Immortal Kingdoms

Within the depths of the Sylvian Imperial Palace, after a day of rest preluding to his coronation ceremony, Leonardo woke up in a rather luxurious room.

He laid on a spacious bed surrounded by soft pillows, a curtain of thin yet opaque fabric descended from a high canopy above the bed, concealing his half-naked body from the servants scurrying about in the room preparing a set of formal imperial clothes, the bathing chambers, and hairdressers for Leonardo.

Leonardo could hear the ongoing commotion, chuckling lightly. The sound of his calm laughter echoed in the room, startling the young maids who were trying to act prudently and cautiously so as to not disturb the prince in his sleep.

They never expected him to be such a light head when it came to sleeping. Little did they know that Leonardo was chuckling because Aria was entangled with the soft layers of bed sheets that covered his body. The little fox was desperately trying to free her limbs and head, eventually rolling into a small burrito on Leonardo's lap, her eyes glowing in frustrated embarrassment.

To think that an exalted immortal like herself would have a day like this. Although tearing apart the sheets to free herself would be as easy as blinking her eyes, it was too rude and unladlike, and she didn't wish for the servants to have the impression that Leonardo couldn't even control his pet.

Moreover, witnessing the usually lifeless and dull expression of this young man bloom into a smile once in a while wasn't that bad of an experience.

Leonardo shook his head and pulled Aria from the sheets, holding the little fox from under her armpits. She simply wished she could die right now, her long ears bent over to cover half her face and eyes, not daring to meet his gaze directly.

Shaking his head, Leonardo took the little fox to his embrace before rolling off the bed and through the swaying curtains, the excessive light that phased through the massive window striking his vision all white and gold.

A line of seven maids quickly stood respectfully to the side. They have gathered and waited silently the moment they realised that the prince woke up, as to show their proper due respect and leave a good impression.

Although they had heard rumours from the escorting soldiers that this new prince was a pretty boy material, their hearts skipped a beat at the sight of his messy wild hair, baby smooth skin, perfectly sculpted muscles, and the kind smile on his face as he teased the squirming little fox in his embrace.

The intense sunlight forced him to narrow his eyes and steer his line of sight downward, and since he had nothing better to do, he began to stroke across Aria's head while disregarding her silent protests.

It took Leonardo a moment to adjust his eyes to the high brightness of the searing morning sun before the warmth retracted from his smile, though the smile itself remained the same, the feeling wholeheartedly changed.

It became more of a formal flat smile of acknowledgement, giving the maids enough courtesy to notice their existence and what they'd done throughout the morning period in order to prepare him for this long day.

One of the seven maids who was clad in all black, unlike her sisters who had a design harmonising between black and white, quickly gathered her wits and stepped forward to bow courtly and express a neutral sentiment.

"We have prepared the bath and a set of clothing for your Highness based on the measurements of your previous fitting. Once you are done, a steward outside will lead your Highness to an open courtyard so that you could join the sons and daughters of the kingdom to a breakfast arranged by Her Majesty the High Queen."

After reporting the schedule arranged for Leonardo, and emphasising that he would need to bathe and dress on his own, dousing the fledgling flames of desire in the hearts of the maids, she gave them a stern stare and waited for them to leave the bedroom chamber before she hurriedly left as well. Her heart was beating beyond her control, and she only bowed her head because she wasn't confident in maintaining a calm facade while staring down those depthless black eyes.

Aria had a playful look of amusement in her eyes when she witnessed the whole scene play out. Of course, she knew what ran through the young head maid's mind, but she couldn't blame her for it. The next moment, the little fox bounced off from Leonardo's embrace and settled down on a sofa not too far from the bathing chamber's doors, thereafter getting into a comfortable position while she eagerly watched the door.

It was that time of the day for Aria.

After a shower and a quick dres-up, Leonardo finally left his bedroom chambers and stepped into one of the labyrinth-like wide hallways of the palace. Leonardo was provided with an entire wing to himself, and without guidance, he would be easily lost, especially since he couldn't arbitrarily use his spiritual senses for the moment.

He wore a set of luxurious white robes laced in golden embroidery, translucent black buttons that rowed over from his collar toward the centre of his abdomen, a long flourished cape dangling off his shoulders and swaying with each of his graceful steps, and a sleek back hairstyle glistening with pomade.

On his shoulder rested Aria with a lazy expression, her fluffy tail coiling around Leonardo's neck like a winter scarf as the steward nervously escorted him to the open rear courtyard belonging to one of the Royal Palace's ast of the Imperial Palace.

It was a natural Arcadia-themed courtyard that expressed a sense of belonging to nature. Natural paved roads of flattened dirt walkways weaving through gardens of lush trees, flanked by dense foliage and shrubberies. The fragrant scent of fresh fruit occupied the atmosphere, practically guiding Leonardo to a vast meadow clearance with erected wooden seats and tables sporadically stationed within.

Almost twenty youths with reserved yet steady auras confined themselves to this space of nature while chatting, laughing, gossiping, and discussing cultivation with one another populated the courtyard. The ratio of males to females obviously favoured the former, as there were about seven pretty ladies and fourteen young men, all of them were of a similar age to Leonardo, if one could judge age based on looks.

Queen Adeline apparently thought it was a good idea for Leonardo to interact with people of his age group, but he couldn't help but feel a bit helpless about this as he was far from being their age.

Not a single one of them seemed to have attained a martial intent, let alone ascended into sainthood. However, even for mortal cultivators, their presence was dense and steady, their realms must have been consolidated to the extreme.

A few royal guards stood not too far, and a few of them radiated the aura of sainthood essence, but it was unknown whether they were here to protect the children of the kingdom or Leonardo, or they were simply here to observe and report without actually intervening in case of pity conflict.

Although technically they shared the same status as princes and princesses, Leonardo knew they would ostracise him as an upstart foreign prince and feel an innate sense of disdain towards him, while he felt an even greater sense of disregard for these childish fools due to his superior background.

Although he knew this whole breakfast is destined to go down a shithole one way or another, he still stepped forward and invaded their comfort zone by approaching a table presenting a colourful array of sweets, pastries, and snacks.

He picked up two chocolate chips before tossing one into his mouth and feeding the other to Aria, who had long since forgotten the taste of such delectables.

Although the princes and princesses felt it would be fine for them to disregard Leonardo, they felt a strike at their pride and status to be treated the same. Leonardo knew what was coming next, it was all too familiar to him from the ridiculous cliche scenes he saw in the various movies, anime, and games back home…