Rare Gemstone (Kirito x reader)

Chapter 1

(Y/n)'s POV

*sigh* Duties was the only thing they spoke of. I could not allow my personal opinions to get in the way of my duties. It would be disgraceful of me. That's what they've told me anyway.

"Nee-chan, come play with me," exclaimed Shiki.
"Shiki, you must go to your sparring lesson. You've had enough play time," mother ordered.
"Awww, but nee-chan promised to play with me-"
"You dare talk back to your mother?! Go to your lesson now!" yelled father.

Yes, my parents were harsh. Nothing 'fun' was allowed. It was all responsibility and duty.

"(Y/n), you are the heir to the throne. Behave yourself, don't make such useless promises to your younger brother. It'll only affect him in a negative way," mother scolded.
"I understand."
"Go to your room and prepare for dinner. We have an important issue to discuss," said father.

I quietly took my leave. All the maids and servants bowed as I walked past them. It was just out of respect and possibly fear. There was no way I was going to punish them like how my parents did.

"Lady (Y/n), your bath is ready."
"Thank you, you may leave."

The maids left like mouse scurrying across the floor. Why did I have so many maids? I could handle everything by myself, I wasn't useless.

I slipped the uncomfortable dress off and stepped into the bathtub. The scent of roses filled the air as the bubbles covered my body.

Being the princess of Aincrad wasn't something I had asked for. I wanted to be free, to do whatever I wanted...not be tied to some duties that the princess had to do.

~Timeskip to after the bath~

I combed my hair out on the balcony. The cool night breeze was refreshing, it helped clear my head.

"Lady (Y/n), which dress would you like to wear for tonight?" asked Marie, the head maid.
"Marie, why don't you choose? Which one do you think is best?"
"I cannot possibly have the authority to decide something for you."
"Don't worry, father and mother won't be told of this."
"W-well, if you insist. I personally would choose the (f/c) dress."
"Very well."

She helped me with the dress and started braiding my hair straight after. The annoying thing was that my parents loved it when I had flowers in my hair so every night, I had to have a specific type of flower braided into my hair. Today, they had decided on lilies.

~At dinner~

The servants placed the food in front of us. *sigh* Why was the dining table so long? It made it harder for communicating.

"(Y/n), are you aware of what duties you have to fulfill?" asked father.
"Yes, I am."
"What about you, Shiki?" asked mother.
"Yes, my duty is to grow up as a strong prince who can fight and protect the princess even if it costs me my life."
"Very good," father complimented.

Fight to protect my life...even if it costs him his life...
That was something I couldn't accept. His life was no less valuable than mine. Plus, he was my own brother.

"(Y/n), you will be leaving soon to Swilvane. There, you are to make a peace treaty with the king and queen. But first, becoming friends with Princess Asuna is a must for this treaty to work," father exclaimed.
"I know."
"You will be accompanied by one knight while your brother stays here to continue his training. The journey will take around 10 days on horse," mother added.
"Yes, I know."

I hope Shiki would be safe. He had to be. Father and mother couldn't train him too hard...but that was probably too much to ask for. They'd train him until he fainted and allowed him very few resting times.

"You're aware of the myth, am I right?"

I nodded. Very rarely, one of the heirs to the thrones of the three kingdoms would be 'the chosen one'. He or she would receive some kind of power and may use it however they wished but if the wrong choice was made, everything would be in chaos. This usually occurred when the heirs are around 16-17 years of age but it hasn't happened in centuries so there was no need for me to be too cautious.

"What about the knight?"
"Yes, I know. He's the most powerful you've seen so that's why one is enough but it's always good to be cautious, right?"
"I see you've remembered everything. That's good. I think you can leave tomorrow morning," exclaimed father.
"I understand."

The rest of the evening was filled with silence. Yes, it was peaceful but I couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. Everything had to be formal and manners always had to be used.

~Some time later~

I jumped onto my bed and sighed in relief. No more tight dresses and hairdos. Just comfortable night gowns and sleep.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. That was very unexpected.

"Come in."
"Nee-chan, I'm scared," Shiki said while running up to me.
"Why? There's nothing to be scared of."
"What if mother and father want me to keep training? What if..."

I hugged him and allowed him to sit on my bed. This reminded me of when I was little.

Mother and father trained me too, although not as much as Shiki. He was going through something that was too much. If I had the power and authority, I would've stopped this. We didn't have any particular enemies so why do this to him? Why did they torture him like this?...

Soon enough, he was asleep. I smiled as I looked at his sleeping figure. He seemed so peaceful, but that wasn't his reality.

"Lady (Y/n), have you seen-"

I held a finger to my lips. Marie nodded and quietly left. Shiki should be safe for tonight.