"Stop!" a beautiful female voice resonated just before Adam was about to take the blow.
The voice belonged to a little girl, barely five years old. Despite her young age, she carried herself with elegance, and her blonde hair and blue eyes made it clear that she would grow into a dazzling beauty in the future.
Rilen turned abruptly to see who dared interrupt him.
"Who dares interrupt me...?" he muttered irritably. However, as soon as he turned around, his face turned pale.
"P-p-princess A-Althea..." Rilen stammered, completely stunned. Of all the people he could have offended, he had managed to insult the one person he absolutely shouldn't have: the second princess of the Amberfall Empire, Althea Amberfall. It was said that from birth, she possessed a special physique and an extraordinary bearing.
"Oh, am I being too meddlesome?" asked Princess Althea with a serious and commanding voice.
"N-no, not at all. It's just that you caught me by surprise, Princess. I humbly beg forgiveness for myself and my family." Rilen quickly responded, desperately trying to rectify his mistake.
From the very beginning, his intention had been to further humiliate the Blackthorne family by mistreating their young master. Who could have imagined that he would end up humiliated and in trouble because of that damned cripple?
The hall fell into complete silence. No one had expected that, so soon after the event began, someone would be foolish enough to disrespect the royal family. Yet some among the gathered guests silently reveled in the misfortune that now loomed over the Ironshade family.
The head of the Ironshade family began to sweat nervously and cast a sideways glance at Emperor Cedric Amberfall, who sat at the same table alongside the leaders of the principal families. The emperor, however, seemed entirely indifferent to the situation, watching it unfold with a bored expression, as if it were nothing more than a trivial matter.
This did nothing to calm the Ironshade patriarch, who, like everyone else present, knew that a single word from Princess Althea could be enough to make heads roll.
Rilen tried to justify his actions and shift the blame onto Adam.
"Princess, all of this happened because of this cripple who dared to strike me while I was trying to help him up." he lied shamelessly.
Princess Althea, seemingly seeing through his deceit, responded firmly:
"I clearly observed everything that happened, and I can say without a doubt that it was an accident. So, unless you wish to contradict me, you will let this matter go."
Her commanding tone left no room for negotiation, which was quite surprising given her young age.
"N-now that you mention it, Princess, I was completely mistaken." Rilen stammered, trying to rectify his mistake. Then, with an awkward bow, he quickly withdrew, eager to escape the humiliation.
Adam, who had remained passive throughout the scene, could hardly believe what had just happened. He hadn't even had a chance to defend himself, yet Rilen had already fled. Although he didn't understand why the second princess had helped him, he couldn't help but feel grateful.
"Thank you for your help, Princess." Adam said, bowing his head respectfully. However, his lack of proper etiquette was evident; he hadn't been able to observe how others behaved in the presence of royalty.
The princess couldn't help but feel slightly nervous as she noticed Adam raising his head to "look" directly into her eyes—something no one except members of the royal family dared to do out of fear.
"W-well, it was nothing. I only did what was right." Althea replied, trying to downplay the matter.
For Adam, it was the first time someone his age had treated him with respect and without disdain. That experience left a positive impression on him.
The princess seemed to hesitate for a moment, as if pondering something. Finally, she spoke decisively:
"Come with me. I want to talk to you in private."
Adam was taken aback by this unexpected turn of events. He couldn't help but stammer:
"Y-you're sure, Princess? I don't want my curse to negatively affect you."
"If you don't want to talk to me, there's no need to make excuses" Althea huffed, annoyed. "You and I both know you don't have a curse."
Adam found himself caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, he didn't want to make more enemies by getting closer to the princess; on the other hand, he was curious to know more about Althea, who, unlike everyone else, didn't look down on him for his condition.
"Alright, I'll follow you" Adam finally said, tapping the ground lightly with his cane to guide himself.
The princess observed his movements and, without warning, took his hand and led him to a secluded spot. Both the onlookers and Adam himself were stunned by her unexpected gesture.
William Blackthorne, watching the scene from a distance, turned pale and glanced at the emperor, who didn't seem to give the situation much importance. Upon noticing the monarch's indifference, William sighed, though his insides burned with anger. 'I should have gotten rid of this bastard long ago', he thought, seething with frustration.
Meanwhile, the onlookers murmured among themselves, trying to decipher the princess's interest in Adam.
"She's probably just curious about his 'curse.' She's a child; she likely sees him as a new toy." reasoned someone in the crowd, to which others quickly nodded in agreement.
As for the possibility of Adam posing a danger to the princess, no one took it seriously. After all, they knew the emperor would never allow anything to happen to his children.
Meanwhile, the princess and Adam were now in a secluded corner of the hall. No one dared to interrupt or spy on their conversation, respecting Althea's wish for privacy.
"I'm sorry, Princess. This will probably cause trouble for you." Adam said, knowing no one would want her associating with him.
The princess dismissed his words lightly.
"If anyone has a problem, they can discuss it with my father." Althea joked with a faint smile.
"Pufff" Adam couldn't hold back a soft chuckle.
"Well, look at that, you can laugh." Althea commented in a friendly tone, enjoying his unexpected reaction.
Once Adam calmed down, the princess's expression turned serious.
"I know you're not cursed." Althea stated directly. "But that leaves me with a lot of questions. How is it possible that you absorbed the life force of a powerful cultivator, only to end up… crippled?"
Adam raised an eyebrow at her declaration.
"And how can you be so sure I'm not cursed? Curse experts make sure to leave no trace." he replied, a hint of incredulity in his tone.
"Tsk, I wouldn't speak so confidently if I weren't completely certain." Althea retorted proudly. "No curse can escape my senses."
"That's impossible… unless…" Adam left the sentence hanging, waiting for the princess to confirm his suspicions.
"That's right." Althea said, her smile brimming with pride despite her words. "It's thanks to the physique I was born with: the Physique of Ten Thousand Curses."
Adam frowned, clearly puzzled. He had never met anyone with a special physique, let alone something as peculiar as that.
"The Physique of Ten Thousand Curses? That sounds… dangerous." he murmured, doubting whether it was truly a blessing.
The princess, sensing his thoughts, let out a bittersweet smile, though Adam couldn't see it.
"Sometimes, power can't be obtained without suffering." she remarked cryptically.
Before Adam could dwell on her words, Althea continued:
"Although my physique hasn't fully awakened yet, it allows me to perceive curses and their effects. You can rest assured—you're not cursed."
Adam couldn't help but feel impressed. If there was one thing he knew well, it was how mysterious curses were and how respected those who could master them were.
'If her physique is already this powerful without being fully awakened… won't she become the greatest curse expert in the world once it's fully awakened?' he thought, amazed.
"That's incredible, Princess. I'm glad to know I'm not cursed, but I'm afraid that's not my biggest problem." Adam said sincerely.
"Can I know what it is?" the princess asked, genuine curiosity reflected in her voice.
"Weakness," Adam answered with conviction.
"I may not be cursed, but my blindness is real. That makes my chances in cultivation very slim." he confessed, revealing his deepest fears to the princess.
Althea, appreciating the trust Adam had placed in her, tried to console him.
"My father always says that nothing is impossible in this world. There are countless stories of mortals finding treasures and becoming immortals overnight. Anything is possible if you don't give up." she said, recalling the wise words of her father, the Emperor.
Before they could continue talking, a voice echoed throughout the hall.
"Dear guests, welcome to the annual Talent Evaluation Ceremony." it announced solemnly.
"Please gather around the Evaluation Orb and prepare for when you hear your name." the voice continued.
With those words, the most important moment in Adam's life so far had arrived.