True Royalty

As Prince Kaito and I formally created a bond between us, the dining hall door behind us slammed open. We turned around and noticed Anojin with an evil smirk on his face.

He chuckled proudly, “Hey, Prince… I heard about your little secret.”

Oh crap! Our hearts sank to the floor. Out of everybody, Anojin was the worst person to listen to our conversation. The bulk of scraps had already called me by my name. However, I was more worried about Prince Kaito.

Anojin already had an issue with the prince involving the girls, for some strange reason. Now that he had ammunition to fire back, who knew what he was plotting?

“Anojin, don’t do anything stupid,” I suggested, lowering my hands as a gesture.

“I won’t do anything, as long as he apologizes for trying to flirt with Amada.”

Kaito awkwardly turned his head to me and covered his face as he whispered, “Is he like this normally?”

“…You don’t want to know.” I sluggishly replied.

Kaito focused back on Anojin, trying to plead with him in a kind manner. “Mr. Anojin, I apologize for any confusion you have. I can assure you-”

“You think I’m confused? Are you calling me stupid?!”

Once again, the crusader refused to listen to reason. The prince refused to start an unnecessary argument. So, I stepped in between them, rushing Anojin. “Listen, you wannabe crusader, let that go already!”

“You want to be next, fake hero?” threatened Anojin. He pressed his chest against me, trying to show dominance. “I can expose you after I expose the prince!”

“Oh, really?”

The door shortly closed behind Anojin. Tension quickly rose outside the dining hall. However, it was dissipated by a distant, mysterious voice behind us.

…

“Expose the prince? I’m highly interested in your accusation against the prince.”

The monotonous voice spoke with sheer authority. The hallway grew silent. Only the marching of the mysterious man broke the silence.

With every step inching closer to us, an immense aura suffocated the air around us. The pressure of the air forced our childish fight to cease, shifting our attention. Breathing became harder to accomplish.

I glanced at Anojin’s expression. His puzzled gaze towards the mysterious man piqued my interest.

Prince Kaito remained calm as he happily grinned at the man. However, his forced smile only concealed his actual reaction. His face showed a worried expression as if he had felt this pressure numerous times before. My curiosity only grew. Who was that person?

I carefully turned my body around, awaiting the reveal. Given from his presence, he must be strong… stronger than Astra of the demon king’s army. If we were to fight at this moment, I don’t know if I would have stood a chance.

The sound of the man’s dress shoes halted once he approached us.

Kaito gladly spoke, welcoming the man. “Hello, older brother.”

“Hello again, Kaito. Welcome back. Did you forget you mustn’t call me that when there are guests present?”

“Apologies… King Endo.”

King?! Like the real king of Stalu, Endo Rissigala? While I faced the tall figure, my body froze in fear.

The king’s presence matched his personality, serious and intense. Though he had his two servants following him, his appearance separated him from the pack.

His vast gold cape, coated with white fur, stretched barely over his ankles. It featured a section of crimson fabric sewn in the form of a badge on the upper body, which was adorned with many stylish gold jewelry pieces. His white suit, accessorized with a gold tie, blended well with his cape.

The king didn’t wear his crown to show his slicked-back brown hair and spotless face. His elegant appearance highlighted his importance and power.

Kind Endo glared at Anojin and me curiously, inspecting our physiques. “Kaito, who are these people you have brought to our home?” He spoke with a threatening tone, showing no empathy.

“Oh, this is Mr. Satori and his accomplice.”

The king remained silent as he took in what his brother had said, his gaze focused solely on me. I could not handle his intimidation. He was so serious, like having a poker face. Not even a slight smile on his face.

But that’s to be expected. Someone as high in power as the King shouldn’t show any sign of weakness… only his strength.

“I see… The hero of Doppolia, Mr. Satori…” The king murmured to himself.

The silence eventually ended as the king replied, “Mr. Satori, welcome back. Sorry if I didn’t recognize you right away.” He quickly inspected my body. “Your current strength doesn’t live up to the stories.”

His words felt threatening, as if he were purposely insulting my image. I jokingly chuckled, trying to ease any tension in the air, “Yeah, after coming back, I was told I suffered amnesia.”

“I see. So then,” the king averted his attention to the irritated Anojin. “Accomplice of Mr. Satori, you mentioned earlier about exposing my younger brother...”

Endo slightly lifted his head as his stare deepened, showing his dominance. “…Care to clarify?”

Anojin strongly responded, showing no fear towards royalty. “Oh yeah. The prince and Mr. Satori, here, are both frau- ”

“Fraught. We were worried that you would not show up for the dinner.” I interrupted Anojin as I covered his mouth with my hands. Anojin desperately swarmed around, trying to force me to remove my hands.

King Endo quietly remained silent for a moment.

Crap! This looked so suspicious! I had no choice but to cover his mouth. If I didn’t, he was going to expose us! Hopefully, the king wouldn’t think too hard about that.

“I see. Unfortunately, my training took longer than usual.” The king calmly explained.

Despite training, his face looked unharmed. What kind of training did King Endo complete? His hands were in his pockets so that I couldn’t see the progress of his training. He went on, “Nonetheless, I’m here now.”

Kaito kindly suggested, trying to change the subject. “Great, then let’s all head inside. I’m sure Kiriko will be pleased to see you.”

Kaito, Anojin, and I respectfully moved out of the way for the king to enter.

…

As the king strolled past us, Anojin calmed down. Once I felt no hostility from the crusader, I lowered my hand.

Witnessing the king walk away from me sparked something inside. It was a reminder… but of what? I grew so comfortable around Kaito that I forgot about my true purpose. I quickly recalled my goal and the reason why I wanted to enter the royal mansion. I needed to find the Tri-Carver!

If someone were to know its whereabouts, it would be the king. I needed to grab his attention before he entered the dining hall.

My body still felt weak, but gazing at his presence from behind gave me a sense of strength. Perhaps it was Mr. Satori who gave me the confidence to reclaim what is mine.

Endo was steps away from the door, so it was all or nothing. So, with nothing holding me back, I raised my voice with complete confidence towards the king. “King Endo, I need to know where the Tri-Carver is being stored.”

…