As the banquet ended, I was told to follow my parents. We walked and arrived at what looked like a magic circle.
And then my father said something to the guard. And he complied, activating some kind of mechanism.
And we arrived at the main castle, and we took another step in another magic circle. And then I thought to myself, 'This is definitely a teleportation magic circle.'
And as I thought about that, I looked outside and saw how far and how high we were from the previous venue.
Although the banquet venue was previously part of the main castle, it is still in the outer area. The main castle of the empire is very large and is divided into four areas.
The first is the core, which is the personal room for the emperor and his concubine. And it was said that great secrets are hidden there, like treasures and amazing secret techniques of the family.
The second is the inner core room where the emperor does his work and is heavily guarded because it is the main place where the treasury, where the entire funds of the country are, is kept.
The third is the outer core, which consists of four wings and segregates a great deal between the family and officials. The room for the children of the emperor is across from the officials' room, while on the other two sides, the rooms are different. The first one is the living area and workplace for the servants. And the other is the armory, where the soldiers train and live.
The last area, which is called the outer palace, is placed close to the wall and acts as the last line of defense for any invaders. This also includes assassins, and this place also holds many ways to prevent infiltration.
~~~~~~~
And as we walked out of the magic circle, we arrived at the inner core area of the palace. And I was surprised this place was very restricted to many people. Although I have been here before, it was only in my father's office.
And right now I am here on the balcony, where I can only look from afar. And from the looks of it, this place is very protected, even though we are on a balcony with open space.
And right now I am having tea with Lady Leticia. As for my brother, he was with my father and mother.
So here I am having tea. Well, I haven't eaten much during the banquet. And for her, it might be because of her growing belly, and I think it is almost that time of the month for her labor.
The last time I heard she was pregnant was also the time I summoned my previous summoned beast.
And as we were drinking tea, she suddenly spoke to me.
"How are you right now? I hope you don't feel lonely without us around."
Well, you guys really weren't around when I was growing up. Though I like to say that it is better if I don't, she seems really concerned about me after all.
"Yeah, I am doing well. I said nodding."
"Mm, that's good; I'm glad Kiara is doing her job well."
"Yeah, I am really grateful for her support."
"I guess Milly did a good job hiring her for you."
"Big sister, was that the reason she became my maid?"
"Yeah, that's right."
So that's why she is doing her work enthusiastically. I guess I can understand, since it was my big sister who saved her and her group.
I guess they still care about me because they even chose someone like Kiara to assist me. But still, I want to know why I was poisoned, but even if I ask them now, I might not trust them.
After all, even with every protection we had, Dustin was still assassinated.
With that in mind, I kept my thoughts to myself and continued to talk to Lady Leticia.
"So Big Sister and Big Brother are still on one of the islands with Lady Gloria because of an ancient ruin."
"Yeah, they discovered it and are still exploring the place."
"Ooh, so that's why only His Majesty came back."
"You can call him Father, you know; we are by ourselves after all."
"Well that's… Oh yeah, it is almost time for the baby to come, right?"
Ehehe, it's alright; she's doing fine now.
She giggles as she follows my flow, noticing that I am trying to change the subject. Well, I am still pretty new to this, and I can't even call my siblings by their names like Dustin would.
Well, anyway, I heard her say "she" and thought it was a girl.
"Wow, so you're saying it's a girl?"
"Yup, that's right, so take good care of her. Okay, big brother."
"Of course."
I answered her like a child would: 'Well, I am a child, but I still need to act like one.'
We had a happy conversation about the current trend and how I was doing.
But it is more of her talking to me while I answer her. which is kind of awkward, but it seems like she is enjoying the conversation.
Then our conversation stops since big brother Logan seems to be done.
He then said to me, "Father said that he wants to talk to you next."
I nodded and got inside the room where he was a second ago.
~~~~~~~
And as I went inside, I saw my father and mother, so I greeted them.
"Greetings to His Majesty the Emperor and Empress."
"Mm," he nodded, then continued saying.
"Take a seat. There is no need to be formal because it is just us here."
Hearing that I complied
"Yes father."
And as I said that, he commented:
"It is quite surprising for you to talk so formally, even though you haven't done that before."
When he said that, I suddenly felt that I was being seen through. But I still calmed myself and accepted his words like a compliment.
"I am glad; I was actually working hard since it was the first time that I was attending the banquet."
"Well, that's good, because you need to work even harder from now on."
As he said, my mother picked up a box from a drawer and put it down on the table. And she said to me,
"You might have already heard from Leticia about the ruins."
"Yes, we had a discussion earlier about how big brother and big sister were still there, exploring with Lady Gloria."
"Yes, and this is one of the things they discovered with your father."
When they said that, I was surprised, but at the same time I understood. After all, it would be questionable if one of the strongest individuals in the empire didn't explore the place.
But even if they say that, I am pretty sure this would not benefit me or anyone else if I accepted it. Because once news about the ruin goes public, people will also learn about the emperor giving us gifts.
And I am pretty sure that big brother Logan has received something like this as well. So when they learn that the defeated prince accepted this, they will definitely ask for an explanation. Now the best thing to do is to decline this offer, even if it's disrespectful.
"I am very grateful for this gift, Father and Mother, but I think it would be useless if it were given to me so-"
"Wait, before you decline our gift, could you at least look at what is inside? I think you will understand it once you open it."
I was interrupted by my mother as I was about to decline. And hearing her say that got me thinking that what was inside might not be that important or might only be useful to me. Thinking so, I accepted her request and opened the box.
And as I carried it, it felt heavy, but since it was doable, I opened it carefully because it might be something fragile.
And as I opened it, I saw glowing stones inside, of which there were three kinds. I was surprised and told them so when they asked.
"What are these? I haven't seen anything like it. Could they possibly be a manastone?"
"No, it isn't, but it could be mistaken for one. These are special ores that I have gathered in the ruins. And each has special properties once mana is imbedded in it."
"And can you guess what it is used for?"
My father told me what these were, and my mother gave me a question as a challenge of some sort for me. And it kind of made me happy, even if it was just for appearances. I am quite glad they have given this to me.
And as for my mother's question, I think I can guess because of what happened earlier at the banquet.
"It is a material for making an artifact, am I right?"
"You're right, and don't think that's the only one inside, you should look deeper."
And as she said, I look further inside. And I saw another box inside that was the size of my palm.
"That is what I really want to give you. The stones are just camouflage for it."
As he said that, I then opened the small box.