2 years later…
The sun shone brightly upon the palace of the Agravar Kingdom. The birds were singing, the flowers were blooming, and the servants of the palace were searching for something—perhaps someone. The atmosphere was peaceful.
"Have you found him yet?" one servant asked another.
"Nope, still missing," the other servant answered.
"Where could the prince have gone?" the first servant said, scratching the back of his head.
In the palace garden, a 3-year-old boy was seen with a book. His face was handsome, his eyes were red, and his hair was golden. The golden hair resembled the Empress's, while his red eyes resembled the Emperor's. He was Aslan.
Hrmmm, I still can't read this word... Aslan thought, clearly failing to learn how to read by himself. Having lived before, he was confident he could speedrun the process of learning to read, but alas, it had proven to be not as easy as he thought.
Well, look at the bright side—I can walk now. Though I still can't talk—nothing but gibberish, he thought while sitting among the flowers in the imperial garden. It had been three years since he arrived in this world. He had begun to adjust to the environment a little, and now he could comfortably be with the Empress and the Emperor. Still, he could not interact well with the servants.
While he was actively thinking, a hand suddenly came from behind, holding him and lifting him up.
"Oh, little prince, what are you doing here?" the woman said. It was Arabella—the palace gardener.
Oh no, I've been caught, Aslan thought, looking away.
"Oh dear prince, it seems you're still refusing to look at me. Haih, this granny is so sad," Arabella said with a bit of disappointment.
"Oh well, I should return you now. I can't bear those poor servants running around looking for this little naughty munchkin," Arabella said while walking with Aslan in her arms.
After they arrived back at Aslan's room, the baby crib was no longer there. Instead, it had been replaced with a bed—a big one, probably because the Empress and the Emperor would sometimes come and sleep with him. Some spots were filled with toys he had received three years ago. The Empress had allowed some of them to remain in his room, provided they suited his age.
"Prince! There you are! Quick! The delegation is arriving in 20 minutes—we don't have much time," the chief maid said.
Come to think of it, was her name Ingrid? Probably. These days, she looks so busy. Perhaps with me growing up, the workload for the servants is growing too, Aslan thought. When he first started walking, by accident, the Emperor modified most of the castle to be kid-friendly, removing anything he deemed dangerous to Aslan. And to whom was the task given? Of course—the Chief Maid!
The servants brought out so many clothes for him to try, it became a bit of a hassle. When the Empress left, she would bring back so many children's accessories. Some of them were clothes, some toys—so much, in fact, that some had to be given to charity to make room for more. And boy, did the servants enjoy dressing him up in all of it. I'm like a Ken doll here, Aslan thought.
According to what he had heard today, a delegation from Lindell would be arriving at the palace. There was also a rumor that the infamous princess would be here too. Not just Lindell, but delegations from all over the empire.
"You look stunning, Your Highness," one of the servants said, handing him a mirror. The maids had adjusted to the fact that the prince was simply not willing to look at them. They assumed he was shy, yet the care they gave was never less than abundant.
I can never get used to having a face like this—it's so cute, Aslan thought, silently agreeing with the servant.
Knock-knock.
Not a moment passed before a knock was heard at the door. The servant opened it, and there she was—the Empress, beautiful as ever, like dawn amidst the high setting sun.
"Is my little one ready?" asked the Empress.
"You can see for yourself, Your Majesty," the servant answered with a smile.
"My son looks just like his father. Can't you resemble your mother more?" the Empress said.
"His Highness may look like the Emperor, but his behavior is just like you," another servant said while tidying the prince's outfit.
"Really?" asked the Empress.
"Very much so. This morning, the gardener found him with a book in hand in the garden. Isn't that also very much like Your Highness during childhood?" another servant said while combing Aslan's hair.
"Indeed, just like me back in the day. So much time was spent on reading. These days, there's not much time for that anymore, especially with a child to care for. Who knows—perhaps we can read together in the future," the Empress added.
"Speaking of reading, do we have a tutor yet for the prince's lessons?" asked the maid who had just finished tidying Aslan's outfit.
"His grandpa volunteered a couple of days ago, but it hasn't been decided yet," the Empress answered while picking Aslan up into her embrace.
"The Great Mage himself? Wow—to show such interest," one of the servants said in awe.
"Yup. Who knew that silent father of mine would dote so much on this cotton ball," the Empress said, caressing Aslan's cheek.
"Shall we depart to the ballroom?" asked the Empress.
"Arfrvbbj," Aslan said in gibberish. Damn this tongue. I was about to ask her to explain more, Aslan thought.
"I take that as a yes, then," the Empress said with a smile, leaving the room with Aslan in her arms.
Thus, Aslan and the Empress walked to the ballroom. After a while, they arrived. There were many people there—twice as many as had attended his naming ceremony. Some of them looked quite distinct. Wait, what are those people? Aslan thought. In the distance were creatures he had never encountered before—dwarves! So there are even dwarves in this world. I wonder if there are elves too, Aslan thought with curiosity.
"Is that the Crown Prince in the Empress's arms?" one of the nobles asked, pointing at Aslan.
"Whoa, so the tales were true. The boy really does inherit looks from both the Emperor and Her Majesty," another noble said, flabbergasted by Aslan's cuteness.
"The Emperor is entering!" a squire announced.
"He's here," a noble said, and the crowd stirred. Countless eyes watched the Emperor walk up to the Empress and the prince. They met in the middle of the staircase before descending together.
"Talk about presence," one of the nobles added.
"I welcome the delegations from across the empire. Please enjoy yourselves," the Emperor said, taking Aslan from the Empress's arms into his own.
"The rumor was true. The Emperor really does love the prince," one noble murmured.
Then, once again, the squire announced: "Announcing the arrival of the Emperor and Empress of Lindell!"
"Lindell? They came in place of their own delegation?" the crowd of nobles stirred.
Thus, into the room walked a pair of monarchs: the Emperor of Lindell and the Empress. The Lindell Emperor looked nearly as handsome as Agravar's Emperor, with blue eyes that shone like jewels. The Empress—though not as fair as Aslan's mother—was a beauty in her own right, with silvery hair like the moon and eyes as green as nature. In her arms was a baby girl. She had her father's blue eyes and her mother's silver hair. Ack, this is even cuter than I am… and around her, is there something shiny? Aslan thought.
Thus, Darius walked toward Aethan. An aura of tension could be felt by those watching; their hearts raced with anticipation, almost as if expecting a fight. They glanced at one another, and then...
Suddenly, the Emperor asked, "What does it feel like to become a father?"
The King of Lindell, Aethan, answered, "The best."
Then they shook hands like old friends.
Damn, all that just for this? Another weird friend to the list, Aslan thought.