After what seemed like an eternity of navigating a maze of long corridors, they finally arrived in a large hall that Vince believed to be the 'great hall' of this castle. He was convinced he was in a fantasy castle he had only ever seen in movies.
Although he had visited historical sites in his world that resembled fantasy architecture, this place far surpassed anything he had previously encountered. Every corner of the castle exuded luxury and aristocracy.
While going through the maze of corridors, Vince asked Fiona questions to understand why they were in this place. He needed to know what he was here for, right?
Over those minutes, he learned crucial information about himself and his new world.
First, his name was Vince Rosen. It was fortunate that he shared the same first name in this world because being called something different would have been odd.
Second, he was a demon (thank goodness he was!) in a world inhabited by demons, vampires, werewolves, beasts, mages, and other supernatural creatures.
While demons in some fantasy novels he had read were not necessarily evil, and the Demon city's castle didn't look hellish (in fact, it looked so vibrant he almost believed it was Heaven), he was just relieved not to be an ordinary human.
Third, he was in the castle of Lord Damian, the ruler of Demon City, and he was here for the Selection.
What was this Selection, exactly?
The city where he was standing was part of the Heartstone Kingdom, which comprised five cities: Demon City, Vampire City, Beast City, Mage City, and Royal City.
Every century, these five cities held a celebration that included a competition for eligible young men. Participation was voluntary; young men could submit their names if they wished to join the Selection.
Only 50 gentlemen would be chosen for the final round by the judges after a series of preliminary rounds. These 50 finalists would then present themselves to the ladies of the High Court.
The ladies of the High Court were women born into noble and royal families from different cities.
The chosen men would receive monetary rewards in addition to the benefits of the Selection.
A finalist could either be chosen as a lady's mate or a slave.
Fiona told Vince that being selected as a mate or a slave was still considered a positive outcome.
Although he was uncertain about the term 'slave,' the sassy cat mentioned that he needed the monetary prize to save his family from a loan shark threatening to harm them if they couldn't pay within a month.
To be honest, Vince wasn't very motivated to participate in the Selection simply because his so-called family was being threatened. After all, it wasn't his real family, so he felt almost indifferent.
However, Vince thought that gaining the favor of a lady from a noble family could be beneficial. Additionally, there was a significant monetary reward and other advantages to consider.
The last question he managed to ask Fiona before they entered the great hall was about the necessity of presenting his cup of semen. It was too embarrassing, and before Fiona mentioned the monetary reward, he was hesitant about it.
Fiona explained that some ladies from the High Court might choose a mate, so the examination of the men's semen was included to determine if their seed was weak or strong. This was to ensure they were capable of reproducing.
Sometimes, there were ladies who didn't want a mate and only wanted to bear a child, so they would choose a slave to be their breeder.
This practice seemed odd to Vince, but even if he were chosen as a slave to be a breeder, he would only have to perform the act.
Why not take advantage of it? After all, this is a fantasy world, surely, those rich ladies wouldn't be so bad, would they?
If he were chosen as a mate, Fiona said it meant he would have to marry the lady. It was somewhat worrying to be suddenly caught up in a marriage as if he were a fish in the market.
However, Fiona mentioned that he could refuse the lady later if he was truly against it.
Right after she said that, she added,
"That is part of the rules, but do you think there are no consequences to refusing a noble or royal lady? You would need to perform community service and be the lady's servant for a month. But I'm sure you wouldn't want to do that, would you?"
She smiled deviously, showing her little fangs.
"Being a noble lady's mate means a comfortable life and lots of money. I'm sure you wouldn't say no to such luxury."
Fiona had a point. With him regaining his youth and vigor, all Vince needed was money to start his adventures in life.
He smiled and looked around the large and luxurious hall where he was standing.
Fiona instructed him to stand among the men at the center, and he complied. There were many people around, seated in chairs around the hall with long tables filled with food and drinks.
Vince realized that, based on the clothing of the people, he appeared to be in a fantasy world set in a medieval era. The fashion resembled, but was not identical to what he had seen in books and movies from his world.
The fashion here was on a grander scale, and it seemed there were no strict rules, as some women wore shorter skirts than others, while some showed more skin.
As the finalists stood at the center of the hall waiting for the final round to begin, a man in tailored clothes sat in a high chair on the balcony, which was slightly obscured by curtains draped on either side. The chair resembled nothing less than a king's throne.
Beside him stood a young woman with silver hair, dressed in a high-collared black dress and a white flowing cape with a fur-lined collar. The modest clothes she wore did little to hide her curves, and her rich hazel eyes were dark and mischievous.
"Did someone catch your attention among the eligible men? I believe one of them would make a good match for you, Raine, or perhaps just a little pastime while you're not on a mission," the man said, holding a glass of wine, his tone suggestive and playful.
He then added, "I heard that at least half of them are from noble families and have gone through a series of tests to assess their abilities. Most of them are second-class awakened and up, which isn't too bad."
The silver-haired lady's sultry lips curled into a smile that was demure yet very alluring.
"So thoughtful of you to suggest that, my lord. But you know those men out there," she pointed down at the finalists at the center of the hall, "they only want the rewards and the honor of being chosen by a lady from the High Court. Feeding a man's ego isn't my thing, unfortunately."
The man's eyes narrowed as he observed something down the hall, and the silver-haired lady asked,
"Is something the matter, Lord Damian?"
"Who is that boy?" he asked, pointing with his index finger at a particular person. His lips twitched into a sardonic smile, and his obsidian eyes glowed with mirth and intrigue. "How did he make it to the final round with a dormant power core?"