the beach in front of him.
***
Elsewhere, Clara also gets a room that has a beautiful sea view. She lives in that room with Princess Iris. Besides, the third person living with them was Kyouka. She offered to stay with them with the excuse that it would be easier to share information about the weird dreams she and Princess Iris had recently. She also wants Clara to help monitor Kyouka and Princess Iris while having these weird dreams.
"Kyouka, are you still having that dream?" Princess Iris suddenly asked her. There was something that confused her on her way to the Cirlus Kingdom.
"I still dream about it. I even dreamed about it twice on the magic train. I dreamed about it the first night and the third night. Luckily, I used isolation magic to not disturb others around me. How about you, Iris?" Kyouka smiled bitterly and asked Princess iris back.
"I didn't experience it at all on the way to this place. I can even sleep well on the way." Princess Iris was shocked after hearing Kyouka's answer. She thought Kyouka hadn't experienced it these past few days either.
"Eh? Why did it happen? Are you sure your dream and mine are the same?" Kyouka was as surprised as Princess Iris. She was doubtful that what Princess Iris experienced was the same as her.
"I am very sure after hearing your explanation back then. You can ask Clara. I told her before meeting you in the dormitory hall." Princess Iris answered thoughtfully and asked Clara to help her convince Kyouka.
"What Iris said is true. She did say it right before we met you back then. The explanation she told me was also the same as the one you gave, Miss Kyouka." Clara explains what happened to them before meeting Kyouka and Megumi in the dormitory hallway.
"In that case, maybe there is something that keeps you from having that weird dream." Kyouka started to think about the cause of the difference between them.
"Could it be because you slept next to Ken?" Clara subconsciously asked Princess Iris. She quickly covered her mouth as she realized she had spoken carelessly.
"Clara...please don't talk nonsense..." Princess Iris tried to refute it with a blush on her face. But her words were cut off by Kyouka.
"Maybe that's the reason!" Kyouka agrees with Clara.
"Eh?" Clara and Princess Iris were shocked after hearing Kyouka's statement. They stared at Kyouka with blank eyes.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Kyouka was confused by their gazes on her.
"No, I mean… I was only joking when I said that before. So you don't have to take it seriously." Clara quickly explained the meaning of her previous words. She didn't expect Kyouka to consider it seriously.
"I know you're kidding. But, what you said also makes sense. The only difference between Iris and me at that time was the presence of your butler, right? So maybe we can try it again next time." Kyouka replied to Clara's statement. She also understood that Clara wasn't seriously saying that, but the possibility remained. After hearing the last sentence, Princess Iris and Clara widened their eyes.
"What do you mean try again!? Should I ask him to sleep beside me? No, no, no...! I won't be able to do it!" Princess Iris quickly came back to her senses and rejected Kyouka's proposal with a flushed face. She could have exploded with embarrassment if she had to imagine that she'd accidentally leaned on his shoulder while asleep.
"Why? Do you not like it? Then we'll look for another guy you like more." Kyouka made another strange suggestion.
"That is not what I mean! I'm just shy. There's no way I would express such a wish to him. What's more, you don't have to bother looking for another man because I don't like it." Princess Iris rejected Kyouka's suggestion again.
Clara was taken aback by their conversation. But she suddenly remembered something that had intrigued her all along.
"Hmm… I wonder, why do you always call it a weird dream and not a nightmare? Isn't the dream you're having isn't good for you?" Clara asked Princess Iris and Kyouka. Princess Iris and Kyouka looked at each other after hearing Clara's question. Then Kyouka was the first to answer.
"That's because I feel like a dream is like an important and beautiful memory of mine. I never said that I cried because of the bad events in the dream, but I was nostalgic to tears. For me, it wasn't a bad dream. It's just that if it keeps repeating itself, it will burden me." Kyouka subconsciously smiled at Clara. She recalled the dream that had been haunting her lately. Although he didn't know who the person being protected was, she was sure that the person was essential.
Princess Iris nodded in agreement with Kyouka's words. She had the same feeling as Kyouka. That's why she called it a weird dream. She never hated the dream. It's just that the people's vagueness in her dream made her a little annoyed.
"I understand." Clara decided not to ask further about it. She saw that Kyouka's and Princess Iris' faces were getting cloudy. Clara tried to change the subject so that they would forget what she had asked earlier. Their conversation continued until they were exhausted and fell asleep.
***
The room next to Clara's is Princess Freya's room. Unlike other rooms, this room already has a designated occupant. In addition to Princess Freya, Princess Aishia and Princess Reina are in the room. Due to the large size of the room, Megumi became the fourth person to stay in the room. The atmosphere there became tense due to Princess Freya and Princess Aishia.
"Ooh… so I'm rooming with a thieving cat." Princess Aishia muttered in a voice loud enough for the people in the room to hear.
"What do you mean by thieving cat?" Princess Freya was irritated by her words.
"Do you feel that you are a thieving cat?" Princess Aishia provoked her.
"Have I stolen something that belongs to you?" Princess Freya smiled and was not provoked by her words.
"You!" Princess Aishia couldn't reply to her words because what Princess Freya said was true. From the start, Ziel didn't belong to her.
"Why? Can't you answer that?" Princess Freya smiled wider. This made Princess Aishia very upset.
"At least I didn't lie to my friends to get what I wanted!" Princess Aishia answered in a slightly high tone of voice.
"Aishia, you seem to have misunderstood. It's not that I'm lying. It's just that I didn't tell you. Besides, I'm free to do whatever I want. Even if he belongs to someone else, I will never give up getting a place in his heart." The smile on Princess Freya's face disappeared and was replaced with a serious look full of determination. Princess Aishia trembled when she saw that face. She couldn't say anything to answer her.
"Could you guys calm down a bit? Aren't you guys childhood friends?" Princess Reina sighed heavily and couldn't stand to see their little fight. Princess Freya and Aishia averted their eyes and lay down on their bed.
(I hope that the day passes quickly and I can get out of this situation to enjoy my vacation time)
Meanwhile, Megumi could only watch and pray sincerely in her heart.. She lay down and closed her eyes and hoped that when she opened them, the day had changed.