"Goodbye, great grandma and great grandpa. Goodbye, grand-aunt Rulia and grand-uncle Carter. Goodbye uncle Ross and aunt Vasily." Aristia waved goodbye.
Aristia and her family and the Antons were returning to the capital and were bidding goodbye to the family.
Ross and Vasily lived in the capital but would stay for so more days with Ross’s parents so it was only Aristia’s family and the Antons that were making the journey back to the capital.
"Goodbye. Have a safe journey, all of you." They replied as the carriages departed.
The carriage rocked gently as it rolled along the snow-dusted road, carrying Aristia, Lauren, Liam, Alaric and Lilith. The children were all in one carriage with a personal maid, Adeline. Adeline occasionally glanced out the window to ensure everything was in order.
The adults were in another carriage and there were three carriages carrying the servants they had brought along and luggages.
"I’ll miss the North," Lauren said wistfully, her gaze fixed on the passing wintry landscape across Aristia beside her who was sitting beside the window. "It was so much fun here."
Aristia only nodded in agreent, then leaned on the window with a sigh and continued, "I cannot believe a new month has arrived."
They had entered the month of March. They had stayed in the Hemsworth Fief for the whole of the month of February. She had actually spent one month away from the capital and their mansion.
"Ti seems to be flying by." Liam muttered. It felt like it was just yesterday that they arrived at the Hemsworth Fief in the north.
"I’ll miss the snow," Lilith chid in, "It’s so pretty."
There was still snow in the north and it showed no sign of lting, but the snow in the capital should have long lted.
Liam smiled and looked at Aristia. "I hope Tia will give us more of those hot chocolate drinks. They were delicious!"
"Yes, they’re very delicious." Lauren, Lilith and Alaric nodded in unison.
"Thank you, brother Liam. I will." Aristia smiled toothily. "And I’ll make enough for everyone."
As the conversation flowed inside the carriage, the carriage continued its journey, the clip-clop of hooves and the occasional jostle over uneven patches of road resounding in the road.
The sun dipped lower in the sky, casting long shadows over the wintry landscape. They could see the faint image of the mountains from the carriage.
Actually, the journey to and from the Hemsworth shouldn’t have taken three days each, however, the snowy ground and weather made traveling not easy.
Three days later, they finally arrived at the capital. The families got into their own carriages and seperated. It was just noon when they arrived at the Grand Duke’s Mansion.
[Ah, finally ho at last.] Aristia sighed with content.
There was a row of servants standing in wait for them. As soon as the carriage stopped and the family alighted, they greeted in chorus, led by the Butler and Head Maid.
"Welco back Master, Madam, young miss and young master!"
Aristia imdiately spotted Owen. He wasn’t standing with the servants, but in front of them beside the Butler. That showed his status.
[Has he grown taller?] Aristia thought.
Owen seed to have increased in height in the one month they had been away from the capital. He would soon turn nine years old.
He looked nothing like the thin, scrawny boy she had found the previous year. He was healthy and was growing into his rightful height.
The family entered the mansion and the servants dispersed to continue whatever they had been doing.
"Cassandra, take care of the young prince. Adeline, take care of the princess. lanie, please arrange for my bath to be prepared." Catherine gave out orders.
lanie bowed, "Of course, my lady. I’ll prepare it imdiately." She left to prepare the bath.
Catherine and Wilson headed to their chambers, leaving Aristia and Alaric with their personal maids.
"Would Your Highness like to take a bath?" Cassandra asked Alaric.
Alaric turned to his nanny, "Alright." He waved at Aristia and left.
"Let’s go to my room." Aristia told Owen and Adeline. Adeline and Owen nodded and followed her.
"How have you been, Owen?" Aristia asked as they entered her room.
"Good..." Owen replied. "It has been boring here in the mansion."
The mansion had just felt different. He hadn’t known he had gotten used to Aristia’s presence. He had been living with her for eight months— more than half a year.
"I’m glad to hear you missed ." Aristia smirked.
Owen was about to ask when he said that but he paused. Hadn’t that been what his words ant? He stopped and didn’t refute it.
