The imperial gardens were bathed in the light of late afternoon.
Kenza walked silently beside her mother, Empress Emanuelle Arcadius.
Ever since their return from Amona, something had been troubling her.
Arius’s mother.
At last, the young princess looked up.
“Mother…”
The Empress slightly turned her head.
“Yes?”
Kenza hesitated for a second.
“What do you truly think of Arius Lovelace?”
The Empress’s pace did not change.
“That is quite a sudden question.”
Kenza lightly pressed her lips together.
“Not really. You spoke with his mother for a long time. He barely spoke at all.”
No immediate answer followed.
Only the soft sound of their shoes against the white stone path.
Then:
“He is… an interesting child.”
Kenza nearly grimaced.
An imperial answer.
Polite.
Empty.
“That’s not all.”
This time, the Empress truly looked at her.
A brief silence passed between them.
Then a discreet smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
“You observe quite a lot.”
Kenza lowered her eyes for a moment.
“So do you.”
The Empress’s smile softened slightly.
“His mother is remarkable.”
Kenza immediately lifted her head.
That.
That was what she had been waiting for.
The Empress brushed her fingers against a pale flower as she walked past a flowerbed.
“Very composed. Very cautious. And yet… she always answered just enough.”
Kenza frowned slightly.
“So you were politely spying on her?”
The Empress let out a faint laugh.
“The most surprising part… is that she seemed interested in neither favors nor rewards. I practically had to force her to accept our invitation.”
“That’s a very elegant way of saying adults dance around questions.”
“Naturally.”
The word was spoken with complete simplicity.
As though it were self-evident.
“But she did not seem willing to speak about herself. Nor about her son.”
Kenza thought for a moment.
Then something came back to her.
“You talked about education.”
Her mother’s gaze shifted toward her.
She was listening closely.
“Yes.”
“And you said some families prefer sending their children to study in the Empire.”
“That is correct.”
Kenza slowed slightly.
“Even boys.”
This time, the Empress’s smile became more visible.
“That word stayed with you?”
Kenza looked away toward the gardens.
“A little… It sounded like a detail-that-wasn’t-really-a-detail.”
Her mother’s expression seemed to soften.
“The Empire of Clocca is a matriarchal empire,” she replied calmly. “That sort of precision is never insignificant there. Some people are like open books. Others… like doors left slightly ajar, just enough to watch who is looking from the other side.”
Kenza felt something slowly falling into place inside her mind.
“Is Arius connected to the Empire?”
“I do not know.”
Kenza looked at her immediately.
The Empress continued calmly:
“But the Lovelaces are clearly more than a simple baronial family.”
The wind gently stirred the long sleeves of Kenza’s dress.
“Do you think he’ll go study there…?”
The Empress did not answer immediately.
Her eyes drifted beyond the white pathways, toward the heights of the palace.
“I believe, above all… that his father… no, that his family has already decided so.”
Kenza remained silent.
Then, after a few seconds:
“Hmm… mysterious, polite, and probably complicated. That definitely sounds like an imperial problem.”
The Empress smiled discreetly.
“And could I go too?”
“To study there?”
“Yes!”
“We have very good schools here, you know?”
“Yes… but not Arius.”
Somewhere deep within her, without quite understanding why, Kenza liked that idea.
Profile
Role : Imperial Princess of Kulia
MBTI : ENTP
Race : Human
Familiar level of speech with a playful, bold, intelligent, inventive, and mischievous tone.
- Creative
- Curious
- Independent
- Original
- Perceptive
- Disobedient
- Impatient
- Provocative
- Sarcastic
- Overconfident
Kenza possesses a lively personality that is difficult to contain, even within the strict boundaries of imperial protocol. Naturally curious, she constantly seeks to understand the hidden intentions behind people’s words and behavior, often turning her observations into teasing remarks, wordplay, or light provocations. Behind her humor and boundless energy, however, lies a young princess who is particularly attentive to the emotions and silences of those around her. Accustomed to living within a rigid political environment, she values sincere exchanges and people who can step outside the constraints imposed by imperial nobility. Despite her young age, Kenza already demonstrates a strong ability to read others, test their reactions, and build connections quickly, all while instinctively refusing to confine herself to the passive role so often expected of an imperial princess.