The city by the southern sea unfolded before their eyes like a dream.
Golden beaches stretched endlessly under the sun's forgiving warmth.Tall modern skyscrapers gleamed alongside ancient temples and cultivation academies —a perfect harmony of history and progress.
The streets were alive — full of laughter, color, and the salt-sweet scent of the ocean.
Their convoy —a seamless union of the Imperial Family and the Vale Family —wove through the coastal roads together.
No crowds.No ceremony.
Only old friends traveling as one.
The bonds between their families were strong enough that no guards were needed between them —only quiet trust.
Aren rode near the front, his ridiculous tropical toucan outfit earning quiet snickers from Mira and the others,though he bore it with impeccable dignity.
Arthur Pendragon rode beside him, wearing a simple white shirt and slacks, smiling easily.
Beside Arthur, Sarah Pendragon — graceful, eternally youthful — chatted animatedly with Selene.
Further back, Darian and Lucien spoke in low voices, catching up like brothers separated by years.Their respective partners sat nearby — Darian's composed wife, and Lyra's spirited husband —both sharing in the peaceful energy.
The children — Mira, Elara, and Alice — filled the convoy with laughter and occasional squeals.
It felt less like a royal journey,and more like a family trip —the kind rarely afforded to lives forged in power and duty.
When they reached the grand seaside villa, the estate's staff opened the gates respectfully,allowing them to step directly onto the wide marble terraces overlooking the endless blue.
The view was breathtaking.
White sands below.Rolling gardens around.The sea breeze rich with salt and freedom.
Even Aren paused, taking it in quietly.
Beside him, Arthur clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"Not bad for a few days of peace, hmm?"
Aren smiled faintly.
"It will do."
The children, freed from carriages and rules, raced toward the gardens.
Mira shouted first, dragging Elara and Alice behind her in a whirlwind of chaos.
Lyra and her husband followed, laughing.Darian's wife trailed behind with Elara's spare bag slung over her shoulder.
Selene and Sarah walked arm-in-arm, chatting and laughing softly, their heads bent together like girls decades younger.
Darian and Lucien found a bench overlooking the ocean, resuming a conversation left unfinished years ago.
Aren stood for a moment on the terrace.
The sun warmed his ridiculous outfit,the sunglasses hiding the sharp gleam in his golden eyes.
He adjusted the absurd hat Mira had insisted he wear and breathed deeply.
For this,he thought,I would wear any foolishness.Fight any god.Endure any storm.
Because this —this laughter, this peace, this family —was irreplaceable.
By afternoon, they all made their way down to the private beach.
Mira and Elara sprinted for the water instantly,dragging a hesitant Alice along.
Alice, ever cautious, soon found herself squealing and laughing as Mira splashed her deliberately.
Lyra's husband tossed Mira lightly into the shallow waves, drawing delighted screams.
Darian and Lucien wrestled playfully in the surf, old rivalries reigniting with childish enthusiasm.
Darian's wife and Selene spread picnic blankets on the sand with Sarah,unpacking chilled fruits and sweet pastries.
And Aren...stood like a guardian at the edge of it all.
Bright tropical shirt.Ridiculous hat.Blue lei.
Stoic.
Unshakable.
Dignified.
And utterly ridiculous.
Selene leaned into him, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye.
"You," she said breathlessly,"are a gift."
"I suffer," Aren said dryly,"for a noble cause."
She laughed harder, her joy weaving into the breeze.
And Aren smiled —a real, deep smile, full of love and quiet promise.
He would fight gods,he would tear down heaven,for this.
For their golden days.
For their future.