4 — Sunnaria's Body

Lorelai leads the way as the group walks across the city, with Joezand and Anneliese at the center and Pult lagging back. It is rather lively for the end of the afternoon, with some nosy busybodies looking curiously at the prince and his ensemble. Sure, he was missing, but they could at least hide their whispering. The mass of merchants and laborers watch curiously as the quartet marches through the main street.

Most of the buildings in the city are made from varieties of refined stone blocks. The most populer kind seems to be limestone, with sandstone and cobblestone closely following. The different origins imply that either the geology of the capital's surroundings is very diverse, or that a lot of trade is able to reach here. The buildings all have wood accents or signs, which are also of diverse kinds— mostly from oak, maple or apple trees.

The most eye-catching thing, though, is the bronze statue in the middle of the plaza. While usually reserved for decorated generals and opulent leaders, the woman represented doesn't look like either. More divine than anything. There's no color other than the brown of the material it was made of, but the metal is finely shaped. The statue itself is very sexualized, her bosom rather larger than the average woman's, while her slightly chubby waist cascades down into full hips and thighs. She's only wearing thin strips of cloth, which are barely clinging onto her curves, threatening to slip out at any moment. Her hair reaches down to her hips, curling upwards around the tip. Joezand can't help but blush at the lewd display. The other three seem unbothered by it, though, and just keep on walking.

'Oh my! I'm so embarrassed.' The goddess' voice is playful inside of his brain. 'Do try not to fall in love, little lamb.' His ring trembles as he hears her. 'I am the mother of all humanity, and by extension yours as well. It just wouldn't be proper!'

'That's... you?' He thinks, looking away from the statue with a beet-red face. 'Why did they sculpt you near naked?'

'It's almost accurate. I usually don't wear any clothes.' She chuckles. 'I don't understand why you're so shaken by this. Have you never seen a naked woman befo—'

'That's none of your business!' He thinks back, hearing Sunnaria giggle at his reaction. He keeps walking with his group until the statue is behind them, as they march onward.

"Are you alright, Prince Joezand?" Anneliese asks.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Joezand replies, taking a deep breath. "Thanks, Anneliese." He smiles at her.

"O-oh!" Her cheeks seemed to grow pinker at his smile. It's a pretty cute sight. "It's an honor to serve, milord!" Anneliese replies, a bit frantic. "Anything you need, your Highness, you can count on me!"

"So," Lorelai butts in, looking back at the two of them. "Memory loss, huh? I got left out of your little talk from before. But a little birdie told me Pult here was pretty insensitive."

"Piss off, Lorelai." Pult rolls his eyes. "I'm not in the mood."

"Is that so?" Lorelai asks, unimpressed. "What is your excuse for being a wet blanket now?"

"The fact that I will not be able to rest even after I arrive. I still have to write down a detailed report for Empress Agatha, which will probably take my whole night. And if... previous disagreements are any indicator," He spits the words out like venom. "I'll probably have to babysit our little Prince to make sure he doesn't run away again."

"We get it, Pult. You work soooo hard." Anneliese says. "Nobody told you serving the crown would be easy. You chose this path for yourself, so suck it up and follow your orders."

"I got asked a question and I gave a truthful answer." Pult shrugs. "Avoid interacting with me if that's something that bothers you."

"Prick." Lorelai murmurs, and Pult doesn't reply, seemingly having said his piece. The female knight turns to Joezand. "As I was saying, how are you feeling after losing your memories?"

"Very confused, but that's a given." Joezand says, twirling the ring on his finger. "Nervous, too. I mean, it doesn't seem like the previous me was popular around the palace, only outside of it. I don't know what kind of treatment to expect, but I know it won't be pretty."

"Relax, relax. Emperor Thaddius probably won't care, and Duchess Cecilia could never be mad at you." Lorelai says. "Duchess Agnes and King Florian are out in their territories, so you'll really only need to convince Empress Agatha to leave you be."

"And how do I do that, exactly?"

"She's really into discipline, first of all. That's the reason why she isn't very impressed by you." Lorelai explains. "Don't be mistaken, she does care for you— She's harsh because she thinks it'll make you stronger. Tough love and all that."

"We sent out one of the knights who opened the gate in advance," Anneliese says. "So your family should already be aware that you're here. We will let you rest for the day, and you will introduce yourself to them tomorrow, and... Oh! We already arrived."

Joezand looks up, as he sees the majestic palace ahead of him. Fine marble made up almost every inch of the building, such as the long, perfectly carved columns with big, fancy windows in between, below a big dark blue roof. Atop of it, a chamber with a bell inside, now quiet as can be as the night sky and stars reflected on the lake that surrounded the mansion. It was shining, mirroring the cosmos above. A single stone bridge connected the front doorways with the rest of the capital, the water encircling the rest of the palace. There were two flags, hoisted up on each side of the palace, with the same symbol he saw in the carriage— A black, minimalist lion atop a white shield with a blue background. They flew with the slight breeze, overall resulting in a very soothing view.

Anneliese opens up the double dark oak doors, and the view is even more impressive from the inside. A giant hallway stretches out forward, with a big red carpet laid on the floor. Very fancy. Almost cartoonishly so. There are sofas with incredible, fine craftsmanship on one side of the hallways, while the other side has a row of paintings, each of them showing a previous ruler of Styria. The painting frames were gem-encrusted. The walls have columns made of ivory, and a gigantic, wide, opulent golden chandelier hung from the top. The ceiling itself was painted, showing a scene of six divine beings, one of them he recognizes as Sunnaria, wearing the same barely-covering strips of cloth that she was wearing on her statue. He keeps looking from the outside, mouth agape.

"I'm so happy to finally do this, Prince Joezand." Anneliese says, holding the door. She motions for him to enter. "Welcome home. Please, come in!"

"Thank you, Anneliese." He says, stepping on the red carpet. "It's good to be back."