Walking down the corridor once again with August by my side, I couldn't help but think about the person he mentioned just a minute ago.
Everett Blakesty: my current 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 Everett was born, I stood outside of his room—waiting 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 as mother opened the door, my worries slowly began to ease. We quietly made our way towards the crib, and once we stood before it, father picked me up from the ground—trying to give me a clear view of Everett. As I saw a glimpse of him sleeping peacefully with a smile.
He had curly black hair, and rose skin just like me. I could only continue to stare at him with widened eyes—just like how I did with Seraphina when she was first born. He then began squirming in his crib, and when he finally opened his hazel eyes from his deep sleep, he suddenly gazed at me.
We stared at each other for a long while in the silence. And 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—as if pleading. For some reason, I offered one of my fingers to him. Once he grabbed it with his small and chubby hand, a bitter smile emerged from his face until he went back to his deep sleep.
Seeing that bitter smile, I felt a single tear roll down my face. I gently touched the tear, and stared at it before wiping it all off. Seeing me cry, both mother and father placed their hands on my shoulders with worry.
"Lysander, are you okay?"
Hearing mother's worried voice, I gently nodded while still wiping the single 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 before they began to comfort me.
"This is...!"
Azar's baffled voice echoed through my head. I looked away out the window, and worriedly responded back.
"Is something wrong...?"
But even as I asked that question, Azar didn't respond for a long moment.
"... Terribly so."
A chill ran down my spine as he uttered those words. I desperately looked back at Everett, and checked to see if anything was visibly wrong.
"What do you mean?!"
"... 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 true anger to Azar for his secrecy. Shortly after, Everett's condition began to deteriorate from constant fevers due to his weak immune system. Mother had to be by his side to aid him. But 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 on for seven years of him sleeping, and me just being by his side. Seraphina would occasionally join me, and those short moments were worth cherishing as new 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 August.
August took a deep breath before opening his worried eyes. "... How are things looking?"
The mage reached for his seat, grabbed a rolled-up parchment paper, and handed it to August.
August hesitantly took the paper from his hand with slight confusion before opening it. His eyes soon widened as he stared at the content.
"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 then stroked his beard and stopped talking momentarily. "What's even more amazing is how he found the curse."
"It wasn't as complicated as I thought it would be." I crossed my arms, and tapped my feet as I contemplated 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, and into 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 then 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..."
As I looked up, I could see the mage awkwardly scratching his cheek. Next to him, August was nervously chuckling to himself as he continued to listen to what I was saying, while also looking at the paper in front of him.
After a few moments, August slowly gazed back up at me. "You did all of this in under an hour?"
I tilted my head with slight confusion. "It was the surest method if I say so..."
August then looked at the Mage, who just shrugged before he turned to 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 intently shaking his head.
"No! I didn't mean it like that." He placed the paper down on the couch. "I just never thought such things were possible to do." He then gently reached for my hand, trying to not cause any further worry, before smiling so 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...
"Thank you, August."
August stood there motionlessly, and just continued to stare emptily at my blushing face. After a few seconds, he 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 as His Highness said. You have a remarkable gift; 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 again 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, and looked down with contemplation. "I see… Night time seems to be the most appropriate way to conceal what is about to occur then."
"Indeed." The mage walked towards August, and reached out his hand. "Since you are already aware of the danger that this would bring, you should begin your preparations."
August grabbed the paper from the couch, and placed it in his hand.
"Noted."
The mage smiled in response before looking 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 with a subtle smile. "I just did what any person would've done."
I then felt a hand on my shoulder. As I turned my head around, I saw that it was August, who was thankfully still wearing that familiar bright smile.
"It just shows how kind of a person you are, Lys."
Seeing that bright smile—alongside hearing those kind words—I smiled back at him with a small blush. Once again, he froze. He then took his hand off my shoulder, and turned away for a moment before looking back at me with a more simple smile, like nothing happened.
"I'm going to head to the knight quarter to get some things. Do you… want to go with me?"
"Knight quarter…" I gently chuckled before nodding. "Sure. This will be my first time exploring the palace, so it might be an eventful experience."
His face brimmed in response before he gently grabbed my hand, and began leading me to the door. He slightly turned his head around, and looked at the mage as we began 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 nodded with a smile. "Do not worry, Your Highness. I will make sure to protect her. So take this period to be at ease."
August eagerly nodded back before he opened the doors.
This might be the second time I saw him this excited—other than that time I suggested going to the garden.
I couldn't help but smile back at his excitement; I couldn't help but hold his hand tighter with mine as I continued to follow him with this warm feeling deep in my heart.
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
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 in racks, with a few training dummies in view.
All the knights were lined up and doing some extreme exercises, while a single person stood in front of them, shouting angrily with each passing 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 who continued to shout was wearing formal, but practical, attire.
The closer we got, the more I could see that 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 the tip stabbed down at the ground.
Once we got close, her gaze quickly shifted from the knights 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 their souls left their bodies, while others collapsed to the ground with their eyes rolled over—even fuming.
The woman then began walking towards us. Once she stood before us, I could clearly see her large muscles being constrained in her clothes. She stared at August intently for a while, while he just looked up at her with a grin.
"It's been a while, Ema!"
She crossed her arms, and let out a scoff before scornfully smiling back at him. "Your Highness. What brings you here? Shouldn't you be with the Duke of Blood?"
