"Huh…?" My voice cracked as my eyelids fluttered open. "Was I… asleep?"
I blinked at the ceiling, disoriented, my whole body heavy.
"What am I doing here… laying on the ground?"
Memory slammed back in pieces. The log. Veyra's voice. The endless strikes. Then—darkness.
"Ouch… tch…!" I hissed, lifting my hands. My palms were shredded, blistered, dripping red. "Blood…? My hands are… full of blood."
"Are you finally awake, Prince?" A calm voice broke the silence— Master Black.
I turned to him, dazed. "Umm… what just happened? I don't remember anything after I started slashing the log."
"You fell unconscious," Master Black said evenly. His faceless figure leaned closer. "But somehow… your body kept moving. You continued to strike even without awareness."
Master Fang stepped forward, his voice carrying something close to awe. "We were truly surprised by your determination, Imperial Prince."
Then I saw it.
The log.
It wasn't standing anymore. It lay on the ground, split cleanly into two pieces.
My eyes widened, disbelief crawling up my throat. "…Wait. You mean I—slashed it?"
"Yes, Prince," Master Black confirmed. "You did it. You cleared your first trial." His tone sharpened, almost proud. "Now, we'll begin teaching you the sword not just the weight of it, but the fighting skills, the techniques."
My chest heaved, pain surging with every breath. And yet… my eyes lit up.
"R-really? Then… will I become stronger? Strong enough to beat Lyra?"
"Yes, Prince," Master Fang said simply. He reached into his cloak, producing a vial of shimmering red. "But first, drink this potion. You've pushed your body far beyond its limit. Any longer and we might've had to carry you to the infirmary."
I snatched the vial, tilting it back.
"Glup… glup!" The bitter liquid scorched my throat, spreading warmth through my veins.
Master Black nodded. "Good. Now, if you please… it's already past your training time. And if you recall, today is the day of the banquet."
"…The banquet?" I repeated, still catching my breath.
"Yes. All the guests have already arrived. The Empress and Princess Aria were waiting for you. When you didn't appear, they gathered at the banquet… and then left. Likely to search for you."
My pulse spiked. "…They're looking for me?"
Master Black's faceless figure tilted slightly. "Indeed, Prince. I suggest you prepare yourself."
-----
The Banquet Hall
The hall glowed with golden light, chandeliers blazing like captured suns. Laughter and polite murmurs wove together beneath the sound of clinking goblets. But this was no ordinary feast.
The faces here were not common courtiers. Every table brimmed with power. Nobles whose coffers could feed cities, branch families sworn to the Bloodcrests for generations, and rulers of kingdoms who bent the knee to the Empire. This gathering wasn't a celebration. It was an exhibition.
And the attraction was clear.
Some came to witness the child who awakened mana at seven. Whispers called him a prodigy, though Kaito knew better. Others came for his sister, Aria Bloodcrest, the true prodigy, the one who had reached birth ember at the age of thirteen, a feat unheard of in centuries.
The rest? They came with hunger.
Some sought to weigh the Bloodcrests' power with their own eyes. Others came with subtler ambitions. To weave their families tighter into the imperial web. Daughters of nobles were paraded like ornaments, their smiles as polished as their silks. For them, this was no banquet. It was a marketplace, and the currency was marriage.
Darius, already nineteen, and Kael, seventeen. Both unmarried. Both prime prey. Every glance from the guests carried calculation, each laugh a carefully hidden proposal. Why not? The two weren't only heirs of Bloodcrest blood. They were strong, wealthy, and strikingly handsome, sons of Reyzen Bloodcrest and the most beautiful women of the empire—his chosen concubines.
Tonight wasn't about food or music.
It was about alliances. About power.
And every noble in the hall knew it.
"Ohh, look!"
"By the heavens…"
"Wait—who's that? Isn't she…?"
Gasps rippled through the nobles like a wave. Heads turned, eyes narrowed.
"Seren Co. Bloodcrest."
"Look at her—she's radiant."
"No wonder they call her the Sunflower of Bloodcrests. She's just Fifteen, yet she looks more mature than half the women here."
