"Why do they need to live in different castles? It's not like they need that much space."
Reis stepped out of his room five minutes ago and was still walking, but the main door still hadn't shown itself. He told the staff to wait at the gate because he wanted to explore a bit, but it seemed like exploring the whole place would take a whole day.
|The prince and princesses live in the same castle up to the age of 14. They are separated afterwards to avoid conflict.|
I wasn't talking to you.
Reis was still pissed at the system for interrupting his plans with ridiculous missions. The fact that he couldn't tie the strings properly, even after trying for an hour, just made it worse.
Reis had instinctively reached for controls three times in the last hour only.
Oh, how he missed the fast travel option. More so, the log-out option.
He didn't have the time to stop and observe, but things caught his eye naturally. His footsteps echoed through the long and wide hallway. Each time a servant greeted him, he had to try extra hard not to flinch. Paintings adorned every wall, the people in them staring ahead as if they were observing everything. Every single one of them looked like they'd judged three generations for fun.
And this absurd, overdecorated castle was his home, apparently.
Doors after doors. Twists and turns that confused him, even with the help of the original's memory. Royal Residence? It's more like a maze with furniture.
|Would you like to name your residence 'Maze with furniture' in the system listings?|
Reis looked at the screen disapprovingly, "Do you listen in on everything? Where's your sense of privacy?"
|I need information to assist.
Should I proceed with changing the name?|
Reis thought for a beat. "Go ahead."
After a few more minutes of walking, he finally found a door that could fit an industrial excavator. That must be the exit.
A carriage was waiting outside, as were the attendants. He held back a sigh and climbed onto the seat silently.
The main palace was five minutes' distance by carriage, so it was a short journey.
Another huge castle…It's not like they're giants. Why do they need their houses to be this big? And this much formality to meet with family? No wonder rich people get estranged.
They were escorted directly to the dining room. Keith stood outside with the rest of the staff.
I guess it's a family-only meeting.
|Entering task zone.|
Some were already inside. But fortunately, the king hadn't arrived yet. Reis contemplated greeting them, but didn't in the end because that felt unlike this character.
|Memory Synchronization: 62%|
The memory synchronization was an odd process. If it were up to Reis, he would call it soul synchronization instead. He wasn't learning the memories of this person. Memories didn't play in his mind when needed. Everything was already embedded in his mind.
Maybe because the synchronization was still incomplete, he could be fascinated by every other thing. Other than that, every act came to him naturally.
Would it be like 2 people sharing a body once the synchronization is complete, or will I lose some of my previous memories?
|Your existing qualities will remain. In addition, you'll gain the character's traits. It would then be easier for you to adjust.|
The long table had many empty seats, but it wasn't an option to take one of them.
He looked around and found his two older siblings sitting opposite each other, adjacent to the king's and queen's seats. The seats beside them were both empty.
Do I go to this side or that side?
|Either is fine.|
The seat next to the first prince was closer to he king, so he chose the other option. "Greetings, Elder Sister." He sat down next to Avena, the second princess. She narrowed her eyes.
Did I choose wrong?
"You're being awfully polite. Should I be worried?"
Reis blinked. SYSTEM?
|The memory isn't fully synced, so I cannot tell how he acted around his siblings.|
"You even wore those pins you detest. Are you alright, brother Ann?" Adonis, the youngest, questioned.
Reis took whatever the servants handed him. They should know this person's preferences, right?
But that didn't seem to be the case. "I woke up late, so I didn't pay attention," he answered.
"But still, you—"
"His majesty has arrived!" Thank goodness.
Reis finally came across a familiar face. Well, technically, he hadn't met the king before, but he had seen him from afar. The queen also looked familiar, but that was from the prince's memory.
The door closed again once they were seated. The king's gaze surveyed, landing on the empty seat. "Is he late again?"
The prince and princesses turned to him, followed by the king and queen. "Oh, you're here on time," the queen said with an oddly relieved smile.
The king hummed. "Then Lunive is late."
"She wandered off after getting here. She's probably somewhere on the second floor."
