Shaden was elated that morning.
From the moment he awoke, his mind was a buzz of emotions, unable to contain the excitement he was feeling. It wasn’t his birthday exactly, but it was one day before, and today would be when the other families began to arrive at Skotos to prepare for the celebration. They would be bringing gifts with them—food from afar, glittering pieces of jewelry, clothes made with the finest linen and yarn, and toys to ease his boredom. At least, he thought they would. It was common sense to receive gifts on birthdays.
Almost leaping in his steps, he went to Eilae’s room and knocked.
“Come in,” she said, so he headed inside.
She was wearing a black dress with thin patterns of silver in the shape of flowers, and one of the servants was braiding strands of her hair so she’d look more elegant. Eilae hadn’t braided her hair much during their travels; it took too long and was uncomfortable, according to her. But today was a special day.
“Shaden,” she greeted.
“Are you excited?” he asked, walking up to her with a smile. “Your family is coming today.”
“Perhaps.”
“I’m excited, and a little nervous.” He took a seat next to the older girl. “You said that they were strict people. I hope they won’t call me out for having bad manners.”
“I don’t think they would,” Eilae said. “The worlds we live in are different. In fact, they wouldn’t care if you had bad manners unless you ate food with your hands and smudged it all over your face.”
“So I’m safe?”
“Yes.”
“That’s good.” He just hoped they wouldn’t look at him weirdly. More often than not, he had been called unnatural during his trip around the continent.
“Are you not going to prepare too?” she asked, looking at him, though her head didn’t turn. “You must get dressed, and your hair is a mess.”
“Hey, this is style,” he smiled, touching his hair.
“It would be better to leave a clean impression than a messy one.”
“But there’s something cool about the messiness, right? It adds to the mysteriousness, and the presence, and a little bit of intimidation—”
“You are the least intimidating person I’ve met,” Eilae smiled, covering her lips with one hand, holding her long, loose sleeves so they wouldn’t fall down. “But I’d say neatness is more intimidating than messiness.”
“Maybe. But I really don’t want to wax my hair down with that black, oily stuff,” he sighed. “It gets everywhere before it dries. I wish I had long hair too. You only have to make it silky, right?”
“And the braids, and the combing, and the strand ends, and the curls, and the washing.”
“Right. Sorry.”
She shrugged. “If you feel uncomfortable, it is your choice to keep your hair the way it is. It’s not horrible. It will suffice.”
“Yep. I’ll keep it this way.”
They chat some more while the servants finalized Eilae’s attire for the day. She got up and viewed herself in the mirror afterwards, doing a twirl that made her dress rise and flutter back down. While Shaden thought that she looked beautiful, he didn’t understand why she’d put makeup on her face.
“Everyone puts makeup on,” she told him. “This is nothing.”
“Children don’t put on makeup, right? You usually don’t.”
“After ten, we do. Of course, I learned it before.”
“Guess this is what they mean by a difference in cultures.”
Eilae tilted her head. “What do you mean? Almost all noble families in the continent use makeup. It is a show of status and beauty—there is no reason not to use it. Some powders are good for the skin.”
Shaden hadn’t needed any lotions or makeup yet. His skin was healthy. Would he need them when he hit puberty? He hoped not.
“Well, you look great,” he commented. At least it wasn’t that strong—just a blush here and a line there. The light red that surrounded the eyes made her look...different. Magical.
“Thank you,” she said with a curtsey. Shaden scratched his cheek. Being treated like this made him feel uncomfortable.
“Enough with the manners,” he said, beckoning to her. “Let’s go watch from the higher windows and see if they’re coming. We can ask the servants to bring food up.”
“My dress will become wrinkly.”
“Oh. Yeah.”
“But I suppose I can go carefully.”
“I’ll smoothen it with magic if it becomes too bad,” he offered.
“How kind of you.”
As they walked down the halls and up the stairs, Shaden knew that there was something different about Eilae. Not just her appearance, but her attitude as well. Because her family was coming, she was slowly distancing herself from him, restricting the informality that Shaden had managed to build during the two years they’d spent together. Even the way she walked was different—slower, gentler, and stiffer.
He wanted to tell her to stop, to be more like friends, but her family would want her to stay that way.
But it doesn’t matter right now, does it?
Once they sat down beside one of the windows that overlooked the bridge to the castle, Shaden clamped his hands together in front of him and looked at Eilae. She looked back, blinking.