"I want to marry her…"
"Hey Morry just dream on man. She's far above us. We're just some high ranking nobles."
"She's not only beautiful, she's strong. And don't forget that she's a true Bloodcrest."
"But what does the 'Co.' mean? Is it her middle name? I don't remember Aria Bloodcrest having one."
Another voice suddenly came out of nowhere.
"You idiot. How do you live in the Bloodcrest Empire and not know this?"
The whispers grew sharper, some mocking, some patient.
"Children of the Empress don't take a middle name. They stand above all—like Aria Bloodcrest, or Kaito Bloodcrest. They're the apex heirs."
"Then comes 'Co.' It marks children of high-ranking concubines. Well they're usually princesses of vassal kingdoms chosen as consorts. That's why Seren Co. Bloodcrest carries it. Same for Darius Co. Bloodcrest."
"And then… 'Ca. That one's for mid-ranking concubines. They're mostly daughters of nobles granted the 'honor.' Well mainly nobody bears children, but in this generation there's Lyra Ca. Bloodcrest. Unusual, since the Emperor rarely bothers with them… but somehow Reyzen Bloodcrest didn't ignored her."
"Wait—so there is a hierarchy inside the Bloodcrest family? The Empress's children are treated better, right? I heard she buys thousands of potions each month for them alone."
"Fool. This is the Empire of power. Status means nothing. Those who wield strength receive resources. If the Empress pours riches into her children, that's her will, not imperial law. The Emperor himself? He's the same with everyone. Cold, distant, and merciless. No favoritism."
"Tch. You sound like you know too much. Which kingdom are you from, kid? Your clothes look… ragged. Don't tell me you're just a servant sneaking in?"
"Oh, me? I'm Ka—"
"Oi, oi!" Someone cut in, voice sharp. "Who gave a servant permission to speak here?"
Another noble sneered. "Kid, which household are you from? Judging by your rags… are you even a servant? Don't tell me you sneaked in."
The whispers came quick, spreading like wildfire.
"Who is he?"
"A rat slipped into the banquet?"
"Isn't this is Bloodcrest Castle. Here sneaking in here means death."
"Disgusting. Look at his hair, his clothes. He's straight out of the slums."
"The beggar child just ruined the whole mood."
A man turned to his son. "Morry, do you know this beggar?"
Morry shifted uneasily, then forced a scoff. "Ah—no, Father. He just appeared out of nowhere, spouting nonsense."
"Haa? Mister, weren't you the one asking—"
Morry's face twisted. His voice, now dripping with disgust, snapped out:
"Hey, beggar. Stay back or you'll soil my clothes."
'Sigh'
"Look at you before you were so friendly and now acting all different just because everyone's watching."
Morry's face went red. "Shut up! As if I'd ever be friendly with a beggar runt like you. Guards! Guards! This wretch has a death wish!"
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
The sound wasn't of guard's footsteps but rather sound of small, deliberate steps echoed. Then a girl—no older than ten—stepped forward, her presence pulling the crowd's attention in an instant.
With a sweet smile she said, "Hello, Mister Beggar. If you don't know, this is a Bloodcrest banquet. If you were caught sneaking in, you'd be as good as dead." Her voice softened. "If you'd like, I can have my knights escort you out without harm."
Her words rang with innocence… until her smile vanished, her eyes hardened into something far older, far darker. "But if you refuse…" she whispered, cold as steel, "then I'll kill you here myself. Before the guards even arrive. Without mercy."
The crowd froze. Even the music faltered, as if the musicians themselves had forgotten their strings. Only when Kaori smiled again did breath return to the hall.
"Who's that girl?"
"Wait, that's Princess Kaori of Eryndor, sole heir of the strongest vassal kingdom under Bloodcrest.
"Even at ten, she's beautiful…"
"She's merciful too—offering kindness to a beggar who's destined to die."
"How adorable. How fitting, for the only princess of the Empire's strongest vassal kingdom."
"Such cruelty in one so young…"
"No, that's strength. That's what a ruler needs."