The queen called forth a servant and sent him to bring her over.
Reis silently watched everything.
Is it just me…or is the royal family of Vidalia a bit odd?
|I do not have any information on this matter.|
Soon enough, the fourth princess, Lunive, was brought over. "Am I late?"
Everyone looked at her with different expressions. "Sit down now, so we can start."
Once all the seats…at least the eight seats meant to be occupied, were taken, the door finally closed once more.
Everyone began eating at the same time.
The food is pretty good.
Silence presided for a while, letting Reis enjoy the food peacefully.
"Brother Ann, have you lost your voice?" The late princess questioned, setting down her cutlery with a sound, and looking at him curiously.
"Hmm?" Now what?
"I was wondering the same thing," the queen added, "Are you alright, Ann?"
"Avena thinks he's up to something," Ceron remarked. "I'm starting to think so, too."
Reis blinked, silently looking from one to another. A thought clicked in his mind, which made him turn to the system.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but am I right to assume this character was a major troublemaker?
|Memory Synchronization: 65%|
Reis couldn't even grumble properly. I just had to be matched with such a character.
|Personalities were taken into consideration when allocating roles. According to the data, your personality was a 90% match with this character. |
So you're saying I'm the problem?
|I'm saying you don't have to try too hard because you have similar characteristics.|
And what's the point of that? You–
"Ioannis, I don't know what grand plan you came up with this time," the king began to speak. "But it's futile trying to escape this time."
Escape?What is he trying to say?
"Your Majesty, I don't understand what you are saying," he said, trying to figure out the situation.
"I've seen enough of your schemes to not fall for it anymore."
This character was evil, wasn't he? Did he try to kill the king or his family previously? Ahh! Why must some characters run after power? How am I supposed to convince them now? If I'm considered a threat, it makes it complicated for me. Should I just leave now? Waiting to gain strength might be a bad idea.
|You're over-analyzing things.|
This much is necessary! If I'm later considered a threat to the crown prince, they might imprison me! It's better to leave on peaceful terms.
"I've listed out every escape route," The king continued. "You won't find a single gap this time or anytime in the future."
Oh no, I'm already criminalized? Is it a house arrest?
Reis was about to start pleading. Surely if he promised to leave for good, they'd let him go, right?
"This time, you can in no way escape from attending the banquet."
"I promise not to show my face in the Royal grounds ever again! Please have mercy!"
|...|
Wait…what did he say?
Everyone's expression changed almost instantly.
"I knew it," Avena muttered.
"Father, you should assign more guards to his palace," Ceron spoke in utmost seriousness.
"Father, if he gets to escape this time, I swear I won't attend any of the events from now on!" Lunive fumed.
"Or we could keep Brother Ann in our palace until the banquet, right, Lorcan?" The youngest chimed in.
What kind of sibling rivalry is this…
All this for a banquet? System?
|It appears that the prince has a long streak of running away from events.|
Was that really a big deal?
There was no time to analyze. The suggestions were getting out of hand.
"Wait!" He interrupted, "Of course I'll attend this. It's an important event…I was joking."
They all glanced at him suspiciously before continuing with their ideas on locking him up.
"Perhaps we should just keep him at the main palace until the ceremony," the queen suggested, "It'll be easier to keep an eye on him that way."
God no!
The king gestured for everyone to stop talking. "So, what will it be?" He asked, looking directly at Reis. "Will you listen, or do I need to lock you up in the palace?"
That's the opinion he picked up? What do I do now?
|Assure him.|
As if I don't know that! How??
"As much as I'd like to do that latter, it goes against my conscience to lock you up before such an important event." Thank goodness. "But I also assure you, I won't tolerate even a single attempt to escape from you. Until the banquet, you will be under surveillance. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Good. Adonis, Lorçan, Lunive, take him to your practice session tomorrow. He hasn't attended any until now, I presume?"
The eldest two nodded.
"It's decided then. Continue with your meals now."
Reis stared ahead in disbelief. How was he supposed to stomach the food now?