“Mom?” I said questioningly after opening the big door to the family room.

“Yes, Thane sweety?” Mom answered as I interrupted her conversation with Dad who sat right next to her on the sofa.

“Can I get a tour of the city for my birthday?” I asked full of acted-out enthusiasm.

(Look, I know where I am so I just swallow my pride and act out the innocent child that I should be for now. And to be honest, I feel like I am really good at it. Maybe even Oscar-worthy?)

Mom looked at Dad for a few moments after which I started worrying if I maybe said something strange. But my worries were quickly thwarted as Dad jumped up with a big smile on his face.

“Son, that is an amazing idea! You are so young and already thinking about the country you will one day inherit. I’m so proud of my boy!” He said while almost crying from joy.

Well, think whatever you want Father but you couldn’t be more wrong.

My Dad rushed out the door and I heard him call out for some guards to follow him right away. It was a funny sight to see him so full of energy about something he completely misunderstood. But I’m not complaining if I get what I want.

A few hours later I had returned to my room when Dad almost blew the door out of its hinges.

“Son! Tomorrow morning we will be touring the city and you will see all your subjects. I will send someone for you to get you ready for the trip.” And without giving me any time to reply he rushed off.

I seriously don’t understand how the writers of this game never gave that guy any personality. It might be easy for me to do things here but damn they really cut the budget on characters.

– Meanwhile

“Mom, Dad, Can we go to the riverbank along the main road tomorrow?” I wasn’t sure if this would work but Selene’s parents were, as far as I knew, very easy to give their daughter as much as they could.

They looked at each other. “Why is that hunny?” Mom asked as they looked a bit confused.

Shit, I didn’t think of a reason… uhm. Come on man, think of something.

It took me a moment until I thought of something random that should work.

“I want to learn how to swim!” I said all cheery. I was wearing a cute blue dress, which was the only dress I had and only wore inside and to special occasions. In my acted cheerfulness I was jumping around a bit to make the dress look even cuter and hopefully get my parents to agree.

“Why do you suddenly want to learn how to swim? you never had any interest in that sort of thing?”

For fuck sake Dad! Do I really need to come up with a 100% foolproof story to get me near the bridge towards the castle? I’m 5 almost 6 years old, kids my age usually don’t have ulterior motives! (right?)

Again, I needed a minute to come up with an answer but this time I had no clue what to say. It was hardly a good idea to say that Thane would be dropping by there. Nobody knew that yet. Thinking about the books I got from Dad I realized there was nothing about water in there either. We also lived too far from the river for me to have seen anyone swim there.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

Wait I got it!

“When Mom and I were at the market earlier, I heard some girls who wanted to swim in the river. I didn’t know you could swim there so I want to try it too.” I said as I tried to sound more and more uncertain and shy. Trying to make it look like I was thinking I was being a bother to my parents.

(But seriously, I have no clue what I am doing here. I am just a high school guy who had no interactions with girls at school or at a younger age. I’m just winging it with whatever comes to mind. What what you do?)

For some reason though, my acting seemed to work out in the end.

“Well, it certainly doesn’t hurt to teach you how to swim,” Dad said as he stood up. But first, we have to see if we can get you a swimsuit.

After a few minutes, it seemed my parents scraped enough money together to get me a swimsuit. But after seeing them search frantically to give me what I asked for, I started feeling bad for them. We were having a hard enough time to keep ourselves from starving and here I am almost demanding them to get me a swimsuit.

When they returned with a few copper coins, I looked down in guilt.

“I’m sorry Mom, Dad. I know we don’t have much. I shouldn’t have asked” I half meant it and half thought about the very important rule “Better to do and ask for forgiveness than not doing it at all.”

Dad dropped to his knees and pulled my chin up.

“Don’t worry Selene, you are way more important than anything else. Let's have some fun tomorrow.”

Suddenly I heard a loud noise. Almost like a notification sound?

Wait! No way! Was that?

In the corner of my vision, I saw something pop up.

> [Achievement unlocked: Mom and Dad’s little sweetheart ]

Wait a minute? How am I unlocking achievements now? Does this even do anything for me?

With my “will” with a lack of a better term, I tried to select the achievement and a small text popped up right in front of me.

> [

>

> Achievement: Mom and Dad’s Little Sweetheart

>

> Additional rewards: “Charm” has permanently increased by 5 points.

>

> ]

hu? What is charm? What does it do?

I opened up my status window, which worked exactly like it did with Thane, and selected the charm stat.

> [

>

> Name: Charm

>

> Description: This stat reflects the character's innate ability to captivate and influence others through charisma and charm. A high Charm stat enhances the character's social prowess, making them more persuasive and likable. Whether negotiating with NPCs, gaining favor in social situations, or attempting to sway the opinions of others, a higher Charm stat increases the likelihood of success. Characters with a high Charm stat may find it easier to form alliances, gather information, or avoid conflicts through their magnetic personality. Conversely, a low Charm stat may make social interactions more challenging, requiring the character to rely on alternative methods.

>

> ]

I don’t know about you but this seems to me like a very difficult stat to level up. BUT, it looks very useful as well.

“Selene!?” Mom suddenly called out with a raised voice and a face of concern.

Dad was still in front of me with the same concerned look. “Selene are you alright?”

Apparently, I have been zoning out completely after the notification sound, right in front of Dad.

“Yes, don’t worry. I am ok.” I put on some puppy eyes and saw my parents lighten up right away.

Damn, this charm skill is powerful.