While waiting for their food, everyone ordered drinks for themselves. Vicky asked for a non-alcoholic cocktail while Henry got a glass of water. Sera and Bran each ordered glasses of red wine.
They didn''t specify what kind of wine, so of course, the waiter brought the most expensive one.
The young girl they assigned to their table was a nervous mess. Her hands trembled as she poured water from the pitcher, and she had to return to retake their order, because her handwriting was unreadable from the shaking.
Bran tried making a few jokes to lighten the girl''s stress, but she only managed an awkward laugh before scurrying away.
Several tables watched them, yet they remained unfazed. They were all significant political figures, so getting attention just by existing wasn''t new to them.
Vicky was the only one feeling uncomfortable. She was a shy girl who stayed far away from the center of attention. She liked to stay hidden, so being watched always felt strange.
Luckily, Henry''s presence was the perfect distraction. Being close to him made all her crowd-related stress disappear, yet she started overthinking every slight movement and gesture he made.
Each time Henry reached for his glass, Vicky perked up and moved her hand closer to his side of the table. Henry ignored it; either from being unaware, or perhaps fearing he''d seem creepy.
They remained quiet for a long time. Sera pondered, while Vicky and Henry tried ignoring their closeness. They were obviously very confused, since they were both young and uneducated about relationships and feelings.
Sera knew they will have to broach this topic in private. Vicky''s education remained incomplete. She never went to school, and Sera was always too busy leading some group, city, or nation to pay attention to her daughter''s education.
This issue required future correction. The list of her problems just kept growing the more she thought, so Sera made a bold move. She grabbed her glass of wine, leaned back, took a sip, and closed her eyes.
All her tense muscles eased at once, and she sighed. A sound, born of deep-seated anxieties and accumulated pains, emerged from her. All the stress from the past two years left her body at once, and finally, after all this time, she relaxed.
Everyone around the table stared at her with confused expressions, but for the next few minutes, she ignored all of them.
Eventually, though, she took another sip of wine, opened her golden-green eyes and turned towards Henry.
"Prince Henry, how old are you?"
The boy didn''t flinch or make any expression about the question, he just answered immediately. "I will turn thirteen in a few months, Lady Seraphine. Also, you don''t need to use titles. Just call me Henry!"
Sera nodded and opened her mouth to ask something else when her daughter spoke in a shy voice. "Can I call you Henry too?"
He stared at her, clearly confused by the question. "Well, of course! Why couldn''t you Princess Victoria?"
After the meal, they decided to walk along the Thames, while watching the sunset. The city had a large walkway built next to the river, which was full of people at that time of day.
Vicky and Henry walked in the front. The two children constantly talked and giggled with each other, each one having the time of their lives. Behind them, a few meters away, walked Sera and Bran hand-in-hand.
The sun touched the horizon, turning the sky and the river''s reflective surface bright red. Gusts of wind played with the branches of the leafless trees planted alongside the walkway.
At the height of winter up north, the environment differed a lot from New Athens. The temperature went below zero during the night, and often snow covered the entire city. Even the Thames''s top layer would freeze at times, albeit that hadn''t happened for years.
The atmosphere was truly peaceful, and Sera let herself take a deep breath from the fresh, cold air. A smile spread on her face, and next to her, Bran chuckled.
The sound of small running feet shattered the surrounding peacefulness. When Sera opened her eyes, Vicky stood in front of her with an excited expression.
"Mom! Henry has video games at his home, and he invited me to a sleepover! Can I go? Please!"
Sera smiled brightly at her daughter, then looked to his right, silently asking for Bran''s opinion. He turned towards Henry, who stood a few meters away awkwardly.
"Only the two of you will be at this sleepover?" he asked in a firm, fatherly tone. Henry shook his head, "Uh, no sir! A few of my classmates will be there as well!"
"Then my lovely girl can attend too!" said Sera, then bent down and kissed Vicky''s forehead. In return she jumped up, and tightly hugged her mother, while repeatedly saying ''thank you''.
After a few seconds of hugging, they continued to walk. Vicky stayed next to Sera, holding her other hand. She had a small frown on her face and seemed to be deep in thought.
A few minutes later, Sera became curious and asked, "What is it, darling?" Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire
Vicky flinched a bit from surprise, then looked at her mother with confusion. "Mommy, why have you stopped calling me Little Angel..."
Her daughter might''ve said something else, but Sera''s might already shut down by that point. The small buzzing, which disappeared during the evening, suddenly turned into a violent scream inside her head.
Sera''s fight or flight kicked in by those words. She took a step away from a confused Vicky and a worried Bran.
In her palm, a golden glaive appeared, while on her back four wings spread wide. Within the next second, her intricate golden armor covered her body.
She immediately began scanning the terrified crowd for signs of Harold. Her breathing turned heavy, while her heart pumped as fast as it could.
It took Sera a few endless seconds to realize what had happened. Slowly, her armor and weapon disappeared, but she was too embarrassed to look at her daughter.
With teary eyes, Sera flew into the sky, leaving the Bran, Vicky, and Henry on the walkway alone.