As the day ca to a close, the negotiations between King Paul Aureus II and Duke George Evera III fell apart. This was because Franz, the golden child of the Evera family, declined the opportunity to serve as the Princess’s Royal Blade.
The Royal Blade
The pinnacle of loyalty, strength, and dedication.
More than just a re guard, they are a symbol of the kingdom’s commitnt to protecting its most precious treasure: the princess. Chosen from among the seven esteed dukedom families, the Royal Blade embodies the unity and strength of the kingdom’s most powerful houses.
"Haah… how unfortunate,"
As the royal family sat at the dinner table, the empty chair seed to stand out large, a physical reminder of the day’s disappointnts.
King Paul sighed heavily, pushing his barely touched plate away.
"It is unfortunate, indeed," Queen Azura murmured, her eyes filled with concern as she glanced between her husband and daughter.
"But perhaps it’s for the best. The Everas have always been... difficult to work with. Clearly, their ego has remained unchanged since then."
"I’m sure Franz, as a child, still has ti to figure out what he wants. Maybe he’ll change his mind in the future. In the anti, we can find a placeholder for him."
Francine watched both her parents drink worryingly and her mask of childish innocence montarily dropped.
"Father, what exactly happened during your talk with Lord Evera?"
King Paul ran a hand through his graying hair, his expression weary.
"It seems young Franz has no interest in becoming a royal blade. Lord Evera was... less than pleased when I suggested we might look elsewhere for your protector. Though I can tell that it was his idea of not wanting Franz to be with us in the first place, He values his son’s potential too much to see him ’wasted’ as a Royal Weapon," the king continued, his tone bitter.
"As if serving the royal family were beneath them."
Francine nodded, her eyes distant as she processed this information. It aligned perfectly with her mories of past lives, yet the sting of rejection felt fresh all the sa. It didn’t matter how many tis she had played this exact scenario, she obviously knew what to get out of her father and how she was going to do it.
"What will we do now?"
She asked, careful to keep her voice appropriately childlike and curious.
Queen Azura reached out, placing a comforting hand on her daughter’s arm.
"We’ll find soone else, dear. Soone worthy of protecting you."
King Paul’s expression softened as he looked at Francine.
"Your mother’s right. In fact, I’ve been thinking... perhaps we should host an event. Invite noble families from across the kingdom to present their most promising young warriors and mages."
-It’s just like before…
Francine rembered this event from her past lives. The Royal family hosted an extravagant event on Aelius day that included noble families and even commoners who participated in the Royal 8 Challenges.
In all those lives, the winner of the Royal 8 Challenges remained the sa. Francine knew what to expect, but she still found joy in the anticipation.
"An event?" she asked, leaning forward eagerly. "Like a tournant?"
The king chuckled, so of the tension leaving his shoulders. "Sothing like that, yes. We could ti it to coincide with the celebrations of the World Arbiter’s Legendary Ancestor."
Queen Azura nodded approvingly.
"That’s an excellent idea. It would also serve to strengthen our ties with the noble houses."
Francine’s eyes lit up with genuine excitent.
"What kind of challenges would they face? It should be more than just fighting skills, right?"
King Paul stroked his beard thoughtfully.
"You raise a good point. A Royal Blade must possess more than just martial prowess."
"They must be intelligent, loyal, and possess a strong moral character as well."
Francine bit her lip, deep in thought. "What if we had different scenarios that tested all those qualities? Like solving puzzles, or making difficult decisions, or even working together with others?"
Her parents exchanged impressed glances.
"That’s quite an insightful suggestion," her father said with pride in his voice.
"We could call it the Royal 8 Challenge, with eight different trials to test various aspects of character and skill."
Queen Azura clapped her hands together.
"That’s perfect! And it would make for such an exciting spectacle for the people as well."
Francine bead, playing the part of the delighted child.
"Could we have it during the celebration next month? That would give everyone ti to prepare, right?"
King Paul nodded slowly.
"Yes... yes, that could work." He turned to his wife. "What do you think?"
"I think it’s an excellent idea," Queen Azura replied.
***
[Julian’s POV]
1 month later…
So much had changed since that fateful day with Aldric, yet in many ways, everything felt the sa. The Florence family’s generosity in allowing us to stay at their mansion had been unexpected but welco. It gave us a sense of stability we hadn’t known in a long ti.
My training sessions with Ezekiel had been grueling but rewarding, Instead of him getting beat by he found his way to draw against when I’m barely trying my best, which is good.
And then there was Diana. Our relationship had evolved into sothing I couldn’t quite define. A tentative friendship, perhaps? Or maybe just a mutual understanding born from shared experiences.
"Kid’s are you awake? Rember to get ready we’re heading out to capital city to celebrate Aureus day!"
My mother knocked on our door but quickly passed by as she had to attend to her duties with Lady Ophelia.
Today was Aelius Day, the celebration of the current emperor’s great ancestor, who pulled the great odds of victory over the King Of All Demonic Beings Varuna.
uwahh...
I sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
Ezekiel was already up and bustling around our shared room.
"Can you believe it, Julian? We’re actually going to the capital for Aelius Day!"
Ezekiel grinned, pulling on his best tunic.
"I’ve only ever heard stories about the celebrations. The parades, the magic displays, the food..."
I couldn’t help but smile at his enthusiasm.
"It should be quite the sight I guess," I agreed.
"Do you think we’ll get to see the royal family?" Ezekiel asked.
Most certainly we will, because of them I’ll be able to watch people compete for money in a fighting tournant but still I’m sure Ezekiel didn’t get an opportunity like this in the actual novel.
"Probably. They usually make an appearance during the main ceremony."
"Ooohh... that’s cool-"
KNOCK...KNOCK...KNOCK...
A knock at the door interrupted our conversation.
"Boys? Are you decent?" It was Diana’s voice.
"Co in," I called, hastily tucking in my shirt that I had just put on.
Diana entered, already dressed in a fine blue gown that brought out the color of her eyes.
She looked a bit different but you could still see the makeup artist did a great job on her look.
"Mother sent to make sure you two were actually getting ready and not just talking about getting ready," she said with disatisfied voice.
"We’re not kids, co on."
Ezekiel huffed, even though he looked like he belonged in a circus rather than among nobles.
Diana raised an eyebrow. "Could have fooled ," she teased, but there was no real bite to her words.
"We’ll be down in a few minutes," I assured her.
She nodded. "Good. And Julian..." she hesitated for a mont.
"Try not to look so nervous since it’s your first ti being at a parade. It’s just a celebration, after all."
As she left, I realized I had been fidgeting with the hem of my shirt.
"Co on," I said to Ezekiel, forcing a smile. "Let’s not keep everyone waiting."
As we made our way downstairs, the mansion was abuzz with excitent. Servants rushed about, making last-minute preparations for the day’s festivities. Lady Ophelia stood in the foyer, directing the chaos with practiced ease.
"Ah, there you boys are," she said, her eyes twinkling. "Ready for your first Aelius Day in the capital?"
Ezekiel nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, ma’am! I can’t wait to see everything!"
Lady Ophelia chuckled.
"Well, you’re in for quite a treat. The parades in Aurean City are truly sothing to behold."
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