Aristia was surprised when he didn’t say anything, then her smirk widened. "That’s to be expected. After all, I’m very likable. My presence isn’t one to be ignored." She flicked her hair with her finger.
Owen sighed inwardly. The narcissistic princess was back. Then he rembered sothing.
"You acquired an art store in the Hemsworth Fief." It wasn’t a question but at the sa ti it was also a question.
She turned serious, "Yes. It is under my na now. We are expanding, Owen. It isn’t and won’t be just the restaurant."
"I understand," Owen nodded. He just understood that they wouldn’t only focus on the food line. They’d enter other lines of business too.
"But as you already know, Randall will remain the owner of the store on the surface." Aristia said.
"The man you gave five percent of the shares?" Owen asked curiously.
"Yes. He’s also the manager of the store and the previous owner." Aristia nodded in agreent with his words.
Then she narrowed her eyes and told him her observation, "And it’s interesting. He’s being suppressed. That’s the only reason he wasn’t succeeding. He couldn’t do anything."
Owen nodded with interest, "And now you’re the owner."
Aristia’s smirk seed evil, "And I can do anything."
Owen subconsciously shivered. That evil look on that cute, childish face gave him goosebumps.
"Can you talk like your age for a day?" Owen asked, feeling a bit annoyed. She was always speaking and acting like an adult.
He was mostly used to it, but it was still weird.
"I can, but would it make sound like a boss who’s not to be ssed with?" She asked and struck a pose. "an, harsh, no-nonsense and sex—" she cut herself off before she said the word ’sexy’.
Owen shook his head and muttered. "Why did I think she acts like an adult? She clearly acts her age in a peculiar way." Peculiar was his way of saying weird.
"Hey! I heard that..." Aristia said, turning to him.
"Heard what, princess? I didn’t say anything." Owen said, pretending to be innocent.
Aristia sighed and rolled her eyes." But I wonder how he couldn’t do anything. He used to be wealthy." She muttered, talking about Randall, before shaking her head and answering herself. "He had wealth, not power. That’s why."
Owen heard her, and his eyes showed he understood. Wealth alone was useless without power. Without power, wealth could be taken away, just as Randall’s had been slowly chipped off until he had nothing left.
"But that also ans the people after him have power." Owen said.
Aristia nodded. "We’ll deal with them when the ti cos. They’ll suspect the store has been sold and is being renovated by it’s new owner, until they see Randall still there. They don’t know the store has been sold, but they’ll be suspicious of how Randall got the money to repair it. We’re the people behind the scenes, and they’ll never be able to trace us."
Owen nodded, impressed. Aristia was younger than him but she was more intelligent and smarter than one could guess.
"After the store’s renovation, I’ll have Randall give you a report on the store’s condition. See if there’s anything you’d like to change. The renovation begins in a week. Randall will send you the details." Aristia said.
Owen was surprised. Aristia was handing over to him the store’s oversight.
Instead of her seeing if there was anything she would like to change, she was allowing him to take care of things. It showed that she not only trusted him, but that she trusted in his ability and efficiency.
Owen nodded seriously and bowed. "I’ll make sure it’s to your liking," he swore.
Before they could continue the conversation, Adeline entered the room from the bathroom, "Princess, your bath is ready."
"I’ll be there soon, Linny." Aristia sent her a sweet smile, then turned back to Owen. "After I am done with my bath, deliver to a report on the restaurant."
Owen nodded and bowed lightly, then he left the room and closed the door behind him to give Aristia so privacy, not wanting a repeat of last year.
"Now for that bath." Now alone in the room, save for Adeline, Aristia turned around for the bathroom when sothing caught her eyes.
Slowly, she approached the window and stared down at the insect on the window sill.
Adeline watched her with curiosity and waited to see what she was up to.
"Hmm, a locust." Aristia muttered. That was her first real sighting of a locust in this world.
[There’s still so months before the year the famine occurs; about nine months remaining before next year. The book doesn’t say exactly when the famine happens, just says it’s when Aristia is seven years old. That is next year.]
She flicked it out of the window pane and went into the bathroom to take her much needed bath.
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