Princess Alice Vic. Draken.
In the ga, she was one of the most fearso combatants in her batch.
In fact, the few tis she fought Alexia made it clear that they both were equals in terms of martial talent.
Of course, Alexia never admitted it out loud.
But that wasn't all.
Alice was regarded as a better strategist than Thalia, nearly matched Michael and Juliana in swordsmanship, and was widely acknowledged as the academy's best overall duelist.
Her reputation wasn't just built on strength or skill, but on her ability to adapt and overco any opponent, no matter how unpredictable.
It was said that Alice could dismantle her enemies with a blade all the while breaking their wills with insidious sches, a balance of martial dominance and tactical genius that left even her enemies in awe.
She wasn't just a warrior.
She was a force to be reckoned with.
Then there was her twin brother – who followed her everywhere she went.
He was her Shadow.
Her sworn blade.
Yes, it was not rare to see siblings swearing loyalty to one another and becoming their Shadow in the royal families.
The practice was most common in twins.
Willem Vic. Draken was everything his sister was — just a little less. He was forever destined to be in her glorious shadow, as ironic as that might sound.
Yet, he was the most fiercely loyal individual in the entire ga.
When the Scarlet Assassin ambushed the two of them, Willem had a chance to flee. Alice even urged him to take it.
But he didn't.
Instead, he fought by his sister's side… and died in front of her eyes.
It was a tragic event, part of a small arc called — The Killing of the Royal Twins.
And that seemingly small arc unleashed big consequences throughout the story, snowballing into many events and eventually causing the Total War of the Five Monarchs.
Though to be fair, that war was inevitable. It was bound to happen sooner or later.
But let's get back to the point.
After all, those events were going to happen in the future — a future I was determined to change.
Yes, I was going to prevent their deaths.
I would stop their assassination before it could even begin… no matter how much I was tempted to just let them die.
Why? Because I hated them.
Why did I hate them?
Because they were childhood friends of my sister, Thalia.
Enjoy new adventures from empire
And much like her, they tornted throughout my childhood whenever we visited the Central Safe-Zone.
A couple of years ago, when we were still young, a civil war was raging in one of the now-Conquered Territories of the Draken family.
My father played a significant role in that conflict — in fact, he wae one who ultimately brought it to an end.
As a result, he spent most of his ti in the Royal Palace of the Central Monarch back in the day.
Whenever we visited him — though it was mostly Thalia who did the visiting since my father rarely wanted to see — we would run into Willem and Alice, who were close to our age.
They were also twins, just like Thalia and .
So the elders thought it would be a good idea for us to get acquainted.
It wasn't.
These two, along with Thalia, made my life miserable. Not with malicious intent — no, that would've been easier to understand — but in that thoughtless, casual cruelty only children seem capable of.
Alice and Willem were perfect twins.
Alice was sharp, strong, and always composed, while Willem was warm, charming, and quick with a laugh.
They had each other's backs in everything.
They had a seamless partnership that made them seem unstoppable.
Thalia, of course, fitted right in with them.
And then there was — the odd one out.
I didn't just feel like an outsider, I was an outsider.
Alice and Willem were royalty, heirs to one of the most powerful families in the world.
Thalia, being a Theosbane and one of the suitable heirs to our family, was practically nobility herself, and everyone adored her.
anwhile, I was just… .
The son of a Duke who barely acknowledged my existence. I was a shadow trailing behind my sister's radiant light.
But it wasn't just our difference in status that made it unbearable.
It was the way they treated — not out of hatred, but out of carelessness.
They didn't see as a person, not really.
To them, I was just Thalia's awkward, weaker twin, soone to tease, soone to laugh at — not with, but at.
I rember one winter evening in particular, when the snow was thick on the palace grounds.
We were supposed to be playing a ga of tag, but it quickly turned into sothing else.
Willem and Alice decided it would be more fun to play "Capture the Weakling."
Thalia agreed, of course.
They chased across the courtyard, laughing as I slipped and stumbled in the snow, calling out mocking encouragents as I desperately tried to get away.
When they finally caught , Willem pinned down while Alice crouched beside , snowball in hand.
"See, Sammy?" Alice said to with a smirk, packing the snow tighter. "This is what happens when you don't keep up. Weaklings get punished."
Then she shoved the snowball down my collar, and the icy chill burned against my skin.
Thalia laughed. Willem laughed. Alice laughed.
And I? I laughed too, pretending it didn't bother . Pretending I didn't feel the lump in my throat or the sting in my chest.
Because crying would've just made it worse.
Afterward, when I snuck away to warm myself by the fire, Willem found .
For a mont, I thought he might apologize. Instead, he grinned and handed a steaming mug of cocoa.
"Hey, don't take it so seriously," he said, as if that excused everything. "We were all just playing, you know?"
And the worst part? I believed him.
I believed that maybe, just maybe, they didn't an to hurt .
That maybe they'd grow out of it.
That maybe one day, I'd stop being the weakling and finally stand on equal footing with them.
But that day never ca.
The war ended. We stopped visiting the Central soon after that and fell out of touch.
Well, I did.
Thalia still kept up with them for a few years before drifting apart like people in long distance usually do.
Anyway, with all that history between us, it shouldn't be a surprise that I had no desire to see either of them.
But since when has the universe ever cared about what I want?
Standing before was Alice. Just as stunning as she was described in the ga, and smirking just as cruelly as she always did in my mories.
"Co on, Sammy. You weren't thinking of leaving without greeting first, were you?"
I sighed internally, took a deep breath, and put on the most joyously friendly smile I could fake.
"Ali! How are you!?" I greeted with the kind of over-the-top enthusiasm reserved for eting a long-lost best friend.
Then I turned to Willem, pretending to notice him for the first ti. "Oh, and look at you, Will! How are you, man? It's been forever! You've grown so tall!"
Willem kept smiling, clearly enjoying this little act. "Didn't you just try to ditch a second ago?"
"What? Pfft!" I laughed awkwardly, waving my hand like his comnt was ridiculous. "That doesn't sound like ."
"Wow, I'm hurt," Alice cut in, her sharp tone laced with mock solemnity. I turned to see her placing a hand over her chest, feigning wounded pride. "You were really trying to sneak away without even saying hello. And let's not forget — you didn't even bother to et us at the freshman party, either!"
"Don't be like that, Alice," Willem chid in smoothly. "You saw how busy he was during the party… devouring that cake on the ground."
Alice burst out laughing, and so did Willem.
Their laughter sounded exactly the sa as I rembered — light, teasing, friendly, and just as infuriating.
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