Walking down the corridor once more with August by my side, I couldn't help but think about the person he mentioned just a minute ago.
Everett Blakesty.
My younger brother...
Originally, he shouldn't have been born due to the death of mother. But… having changed that plotline, she was thankfully saved.
I was surprised at the first mention of my parents saying that we were having another sibling, even more surprised that this time my father was the one carrying the burden using the Bond of Mana.
Maybe it was because he wanted to keep mother safe, since every time she carried us in her heart, something bad would happen that would put her at risk.
The day that he was born, I stood outside of my new sibling room anxiously with mother and father behind me. Part of me was excited that I would have a new sibling in this world, but another part of me was anxious about the changes that this would cause.
Yes… The whole plotline is changing, and I can't keep relying on my knowledge of the novel as these changes begin to occur frequently.
But still...
As I opened the door towards the room, slowly and gently walked towards the crib, seeing him sleeping peacefully with a smile on his face, my worries began to ease.
Black hair from my father, hazel eyes from my mother. I could only continue to stare with awe just like I did when Seraphina was first born. He opened his eyes from his deep sleep and then looked at me. Our gaze interlocked.
We stared at each other for a long while in the silence. I don't know why, but… my heart began to ache. For some reason, his gaze was so... sad...
Despite just being born, he reached out his hands towards me. Slowly extending his hands, as if pleading. I put my finger near him until he grabbed it. Once he grabbed it with his small hand, a bitter smile emerged from his face until his eyes slowly closed, letting go of his hold before falling back asleep.
Seeing his bitter smile, I felt a subtle tear run down my face. I gently touched my tear to see that I was crying before wiping it off. Both my mother and father put their hands on my shoulders with worry.
"Lysander, are you okay?"
I nodded while still wiping off the subtle tear off my face before looking at them with a smile. "Yes, I'm okay. I'm just so… happy to see my new brother. Happy to the point that I am crying."
Once they heard those words, their worried faces slowly relaxed as they comforted me.
"This is...!"
A voice echoed through my head. Knowing the tone, it could only be Azar.
I looked away from Everett. "Is something wrong...?"
As I asked that question, he didn't respond for a long moment. "... Terribly so..."
I anxiously looked back at Everett. "What is wrong?! Is something going to happen to him?!"
Once again, he did not respond to my question for another long moment "... Fate is cruel indeed... All I can say is that his condition is bad in response to his wish."
"Fate? Wish? What do you mean by that?"
"That is something that I cannot share with you at the moment."
"Azar...!"
That might have been the only time where I expressed anger to Azar for his secrecy. Everett's condition soon deteriorated from constant fevers due to his weak immune system. Mother had to be by his side to aid him. Even then, she always made-up time from her busy schedule for me and Seraphina...
Even as a sibling, I was rarely able to be with him unless his condition was stable. It continued for seven years, being by his side while he was asleep. Seraphina would occasionally join me, and those short moments were worth cherishing as new precious memories that would define my life.
As I continued to walk down the corridor, reminiscing about these precious memories, we finally reached the empress's bedroom. The guards outside opened the door for us and let us in. Once we walked towards the bedridden empress, the Mage stood up from his seat next to the bed and slightly bowed down before fixing his posture.
August took a deep breath. "... How are things looking?"
The Mage reached for his seat, grabbing a rolled-up parchment paper, and handed it to August.
August slowly took the paper from his hand with slight confusion before opening it. His eyes soon widened as he stared at the paper. "Is this the magical circle of the curse?"
The Mage nodded. "Indeed." He then shifted his gaze to me before looking back at August. "Even I am amazed by the power that the Blessing of the Mana can have... Lord Lysander was able to accurately redraw the magical structure of the curse onto this paper after the analysis." He strokes his beard while he stops talking momentarily. "What's even more amazing is that he found where the curse was located."
I shook my head. "It wasn't as complicated as I thought it would be." I stroked my chin while contemplating the information I gathered. "At first, I couldn't find where the insignia was present when I saw the empress' condition. But it turned out that its structure was dispersed into many fragments onto the bloodstream."
I walked to August's side before pointing at the paper. "The insignia you see was dispersed into approximately 1,785 fragments. Each fragment was further enhanced with presence-warding and poisoning magic, hence the poison-like symptoms."
