The Rival Queen

Chapter 8| The Arrival of the 'Fashionably Late' Trend

Arriving at the capital, the preparations for the ceremony were carefully arranged across the entire fief of Morona. I stared at the decor in awe. It was beautiful. The streets were filled with what looks like lanterns and the people were crowding the location for the Mana and IQ Ceremony. Morona is the only fief that is in the neutral side, neither from the Aurelia dukedom nor the Main Country, that's why it was chosen to hold the ceremony every year here.

By my side, North was expressionless, much to my surprise. From the month we spend together, I always known him to be overexcited at the slightest of oddity yet he looks over the window with such nostalgia I ponder if he already went here before. Before I could ask however, a royal butler formally introduced my family name and my first name.

"First daughter of the Aurelia Dukedom, Rein Aurelia"

At my side, North though with the little experience he has with grandfather's training was sweating heavily like he just wanted to leave. This made me once again suspicious and yet as if fate wasn't that kind already, she intervened twice. The boys from the other dukedoms and villages gathered near me to look at my face. Gritting my teeth, I followed the path to my seat to not raise more attention. Much to my disappointment, North and Luisa was seated elsewhere, giving me no chance to even corner the child near my age.

I soon learned that in the Mana Ceremony, you must give the earrings children of the rich (particularly for the girls) came to wear through family to the instructor. Then, by sending some of his mana to the old earrings that has some of my prints onto, it will generate a color of grey and will be given back to me. It will change color once I touch it and will turn to the color of my mana type. The purple color means I'm an air mana user, the green for earth mana, the crimson for the fire mana and azure for water mana. Once in only a generation, it will change to gold signifying the person who touched their earrings has potential power to control all mana types. To cause less trouble, the children doing the ceremony would just hand over our earrings to the instructors and wait for them to call our turn.

"Rein Aurelia, please come forward and touch your earrings" the man instructed. I stood up and walked onwards when a foot suddenly appeared before me, before I could react to the foot, I was falling to the ground. Expecting at large thud for my landing, I didn't realize that someone caught my hand. Opening my eyes when my expected fall was about to happen, it seemed the hand on my wrist was small to adults but quite big for my age.

"Are you okay ?" The boy asked. Eyes widen, I took a moment before I could react. The girl who was about to trip me was also gaping at the boy. I was about to ask who he was when the sight of a crown on his head was caught in my perspective. Not a moment to waste, I backed away from his front to bow at him.

"Thank you but I'm alright" I assured him, "I give my thanks for saving me from falling to my embarrassment" I bowed.

Without a second thought, I gave him a warm smile and walked away towards the earrings. The instructor, bewildered at first, continued his job nevertheless and soon, everyone followed. Reaching the stage where the instructor is, I stood in front of the said person who was giving me my earrings back. Touching the now grey earrings, colors shone until finally settling to the azure color.

"Rein Aurelia, a water mana user" he announced. I bowed at the crowd and walked back to my seat to wait for the IQ exam. Even though this ceremony is very popular to the public, only a few ten to twenty children were found at the seats of the ceremony, me included this year. The last child was about to be tested when a girl near my age entered fashionably late with the three other boys in this child form. Ka-kawaii...

"Catherine Aurelia, second daughter of Aurelia"

"Simon Kiefer, second child of the Aeneas House"

"Remir Solace, heir to the Theses Dukedom"

"Arthur Sicilian, second to the Septimius Throne"

Of course, Heron wasn't there since he wasn't from noble blood so this three boys only appeared. Ah, so kawaii~ especially Arthur and his 'tsundere' face.

"Sorry we're late" Catherine bowed her head. The others did what she did and after just contemplating what was happening, the all went to their respective seats. Catherine caught my eye and when she found out I was looking at her, she was grinning whilst waving her hand at me. And to think she was indirectly the cause of my death...

I really need to set my morals straight.