"Eden, would you like to be my disciple?" She asked with a warm smile, her appearance now peerless and radiant.
"Yes," I said quickly, nodding gleefully like a child.
"Do you recognize me?" Sylvia inquired, a little puzzled, as she witnessed my fast assent.
"No," I said, keeping my nonchalant demeanor, which only appeared to perplex her further.
"Then why do you accept it so easily?" Her tone was tinted with amusement as she questioned my quick acceptance.
"Because you are beautiful," I said flatly, and her eyelids twitched in response to my unexpected response. She examined me once again, perhaps reconsidering her decision to take me as her disciple.
"Hah... anyway, Sylvia Rosalind, does that ring any bell?" As she leaned on the sofa, she queried, her annoyance clear in her tone.
"The Devil's Phoenix?" I asked, surprised, because the name sparked recognition.
"That's me," she said, extending her hands and smiling at me.
"Really, the legendary Sylvia Rosalind?"
I asked her as an ecstatic fan boy, cringing inwardly for doing something like this.
"Yppp, the one and only."
She replied with a gentle giggle, looking at me with delight and wonder.
"When I was a kid, I heard a lot about you. You were someone who battled all odds and rose to become one of the strongest."
I wasn't lying about this, as when Eden was a child, he really did hear about her stories, and I also know them after inheriting his memories.
"You are also quite famous, you know, for being the first quagmire (someone with control over all four elements) after thousands of years" .
She said this while smiling as usual.
"Giggity?"
"What?"
"Nothing; anyway, didn't you hate the noble families, and I am one of them?"
I questioned her after a minute of stillness in which she allowed me to reflect on her remarks. Her main claim to fame was that she had massacred a whole noble family. I was prepared to persuade her until she accepted me, yet she did so effortlessly.
"I don't particularly hate them—well, not anymore, and you aren't one of them."
She leaned forward while sitting up straight on the sofa and responding to me.
"Wait, what do you mean?"
As soon as I heard her words, all the bliss I had felt vanished.
"You have been disowned by the Morton family."
She made the information with deep solemnity in her voice, causing a heavy quiet to fall over the room. I slumped back on the sofa, thinking about the new knowledge and bracing myself for yet another twist in this unexpected turn of events.
"Why?" I queried, my voice a mix of interest and anxiety, wanting to dive deeper into this strange development.
"You had been accused of attempting to rape the princess during the awakening ceremony. Although it was later dismissed as a rumor, but the Morton Duchy officially disowned you last week, naming your brother as the new heir. This solely added credibility to the rumor, and now, most noble families on both continents are aware of it."
As Sylvia elaborated on my situation, the gravity of the circumstances became more apparent. I knew I had become involved in a web of deception and manipulation. My own family had betrayed me; my once-beloved aunt, the Queen, had betrayed me; and, most significantly, I felt that even Edda had betrayed me.
'Edda.'
I closed my eyes and called her into my mind.
[Yes.]
'Is this the reason why the quest to save the princess was generated on that day?'
In the game, until Eden's death, he was the heir of the dukedom, and I had intended to keep it that way. Using the influence of the Duke, I could have altered many of the events in the game. But now, I no longer hold that position, and all of this transpired because I saved the princess on that fateful day.
'Answer my question, damn it.'
Minutes passed, and her quiet grew increasingly irritating. Even after taking Eden's place, the realization that I had been used similarly to Eden left a bitter taste in my mouth.
[Destiny cannot be changed; it can only be altered.]
Despite my want to know more, she remained silent after responding cryptically.
"You know you are in a very tight spot, Eden" .
As I was waiting for her to explain more, Sylvia's words brought me back to our conversation.
"Someone with a very high influence is trying to make your life harder, not only for you but for your mother as well".
"Do you know that every ancient and royal family is immune to curses, and the only way to place a curse on them is by knowing their real name?" She stated, highlighting the key issue at hand.
"Real names are only known to their closest people," I added, completing her statement.
"Exactly".
She responded with an affirmative nod.
'Someone close to my mum betrayed her,'
I figured out what she was implying after obtaining enough hints.
"You still want me to be your disciple even after knowing all that?"
I questioned her flatly; my mood had dipped too low for me to even be happy.
"Don't worry about it too much. I've considered everything before taking you in as my disciple, and I'm also returning a favor to someone by taking you in."
As she rose from her seat and approached me, Sylvia reassured me.
.
"As your master, I'll protect you until you're strong enough to face your problems yourself."
As she stared into my eyes, she softly stroked both my cheeks with her soft, warm hands while retaining a nice, reassuring smile.
"Now close your eyes." .
She told me this while caressing my cheeks.
"Huh?".
I let out an odd sound, perplexed.
"Just do as I say," she said, her voice tinged with embarrassment. I decided to obey her instructions without saying anything.