"You must already know why I called you, right?"
rlin nodded slightly. "I know, Your Majesty. It's to go to the offering hall, isn't it?"
Vargan gave a faint smile. "Yes. You will go to the offering hall to et the Dragon of Light. Once you're there, you will also receive its blessing. However, I must remind you that everything depends on your luck. If you manage to obtain it, it will be yours. But if not, you must be prepared to accept it. Do you understand?"
When the princes heard this, a flash of envy appeared in their eyes.
The offering hall was only opened a few tis a year.
Usually, all mbers of the royal family would enter the hall and make their offering to the Dragon of Light.
If they were lucky, they could communicate with the dragon and receive its guidance.
Right now, rlin had the chance to enter alone.
With his status as the child of prophecy, it was unlikely for the Dragon of Light to ignore his presence.
It would surely bestow its blessing.
"I understand, Your Majesty. Leave it to ." rlin's expression turned determined.
Of course, he would make sure to receive the blessing of the Dragon of Light. It would definitely help him greatly in the future.
If the dragon refused to grant its blessing, rlin would use the system and Lyserra to pressure it.
It sounded cruel and rude, but rlin didn't care.
Politeness only applied to parents and teachers.
For everyone else, power decided whether he needed to be polite or not.
"Good. I'm glad you understand quickly." Vargan nodded in satisfaction. "Before that, I will introduce my family to you. The one on my right is Leonard Solayne. He is the first prince and crown prince. I hope you can get along with him."
Leonard stepped forward and smiled at rlin.
"Nice to et you, rlin Clay. I've heard your na for a long ti. It's said that you saved the daughter of the Beethoven family, isn't that right? I admire you greatly," he greeted softly and politely.
rlin looked Leonard up and down. Of course, he knew the person in front of him very well—Leonard Solayne.
In the novel, he had a close relationship with the main character. Leonard's personality could be described as kind and responsible.
Unfortunately, he had one flaw—he was naive and idealistic. That trait might be loved by the people, but in a monarchy, it could be very dangerous.
The novel itself was not yet finished, so rlin did not know Leonard's ultimate fate.
Even so, he rembered that in the sixth volu, Leonard fell into a coma after being poisoned by soone else—Lucas Solayne, his second brother.
Snapping out of his thoughts, rlin smiled and replied, "It's nice to et you too, Prince. I didn't expect you to have heard about that. It's truly an honor to have your attention."
Leonard was a good man, so rlin didn't mind being friends with him.
After a brief conversation with Leonard, Vargan introduced the next prince.
"The one next to Leonard is my second son, Lucas Solayne."
Lucas stepped forward and looked at rlin with a cold, slightly condescending gaze.
Unlike Leonard, who was calm, gentle, and handso, Lucas had short blond hair and sharp, cynical eyes.
His slightly extended winged eyeliner added to his arrogant and stubborn appearance.
"My na is Lucas Solayne. Nice to et you, rlin Clay," he said in a flat voice, showing no interest at all.
"Introduce yourself properly, Lucas," Vargan scolded.
"Tch!" Lucas clicked his tongue and turned his head away.
Vargan let out a small sigh, turned to rlin, and apologized.
"Forgive my second son, rlin. That's just how he is."
Vivian, who was standing beside Elizabeth, looked embarrassed and cast a displeased glance at her son.
She felt ashad seeing Lucas's behavior toward rlin, the child of prophecy.
rlin remained calm, not showing even the slightest sign of offense.
He knew Lucas better than anyone. After all, he had morized every trait of every character in the novel.
"My na is rlin Clay. I'm sure you already know that," rlin replied casually and indifferently.
Lucas felt offended, but he didn't dare cause trouble in front of his father.
In the end, he held back his anger and returned to his place.
"I have one more son and two daughters. However, my son is at the border, and the other two are still young and asleep. I hope you can understand," Vargan said.
"It's okay, Your Majesty. I don't mind." rlin patted his chest, as if reassuring him.
As for the third prince, he knew him well too. He was Vivian's son, which ant he was Lucas's brother from the sa mother.
