Chapter 13: Estelle Bright!

As always Giliath demands your power stones!

*

All of our eyes suddenly shifted upward seeing the new arrival on the balcony up above, which allowed the sole figure to get a good look at the drawbridge beneath her. She was very regal, and showed wisdom in her eyes. She was unwavering, and had as much a strong will as father has.

No doubt about it.

This figure was Her Majesty the Queen. Queen Alicia II, the current monarch of Liberl. Her eyes remained ever so serious as she spotted the dark-brown haired man beside me.

The only one who didn't seem undisturbed was the little falcon still perched on my head. Without a care in the world, the falcon named Sieg still nestled his against me. I can probably say why this bird is so attached to me. I likely give off a similar feeling to that of Liberl's royal family, to whom this bird is close to.

Now that I think about it, isn't the late Crown Prince's daughter around my age too? I know she's born in the same year Estelle and Elie are, and likewise, me. She's a playable character in Trails in the Sky, and hides her true identity throughout most of the story. Kloe, aka Princess Klaudia.

"You dare tread upon these castle walls once again. You are either crazy, or a foolish man, Giliath Osborne.", Her Majesty said, keeping her voice calm and collected. She spoke loud enough for all of us to hear this. Her voice carried some weight to it too. As expected of a member of royalty.

"Giliath Osborne...?", Captain Richard uttered, looking back at the man with the tall stature beside me. He had a very towering figure, and an aura that screamed charisma. He has both the strength and wits to back that up too. Just like Her Majesty, father remained unwavering. He simply gave Captain Richard a stare, as if he was looking down at him. Not as a person, but as a lower ranked soldier. Father's presence alone was spreading out, causing a stifling air to spread. The lower ranked guards remained completely still.

"What in Aidios's name is a General of the Erebonian Empire doing so close to the heart of Liberl!?", Captain Richard exclaimed, quickly breaking free from his earlier stupor. He jumped back a couple feet, only to place one of his hands over his weapon. He was ready to pull it out at a moment's notice.

Alan Richard, in secret, was one of the disciples of the Eight Leaves One Blade School of swordsmanship. The very same school that Rean will be joining in the coming years. His studies into this swordsmanship style was very short, compared to his other disciples. He specialized in the school's fifth form, Morning Moon. This form saw death in their opponent the moment one's blade was drawn. Once you heard that sword coming out of its sheath, your life would be over.

To pair with this, Alan Richard uses a katana in battle, a similar weapon to Rean's. Rean's, on the other hand, uses a tachi. The difference between these two weapons is how its pointed. Katanas curve upward and point outward, while tachis curve downward and point back to you. A tachi's blade is also much longer than a katana's blade.

Captain Richard was literally staring into death with how domineering Giliath was behaving right now. He was ready to draw his sword, and go in for the kill. It was then he heard the Queen speak to him. This time it was a command.

"Stand down, Captain.", Her Majesty stated. "I can guarantee you these two are not here to cause any harm during their visit here."

"B-But Your Majesty...", Captain Richard tried to respond back. His words were cut off. It was father to interrupt him this time.

"Her Majesty's words hold true, Captain. We are merely here as father and son. Surely you are not here to cause an insurrection, are you?", Giliath asked, smiling.

Sheesh, way to strike at the heart, father.

But I kept that thought to myself. I know the Trails in the Sky plot is going to happen, and that will be a big event during that. As I thought that, Giliath turned his head back to Her Majesty.

"And you are quick as ever to make judgement calls, Your Majesty.", Giliath continued to say, smiling at her. It was rare for him to give praise, but Her Majesty the Queen does carry herself quite well. Taking that, Queen Alicia II placed one of her hands on the bridge of her nose. A long, drawn-out sigh was released after while shaking her head.

"That foolish sister of mine. I feared for the worst after learning what had transpired, but it would seem it led to a good outcome. Still, out of any man she could have chosen, she chose you. Giliath Osborne.", Queen Alicia II said, glancing down at the man for a moment, only to turn her eyes, and observed me.

I then felt all eyes land on me. To be honest, this feeling wasn't something I was used to. Being stared at in a large room. Or in this case, in a public area. It makes your skin crawl.

"Her Majesty's sister...?", Second Lieutenant Schwarz uttered. She remained quiet during this exchange until now. But she was quick to realize what Queen Alicia II meant by that. She quickly had another glance at me. "Then this child is...!"

Similar to Alan Richard, Julia Schwarz here was a member of the Royal Army. Both under direct service of Colonel Cassius Bright. She was the falconer to the white falcon that was still perched on my head. Eventually, Julia too would receive training by Cassius. It wasn't to the extent of learning from the Eight Leaves One Blade School, but Cassius instructed her, allowing her to strengthen her Rapier skills.

Sadly, this exchange between us ended right then and there. We heard several footsteps approach us from the south, coming from North Block. It was several figures. They were all soldiers clad in green, barring one. One figure towered over the rest, and when they spoke out to us, their voice was firm. It held a similar level to father and Her Majesty the Queen.

"I had a feeling we'd stumble onto something interesting today. After recently coming to learn of Her Highness's fate, I feared this was the outcome. It would seem my suspicion was right all along.", A stern voice said, which drew our attention behind us.

"It is good to see you return safely. Did the investigation go as you presumed, Colonel Bright?"

"It did, Your Majesty. And the end result is what you see before us. I do apologize in advance, knowing that this report is useless now. But thanks to that, I've been able to spend some more time with my wife, Lena. I know tomorrow will be a day of sadness for us all, but we should also see it as a day of opportunity.", The stern middle-aged man said. He gave a report right then and there, despite most of it being unwarranted. Not much of it provided insight.

"...", I said, remaining silent. This marked a third high-ranking military official to make their appearance. And boy was he an important one. This man held a higher rank to both Julia Schwarz and Alan Richard. He stood near the top, but not the very top. Colonel Cassius Bright!

He might not have as high a rank as father does, but a lot of people hold Colonel Bright in high regard. He's been successful in many operations. And his most important one has yet to take place. The counteroffensive of the Hundred Days War.

I could just spit out that a war is looming, but I mean come on. Who would believe the words of a little kid who was turning two years old soon?

"Haha! I knew this scene lacked something. It was missing your appearance, Colonel Bright.", Giliath said, greeting him.

"And you're as slippery an eel as ever, General.", Colonel Bright said, greeting him back. "As long as you are not out for blood today, we will not refrain you from staying the night."

As Colonel Bright greeted us, I realized he was keeping his tone polite, which caught me by surprise. It wasn't just that either. I saw a figure approach Colonel Bright from behind, who didn't appear to be a soldier. Perhaps this figure hid behind the other soldiers? Either way, this person appeared to be a very gentle woman. I was shocked by her arrival. Especially after seeing the small little girl held in the woman's arms.

Her big eyes were showing much interest, and was directly looking at me.

I could recognize this little girl from a mile away.

Estelle Bright...!