Road of the Heavenly Light

15-1: Aligning Constellation

Emma woke up feeling refreshed, something that was usually the case on Saturdays. She was always glad when the weekend finally arrived, and she didn't have to go to school for two days. It was not that she disliked her school, but five days was way too long. It didn't help that she had barely any company, with Astrid at Royale High and her mother busy with her duties as queen. After rising from her bed and allowing the light to shine into her room by opening the curtains, Emma opened the window to allow fresh air into her room before dressing herself. She was always so jealous of her mother, who had a lady's maid to dress her, while she had to wait until she was 18 to get one. The one advantage of not having one was that she was free to take as long as she wanted, choosing what to wear without having to worry about someone else watching her.

After getting ready for the day ahead, Emma made her way down the large staircase, heading towards the Silver Dining Room for her breakfast. She preferred the look of the Golden Dining Room a lot more, as it was way more abundantly decorated, but that dining room was only used when there were important guests at the palace. At least the Silver Dining Room did have a better view over Antares. When Emma entered, she couldn't help but stand still for a moment as she realized that her mother was nowhere to be seen. The only other person in the room besides the servants was Edith.

"Where is Elliot?" Emma asked after greeting Edith and sitting down.
"He went out early to meet with the Archbishop."
"And my mother?"
"She... has gone out for some royal engagements in the city," Edith answered quickly.
Emma had the feeling Edith was hiding something from her.
"Mother never has engagements on Saturdays; she always told me it was a day to spend with family."
Edith seemed to struggle with forming an answer, which made Emma all the more suspicious.
"It's, uh... she is meeting with the new ambassador from Brightwald, but I'm sure that's all very boring for you to hear so early in the morning."
Now she was certain of it. Even she knew that new ambassadors were always received at the palace, not in the city. There was clearly something going on that Edith was keeping from her, but Emma knew better than to keep asking. Edith was nearly impossible to outsmart, and no amount of begging for the truth would break her. Emma would just have to accept that she would not know what was really happening, even if she resented that.

As she ate her breakfast, Emma tried to ignore her frustration by thinking about how she looked forward to when Astrid would come home from Royale High soon, with no doubt in Emma's mind that her sister would pass her final exams. Things had become a lot more boring and quiet since Astrid had left, and now Alexander was also studying in Falmar, which meant that Emma was a lot more in the company of the somewhat older Edith and Elliot. Even the letters from Alexander had grown fewer and fewer. Emma really needed to do something to entertain herself, and only one thing came to mind.
"Could we go to the observatory in the afternoon?" she asked Edith.
"I don't think there will be much use in that during the day. Perhaps we could have a picnic in the palace gardens instead? We could make some sketches of the flowers or even the view of the city," Edith suggested.
Emma's eyes lit up in excitement.
"I would love that!"

When the afternoon arrived, Edith and Emma made their way to the palace gardens, where Edith placed a blanket in the grass underneath the shade of a large tree. Emma placed down the picnic basket as she sat down, looking at the city in front of her. The fact that the palace was built on a small hill on the southwestern edge of Antares meant that they could see almost the entire city. The Saint's Tower stood taller than all the other buildings in the center, like a father standing above his children to protect them, while the Cathedral of Light in the east of the city, rivaling the palace in terms of size, stood among the other buildings like a mother overlooking her children. That was always how Astrid had described her interpretation of their view, and Emma liked reminding herself of it whenever she missed her sister.

Emma opened the basket by her side and took out the sandwiches and apple juice they had brought with them. Emma handed Edith a plate and a cup, before grabbing some for herself. She took a bite from the sandwich and a sip from the apple juice.
"That's delicious!" she exclaimed.
Edith chuckled before nodding in agreement.
"Isn't this nice, the two of us just relaxing in the shade with some treats?"
"I do wonder what kind of things Astrid eats and drinks at Royale High. They must have access to so many things, with Earth nearby."
"Definitely. The school has had contracts with merchants from all over the continent since it was founded."
"It sounds like such a wonderful place..."
"Are you considering attending when you're older?" Edith asked.
Emma nodded.
"At first, I was hoping I could go together with Alexander, but he's so smart that he's already studying at an academy in Falmar, and when he's finished, he'll go to Belmont. But I still want to go, even if I have to go on my own."

"How do you all those things about Alexander? It's been a while since he's visited."
"We write to each other," Emma explained, "but ever since Alexander went to Falmar, he's barely done so. It's been weeks since I got the last letter."
"I'm sure Alexander isn't trying to be distant on purpose. I imagine he must be quite busy with his studies, especially for someone his age," Edith reassured her with a smile.
Emma nodded, and steered the conversation in a different direction, talking about the flowers in the garden that were in bloom. They kept talking about the flowers and other lighthearted topics, enjoying their sandwiches and drinks as they talked. Emma was in the middle of telling Edith about the present she was going to buy for Astrid's birthday when a footman approached the two of them, a letter on the plate he was holding.

"Letter for Her Highness," he said.
Edith rose from the blanket.
"Let me open that for you. The paper knives can be quite sharp," Edith offered.
Emma watched as she opened the letter and looked inside.
"My, what a coincidence, it's from Alexander!" she exclaimed, handing it to her.
Emma began reading the letter, excited to finally hear back from him.
"What does he say?" Edith asked.
Emma was about to answer, when a particular word caught her attention. She finally understood why her mother was away, why Elliot was away, why Edith had acted strangely, and how this picnic had been one big distraction. Father's Day.