Civilization Chronicles: Rise of the Divine Creator

With those truly brief words, Celestina stepped to the side and the grand doors of the Manor opened once more, this time revealing two beautifully dressed, brightly smiling young girls, and one young boy doing his very best not to tug on the collar which was currently choking him.

Eris, in her typical tom-boy style, was the one holding open the doors, allow Lucas to walk out together with Christina, his left arm linked with her right as was demanded of him in his role as ’escort’ for the day.

Lucas’ outfit was... interesting.

Just as the boy had feared, he had grown a bit more than he expected since he was last required to put on formalwear a little more than 5 months ago, so none of the pre-set outfits which were in his closet fit quite right.

In fact, Lucas wasn’t even able to squish himself into most of the individual pieces stacked or hung in his wardrobe.

The pants were all too tight around the waist, or had legs that were too short for his height, while the shirts felt like he was going to burst out of them if he moved around too much.

Fortunately, after a long and difficult struggle, Lucas was able to find a pair of dark grey pants that mercifully fit, and a matching pair of hard toed shoes that his feet could still squish into.

As for a top, none of the undershirts fit right.

None.

In the end, Lucas had no choice but to take the biggest one he could find and ’alter’ it a bit by making a few creative cuts with the dagger he always kept in his Space Bag. It wasn’t exactly the cleanest look, but that was fine since in the current Blue Sky Continent style, he would need to put on at least 2 additional layers, so no one was going to see the holes.

After struggling into the undershirt, then a black vest-like piece, Lucas threw on a tight-collared dark green blazer of sorts as well as the requisite external shoulder pads, chest belts, double-cuffs, and collar-choker.

Looking at himself in a small mirror he had purchased recently, Lucas saw a young boy whose clothes didn’t quite fit right, had slightly mismatched colours, and far too many frills, embellishments, and shiny decorations to count.

Seeing this horrific sight, Lucas could only sigh in resignation as he muttered aloud, "Well... this should be fine."

Actually, what he was really counting on was that his Junior Sisters would be so stunning that when they appeared together, no one in the crowd would give a rat’s ass about his presence, and as Lucas traced the eyes of the crowd gazing up towards them, he was relieved to see he had won this bet.

Like her Master, Eris had let her hair down tonight instead of wearing it up in her trademark messy ponytail, giving her a slightly more mature vibe. The short green summer dress, on the other hand, exuded a playful, youthful energy.

Lucas knew full well that if he tried to put his big sister into heels, the first thing she would try to do is hit him with them, so instead, he had a pair of wedge sandals made for her.

Again, these weren’t the most comfortable type of footwear, but Eris was able to bear with them, barely.

Some small, simple red, green, and gold jewelry finished the red-head’s ensemble, making her appear classy and sophisticated, like a true noble daughter instead of the countryside girl she was at heart.

If there was one flaw in Eris’ look tonight, it would be the prosthetic which had replaced her right forearm. This piece was incredibly well crafted, and shape-wise was no different from a regular arm, but the metallic sheen and slightly glowing veins on its surface made it obvious it wasn’t natural.

Isaac and Felicity had offered her a pair of long gloves, similar to the ones Celestina was wearing, but Eris had adamantly refused.

While she was frustrated by her missing arm, and sincerely wished to have it properly healed, she was in no way embarrassed by her circumstances or by how she looked; after all, she had been wounded while trying to save her precious little brother’s life, which was nothing to be ashamed of.

(Illustration in Chapter Comments)

Eris had certainly drawn a great many stares at first, which was understandable given how free and comfortable yet formal and appropriate her outfit was, until Christina really stepped into view and everyone’s eyes immediately fixed on her.

At just 16 years old, Christina was already far more beautiful than most young woman in her generation.

She had inherited her father’s vibrant purple eyes, his impressive height, and his athletic build, while from her mother she got luscious silver hair, flawless cream-white skin, and a figure that even at her age was already quite stunning.

Celestina hadn’t been joking or exaggerating in the slightest when she said that Cynthia’s title as the number one beauty in the kingdom would soon be taken by her daughter; that was how stunning Christina Rockwell was all on her own.

Tonight, however, the Rockwell Kingdom’s 12th Princess was more radiant than ever.

Lucas called it a ’princess-style’ dress, a rather appropriate name given who its first wearer on the continent was.

A light shade of purple that complimented both her eyes and her hair, the dress featured thin shoulder straps and a fitted top that showcased the young Christina’s burgeoning chest, and a tightly cinched waist that was slimming but neither indecent nor classless.

The skirt flared slightly at the waist and had a decorative double layer which adding volume while still remaining well tapered.

Unlike with Eris’ dress, Christina’s fell around her feet, and would have dragged along the ground were it not for the pair of close-toed high heels she was wearing, adding just enough height to make it appear like she was floating.

Long purple gloves, similar to Celestina’s, covered most of Christina’s delicate looking arms, but clung just enough to showcase the toned muscles she had been working so hard to build up.

That alone would have been more than enough to make an unforgettable statement, but Lucas had insisted that Christina’s outfit be another step above even that.