Inside a hall, chandeliers lined up above and hundreds of knight statues could be seen. The entire place was filled with these sculptures made of stones; their curvings were complex and detailed enough to make them look so alive. But it didn’t end there; each of them was equipped with different weapons, and they caught the first prince’s attention.
"You do love weapons, don’t you?" He said while his eyes were scanning the large room.
The woman, whom Delta referred to as this world’s sovereign, invited them inside the castle. She told the two humans about the king and princess’ whereabouts. They were resting in one of the chambers at the mont. She even told them how noisy it had beco since the princess arrived, crying all over the place.
As soon as they entered, Lexzi fell in love with the interior design of the building, unlike the usual castle he knew. Moss covered almost the entirety of the walls, and plants with alluring flowers were creeping above the surface of it. The floor had a lawn as its carpet, which gave a unique sensation on each step, while vines kept dangling above the ceiling, creating a relaxing atmosphere. The large trunks of trees that supported the castle by becoming its pillars greatly contributed to its forest-like view.
"They are all my precious collections. Once in a while, I leave my castle and wonder outside this world, and I can’t call it a wonderful journey without a weapon to bring back," she replied.
Lexzi nodded and asked. "How about magic? Are you not fond of it?"
The sovereign halted her steps upon hearing the first prince, then turned around and looked straight into the prince’s eyes.
"I love it, but-" She was about to give her reason, but the ex-captain chid in, saying that it was okay for her not to speak about it.
"It’s fine, Delta. It’s an open secret anyway," she insisted.
Then sothing spurted at her back; it appeared as a transluscent curtain made of tiny scales that radiated a greenish hue.
’A wing? How about the other side?’ Lexzi thought.
He was in the process of admiring its appearance, but he couldn’t help but wonder why there was nothing on her right side. The woman chuckled as she observed the prince’s bothered expression.
"Soone took my ability to wield magic a long ti ago. We, fairies, are a lot more different than you humans," she said.
"Fairy?" He uttered; his curiosity was now at its peak, and he hadn’t even noticed that Delta left his side.
"Yes, we do exist! I’m one of those little creatures you’ve talked about during your bedti stories!" She chuckled, and her wing moved back and forth.
Lexzi averted his gaze from her; he felt that his face would explode due to redness when seeing her smile.
"Kidding aside, we, fairies, used our wings to gather energy and create spells. They acted as a magic circuit for us," she stated, and the prince reverted his eyes to her.
"Then use your body to stor-," he answered, but the woman interrupted his suggestion.
"We don’t have the ability to store energy in the other parts of our bodies. After all, we’re using the world’s energy, nature’s, to be exact. We don’t suffer from burnouts, and we have an unlimited supply of energy," she explained with a hint of sadness in her eyes.
The prince lowered his head as he digested what he had heard.
"I-I’m sorry; I didn’t an to offend you," he apologized, not knowing what the best reply to give was.
’If she can’t use magic, then how co this world feels so magical?’ He conveyed inside his mind. He wanted to ask more, but his courage left him hanging after getting slapped with her explanation.
The sovereign retracted her wing and shook her head, then looked at Delta, who was now with Lexzi’s father.
"Maybe it’s best for to give both of you so space," she said, then resud her steps to walk towards the deepest part of the hall.
The first prince looked behind him, and as soon as he saw the man walking in front of Delta, his expression turned sour.
"Son," the king uttered upon getting closer, which made Lexzi burst into anger.
As far as he rembered, this person who called him son just now ordered the knights to kill him on the spot several hours ago.
"I have no mory that I have a father," he uttered.
His way of speaking was light and soft, but the words he said were sharp enough to pierce the king’s heart. King Lyzen’s mind went blank due to his son’s cold treatnt, but he couldn’t bla him. After all, what Lexzi said was right. He had never been a father to him, so he had no right to call him that way.
"But thank you," Lexzi said all of a sudden.
And this brightened up the king’s expression. However, the first prince’s next set of words made him fall to his knees.
"Thank you for treating as useless; thank you for not believing any word that I’ve said." He paused and glanced at the ex-captain, who was staring at the floor.
