(Planet Eleron- Zrudread Main Campus)

(Tidecaller National Park)

Red sunlight shone gently down on Qiana's face as she gave out a lazy sigh while feeling content.

She could hear the quiet roar of the ocean waves in the background along with the cool feeling of sea breeze hitting her body.

Planet Eleron had several picturesque beaches open to the public on weekends and many students would take the opportunity to visit and relax.

Qiana had always enjoyed spending time at the beach as her mother had taught her at a very young age how to swim.

Fortunately, she had managed to get a spot that was not too crowded so there was ample space for the wolfpack who had accompanied her.

It was a rare occasion where Astrid's archmage master had allowed her out of the tower so Qiana offered to take her and the rest of the family to the beach.

Honestly, it would have been nice to have some one on one private time with Astrid but Qiana knew that her siblings would always be a priority and part of the package.

And they were pretty cute.

Astrid had dressed Isla and Emma in matching black and white one-piece swimsuits while Jackson wore a blue pair of shorts and dark green shades.

Qiana was wearing a comfortable two-piece black bikini and on this special occasion she had taken off her thick glasses and tied her hair back in a simple ponytail.

Astrid for some reason was wearing a regular black track pants and a white tee shirt but in Qiana's mind she thought that the Mendolesa girl would look good in anything.

"Grrr. I'm the terrible monster who is going to eat you up!" Astrid roared menacingly and chased Isla and Jackson around the beach.

"Help me!" Jackson yelped as he dashed away with his tail wagging furiously with happiness.

Isla said nothing but bent her knees and prepared to outrun her brother.

The most important lesson she had learnt from growing up with siblings was that when it came to avoiding trouble.

You did not have to be the fastest.

But you could not be the slowest.

Meanwhile Emma was laying down on the same blanket as Qiana and staring at the quiet girl with an expression of awe.

"Can you tell more about trends in high society fashion?" the little girl asked Qiana eagerly.

Emma always had a love for expensive jewels and outfits but with the loss of her parents and the financial hardships that followed she had naturally suppressed her secret admiration.

Astrid had worked hard to make sure that her younger siblings were well fed and went to good schools but there was little money available for non essential purchases.

"Sure," Qiana replied.

Qiana herself was not particularly interested in fashion but as the heir to a diplomatic house, it was surprisingly important to know about different species and their attitudes towards clothes.

Some species wore certain outfits to mark special historical events while others had forbidden their people from wearing any coverings.

Qiana could even remember a species of snake-like aliens who saw anyone wearing a hat as a criminal.

When establishing diplomatic ties with any race, it was essential to research the culture thoroughly in order to not commit any offenses inadvertently.

Qiana ran through the list of different high society circles in her mind and decided to talk about the lower-class nobles,

"Well there has been a recent trend in making jewellery from a rare gemstone called Emerald found on Earth."

"Of course, it's simple crystal-like structure can be easily replicated in a lab, but no noble would dare to wear a fake when attending an important banquet."

"This emerald jewel is green in colour, so it pairs well with dresses made from the Mongoleias civilisation who are well known for their tailoring skills."

"Woah," Emma clapped her hands together in amazement.

"What does it look like?" she asked curiously.

Qiana tapped her communicator and a holographic window opened up with the images of small green rocks with numerous fissures and cracks across their surfaces.

Meanwhile Astrid had successfully caught Jackson and was holding him in one arm while she chased after Isla.

"Come here you rascal!" Astrid playfully called and ran after the little girl.

"You can't catch me," Isla turned around and bared her teeth fiercely, but it just made her seem adorable.

Astrid unconsciously slowed down at the cute sight of her sibling and Isla took the opportunity to dash into Qiana's arms.

"Save me Qiana!" Isla shrank into Qiana's embrace and shivered slightly while giving off the impression of a frightened rabbit.

"Now that's playing unfair!" Jackson protested as he shot Isla a dirty look.

Isla continued to cower in fear but Qiana was not fooled by her appearance.

This small level of acting was nothing compared to the skills employed by nobles when negotiating trade deals or alliances.

Qiana was not fond of being treated as a shield.

Maybe she would teach this brat a little lesson.

"Isla." Qiana whispered into the ear of the Mendolesa girl with a gentle tone.

"I caught you!"

She stood up while holding Astrid's sister in her arms and ran into the ocean where she dropped the girl into the water.

Splash!

Isla fell into the water with a startled cry as she could not believe that her sister's friend had just mercilessly dropped her.

Qiana turned around to return to the sandy beach when a large wave of seawater hit her right in the face.

Splash!

Isla grinned as she saw her attacker get a swift comeuppance by mother nature herself.

"Oh? You think that it's funny?" Qiana laughed and then merrily swam after the little girl.

Isla was a better swimmer than she expected but it did not take long for Qiana to catch her once more.

"Mind if we join you?" came a soft voice.

Qiana glanced up to see Astrid staring at her with a look of tenderness and warmth.

Astrid had brought Emma and Jackson to join the two girls in the water and the rest of the afternoon was spent playing in the waves.

It was the perfect afternoon.