I shifted my gaze from the paper to the empress. "Thankfully, the fragments were dispersed unevenly, so piecing them together like a puzzle to obtain the full insignia was doable. Furthermore..."
I looked at both August and the Mage. The Mage scratched his cheek as an awkward sweat ran down his face. August laughed nervously as he continued to listen to what I was saying while looking at the paper in front of him.
After a few moments, August slowly looked at me. "You did all of this in under an hour in just your head...?"
I tilted my head with slight confusion. "It was the surest method if I say so…"
August looked at the Mage, who just shrugged at his look before looking at me. "Piecing almost two thousand fragments that continued to move throughout the empress body while compiling each of them individually is something not even I can do in under an hour..."
"Ah..." I looked away sheepishly.
I did it again...
"Is that... weird...?"
August rolled the paper back before shaking his head in denial. "No! I didn't mean it like that." He then put paper down on the couch. "Just never thought such things were possible to do." Gently reaching for my hand, trying to not cause further worry, August smiled warmly, just like he usually does. "It just shows how amazing you are..."
When I heard those comforting words, I could feel my face slightly blushing. It was not the response I was expecting. I was even complimented…
Being complimented… I slowly smiled at him. "Thank you... August."
As August stood there motionlessly while staring at my face, he then quickly looked away with a small blush on his face before letting go of my hand.
Shortly after, the Mage coughed loudly, which caught my attention. I quickly glanced at him as he began to stroke his beard.
"It is just like his highness said. You have a remarkable gift. A gift so special… that it defines who you are. Your gift was able to identify the curse far quicker than anticipated, increasing our chances of saving the Empress."
I smiled once more as I heard those comforting words from him. "Thank you..."
August soon took a deep breath before looking at the Mage with a calm expression. "Now that we know the structure of the curse, what's the next course of action?"
The Mage stroked his beard once more. "We need to begin the preparations to dispel the curse. A quiet place would be ideal... Looking at the structure of the insignia, the curse seems to be of at least the seventh tier." He looked at August. "It would require at least two hours to completely dispel the curse from the Empress."
August stroked his chin while looking down contemplatively. "I see..." He looked back at the Mage. "Night Time seems to be the most appropriate way to conceal what is about to occur then."
"Indeed." He walked towards the prince and reached out his hand. "Since you are already aware of the danger that this would bring, you should begin your preparations."
August grabs the paper from the couch before putting it in his hand. "Noted."
The Mage then looked at me. "Lord Lysander, I am grateful to you once again for your assistance. Without your help, we would've still been at a dead end."
I shook my head. "I Just did what any person would've done."
I felt a hand wrapped around me, seeing August close to me with a smile. "It just shows how kind of a person you are, Lys."
I smiled at him. Once again, he froze before slowly taking off his arms from me, looking away for a moment before looking back at me with a smile, like nothing happened. "I'm going to head to the knight quarter to get some things... Do you want to go with me?"
I nodded. "Sure. This will be my first time exploring the palace, so it might be an eventful experience."
He smiled brightly before gently grabbing my hand, leading me to the door. He looks at the Mage as we begin to hurriedly walk away from the room. "Marcus, please take care of mother for me. I'll meet you at the designated place."
The Mage smiled as he nodded. "Do not worry, your highness. I will protect her, so you can take this period to be at ease."
August eagerly nodded before he opened the doors. This might be the second time I saw him this excited other than when we were in the garden.
I couldn't help but smile at his excitement, holding his hand tighter with mine as I continued to follow him with a warm feeling deep in my heart.
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We soon headed to the knight quarters. Just like the training ground back home, there were a lot of wooden, and steel, swords lined up neatly and organized with a few training dummies in view.
All the knights were neatly lined up, doing extreme exercises as a single person stood in front of them, shouting loudly at them with each set.
"Pathetic! How can you all call yourself Imperial Knights if you can't keep up with this level of exercise!?"
The person in front of them shouting was wearing formal but practical attire.
She was a tall woman with light brown skin, long wavy brown hair, and deep red eyes that almost looked brown. Both her hands lay on top of the sword hilt as it stabbed down at the ground.
Once we got close, her gaze quickly shifted from the knights in front of her to us. "... Take a break. We'll do some sparring after this."
The exhausted knights began to pass out one after another as she uttered those words. Some of them looked like their souls left their bodies, while others collapsed to the ground with their eyes rolled over.