“What is it?” she asked. “Do I have something on my face?”
“No,” he replied. “Eilae. We’re friends, aren’t we?”
“If you would consider our relationship as such.”
“No.” Shaden clenched his jaw. “I want to know what you think. Do you consider us as friends?”
Before she spoke, he raised a hand. “With honesty, please. We’re just kids. I don’t understand any of this political stuff, but I want to hear your true feelings.”
She blinked, then smiled. “Of course I think we are friends.”
“Then you don’t need to distance yourself like that.”
“I’m practicing.”
She looked out of the window, and her eyes seemed to reach the clouds. “What would people think if I acted carelessly to you? Your authority would be undermined.” She turned to look into his eyes. “People don’t think that well of you, Shaden. When I was first told to come here, they talked like you were a fake—a gullible individual. One without the ambience of Skotos, an imposter that the Elder had picked up to ease his responsibilities.”
“Because my father ran away.”
She nodded. “Reports of your feats are sure to have reached their ears, but if they see me treating you like a friend, what would they think? If I treat you with respect, they would be more careful around you.”
“Do you mean your parents?”
She shook her head. “Such things were never said explicitly. You learn to infer and read between the lines, growing up in a place like that.”
Shaden stared at her. “You don’t have to act that way when it’s just the two of us.”
“And so I haven’t for the most part. But mistakes are bound to happen if I don’t practice.” She sighed. “You should be more worried. The world isn’t as kind as you’d think.”
“We’re children.”
“It’s never too late to prepare. The earlier you learn, the better you will become.”
“Will it even matter for me? I’m the heir, right? Won’t they respect that?”
“I don’t doubt that they will listen. But adults have a way with words. They make you feel pathetic even when they’re encouraging you. I’ve seen many adults lose their temper after my siblings had complimented them.”
Her head sagged a little. “Two years, Shaden. Two years. I’ve been uneducated for too long.”
“You’re afraid.”
“You are horrible at reading people, do you know that? Yes, I’m afraid. I’ve enjoyed irresponsibility for too long. I’m scared that I won’t be able to adjust again. The mind games, the memorizing, the strict manners, the debates—they are so foreign to me now.”
Her old life. She’d told him about it. She’d always looked happy when she mentioned her past, as if recollecting a good memory.
It was haunting her now. And there wasn’t much he could do about it. She’d leave with her family after his birthday, but if he was lucky—
“If your family is picked as the first for my training, I’ll help you.”
“See? You’re too kind. If I said this around my family, they would mock me for not striving to improve. But it would be nice,” she added, “having you while I adjusted.”
“It’s apparently drawing lots, right?” he said, remembering what his grandfather had told him. “I might be able to manipulate the results.”
“Really?”
“I can try if you’re okay with it.”
“I’d be glad if you could.”
The conversation switched to smaller things, like the food she’d eat when she returned and how tomorrow would play out, mostly theories. Whether or not he’d have to fight another ‘Hairy’ again, he wasn’t sure. Eilae shuddered from remembering her experience, and they giggled.
It hadn’t even become noon when his eyes spotted a group arriving beyond the fog.
“I think your family is here,” he observed, spotting the familiar black attire and silver hair that gleamed under the light. “Why does everyone in your family wear black?” he asked.
“We don’t always,” she pouted, crossing her arms. “We rarely do wear black. Only when coming here do we wear black. I miss my colorful dresses.”
“I mean...you could have asked while we were traveling.”
“It doesn’t matter. Black has its charms too.”
“Well, it goes well with the silver hair.”
“Thank you.”
Shaden reached out and patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t stress too much. They’re your family, aren’t they? They’ll understand. Besides, you talked about how knowing me would give you power.”
She nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Then let’s go greet them.”
As fast as they could go without Eilae’s dress being stepped on, they descended the castle and made their way towards the gates that were opening to let the visitors in. The masked servants had already lined the sides, waiting.
“There were a lot of people,” Shaden told Eilae, who was straightening her dress and back. “How many siblings did you have?”
“Five, last time I remember,” she said. “Three brothers and two sisters.”
“Wow.”
“Many children are necessary to form alliances,” she reasoned, “and family is the closest ally you will have.”
They were all on foot, he realized, as they neared the bridge and made their way across it. All of them were walking with a demeanor of grace and calm elegance, not uttering a single word as they confidently strode towards the castle. At the forefront of the group was a handsome man with a cleanly shaved face, eyes as blue as ice, deep wrinkles that told of experience.
