Mary removed her Virtua Helmet from her head, smiling with joy as she still basked in the glory of coming first across the whole world! The lolitician had brought her home country fame and honor, and she herself had justified her actions in investing her time into this game. 

The moment Mary revealed that she was lucid, a maid who had been waiting by her bedside, wearing the traditional English maid attire, came to bow to her reverently. 

"Princess Mary, His Majesty requests your presence in the tea room." She revealed humbly. 

"Okay." Mary answered calmly, her joy fading away as she remembered who she was… what she was. She got up and with the help of maids she could not reject, was bathed, clothed, and generally beautified for her meeting with her Royal Uncle. 

Mary looked in the mirror and could only feel some bizarre feeling of dissonance. Her blue eyes that always glinted with mischief were now dull and cold, her wavy blonde hair she purposefully styled to make her cuteness increase was done up to make her look pretty. 

Even the clothes she usually wore which were baggy and large in order to hide her chest were now replaced with something that was not exactly revealing, but was no longer hiding her assets in the same way, which made her uncomfortable. 

After all, she was not like that freak who wore bondage attire under the excuse of 'stealth'. Thinking about her beloved life sister, light flowed into Mary's eyes as she giggled for a moment, but the situation at hand once again dulled her joy until she could only remain neutral at best. 

The maids were soon done with her, and Mary could not procrastinate any longer. She put on her best fake smile as she left her room, walking through the halls of the Buckingham Palace towards the St. James Tea Room. 

She lived in the West Wing, while the Tea Room was closer to the center, so she did a bit of walking to get there. On her way, she met many servants who stopped whatever they were doing to bow to her until she disappeared from their sight. 

Mary casually acknowledged them as she had always done ever since she had been a child, though the times she had done so innocently and enthusiastically had long since passed. She eventually reached the door to the tea room and knocked using the royal manner, two light taps, and three quick raps. 

Eventually, a well-mannered male voice called her in, to which she gently opened the door and admitted herself in. The St. James Tea Room was a magnificently decorated room that was a treasure of the old era. 

It was predominantly colored in red with drapes, curtains a large fur carpet, and comfortable seats placed around, all in different shades of the color. Hanging from the roof was a small chandelier with a few expansive wall lights hung around. 

The huge windows on each side were closed, allowing the inbuilt air conditioning to run in the room. There was only one table set in the center of the room, which also had a scarlet-colored table cloth with two chairs set across. 

In one of the chairs sat the current King of England, William Arthur Philip Louis. He was an aged man at 83 years this year, 2065. He was still abiding in the middle of his head and his hair on the sides had greyed out. 

He had developed many wrinkles from the stress of keeping the monarchy together and relevant after the world went through many upheavals, most prominently and recently World War 3. 

The old man wore a lovely green long sleeves shirt as well as black pants and black leather shoes. He was currently sipping on a glass of steaming hot tea, a small red kettle placed before him. 

When he saw Mary enter, he smiled. "Ah, Mary. It's good that you're here. Please, have a seat, my dear." 

Mary bowed with respect and replied. "Yes, Your Majesty." 

As she walked over to sit, King William waved his hands with a bothered expression. "Bah, there's nobody else around, so there's no need for that nonsense. I've told you to call me 'uncle' time and time again, not 'Your Majesty'." 

Mary, who had sat down by now, smiled slightly wider, though there was no mirth or happiness behind it. "Apologies, Your Majesty." 

William could only sigh weakly. He then smiled and gestured to the kettle. "Our famous black tea, brewed to its usual perfection. Pour some for yourself, my dear, and if you wish, I'll have the servants bring some freshly made scones over." 

Mary nodded and poured herself some. There was no need to stand on ceremony, the tea and the scones were some of the best stuff she had ever tasted and she used to pester the servants endlessly for some when she was a kid. 

William knew this, which was why he always met her at tea time, aware that this niece of his had the hardest life out of all the current generation of Royals. 

"Erhum. I heard that you led your team in that new virtual game to bring England an International Competition's victory?" William asked after clearing his throat. 

Mary was startled that her Royal Uncle would talk about this, but she knew that he, and most of her 'family' were paying attention to all her actions at all times. Her recent enamor with this game called Boundless had baffled them until the recent trial when they discovered its benefits. 

Before that, she had often been questioned and warned about going down the wrong path, now they had changed their words and praised her for her foresight and valor in paving a way for the Royal Family. 

She, however, just wanted to bloody escape reality and the nonsense of this kind of life and enjoy playing with her beloved life sister, although some time ago she had found another 'toy' she quite enjoyed spending her time with. 

"Yes, with a bit of luck and skill, we managed to come out on top." Mary replied neutrally. 

"Hmm," William acknowledged before continuing. "How goes the relationship with the Amaterasu girl? Have you found a way to gain her trust?" 

Mary's fake smile began to retract as her expression became colder and colder. "Don't. Ever. Ask. About. Her. Again." 

Mary accentuated every word with limitless malice, as if she wouldn't hesitate to do something drastic. William was not moved by this, as he casually took another sip, then sighed. 