As she began walking towards us, her tall build began to look much taller. Finally standing iin front of us, I could clearly see her large muscles being constrained in her clothes. She looked at August intently while he just looked up at her with a smile.
"It's been a while, Ema!"
She folded her arms, letting out a scoff before scornfully smiled at him. "Your highness! What brings you here? Shouldn't you be with the Duke of Blood?"
August played along with her act, still smiling playfully "Ema… don't be like this. You know I still treat you as my teacher–"
"Hah! Teacher who? You blatantly said you wanted to be personally taught by the duke and betrayed me. You're no student of mine!"
August then lunged towards her, hugged her tightly. "Ema! Please don't be mad!"
Ema sighed as she placed her hand on his face, trying to get him away from her. Her gaze soon landed on me. She stared at me for a while. "Who's this little princess?"
As the woman successfully pulled August away from her, he moved her hand away from his face before coldly responding. "His name is Lysander Blakesty. Eldest son of Duke Laurence."
The women looked at him with surprise. "She's a He?! Furthermore, he's that monster son?!"
Still holding on to the woman's wrist, he flicked it away before placing his arms around me, bringing me closer to him. "Don't be rude, Ema. Lys is my closest friend." His eyes then keened intently at her. "I would hate it if he felt uncomfortable by your actions..."
The women looked at him unimpressed. "Hm...?" Her gaze shifted between him and me. "Friend huh...? Alright, let's go with that then. What brings you here, Your Highness?"
August gently removed his arms around me. "I'm here to borrow a sword. Any sword would do. Some light armors too, if possible."
"I see." She pointed behind her with her thumb, unemotionally. "Same place as always. You can choose for yourself, right?"
August nodded. "Thank you." He then looks at me with a smile. "I'll be getting some things from the storage. I'll be quick, so you can wait here while Ema keeps you company!"
"Hey! I didn't agree to–" But before she could finish, August quickly ran off while waving his hand at me before disappearing to one of the stone huts.
The woman let out a scoff before scratching her head in frustration. She then looked at me sharply. "So, you're Laurence's child? Never expected him to have any children."
I tilted my head. "Do you know my father...?"
She let out another scoff before showing an angry smile. "Know him? Yeah, I guess I do. We attended Lusia Academy together."
She then fisted her hand up. I'm not sure if it's mana, but flames suddenly began appearing all around her. "Every time, he would always get first place... Always. Always! From academic to swordsmanship, he would always be first and I was always stuck at second!"
I took a step back as the flame behind her grew larger and larger. A cold sweat ran down my face as I continued to look at her intense anger. After a while, she slowly calmed down before looking back at me with a sight. "Never mind about that. I should formally introduce myself first before complaining about your father."
She placed her hand on her chest before elegantly posing herself with a stoic face. "I am Ema Lunenburg. Head Knight of the First Imperial Knight Division..." She then scratched her head. "Ah… a young child might not know what that means. Just know that there are nine knight divisions, each assigned various positions and assignments."
She then pointed a finger right in front of my face. "I may only have seven rings right now, but I promise that I'll surpass your father eventually. Just you wait!"
She then changed her pointed finger to a handshake, showing a gentle smile. "Putting aside our differences, it is nice to meet you. Judging by his highness attitude just now, I can already tell that you're an important person to him."
I slowly accepted her handshake before showing a subtle smile. "Yes. August is a dear friend to me."
She then lets out a huge laugh. "Sure, Sure. Never saw August with many friends. So I'm glad to see how comfortable he feels with you by his side ." She then awkwardly scratches her head. "Apologies, you might think I'm some horrendous person. But the conversation earlier is just how his highness and I interact."
I let out a small laugh. "I can see that you two are close. You must've been by his side for a long time seeing how comfortable he is with you."
"Indeed. Ever since he was young, he was always keen with the sword. The empress allowed him to learn the sword under me." She crossed her arms and let out a small sigh with her eyes closed. "I was skeptical at first. Why let a child hold such a dangerous weapon?" She paused for a moment before looking a little sad. "Soon, I understood her intention..."
Slowly, she gazes at the palace. "This is such a dangerous place for the weak. So, he must learn how to defend himself..."