The head of the family, Shaden guessed.
Not all of them were silver-haired. Out of the group, the woman next to the man had light blonde hair, as well as the younger man behind them and a small girl whose posture wasn’t so perfect. She was holding the hand of her younger brother, who waddled his way with his short legs.
“They’ve grown so much,” Eilae whispered, her eyes fastened to her family. “They were only children.”
They’re still children, Shaden wanted to say, but decided not to. Something about the family made him watch himself before he did anything.
Was he intimidated? Maybe. While he couldn’t see the faces of the older woman and the taller girl who wore large hats that covered their heads, everyone else he could see was astonishingly beautiful, like a family of celebrities. Chiseled jaws, skin smooth like porcelain, eyes like diamonds, honed body features—stunning, every single one of them. And their makeup too; Eilae had been correct to say that it was used to display status and wealth.
Shaden looked over his own body. Suddenly, he didn’t feel so sure about his attire anymore. Maybe he should have done what Eilae had suggested because his confidence had taken a solid punch.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Oh well. He was handsome. And he was cool. Probably.
Eilae was the first to curtsey, and her father nodded back. His cool eyes shot Shaden a glance before he spoke.
“Eilae. It has been two years.”
“Yes, Father.”
“I am glad to see that you are in good health,” he went on, stopping in front of them. Likewise, everyone else followed.
“And you as well, Father,” Eilae replied, then looked at Shaden. “Shaden, this is my father, Esel Veurbois, head of the Veurbois. Father, this is Shaden, heir of the Limens.”
“The heir,” the stern man bowed, placing an arm in front of him while slightly leaning forward. “May your path be long and narrow.”
It came to Shaden as a surprise, but he bowed in turn. Wasn’t it usually the lower-ranked person who gave their greetings first? Had Eilae inferred that he was of higher rank than her father? Nonetheless, he returned the greeting.
“And yours as well,” he said, doing what he’d been taught. He could feel his heart thumping. When he looked up, his eyes met the man’s—and for what felt like thirty seconds to him, kept contact.
It was actually less than two seconds. Shaden could feel the thin layer of mana that floated around the man. Some of its narrow tendrils attempted to latch on to him—especially his head—and if his tension hadn’t been so up, he probably wouldn’t have felt them. When he circulated his mana reflexively, the tendrils shrank and vanished into the man.
And it all happened within a second.
“You are like the rumors say,” the man said, looking beyond him. “Or is he more?”
“He is my grandson,” said a voice behind Shaden. He knew whose it was.
His grandfather came beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. “Esel, my old friend.”
“Granor, my irreplaceable comrade. It has been a while.”
“So it has. Come, let’s talk over a cup of wine. You must be tired.”
“So I am.” The man looked at Shaden with his sapphire eyes that seemed to glow. “I look forward to your fortunes,” he told him, then proceeded to walk off with his grandfather. They seemed to be on good terms.
Meanwhile, Shaden was left with the others of the family, standing there nervously unsure of what to do. Thankfully, Eilae made the first move.
“Mother!” she said, jumping on the taller woman with a smile. “I’ve missed you.”
“So have I, Eilae. Have they been treating you well?”
“Splendidly, mother,” she answered, to Shaden’s relief. Her brothers were looking at him now, and their tall builds and cold faces didn’t do anything to ease his heart. This was a family moment, so he decided that he should stay away to let her reconnect.
“I’ll leave you with your family then,” he told Eilae, itching to vanish. She looked back at him and nodded. With a smile, he enveloped himself in magic and melted away into the background. The children seemed to be surprised as they watched him fade away from their eyes, and he saw them cling more tightly to each other.
Sheesh, I’m not trying to be scary, he thought.
After a few seconds of waiting to make sure that Eilae would fit in properly, he was about to leave when they started talking about him as the servants led them inside.
“Why did Father have to greet him first?” said the slightly shorter man with silver hair. He had a young voice, and Shaden guessed that he was in his early twenties. “He’s a child. The heir, but he doesn’t hold any authority yet.”
I thought the same thing, Shaden sighed.
“Father knows what he is doing,” the older man replied, likely the eldest son. He was older, but young enough to look around his mid to late twenties. Like his mother, he had golden hair instead of silver, neatly waxed down. “He failed to read the boy.”
“Father? Failed? I’m sure he wasn’t trying.”
“No, but he didn’t succeed. It’s as the informants said. He isn’t normal.”