"And thank you for not chasing when I left ho. I found the better version of myself," he continued, and a single tear fell into his eye.
"If you may excuse , your Highness, I will go see my sister," he said.
Then he looked at Delta.
"Lead the way," he ordered, and the ex-captain bowed as a sign of respect before they left the room.
The king was left there, regretting all the things that he had done in the past.
’If I could only turn back ti, I would be a good father," he uttered out of nowhere.
Then the woman who was staring at him from afar spoke after the two people left the room.
"Your regrets are entirely pointless. Prisoning yourself in those so-called mistakes will bring you nowhere," she said.
Then she walked toward the king.
"Stand up and be a better man, soone who is noteworthy enough to be acknowledged by your own child," she stated while extending her hand to the king.
. . . . .
Delta guided Lexzi to the room, where he fetched the king. Lexel was there, sleeping soundly on a bed with petal flowers as its sheets. Her eyes were a little bit swollen, and a small amount of tears dried on her face.
The prince walked closer to her and caressed her sister’s hair.
"She’s an exact replica of her," he said, smiling as he recalled the face of his mother.
Lexzi stared at her for several seconds and turned around to leave, which confused Delta.
"Are you not going to wake her up?" He asked.
Upon hearing his query, the first prince shook his head and replied.
"I don’t know if I will have the strength to leave once I see her crying," he said.
"Will you be leaving? Then bring along," Delta exclaid, determined to co with him.
But Lexzi shook his head again.
"I’m not yet done unfolding the path of magic I choose to wield," he answered.
Then he took two steps to close the distance between him and Delta.
"I have one request, though," he added.
As soon as the ex-captain heard him, he pulled out the sword hanging on his waist, then kneeled on one knee and raised the sword up by putting it on his palms. Afterward, he lowered his head and spoke with a tone filled with respect.
"I, Delta Hiltsblade, Forr Captain of the Herish Kingdom’s First Battalion, pledge my loyalty to Lexzi Herish, the eldest prince of the current Herish family. Will you accept as your sword?" He asked.
The prince couldn’t find the words to say. He knew that what Delta did was considered sacred in the circle of knights, and he had no reason to object, so he grabbed the hilt of the sword and laid its blade on the man’s right shoulder.
"I don’t know if what I’m doing is the right thing, but I, Lexzi Herish, am accepting Delta as my knight," he exclaid, smiling.
Afterward, they left the room, and the prince told Delta his request along the way. They returned to the hall, and they even t the king on their way back.
Lexzi passed him without batting an eye, and Delta did the sa thing. As soon as they entered, the fairy’s eyes lit up.
"Thank you for letting us stay here for a while; I appreciate your warm hospitality," Lexzi said as he bowed in front of the woman.
"Are you going back now?" She asked, then walked into him.
The prince nodded, then summoned all of his courage to ask about a single thing.
He inhaled a deep breath and said, "Would you mind telling your na?"
The woman smiled as she heard the prince. And Delta, who was behind him, shook his head.
"She’s way older than you think," the ex-captain chid in, giggling.
Lexzi looked back and glared at Delta.
"Cut it out," he uttered, and upon hearing the woman’s laughter, he reverted his eyes back in front of him.
"It’s Niz, Niz’tella Evergreen," she said while looking into the young man’s eyes.
The prince couldn’t help but smile upon knowing the fairy’s na.
"Niz’tella," he repeated, and the woman nodded upon the ntion of her na.
"It’s been a while since I heard it from soone’s lips," she uttered.
After that, Lexzi told her how grateful he was to have t her in his life before asking how he could go back.
"Just close your eyes and think about how you entered this world," Niz stated.
The prince did what the fairy said, and his body started to glow white before it disintegrated into tiny particles of light and vanished one after the other.
Delta remained in his position as he watched his master’s body disappear. He was in the middle of recalling his request. Then, seconds after, he bid farewell to the fairy and left the hall.
’Please protect my sister at all costs until the ti I co back,’ he repeated in his head the words that the prince had said.
. . . . .
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