Sol opened the door expecting Mirin, but it was not her.
A woman with red hair and silver eyes came to his sight, her stark presence filling him with a sense of awe. A common phenomenon among the best royal members.
The visitor was Seraphina. The 3rd child of the Emperor.
Sol observed the princess, feeling a profound emotion. Red hair, violent temper, fire abilities—she was basically an arechetype often seen in anime. It was just that Seraphina was anything but a simple explosive woman. In fact, she was the opposite.
She was surgical. She was a schemer.
"Seraphina," he said, acting calm. "It's not like you to visit me."
Seraphina didn't smile. "Not like me? What do you know about me?"
Sol was stumped for a second.
Seraphina stared at him without emotion. "Your mother's crimes are unforgivable this time. I don't know what she did in the Volcan plains exactly, but it is said to be treason," she said plainly. "You know the consequences of treason, right?"
Sol managed a soulless chuckle, shaking his head. "Of course I do." Eradication of the entire bloodline was the norm.
Damn royals from ancient history. This is crazy!
Seraphina did not care about his thoughts. "It's good that you understand. Treason is punishable by the death of one's whole lineage, and there is no going around it. You will die. Do you know why I am here?"
He frowned. "I do not."
"I am here to seal your Sculptic Gift. We don't want to see a dead man's vengeance happening, you see?"
Sol's expression hardened.
Sculptic Gifts!
This was the source of all magical powers in this world. And he, as the seventh prince of Hailsworth, also had a Sculptic Gift!
"What if I won't allow you to seal me?" he asked, more a question than a challenge.
Her eyes burned with fire. "Are you going to resist?" she asked. "Then we can quicken your execution. I doubt Father would find it too abhorrent if his daughter was the one to do it."
He didn't reply.
That would be going against the Emperor.
Would she really dare?
A long moment passed. As he looked at her, Sol's flesh hand morphed into a sharp blade.
It was not that he wanted to fight her, it was just that Sol truly did not want his Gift to be sealed.
Seraphina smiled. The clothes beside them, neatly arranged, burst into flames.
"You are no match for me," she warned. "And I don't want to spill family blood."
Sol did not relent.
"I can swear an Oath by the power of the First Brother not to use my power for vengeance," he said calmly. "But I will not accept a seal."
This time, Seraphina's expression became cold.
Sol already knew she wouldn't want that. After all, the First Brother always tampered with the Contract to make it beneficial for him in some way or the other. It was clear that she had come here so early to avoid just such a thing from happeningl.
She didn't want Sol to become another hand in her enemy's palm.
"You overestimate yourself," she said, looking at his trembling hand.
Sol sweated, feeling the strain of using his Gift. He had used his Sculpted Gift by imagination alone and it felt tingly to experience such magical power. But he did not have actual training experience other than the memories from the dead prince.
Even though their memories had become one, there was still some training needed before he fully reached the dead prince's prime. And thus, he was sure he could not use much of his power at all. And even if he could use his full power, he wouldn't be a match for Seraphina.
After all, she was a Stage 3 Gifted and he was a mere Stage 1.
He just did not want to give up without a fight.
She took a step forward.
Sol's muscles became taut.
She thought it was an impossible battle, but Sol knew he had one advantage: this fight was not hopeless.
A Gifted's battle wasn't as simple as who was of the Higher Rank, if you didn't know what your opponent's Gift was, you were going to be taken by surprise.
No one other than the Emperor knew what Sol's actual Sculpted Gift was. Most people thought it was Body Morphing, but it was far, far, from that.
And he didn't want such a power to be sealed!
He wanted to use it in the simulations to come!
Just as the tension reached a fever pitch, a calm voice spoke: "Seraphina, Sol, put down your blades."
Seraphina froze.
At some point, a hand rested above her shoulder.
A cold dread spread into her soul. She turned stiffly to see a smiling face.
"First Brother…"
HOW? Isn't he busy with the mess Father left behind?
The man smiled. "I was busy, you see, but Sol's little servant came begging. She wanted me to come and sign a contract with little Sol."
From behind him, Mirin slowly caught up running, sweating, wheezing for breath.
She sighed in relief seeing Sol.
Sol grinned, his shoulders slumping in relief. First Brother smiled.
Seraphina sweated.
And what happened afterwards was no surprise. First Brother used his Sculptic Gift of Oaths and Sol was forced to vow three things.
He would not defy the Hailsworth Laws. He would not try to find loopholes in the laws to escape or enact vengeance. He would help the First Brother do one thing if he is ever lacking human resources, as long as the one thing doesn't go against his own benefits.
All oaths will be valid until the day the Emperor returns.
Defy it—die.
Closing the door to his room after letting in a tired Mirin, Sol looked at the backs of the two receding figures. They did not even look back, their shadows stretching deep into his room.
How scary.
Above their heads were flickering golden lights—iIt was a pity that he could not touch them to learn what those lights represented. He then turned to look at Mirin, her face wrenched with worry, her hand tightly holding onto his shirt.
On the top of her head was also a golden light.
[White Life Shard]
[Kiss her]
And there goes my first kiss.
Sol unceremoniously leaned down and placed a peck on her lips.
He didn't go further, not wanting to shake the already shaken girl. But even the softness of a peck on her lips lingered in his mind, unwilling to leave.
Mirin stood rooted to her place.
Sol subconsciously ended up smiling and walked to the windows.
He looked far at the evening sun.
Heh!
A passing wind made his clothes drift.
[White Life Shard collected.]
He muttered in his mind, full of excitement at both the kiss and what was about to happen.
It was time to start the simulation!
Mirin recovered from her shock after a long time and came to sit beside him. Both of them stared at the skies, their hands subconsciously interlinked.
Sol was finally calm.
INITIATE A SIMULATION!
[One White Life Shard consumed]