She coughs, trying to get rid of all the negative thoughts before looking back at me. "You seem like a smart and kind child." She then placed her hand on my shoulder. "I hope that you can remain by his highness, even during the harsh and rigid times."
Smiling at me warmly while waiting for my answer, I slowly nodded before reciprocating that same hopeful smiling. "Don't worry. I will always be there for him."
Hearing those words, she happily pats my shoulder. "Good, Good! Glad to see that he won't be alone now." She then looks behind her, smiling as she sees the familiar figure.
I look to see what caught her attention before seeing August begins walking towards us with a sword in his waist, happily waving his hand towards us.
Ema lets out a bitter smile as she sees his happy self. "... He has suffered so much already... I don't want him to suffer more than he must."
I looked at August before slowly waving my hand back at him. "... Me too. I don't wish for him to suffer..."
Once August reached us, he looked towards Ema. Ema placed one of her hands on her hip, looking at him questionably. "You didn't get any armor?"
August shook his head. "I couldn't find any that suited me."
"I see." She then placed her hand on his shoulder. "I'll try to order some for you before you go. I must continue training the knights now, so excuse me for leaving." She then subtly smiled at him. "It's good to see you back, your highness."
He smiled brightly at her. "So… does that mean you forgive me?"
She let out a scoff. "Your betrayal is a whole different topic. But in any case... I'm glad to see you made a friend. Treat him like a queen, and just maybe will your feelings become mutual."
As Ema began heading to where the almost dead knights were at, August quickly blushed before turning his head around. "What do you mean by that?!"
She covers her ears. "Children are so loud and energetic..." She then waves her hand while still looking in front of her. "Your face says it all, your highness. Just take my word. The younger you begin, the higher your chances become."
August continues to blush profoundly before looking at me with pure embarrassment. "Please ignore her! She says the craziest things from time to time!"
I looked at him, somewhat confused. "Really? I thought she just wanted us to get closer as friends…"
"Ah..." August awkwardly scratches his head before laughing nervously. "Y-Yes, that's what she meant." He coughed before smiling warmly again. "I really want to continue being by your side…"
I smiled at his response. "Same goes for me." I then look at the sword hanging on his waist. "... So, you're not telling me where you will go to dispel the curse..."
He flinches before looking away. "... I don't want you getting hurt..."
I immediately grabbed his arm. He flinches once again before looking at me with confusion. "So, it's okay if you're in danger?"
He backed away, trying to gently shake away my hand. "No! That's not what I meant! I… I just don't want you getting hurt… because of me…"
I sighed before letting go. I crossed my arms before looking at him skeptically. "... What's the point of being here if I end up being protected?"
He gently grabbed my hand, trying his best to smile warmly like he usually does. "You know I didn't mean it like that…. I just want you to be safe, that's all–"
"August." Interrupting him, I slowly grabbed both of his hands before looking deeply into his eyes, smiling to try and ease his worries. "I'll feel safer being by your side. You know that I can protect myself."
August stood there silently before sighing. He then showed a defeated smile. "You sure do have a knack for words… Even if I said no, you would've followed me for sure." He lets go of my hand and puts them on my shoulder. "... Still, I'm worried. If things get dangerous, then promise me that you'll escape to safety."
I smiled once more. "I can say the same for you."
He stops talking for a brief moment. "... Just promise me that you won't put yourself in any danger."
I smiled brightly at him as he approved of my presence. "Yes, I promise."
A red hue began to cover August's face before he warmly smiled back. He then began walking towards the same path we took to get here. Behind the scenes, the brown-haired lady looked at the two young boys with a smile on her face before looking strictly at the knights who were about to die of exhaustion.
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The sky started slowly turning midnight blue. August was walking in front, guiding me to the meeting place he and the Mage decided on during that encrypted conversation earlier.
The palace hallway seems more eerie when most of the servants have settled down in the servant quarter. As it becomes darker and more silent, I can't help but feel a sense of danger to what is about to occur.
But even when I feel nervous… August's warm hand holding mines slowly puts me at ease. He hasn't let go ever since we left the knight quarter. It doesn't feel bad...
We continued walking towards the Imperial Garden. The same fountain that I saw when I just came into this world is still running well in the middle. Countless flowers bloomed along the everlasting moonlight glow.
We walked on a paved path from the garden to the trimmed grass with no clear destination.
