[center][h3][color=fff79a]Delia Verenoblitus[/color] & [color=1b1464]Karma Kennen[/color][/h3][/center] Karma woke up at his usual time - namely 4 in the morning. Stretching slowly, he began with his head and worked all the way down to his toes, warming his body up and getting ready for his morning rounds; a few kilometers of jogging, calisthenics, then to the gym where he would remain until breakfast at eight. At the beginning, many staying at the castle questioned his habit, particularly some of the younger nobility that were unused to even the slightest acts of manual labor. They stopped questioning after pictures of him naked began circulating - it was obviously meant to be blackmail material, but a six-foot walking mass of muscle covered in scars was not exactly the kind of thing you would feel comfortable blackmailing, for health reasons. Well, that was moot point as he wasn't staying in the castle currently. Right now, he and the royal family were staying in the embassy building provided by the Aciras Kingdom, anticipating the day of the Ball - a day, he knew, would eventually involve hundreds of political backdoor dealings, scandals, and general chaos. If it didn't happen immediately, it was bound to happen sometime later. Putting on a jacket and jogging pants, Karma forwent grooming himself, and exited his room - a moderately sized one directly under Princess Delia's own. [color=1b1464][i]"Speaking of which . . ."[/i][/color] The young man closed his eyes. After a few moments, he nodded his head, and exited his room. Instead of proceeding directly outside, as he usually did, he went upstairs, to the room directly above his. Knocking thrice, he called out, [color=1b1464]"Oi, princess, aren't you up a bit early?"[/color] Immediately, a voice rebutted:[color=fff79a] "Much the same could be said for you, can't it, Karma?"[/color] A soft, yet audible voice, with each letter enunciated for maximum clarity; a voice that carried confidence, strength, and the feeling of ingrained superiority, yet benevolent in nature, a voice that commanded respect and exuded authority. A voice that Karma had heard for years, and that had practiced in front of the mirror four countless hours in order to reach this near enchanting manner of speech. The voice of his charge. [color=1b1464]"True, Delly, true, but I'm already known to be up this early - you are not."[/color] [color=fff79a]"Hmph, well, I'm not forbidden a change of pace now, am I Karma?"[/color] retorted Delia through closed doors. [color=fff79a]"In any case, I will be returning to bed soon; I just needed to make sure all the preparations for my arrival at the castle of Aciras was perfect. It's an important occasion after all, and far be it from me to leave preparations solely in the hands of our maids."[/color] Karma rolled his eyes. There it was again, his princess exasperating need to oversee everything for herself. An admirable trait, where it not for the fact that she was an insatiable perfectionist. "Come on Delia, give it a break; trust in our help a little more, why don't ya? They aren't as good as you are, but they're competent - if they weren't, your momma wouldn'tve hired them in the first place." When no response came from the other side of the door, Karma sighed. Without waiting for her permission, Karma flung open the double-doors to her room. His brows raised a little in surprise as he caught sight of what was behind them. [color=1b1464]"Oh, sorry about that."[/color] His sister was completely undressed, with not a single stitch of clothing on, exposing the voluptuous body underneath. Around her were neatly stacked piles of paper, several expensive looking gowns hanging from a pull-open dresser, and boxes of jewelry arranged on her bed. Delia herself was holding a report on who else was arriving at the Ball, along with information on their respective kingdoms and several key points of interest. If Delia was embarrassed at being seen naked, she didn't show it. Instead she glared at Karma frostily, before giving a dismissive turn of her head. [color=fff79a]"As rude as ever Karma. You know, there is a reason we wait for people's permission before entering their rooms,"[/color] she said, once again turning her attention to the paper she held in her hand, not bothering to put on clothes - the two of them were familiar with how each one's body looked like, after growing up together for most of their lives. Having one in sight of the other was hardly something to be flustered over, which is why Delia was more annoyed with the manner in which Karma entered. [color=1b1464]"Well forgive me, princess, but you were rather [i]keen[/i] on ignoring me."[/color] [color=fff79a]"Was that not obvious?"[/color] [color=1b1464]"Oh wow, your cold shoulder game is on point today."[/color] [color=fff79a]"Really? Better than last week even?"[/color] [color=1b1464]"Marginally. By about one to three percent."