LIAM
Do you have the emergency kit that I gave you?" Vivana helps me climb the horse. "Did you take enough food?"
I roll my eyes and scoff, "Seriously, Vivana? You are the one who packed my sack."
"I know." Vivana returns, "I am just making sure that you didn't mess with it."
"I did not, Your Highness." I grip the reins of my horse. "Do I have the courage to disobey the royal crown princess?" I remark dramatically, "Your wish is my order."
Vivana chuckles. The golden light of the dawn is making her dazzling self even more endearing. "Good luck, Liam. And don't die on me."
My eyes soften and I smile, "Yes, big sister." The golden sunlight shines brightly on me, making me so beautiful that it's not humanly possible. My green eyes are glinting like the emerald sea. Yep, my beauty is one of the few things that I have full confidence in.
Vivana's gaze softens as well. She pulls me down and hugs me tightly for a brief second, making me gasp in surprise. "Be safe. And don't push yourself too much." Then she lets go of me and the usual stoic Crown Princess of Solaryn returns.
"I will." I nod and look back at my home, the royal palace of Sylvyran. Countless emotions swell in my chest. I am more than reluctant to leave this place, but I wasn't given a choice. I was ordered. And I can't disobey the royal order. The outcome will be worse than death.
No one is here to see me off other than Vivana because no one was informed of my departure from Sylvyran. Especially the queen. I am Queen Veronica's favorite child. She has already lost hope in returning her one son, Oliver. She has fallen ill after Oliver left the royal palace six months ago. And now if she knows that I am stepping into the same shadow of my older brother, she might as well die of shock.
With a last look at Vivana and the royal palace of Sylvyran, my face tightens with seriousness, and I take my first step out of the capital of Solaryn, Sylvyran.
***
It took me two weeks to reach the borderlands of Solaryn. The lands are far away from the royal capital and have very low populations. Not many people live around the area. Let alone magic wielders.
Magic wielders are very different species from normal folks. Not everyone can wield it. And those who can wield it are God-blessed. They are born with special relic marks on different parts of their bodies.
Those who can wield magic are in the upper class than those who can't. And among the upper class, the one who has more mana power or magic power is more powerful and capable. Royalties possess the greatest mana power among the upper class. Those who belong to the lower class but can wield magic are appointed to many commendable positions in the royal court.
As a royalty, I carry a relic on my bicep. But the problem is that I can't control my magic and it always ends up in destruction or lethal chaos. This is why I pursued being a knight. If not magic, then battle arts will be what shines on me.
So for now, I don't have to worry about a potential threat on the borderlines as no one here actually knows how to use magic. Or… do they?
That is a thought for another day. All I want for now is to find an inn and take a break before invading Oblivara's borderlines the next day.
I seek out a run-down inn to spend the night. Nearly no one comes to this side of the kingdom, so it is not surprising that there is no inn or hotel besides this one. And over that, the place is barely standing.
I take in the sight of the horrible construction and sigh. Never in my life did I think that I was going to end up somewhere like this. I'd lived a life full of luxury and wealth. This place is highly unsuitable for my persona.
I enter the building. I have tried to cover my face and most of my body with black clothes. My adorable face is barely visible under the heavy fabric of the clothes. I have a charismatic appearance, so this is the only thing I can do to hide my identity.
The owner of the inn shoots me a few questioning glances as I book my room but doesn't say anything. My demeanor is as nonchalant as ever under the owner's curious gaze. My work doesn't require me to explain my appearance and disappearance to normal folks.
The room is not to my liking. The room is small and kind of smelly. It is shady as well. There is a musky smell lingering in the air and the old wood is cracking beneath my feet. The bed is… well, uncommendable. I scrunch up my nose. There is no way in the hell I am going to stay here under normal circumstances. But… well, the circumstance is not normal. So I have to adjust.
Just for the night.
I let out a deep breath and tell myself to calm down in a futile attempt. But my inner self doesn't seem to be all that happy with my self-comfortation. Guess I am extremely bad at it.
I toss aside my hood and collapse onto the bed. After spending the past fifteen nights on the streets, this bed is a little comforting to me. I feel like my bed in the royal palace of Sylvyran is paradise compared to this bed, but there is little I can do about that right now. All I want to do is complete this damn assignment and go back to the palace.
But still, I am extremely reluctant to cross the border and go to Oblivara. It is partly because of my meaningless hatred toward the nation and its people and… the other huge reason is the ruler of the Kingdom of Oblivara.
Oblivara is ruled by the army of that kingdom, which is led by the commander Kian Eryx. Who is roughly four years older than me yet way more capable than I am. I am pretty sure that Kian is even more commendable than Vivana.
Kian is the ruler of Oblivara. Solaryn's worst enemy. And the murderer of my older brother, the second prince of Solaryn, Eiden Von Sylvyran. The incident happened five years ago at the borders of Solaryn. At that time, Eiden was the commander of the imperial army. If I actually loved someone aside from Queen Veronica and the crown Princess Vivana, Eiden was the one. I loved my elder brother.
The hatred I hold inside my heart for that man is indescribable. I might as well kill the man if I know who it is and what he looks like. And that might lead me to my own death. This is why I want to stay the hell away from Kian unless I want to see myself in deep shit.
I slowly drift off to an uncomfortable sleep as tiredness takes over my body. My eyelids feel heavy and my limbs are limp as my thoughts still linger on the odds and evens of my mission. I have so much to do… the lone thought of it makes me reluctant to the bones.
***
There are faint bags underneath my eyes as I wake up the next morning. Guess my body liked the bed as much as my mind did.
My hunger dies as well as I sweep my gaze over the food the inn provided me. I sniff the food to check whether it is food or poison. And it smells… not really my type. But well, I dig in reluctantly once again. My body needs it whether I like it or not.
After breakfast, I set out toward the border of the two countries, which is marked by the tallest mountain in the whole continent. There is no one around here because those who can't use magic can't enter the area since it is very well-hidden with dense forest and a heavy fog maze.
I take in the mountain whose peak is touching the sky and ominous clouds are obscuring the view of the peak.
People from both kingdoms are strictly forbidden to cross the border. But I am not among them who abide by the rule. At least not now. I know just what to do.
I have mastered a whole lot of battle arts, and assassination is one of them.
It will come in handy now.
It doesn't take me too much time to reach the peak as I am as stealthy as a snake and as fast as the wind itself. As expected, the clouds are denser up here than what it seems from down there. I can't see anything properly as I keep my footing as light as a feather. As I start to climb the mountain, I am on high alert.
Suddenly I stumble, the thick root snaring my boot, but before I can crash to the ground, someone catches me. The individual's arm is strong and firm around me like iron. "Be careful." The voice is deep, commanding, and overwhelming.
I gasp but compose myself soon enough. My head shoots up and I can see two fierce and sharp blue eyes staring at me intently, curiosity gleaming in them, and I hear someone call out from the distance.
"Commander Eryx! Commander Eryx?!" The voice grows closer. "If you are here, can you respond, please?"
My eyes drift to the voice then snap back to the man who is still propping me up. My eyes are wide and my mind is racing.
C-Could it be Kian Eryx?!