“For all you know, he could be listening to you now,” Eilae told them, still holding on to her mother’s arm. She looked around as if trying to find him. Shaden felt a tinge of childish guilt.
“So he can, if he wants,” the younger man said, stepping closer to her. “I haven’t said anything wrong.”
“Your mouth will be the end of you,” the blonde man chuckled. “But I’m sure the heir wouldn’t be too rude as to eavesdrop on a conversation between family.”
Shaden took that as the cue to leave. Goodness, he wasn’t good with strangers at all. He’d rarely been the one to initiate conversations, and while he was okay when it was a one-on-one thing, against a whole family? All he could do was stand around awkwardly and try not to mess up.
He’d thought about using his childish charms, but the Veurbois were something else. He knew that they’d look at him with judging eyes if he ever tried to act immature. And what was the deal with them thinking that he was unordinary? He didn’t think that he was that special.
He returned to the window that he’d looked out from with Eilae and sat down. After contemplating for a bit, he decided not to go out and meet the other families that would come. It felt awkward. If the other families were all so elegant like the Veurbois, this celebration would become a lot more uncomfortable than he would have thought.
A servant came to pick him up for lunch before anyone else came. Instead of eating with his grandfather and Eilae’s family, he ate with his own in a smaller room near the place they were staying in. He was sure they felt out of place too, just like him. Rother seemed to be enjoying his time, sparring with a wooden doll, but Melany had cried once saying that the castle was too depressing. He’d managed to calm her down by giving her a tour around the place, but her discomfort remained.
“Eilae’s family is here, aren’t they?” his mother asked. “It would be nice if I could meet them.”
“They felt like scary people,” Shaden said, chewing. “You’ll see them tomorrow.”
“Mhm.”
He couldn’t help but feel the difference in their statuses. They weren’t nobles. Would they mix well?
He really needed to learn how to socialize.
This time, he took Melany with him to the upper floors to watch from the windows together. He’d even found toys for Melany by asking a servant—an expensive-looking doll and a small tea set for children, as well as a cozy carpet. He humored her by joining her tea-party. His mom had been introduced to the world of expensive clothing, so there was that. She was more than happy to let Shaden take care of Melany while she chose the clothes that suit her.
When he heard noise, Melany was sleeping on the carpet with Shidey next to her. He took a peek outside.
They were a group of tan-skinned people. They were led by a man with a retreating hairline, whose black, ample beard didn’t exactly match his fading hair. They were dressed in colorful robes, mixes of orange, turquoise, yellow, and white lines that ran through the clothing, with patterns of various designs sewed with gold. Jewelry hung on their ears and arms and fingers.
But it wasn’t their race nor their splendor that surprised him.
Each member of the family was accompanied by an animal. A great, spotted feline with slender legs and a long, thin tail walked next to the man. The woman behind him had a long, brown snake coiled around her neck and limbs like a scarf while her sister (they looked similar) carried a red-yellow lizard on her shoulder. The man behind them (he looked relatively young) wore a fluffy cat as a hat while the youngest girl out of them carried a large bird on her slender arm.
The Jakhar Kishaks. Animal tamers, he remembered. Their power lay in their meticulous control over beasts. The techniques Lytha had learned from them had come in handy in their travels, since she could command the horse to move towards their destination while they slept. It would be something he would learn too.
Now, this was better. But he still didn’t want to go down and meet them face-to-face. Instead, he continued to watch until the woman with the serpent spotted him. Then he waved with the biggest smile he could make.
He was relieved when she smiled back and waved, her snake raising its head as well. The others saw him too, and they all began to wave. Even the man noticed him and raised a hand from his staff, probably a gesture of acknowledgment.
They entered the castle guided by the servants, and Shaden couldn’t stop himself from smiling. He liked animals, and he liked friendly people. They were all older than him too, and judging by their responses, were kind-hearted. The man especially looked like a cozy grandpa who’d do something goofy to make his grandchildren laugh. He wanted to go downstairs and say hello, but Melany was still sleeping. Well, he’d have plenty of time later. He went to the carpet and pet Shidey.
Would she become friends with the other cat they’d brought? That sounded fun. He wondered how the cats would react to each other.
Giggling, he lay down next to his sister and fell asleep before he knew it.
⤙ ◯ ⤚
Something painful was biting his cheeks. It didn’t feel like teeth. Groaning, he opened his eyes.