"Mary, you have suffered for this Lineage. Due to your amazing bloodline concentration, you were sheltered and brought up with strict rules because of the mistakes of your father. You had no friends, no lovers, no playmates. It's a terrible way to bring up a child, but my father would hear none of my or Henry's complaints." 

William stood up and walked around, seemingly needing to pace to control himself, while Mary remained sitting, staring into her tea as memories flashed in her eyes. 

She only heard William's voice one last time before she mentally recalled her lowest, yet brightest moment. 

"Back then, you were only 9 years old when you had a chance encounter with the Amaterasu girl who was here on vacation. Who would have thought…" 

........... 

Mary stood up on her little legs as she looked outside the car. She watched the buildings pass her by rapidly, fascinated by the architecture of New London. Then again, for someone who had hardly been allowed out, even things like phones and computers were a marvel to her. 

The little lass soaked up everything she saw with glee and happiness, her face ruddy with joy. Her twintails swished about as she turned her head around to see everything she could until her mother laughed and gently patted her head. 

"My love, these things won't run away. They will always be here for you to enjoy. Come and sit with me." Her mother prompted. 

Sad that she was told to stop looking out the window, but not wanting to disobey her mother, Mary took one last longing gaze before moving to sit on her mother's lap. 

Her mother, Princess Genevieve, smiled. "Soon, we will arrive at the park and you can play to your heart's content. Just remember not to cause any trouble, or the King won't allow you to come out again." 

"Yes, mother." Mary replied obediently. 

Princess Genevieve was a beauty with lovely brown hair that was tied into a bun and sharp hazel eyes that were full of intelligence. She had an extremely large chest, enough that even Mary couldn't sit properly before her. 

Mary loved her mother a lot, because she always visited her and made sure she was never lonely or bored after her tough lessons. Not to mention her mother was extremely beautiful and children loved pretty things. 

Mary sneaked a glance at the man who sat beside his mother, his eyes gazing outside the car. Her father was a mystery to her because he never visited her nor interacted with her, and the man always had their cold aura that made her scared to approach him. 

Princess Genevieve saw this and frowned. She then placed two fingers into Mary's ears before turning to the man and speaking harshly. 

"Walter! Can't you at least spare a look at your daughter and say hi to her?!" 

Walter, the man looking outside, did not even acknowledge the words being spoken to him as he simply remained silent. This frustrated and irritated Princess Genevieve. 

"Since that night we conceived Mary, you have never lain with me nor ever spent time with your daughter. On the day of her birth, you were even found in the chapel, praying for her to be stillborn! What kind of father acts this way?!" 

Walter snorted coldly. "Funny you should say that. As I recall things, I was drugged with an aphrodisiac that night since I refused to lay with a woman ever again, just so you had the chance to consummate this sham of a marriage?" 

Genevieve paled at that, having her greatest shame and stain brought out like this. She felt her heart fill with sadness as tears threatened to spill out from her eyes, but she managed to control herself. 

"Fine… you can hate me and the family for what happened before, but Mary is innocent. She even has your hair and your looks, so why do you do this to her? Is it really too much to ask you to acknowledge your daughter, your own flesh and blood?!" 

Walter went back to ignoring Genevieve, and nothing she said got a reaction out of him. Unbeknownst to the two adults, the flimsy attempt to prevent their daughter from hearing anything hadn't worked, as she lowered her head in sadness. 

Soon, they arrived at their destination, the park. Mary got down while holding her mother's hand, whereas Walter stayed within the car. Genevieve brought Mary into the high-end park for the rich and notable, registering her daughter and allowing her to roam freely. 

Of course, that was a blatant lie as hundred of cameras were trained on her at all times, not to mention her hairpin had a tracker placed in it so that they could find her at any time. The Royal Family wouldn't take any chances with this precious daughter of theirs. 

As Walter watched Genevieve lead Mary in, the little girl turned to gaze at him. For a split second, his cold features softened as he gazed at the little girl. But then he remembered the circumstances of her birth as well as the love of his life and child that had been taken away from him, which made his face harden. 

Mary saw this and felt even sadder, not having noticed the brief moment of softness in his eyes. To her, it had just seemed like he had scrunched up his face in anger that she had dared to look at him. 

From that moment, Mary had never looked Walter in the eye, at least until she became an adult. 

....... 

Sometime later, Mary was busy trying to dig a hole in the sand, her weak arms tiring quickly, yet her little body somehow able to produce seemingly endless energy. She had long since dirtied herself and her fancy clothes, but the little lass didn't care because she was having unprecedented levels of fun. 

However, eventually she noticed a shadow over her. When she raised her head, she was stunned to see the prettiest face she had ever seen in her life up until now, even prettier than her mother. 

Another young girl around her age was looking at her dirty self with a look of amusement, her pitch-black eyes seemingly wanting to suck in the soul of all those who looked her, while her short green hair was combed neatly. 

"So pretty…" Mary muttered with stars in her eyes. 

The girl opposite her spoke in a juvenile tone filled with mirth. "Oi, is this your first time at a park?" 