The relationship between the siblings was terrible, since the third prince disliked Lucas's arrogant and stubborn nature.
Even so, he also disliked Leonard for obtaining the throne so easily.
'Hah… the royal family is indeed complicated. Fortunately, I was born as rlin Clay—the sole heir. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to live comfortably under the watchful eyes of siblings who covet my position as heir,' rlin muttered.
Leonard's coma in the novel showed how terrifying the ambition for power could be.
After that, Vargan introduced his three wives to rlin. Thanks to rlin's polite and handso appearance, Elizabeth and Vivian liked him very much and quickly grew close to him.
However, only Lilia remained aloof and cold, as if she didn't want to get involved with rlin.
Still, her gaze occasionally fell on him, as if there was a hidden aning she couldn't express.
"All right, rlin. I'll take you to the offering hall," Vargan said as he stood up.
"Yes, Your Majesty." rlin did not refuse.
With that, he and Charlotte accompanied rlin to the offering hall.
***
The offering hall was located in a special, fairly secret area. Only those with the king's permission were allowed to enter.
Even the servants who passed through the palace every day were forbidden to enter. The sa applied to the guards, who were only allowed to stand in front of the door.
When Vargan, rlin, and Luna arrived at the gate of the offering hall, the guards quickly greeted them and stepped aside.
"So, this is the offering hall, huh?" rlin muttered as he stared at the five-ter-high gates.
Ancient carvings covered the entire surface, making rlin feel as if he had returned to a bygone era.
"Are you surprised?" Charlotte blinked and smiled slightly.
"Yes, I'm very surprised and also… impressed," rlin admitted.
"Pfft!" Charlotte giggled, unable to hold back her smile.
Beside them, Vargan simply smiled without saying anything.
The closer Charlotte beca to rlin, the faster his plan could unfold.
After all, he wanted to bind rlin to the royal family, and the safest way to do that was through marriage.
Vargan placed his hand on the gates. In an instant, the once-silent gates emitted a bright red light.
Monts later, the gates slowly opened on their own.
rlin looked into the hall's interior and muttered, 'Is this the offering hall? It's truly amazing!'
The hall was very spacious—almost the size of a throne room. No, it might even be half again as large.
Towering golden pillars supported the ceiling.
A long red carpet stretched from the entrance to the far end of the hall, where a four-ter-high altar stood.
The altar was shaped like a small pyramid, but its top was flat and wide, as if it had been made for worship rituals.
On one side, a staircase led up to the altar.
Without delay, Vargan brought rlin and Charlotte inside. Instantly, the gates behind them closed.
The room turned dark—only a few torches hung from the pillars.
Vargan snapped his fingers, and the remaining torches lit up all at once.
The once-dark hall beca brightly illuminated.
"Follow ," Vargan said as he stepped forward.
rlin and Charlotte followed behind him. Charlotte had visited the offering hall several tis, so she wasn't particularly impressed.
But rlin was different. This was his first ti entering this place.
Naturally, he wanted to rember every detail of the room.
After a mont, they reached the stairs leading to the altar, and Vargan imdiately began to climb them. rlin and Charlotte followed right behind him.
When they reached the top, rlin saw a giant statue—about two ters tall—mounted on the wall.
Because of the altar's position, he hadn't noticed such a large dragon statue earlier.
"Is that the Dragon of Light?" rlin asked curiously.
"Yes, that is the Dragon of Light," Charlotte replied before continuing, "However, it's only symbolic. In truth, neither my father nor I have ever seen the real Dragon of Light. Maybe you will be able to see it later. After all, you are the child in the prophecy."
Charlotte's voice carried a faint trace of envy that she could hardly hide.
She desperately wanted to et the dragon, but she knew it was impossible.
In history, only two kings had ever been recorded as eting and being acknowledged by the dragon—her first ancestor, Arthur Solayne, and her third ancestor, Gabriel Solayne.
If she could also receive that recognition, it would be extraordinary.
Noticing Charlotte's envy, rlin simply smiled faintly and shook his head.
He himself didn't know whether the Dragon of Light would appear before him or not. Well, he could only hope so.
If not… hehehe…
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