“Wake up!” Melany squealed, squeezing harder. “Wake up, wake up!”
“Ow. Ow!”
Trying hard not to push the girl away, he forced her hands away from his cheeks. He let out a cry when she jumped off from his stomach, falling on the floor. Then she started bawling her eyes out.
Oh, gosh. What have I done?
Blinking the grogginess from his eyes away, he went to Melany and hugged her, patting her on the back. Then he spotted the masked servant in the doorway.
“Oh. How long have I slept? Is it time for dinner?”
The servant nodded. Still patting Melany’s back, he got up.
“Sorry, sorry,” he apologized to his sister, wondering what he’d done wrong. “If you stop crying, I’ll give you something sweet.”
She looked at him with her teary eyes and sniffed. Then she nodded. Shaden wished that Rother was there since his brother was so much better at taking care of their sister than him. Their father was the best at it, but he hadn’t arrived yet. He’d come tonight, wouldn’t he?
Giving his sister a piggy-back ride, he followed the servant down the stairs. Shidey had disappeared somewhere, but the cat would always find a way to them.
“Did the other families arrive?” he asked the servant, who replied by raising one finger.
“One? Was it the Nieuts?”
The servant shook his head.
“The Seines?”
The servant nodded.
He didn’t know much about the Seine family. They were from Melern, just like him, and were a small noble household that had ties to the royal family. They had their hands deep in infiltration and subterfuge, and even Eilae had known little about them.
He hoped to see them, but their description had worried him. Out of all the families, they had sounded the shadiest. He wasn’t one to speak, being a Limen, but still.
Like before, he ate his meal with his family and was surprised to see that his father had arrived.
“It’s been over ten years since I’ve come here,” he breathed, “and nothing has changed. How is the place?”
“Okay. It’s weird, but they have some cool equipment,” Rother said, munching on his food. “They have dummies that move like real people. I even got a sturdy sword.”
“Have you met Grandpa yet?” Shaden asked, glancing at his father. “Oh, and most of the families are here. Do you know them?”
“Yes, I talked with him. And no, I left before I had the chance to meet the others.” Garthan put on a weak smile. “My talents were more in sword-fighting than all of the things here.”
Shaden decided not to pursue the matter. His father had run away, and it was a past that was sure to have made him uncomfortable, even now. How would he be feeling, being back? Proud of him? Agonized? Disappointed? Worried?
By becoming the heir, Shaden knew that there were bound to be people who would criticize his father for throwing the responsibility to his son—even if he didn’t know what that responsibility was.
“Don’t worry, Dad,” Shaden said when his father asked him how he was feeling. “You know how incredible I am. I might be the next Saiton.”
“I’m sorry there wasn’t much I could do,” he told him, embracing him in a hug. “But if you want to run away, I’ll do my best to help you.”
“Grandpa told me I could quit if I wanted to.”
“He did?” His father had a sad look in his eyes. “He told me the same thing before.”
“Do you hate him?”
“I couldn’t hate him. I made my mistakes, he made his. I chose freedom, and he chose to let me go.”
Garthan gave him a pat. “You’re too young for complicated, broken relationships. Learn, Shaden. I pray that you won’t regret your choice.”
“I think it sounds fun.”
“So be it!”
It was weird learning about his father’s past. He’d always been a reliable figure to him, which he still was, but Shaden had learned about his cracks and dents. It was truly, truly strange.
What would happen if others were to learn of...him? If his family learned that he was, in fact, Demund inside of Shaden’s body, how would they feel?
He decided not to think about it.
The moon was bright that day, and Rother and Garthan sparred against each other in the spacious courtyard overlooking the endless chasm. Shaden enjoyed watching them fight. The way they swung their swords, the coordination of their bodies—it was something he could imitate, but never fully copy. He’d never learned to fight for long periods of time, after all. Come to think of it, when had been the last time since someone had instructed him about circulation and breathing techniques? He was only doing the basics, wasn’t he? Instructor Reedock had promised to teach him more advanced versions once he became eight, but that was out of reach now.
He wondered what Mistilia would be doing. She’d love the sight of the clear moon.
It wasn’t very long before he felt other people’s presence in the castle, close to the windows. He looked around and found their silhouettes in the dark, looking at them. Silently, he let himself blend in with the shadows and went to listen to what they had to say.
He saw the blonde Veurbois man with his younger brother watching the duel.
“—an outsider. Is the Limen line finished? They have lost their order,” said the younger man.