[/color] The two of them bantered on like this for a period of time, with Delia still rifling through her notes and Karma standing by the door. An easy silence descended upon them as they dried up their well of small-talk topics, and so it remained until Delia folded gathered the papers in her hands and placed it on top of a nearby stack. With a yawn and a stretch, the First Princess stood up and grabbed the closest dress among those hung around her. Delia flipped it back and forth several times, inspecting it closely, before tossing it on top of her bed. She repeated this process until she stopped at an elegant purple ballgown; it was a purple, shoulder-less, long-sleeved gown, with the area of the waist made to hug her figure, and the simple long skirt covered by several layers of laced silk and designed to emphasize the twirling of the fabric. The elbow length fingerless gloves were rach studded with tiny blue sapphire that formed into a tree. The top was completely covered up her chest, while exposing her back and collarbones, connected to a studded choker. [color=1b1464]"Hm, I don't think I've ever seen you choose such an elaborate dress before. You're usually more minimalistic with your choices," [/color]pointed out Karma, who raised a brow at her choice of attire. Delia nodded, acknowledging the truth in his words. [color=fff79a]"Personally, I believe that clothes that are to heavily decorated take away from the truly attractive thing - the one wearing it, which is why I opt to wear less gaudy clothing usually, but for the ball, it is not me that people will be looking at: It will be our empire. So I will dress as need be to express its greatness."[/color] No mention was given to the one she was betrothed to; Delia would scarcely care for how one man would look at her, when she had a whole audience of others to deal with. If it so happened that he liked what he saw, then all the better - being attractive was a natural advantage in securing dominance, a fact that many were loathe to acknowledge yet unable to deny. It was prevalent even in nature - the strong and attractive animals got the best picks of food, mates and territory. It was much the same even among humans. [color=1b1464]"Well spoken as always. Putting it that way, I suppose it makes sense that you insisted I wear the outfit your mother chose for me, even if it [i]is[/i] too form-fitting."[/color] [color=fff79a]"If it wasn't form-fitting, you'd have hidden a weapon on yourself again,"[/color] said Delia matter-of-factually, [color=fff79a]"and we really can't have you doing that in the presence of other rulers."[/color] [color=1b1464]"Heheh, got me there . . ."[/color] [hr] [hr] The next day, Delia and Karma were inside a large, sleek black car, and were, much like many others, making their way towards the castle. With Karma at the wheel, they smoothly navigated through the streets, flanked at all sides by similar looking vehicles. In actuality, each of these cars were as durable as a tank, with the glass being certified missile-proof, and each were capable of out-running a twister. These cars were the typical vehicle for the royal family on trips. Speaking of the royal family . . . "Are you nervous, Delia?" A deep, smooth baritone resounded throughout the car. It's owner, a fairly young man with short cropped black hair and an eye-patch stared at Delia with curiosity. This man was Emperor Max 'Magnus' Veren, the ruler of the lands of Verenoblitus. Currently, he was dressed in what looked like the bastard child of a tuxedo and military uniform, clad in purple and black. Next to him was an even younger looking woman, with blonde hair tied into a single bun, and dressed in an elegant, red ball gown. She was expressionless as always - being a woman who talked only when necessary, her silence was the norm, and when she did speak, it was guaranteed that all would listen. She was Aliena Oblitus-Veren, the one and only Empress. "Not really," responded Aliena, sounding confident. "It's a big event, but nothing critical has occurred. In fact, I'm rather hopeful about it." Her mother nodded in acknowledgment of her words - it much like she would have answered. "That's not what I meant, Delia," said the Emperor, waving a hand, "what I mean is, you are getting married. For people your age, it's normal to be nervous, right?" Delia froze at the mention of her incoming marriage. An awkward silence blanketed the car, so thick you could cut it open with a spoon, before Delia broke the silence. "It [i]is[/i] normal I suppose, but I am [i]not[/i] normal. In any case, mother married you when she was only eighteen - not so far off from my age. My feelings on the matter are worth very little on the grand scheme of things. At the very least, you can rest assured that no matter what happens, I will be on the winning side of things." Emperor and Empress both raised a brow at her words. Quite unsure what to make of them, the Emperor nodded, and leaned back, observing his daughter carefully. He worried about her, he really did, but he was bad at being a father - in the first place, he had never imagined becoming one. His marriage to Aliena was for political reasons, in essence, and having her conceive Delia was also so he could have a successor. That he had well and truly grown to love her to the extent he now did was surprising, even to himself. Soon enough, they stopped in front of a grand looking castle, their destination: the main castle of Aciras. It appeared that they were the last to arrive, although they were not yet late. Well, as the saying goes . . . Delia observed the girl who went to greet them: Lillith Hathor, the crown princess of Aciras. From her reports, a rather headstrong and reckless girl. She wondered who the Royal Family of Aciras had engaged her to. Walking alongside her fellow royals, Delia silently observed each of them, comparing their in-person appearance to the ones in her notes, watching for any inconsistencies in the way they were reported to have acted. Even the slightest deviance from what she knew about them could change the way she needed to act; it was critical that she made as good a first impression as possible. She looked up, and unsurprisingly, her mother was doing the same - though it was extremely subtle, so subtle that even though Delia [i]knew[/i] she was doing it, she was still doubting herself. Once everyone was seated, the King of Aciras gave a rather mandatory - and, in Karma's opinion, bland - opening speech, welcoming all those present in the hall.