As we continued walking, August soon headed towards a patch of unkempt trees that would make you think it would lead to a forest. But after a few minutes of walking forward without any stop, an isolated temple came into view with no more trees around.
August stopped as he began to observe the place. "... We are here."
He turned around and faced me with a subtle smile. "The temple you see is blessed by The God of Magic, Arcanor. Only few have access to it, so most people don't know that there is a temple here."
I widen my eyes. I soon shifted my gaze from him to the temple. "Arcanor..."
He gently tugged at my hand, trying to grab my attention. "Marcus must be somewhere around the premises. Since this area is mostly isolated, there shouldn't be any civilians caught in the action."
We began walking in the opposite direction of the temple. After a few minutes of walking, we soon reached a patio with a wide, elevated stone plank. Laying on the plank was the unconscious Empress with Marcus beside her.
Once we got close enough, the Mage looked at us before looking directly at August. "Failed to convince him I see."
August awkwardly scratched his head. "Well... I couldn't say no to him..."
"Ho Ho! It is fine. The more help we have, the better." He then looked at me. "But still, if danger truly lurks around, don't hesitate to prioritize your safety and run away. Your life is more important."
I nodded.
I looked at the sickened empress. She continues to breathe heavily as patches of sweat build up on her body. I just hope that we can safely dispel the curse from her so she can stop suffering...
"Young Master, just how careless can you be?"
I flinched as I suddenly felt a hand being placed on my shoulder. I looked behind me to see Nilo there. August also looked surprised while the Mage continued to stroke his beard while letting out a small laugh, as if he knew that he was already here.
"Nilo..."
Nilo let out a deep sigh before gently hitting my head with a chop. "My job is to guard you. Like I said, I am always watching you even when you don't see me. But please let me know at least when you are planning to do something dangerous..."
I gently stroked the area that Nilo hit me before bitterly smiling at him. "Sorry... I will make sure to let you know where I'm going from now on."
He looked over at August with a slightly annoyed face. "As for you... I will talk to you separately when this is over." He then stared at our holding hands. August quickly let go before scratching his cheek awkwardly. "Yes, Sir Nilo."
The Mage clapped his hand together, trying to divert the current situation. "Well then, since everyone is here, let us commence the dispelling of the curse now."
The Mage slowly walked towards the empress, stretching his hand in front of her before closing his eyes. Soon, a huge surge of mana began to envelop the Mage before an insignia appeared underneath the area where we stood.
"I feel nauseous…"
Being able to physically see mana has its pros and cons. Suddenly being exposed to a huge amount will undoubtedly make me feel nauseous. I quickly covered my mouth, still trying to maintain proper posture.
If I show how unwell I am feeling at the moment, August will immediately tell me to leave with Nilo. I shouldn't let them worry about me at such a crucial moment.
It's fine though… I'm already used to hiding times where I'm feeling sick or unwell.
Such a thing led to both my original parents saying how I was doing it to grab their attention. Maybe that is why I died early, because I learned how to ignore the symptoms, even when they were serious...
Still, this nauseous feeling was soon overcome when I felt the presence of multiple unknown people reaching our location.
I tugged at Nilo clothes. "Nilo..."
He subtly nods. "Yes. I can also sense them."
I tried to see how many were approaching the area.
"Around fifty people total."
I looked towards August, who also sensed their presence. A cold sweat began to emerge from his face while he held the hilt of the sword dangling from his waist.
In this crucial moment where our lives are in danger to protect the empress, I couldn't help but look at the moon that soon emerged.
It's so beautiful...
I closed my eyes, breathing in and out as the people wearing black robes, trying to cover their faces soon appeared. They all began to close the distance between, some drawing their weapons while others began to cast their magic.
I slowly opened my glowing eyes.
One by one, the robed people who were dashed towards us stopped. They began slashing and hitting the invisible force in front of them to try, while the magic that the other robed people casted were also dispersing because of the invisible force.
That invisible force was nothing more than a mana shield. So big enough, though, to cover the whole area that we were in.
I want to keep everyone safe…
I want to keep Nilo, who is always there to protect me no matter what, safe.
I want to keep the Mage, who is currently curing the empress, safe.
I want to keep the empress, August's mother, safe so she doesn't die like in the original novel.
I shifted my gaze to August once more.
I want to keep August, someone who I truly care about, safe...