“You judge things too quickly, Lan.”
“But brother, this is different from the tales we’d heard as children. Look at them using...swords.”
Well, Shaden didn’t want to listen to them. He left the area and searched the other floors for people. He was mostly interested in finding the Seines since he hadn’t seen them yet.
He found the Jakhar Kishaks instead, at least two of them. It was the man with the cat on his head and the youngest teenager with the bird, now on her shoulder.
“Proody tells me there’s another cat nearby,” the man said, stroking his cat’s brown fur. “She smells its scent.”
“Is the cat in heat again?” the girl said with a yawn. “I hope the cat’s not in heat again. We have too many kittens at home.”
“The more the merrier.”
“Yes, until they start to rip all of your clothing and furniture.”
“Less than Shan, I bet.”
“You can’t mean that, Eshon. At least my bond brings prey back home to account for the costs. Your cats do nothing but sleep.”
“They are the peacekeepers of the world, my dear sister. You get into an argument? With a cat, the argument is softened. You had a bad day? A cat makes it better. Need a friend? A cat. Feeling cute? A cat. Pests? Cats.”
“My bond can catch pests too.”
“Yes, but it flies around everywhere, hitting everyone with its wings.”
“I’d say your cats shed far more—”
While the conversation was interesting, Shaden decided that there was nothing more for him to hear and began his search once more. Along the way, he passed by his grandfather’s office room and took a peek inside.
Three people were talking, his grandfather included. Keeping his stealth active, Shaden snuck in and neared the adults silently. His grandfather made no signs of noticing, which made him giddy inside. He was using more mana than usual on the technique, after all.
Only when he was around five steps away from his grandfather did he turn to look at him. His eyebrows rose slightly.
“Shaden, I didn’t notice,” he said, raising a hand. “What brings you here?”
Undoing his stealth, Shaden hopped towards his grandfather and stood in front of him. “Was my technique good?” he asked with a grin.
“Very. How you’ve grown!” his grandfather chuckled, putting a hand on his head. It made Shaden happy, being praised. Sometimes, he wanted to show off a little—especially in front of strangers.
The two men his grandfather had been talking to were looking at him, their faces blank. He sensed something peculiar from them. Was it magic? It was too subtle to be called a spell.
“This is my grandson, Shaden,” his grandfather told the two men, who nodded.
“Pleasure to meet you,” the older man said. “My lord seems to be pleased with the child.”
“So I am. Shaden, they are from Melern, like you.”
“The Seines?”
“Yes.”
“Good to meet you too,” Shaden replied. He’d forgotten to give the proper greeting, but the men didn’t seem to mind. Nobles, he assumed by his knowledge and the clothes they wore, but they looked more like farmers dressed in fancy garb. Unlike the Veurbois, they gave off a comfortable atmosphere, and their speech matched their posture.
“So, as I was saying,” the older man went on (Shaden guessed that he was the head), “my son’s marriage partner. I am at a loss. He does not know who to choose.”
“Father, I would have chosen long ago if your preferences hadn’t been so picky,” the younger man sighed. “One girl has too much wealth, another has too little.”
“Your taste in women causes my wrinkles to deepen. Choose someone like your mother.”
“Mother was a commoner.”
“A smart commoner.”
“I know of some people from the Tower of Magic.”
“Too dangerous.”
The younger man frowned.
“I, uh, will be going,” Shaden told his grandfather, who smiled. Donning himself with magic once more, he left the room, his image of the mysterious Seines shattered.
Though it was strange. They had been talking about something else before. He hadn’t heard it clearly, but he’d caught the words ‘rats’ and ‘north.’ Maybe it had something to do with marriage? He wasn’t great when it came to the culture of the nobility.
Well, now he’d met them all except the Nieuts.
The Nieuts lived far to the north, in the country of Bughast. Being the only human nation in a land full of beasts and beastmen, their government was military-based, with the Nieuts being one of the nobility supporting the country’s survival. There was a reason why they were taking the longest.
Come to think of it...Rother had been to Bughast too. The Sword of Ice and Cold he’d trained in had their headquarters in the north.
He was growing tired. Too much excitement and uneasiness around strangers was wearing him down. Usually, he would have headed to the room where his mother and siblings were, but tomorrow was the big day.
Just then, a servant appeared before him.
“Do I need to prepare? Already?” Shaden asked, and the servant nodded. He sighed.
The day of change was imminent now.