Mary was surprised by this and nodded. "Yes, how could you tell?" 

The pretty young girl snickered and pointed to Mary. "Because no one digs the decorative flowers near the entrance out. There's a sandbox for this purpose deeper inside." 

Then, she burst out laughing. "Besides, the gardener over there looks like he's about to suffer a mental breakdown!" 

Mary followed the pretty girl's finger and saw a man in a gardener's attire watching Mary destroy his expensive flowers with a look of pain, clutching his chest as if he was suffering a heart attack. 

On the floor around him were puddles of blood that he had coughed out with each flower she had unrooted. He didn't dare stop her because she was likely the biggest shot of all the kids in the park today, or even in history. 

Mary understood that she had done wrong and blushed, patting herself as she rose to her feet. "Erm, thanks for telling me. I'll go and apologize to him and make amends." 

The pretty girl waved her hands boredly. "Meh, we're all from powerful families and he's a mere gardener. He may feel despair now, but when your people compensate him later on, he would hate me for stopping you." 

"Oh…" Mary said, not entirely understanding what the other girl meant. 

"Anyway, my name is Eva. I'm just here on vacation since I wanted to see what England was like. What about you?" The pretty girl introduced herself. 

"My name is Mary, and I live in the palace. I was given permission to come out and play today for my good behavior." Mary introduced herself shyly, bowing at the end. 

"Alright, Mary, you're kinda cute. I want to be your friend, although having you as a little sister wouldn't be bad either!" Eva declared as her eyes brightened at Mary's cuteness. 

"O-okay! I-I'm not s-sure I understand that 'l-little sister' thing, but I also want to be your f-friend, Eva!" Mary stammered out with excitement, not believing that she really got her first friend today. 

Eva then grabbed Mary's hand and led her away. "Come, Mary, let's go and play! I have a lot of fun things to show to a first-timer like you." 

And so began the 12-year long friendship between Mary and Eva, even when they returned to their countries, they still kept in touch and often visited each other with their families' permission. 

However, 7 years into their friendship, an event occurred that nearly shattered it apart. 

......….. 

Mary was sobbing as she sat opposite Eva who was gazing at her sadly. The teenage girl opened and closed her mouth many times, unsure what to say, but eventually bit the bullet. 

"Mary… why tell me this? Won't your family be angry?" 

Mary wiped the tears from her eyes and spoke in a broken voice. "I don't care about them anymore! They only see me as a tool they can use to spread their power, anyway! My dad hates me to the point he doesn't even acknowledge my existence, and my mom supports them! I hate them!" 

Mary then gazed at Eva resolutely. "You're the only one who cares about me truly, Eva. That's why I wanted to come clean and tell you that I was from the Merlin Lineage!" 

"That day... I didn't know it, but my family purposefully let me out to see you that day because they wanted us to become friends! All so that I can get close to you and find out the Amaterasu Lineage's secrets!" 

Mary then clenched her fists, as if waiting for Eva to explode in anger and betrayal thanks to the truth, but her life-sister only glanced at her strangely. 

"Well, duh, I always knew that." 

Mary's clenched fists were released as she gazed at Eva stupidly. "Huh?" 

Eva smiled with amusement. "My parents warned me that something like that was practically guaranteed to happen, not that it would be hard to figure out if you used your brain. I mean bigshot girl comes to visit another territory, so your family would have to be idiots if they hadn't tried to set us up." 

"How did it take you so long to figure that out? Tsk, tsk, be honest, Cow Tits, did your tits swallow all your IQ?" 

Mary's became red as she got infuriated. "Damn you, Bondage Queen, stop calling me Cow Tits! How was I supposed to know if they didn't teach me that stuff until recently?!" 

Eva snorted and rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, then stop calling me Bondage Queen! How many times do I gotta explain to you that I just like wearing it because it doesn't hinder my movements?!" 

Mary simply displayed a filthy expression as she smirked. "Hehe." 

That 'hehe' filled Eva with endless fury and anger because there were a lot of meanings to it, but she could only pinch her nose to not kill this best friend of hers. 

"Anyway, I understand that you started training your bloodline late. As for me, I was forced to start training once I turned 3, so I could sense your bloodline aura straightaway, why else would I have made a beeline to you?"  Eva revealed with a smile. 

"I had always been told that members of the Pangu Alliance were evil, despicable, and whatnot, but I wanted to see it for myself. Lo and behold, what I found was a naive idiot who had been digging some poor gardener's flowers thinking that it was a park activity." 

"At that moment, I knew that I have to save that retard from herself, lest she bring the world to an end." 

Eva reached out and flicked Mary's nose, making her cry out in pain as she clutched it. 

"A dumb girl like you cannot be a spy even if you were threatened. I couldn't care less about whatever your family wants you to do. I only care about what you want to do, Mary." 

Mary was surprised by this as her heart melted. She knew Eva was being sincere with her and it made her tear up once again. She got up and hugged Eva tightly, not wanting to let go. 

"I love you, Eva!" 

Eva laughed and patted her smooth blonde hair.. "I love you too, Mary." 

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