[Luke POV]
“Lucas.”
A man called out to me, he had blonde hair and blue eyes just like all of my siblings… he was the first prince Athanasius Claudias Arthurias, my brother. He is 8 years older than me.
After the court adjourned I was invited to tea with my brother. We went to the gazebo behind the royal palace. Well, it looked more like a castle than a palace, the place where I lived for 12 years.
He stayed silent as the maids served our tea. Both Cynthia and Sir Rogers stayed where the servants and guards were ensuring that noone else could hear our conversation.
“How are you?” he asked me…
“... I am fine,” I answered awkwardly.
“No need to be nervous, I just came to have tea with you.”
I took a sip to calm myself.
“You know… it would not be hard to just give it up, Lucas.”
“...”
“It would be safer that way.”
He told me while looking towards the servants. He suddenly grinned.
“Interesting maid you have.”
I turned my gaze towards Cynthia, her face showed discontent towards the situation.
“Her mana is impressive in her own right. How about letting them serve the Kingsguard? Even that Knight of yours, I can tell he has a lot of mana.”
“No, I can’t do that. They are my family.”
My brother turned to look at me.
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“If you want to protect them, relinquish your city now. Come to my side, I will let you serve me as my aide, I will make sure to protect them too.”
“Brother?”
“I believe you, I know you don’t want the crown but…”
He paused as he looked at the tea he held. He showed a troubled expression.
“Did you know, my mother tried poisoning you when you were a child?”
“...”
“I was eight then, but I still remember it, Miss Sophia just died and that butler of yours… Sebas was it… he almost burned the castle.”
He put more sugar in his tea.
“Even 10 of the Kingsguards were not able to take him down, father needed to intervene. Surprisingly, he pardoned your butler. Ever since then, that person has protected you.
It is precisely the mercy of father that has prevented my mother from killing you all this time, but with father not here to protect you...”
“What’s your point?”
“My point is, my mother will not stop until you are dead.”
“And you will make sure she won’t if I join your faction?”
“Yes.”
“...”
“Please, I don’t want to hurt Iris.”
“How is she doing by the way?”
“I believe by now, a maid should be informing her that you’ve come.”
“I see…”
I laid down the tea I was drinking. And looked into his eyes.
“I can’t accept your proposal.”
I could see his eyes widen in shock.
“Lucas think this over—”
“Brother… I don’t want to be in this place.”
“What?”
“The moment you start killing one another…”
I paused…
My siblings… will start a civil war…
And in that civil war…
Only one will remain breathing…
“I don’t want to see my siblings kill each other.”
I’ve known these people for 12 years…
At first, I thought of them as mere characters in this story but…
“You are my family… Athanasius. As well as Gabriel, Alexander, Felix, and William.”
He looked at me as I kept speaking.
“I will not be involved with any of you as you start killing each other.”
These people… are my family.
“I created Neverwinter to protect me and my people.”
But most importantly…
“And to create a home for all of you.”
Devoid of the exhausting court politics of the capital.
“You’re a child Lucas,” he spoke.
“I am at the age where I can inherit already.” he shook his head at my answer.
“That was when you were just given a mere village. This is different.
Lucas, your city… Neverwinter, you made the court nobles realize how valuable it is. A city that grew so much in mere months, a city that allowed a safe passage between the empire and the kingdom, your city has become a gateway of wealth and power to the nobles.”
He looked towards me.
“They will do everything to take it from you and even I can’t do anything to stop that. Listen, Lucas, many nobles desire to have dwarves and elves develop their domains as well—”
“It’s a village.” I corrected my brother.
“What?”
“Neverwinter is a village.”
“Bullshit.”