High King Eldric continued to contemplate, his brows knit in thought. "Are you absolutely certain? I could easily delegate this responsibility to your second brother or first sister to save you from the stress," he said, his gaze fixed intently on Prince Alden.
Prince Alden shook his head adamantly. "Considering that it was originally the first brother's duty, father, wouldn't it be unfair to suddenly burden the second brother, first sister, or even third brother with such a task? Especially since they might be preoccupied and unable to fully dedicate themselves to showing Mr Orion everything he needs to know about the Garden and the efforts required to maintain its prosperity," he explained, exhaling softly.
High King Eldric nodded in understanding. He realized that abruptly assigning this task to his younger children might spark resentment among them, knowing how determined they were to fulfil any task to the best of their abilities, especially when it involved such an important issue.
"And what about you? Wouldn't it be unfair to burden you with this task so suddenly? Are you certain you can fulfil it to the best of your abilities?" High King Eldric asked, his gaze fixed on Prince Alden.
Prince Alden smiled, "Father, unlike the rest of my siblings, I have been looking forward to Mr Orion's arrival and have been preparing myself to assist first Elder Brother if he needs help, ensuring that the task can be perfectly accomplished. Therefore, I believe it would be an honour for me to handle this task. I promise to do my very best to complete it perfectly to the best of my abilities," he responded, bowing slightly towards High King Eldric to convey his sincerity.
However, Prince Alden couldn't help but widen his smile inwardly. With his first elder brother currently away, this was his only chance to forge a relationship with Orion - someone with a close connection to the god beneath the Garden and an even closer relationship with the Princess of the Garden.
Orion's position was rumoured to be so influential that any decision he made could shake the entire territory.
So, why shouldn't he seize this opportunity and do his best to establish a good relationship with him?
High King Eldric nodded in response and immediately began to reconsider whether it might be better to assign Orion to his fourth son until his first son returned. They couldn't afford to waste a moment, so they needed to ensure that Orion started and finished his tasks as soon as possible.
Also, it wasn't as though Alden would do a bad job forging a relationship with Orion in the meantime, so he saw no harm in it.
"Okay, I see no harm in you leading Mr Orion in the meantime," High King Eldric responded, nodding in agreement.
He shifted his attention towards Orion. "Mr Orion, my fourth son, Prince Alden, will show you the way and explain how things are done in the meantime. Are you okay with that?"
Orion nodded in understanding. "I don't mind, High King Eldric,'" he responded.
As long as he could complete the task, it didn't matter who showed him how things were done. He only wanted to complete this task as quickly and efficiently as possible and prepare for his meeting with Aegis of the Arctic Deity.
Witnessing Orion's response, Prince Alden's inward smile widened.
"Since this is the case, I'll be waiting to meet you again by the end of the day, Mr. Orion," High King Eldric said, shifting his attention back towards Prince Alden. "Take care of Mr. Orion properly, and if anything comes up, immediately inform me about it. In the meantime, I'll summon the guards and have them search for the whereabouts of the first prince."
Prince Alden nodded, watching High King Eldric nod at them again and walking away.
"Please, follow me, Mr. Orion," Prince Alden said, his eyes fixed on Orion as he gestured his hands forward for Orion to follow him.
Orion nodded and walked beside Prince Alden. "Where are we going?" he asked, noticing they had changed direction and were now heading towards another door.
"Sorry to say this, Mr Orion, but your current attire isn't suited for the task at hand," Prince Alden responded, his eyes scanning Orion from head to toe, mainly focusing on the attire around his waist.
"So, before we begin, you must change into the right attire. We'll have to go to the market sqaure to buy one. Fortunately, in your current size, it shouldn't be too difficult," he added with a smile, cracking a subtle joke.
Orion nodded in agreement.
Seeing Orion not react to his joke, Prince Alden cleared his throat awkwardly. He glanced at the large flowers and the homes within them, scattered as far as the eye could see.
"The top of the tree is called the 'Canopy Palace,' where the royal family resides. Beneath the 'Canopy Palace' are the 'Elders' residences,' where the elders, the wisest and most venerable pixies, reside. They serve as advisors to the royal family and gather to deliberate on matters of importance to the Pixie race. Below the elders' residences are the 'Noble residences,' where members of the royal family's extended circle reside.
"Further down the tree are the residences of important figures who serve various roles within the pixie society and their families. Meanwhile, those who do not possess such status reside outside the tree, in the various homes within the flowers that you saw below us," Prince Alden explained, providing Orion with insight into the hierarchy of the Pixie race, a piece of information he was likely not yet aware of.
Upon hearing Prince Alden's explanation, Orion nodded in understanding. Though he had encountered the Pixies numerous times, learning about their hierarchy and witnessing them from this perspective was unexpectedly interesting and intriguing.
Prince Alden slowly flapped his wings and ascended into the air, positioning himself behind Orion.
He gestured for Orion to spread his arms outward, grasped them with both hands and gradually lifted him into the air.
"Let's go; the Market Square is outside the tree, down below," Prince Alden said before taking off into the air.