"Ema... don't be like this. You know I still treat you as my teacher—"
"Ha! 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, and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Ema! Please don't be mad!"
She sighed before grabbing firm hold of his entire face, trying so hard to yank him away. After a minute of struggling, her gaze soon landed on me.
"Who's this little princess?"
As the woman successfully pulled August away from her, August removed her hand from his face before calmly responding back.
"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 gently wrapping one of his arms around me. "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 then shifted between August 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. "Same place as always. You can choose for yourself, right?"
August nodded. "Thank you." He then looked 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 into one of the storage buildings.
The woman let out a scoff before scratching her head with frustration. After a full minute of angrily muttering to herself, she looked at me sharply. "So, you're Laurence's child? Never expected him to have any children."
"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 then began rolling down my face as I continued to look at her intense anger. After a while, she slowly calmed herself down before looking back at me with a sigh.
"Never mind about that. I should formally introduce myself first before complaining about your father."
She placed her hand on her chest, and elegantly posed 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, and showed 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 simple 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 scratched 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 chuckle. "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. "I was skeptical at first: why let a child hold such a dangerous weapon?" She paused for a moment before looking a little sad. "I soon understood her intention..."
Slowly, she gazed up at the palace. "This is such a dangerous place for the weak. So he must learn how to defend himself..."
She then coughed, trying to get rid of all the negative thoughts in her head, before looking back at me. "You seem like a smart and kind child." She then patted 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 patted my shoulder again. "Good, Good! Glad to see that he won't be alone now." She then looked behind her, smiling as she saw the familiar figure.
I looked to see what caught her attention, and saw August walking towards us with a sword in his waist, while happily waving his hand at us with a bright grin.
Ema let out a bitter smile as she saw 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 somewhat questionably at him. "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 brightly grinned back. "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.
"W-What do you mean by that?!"
She covered her ears. "Children are so loud and energetic..." She then waved her hand at him while still walking forward "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 scratched 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 warmly smiled back 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 flinched before looking away. "I-I don't want you getting hurt—"
I immediately grabbed his hand. He flinched once again before looking at me with confusion.
"So, it's okay if you're in danger?"
He backed away, and tried 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 then crossed my arms before looking at him skeptically. "... What's the point of being here if I end up being protected?"
"You know I didn't mean it like that! I just want you to be safe, that's all—"
"August." Interrupting him, I gently cupped his face before looking deeply into his eyes—smiling warmly 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 with a defeated smile.
"You sure do have a knack for words... Even if I said no, you would've followed me for sure. Still, I'm worried. If things get dangerous, then promise me that you'll escape to safety."
"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."
Once again, I smiled warmly as he approved of my presence. "Yes, I promise."
A red hue began to cover August's face before he bitterly smiled back. He then began leading me 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 back at the knights who were about to die of exhaustion.
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
The orange sky slowly began turning dark. August was leading me to the meeting place he and the mage decided on during that encrypted conversation earlier.
The palace hallway seemed more eerie when most of the servants had settled down in the servant quarter. As it becomes darker and more silent, I couldn't help but feel a sense of danger to what is about to occur.
But even when I feel nervous... August's warm hand puts me at ease. He hasn't let go ever since we left the knight quarter.
It doesn't feel bad. It actually feels kind of… nice.
We then walked out of the hallway, and into the Imperial Garden. The same fountain that I saw when I came into this world is still running well in the middle. Countless white flowers bloomed in the everlasting moonlight glow, making the spectacle around us ever so majestic.
We continued on, walking on a paved path off the garden, to the bare untrimmed grass with no clear destination.
August soon led me towards a patch of unkempt trees that would make you think it was a forest. But after a few minutes of walking forward without stopping, a clear lot with an isolated temple came into view.
"... We're here."
August 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."
My eyes widened at those words before I shifted my gaze 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 heading 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 the mage beside her.
Once we got close enough, the mage gazed at me before turning to August.
"Failed to convince him I see."
August awkwardly scratched his head. "Well, I couldn't say no to him..."
"Ho Ho! It's fine. The more help we have, the better." He then looked back 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 then looked at the sickened Empress. She continued to breathe heavily as patches of sweat built up all over her face and 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 on my shoulder. I then looked behind me to see Nilo there.
August also looked surprised, while the mage continued to stroke his beard with a chuckle—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 over 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 nodding. "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 awkwardly scratching his cheek. "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, and then stretched 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 ground where we stood.
"I feel nauseous..."
Being able to physically see mana has its pros and cons. But 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..."
"Yes. I can also sense them."
I tried to note just how many were approaching.
"... Around fifty people total."
I looked towards August, who also sensed their presence. A cold sweat began to roll down his face while he gripped 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 crescent moon that emerged in the midnight-colored sky.
"It's so beautiful…"
I closed my eyes, and breathed in… and out as people in black robes appeared. They all began to close the distance between—some drawing their weapons, while others began to cast their magic.
After feeling them getting even more closer, I slowly opened my glowing eyes.
One by one, the robed people who were dashing towards us stopped. They began slashing and hitting the invisible force in front of them, while the magic that the other robed people casted were dispersing because of the same invisible force.
That invisible force was nothing more than a mana shield. 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 want to keep August, someone who I truly care about, safe.