"Good morning, Your Majesty; I hope the day greets you well."
The woman dressed in a brown dress slightly bowed her head.
Standing in front of her was a little girl, a year older than Sylus.
She was fair and beautiful, with long black hair that reached her lower back.
Her eyes were dark and lifeless, like staring directly into an abyss.
Sylus stared at the girl for a while, something about her drawing him in.
"Who is she?"
He pointed.
The woman was so excited, her eyes lit up.
Unlike the other options Sylus had walked past, she was the only one he bothered asking a question about.
"She is my daughter, Your Majesty." She touched her daughter's shoulder. "I sell wood and alcohol to a village to the west, and she assists me."
As the woman spoke, Sylus immediately noticed that not only were both the mother and daughter without shoes, they were also bleeding.
Most likely from walking a far distance barefoot.
Sylus took one more look at the girl.
'Those eyes…'
Not once did the girl look away from him.
Any other person would have called it confidence, but Sylus knew exactly what it was.
It was trauma.
Whatever this little girl must have been through had made her desensitized.
He had seen it on the faces of people he once knew. Hell, he had it too.
Sigh!
Sylus tugged his mother's dress, stared up at her, and then pointed at the girl.
"I want her…"
Though it was silent, Sylus could still hear the shocked gasps from the crowd.
His mother had the same look, her lips slightly parted.
She smiled softly. "Sylus, darling, are you sure? There are still three other options left."
Sylus shook his head.
"I'm sure, Mother. I want her."
The dead-eyed girl didn't exactly give a reaction, but it was obvious she was shocked by the outcome.
From before she got there, she had already expected not to be picked.
After all, why would he choose a dirty girl with no money to buy shoes over daughters from famous noble families?
But since her mother insisted, she didn't have a choice.
And now… somehow, she would become the third prince's Mystero.
Elizabeth was too speechless to say anything.
She already knew the complaints her husband would rain on her if she approved of this.
When faced with such cuteness from Sylus, rejection just felt like punishment.
"Alright, fine. I'll speak to your father about it."
Sylus smiled, a smug look playing on his face.
"Congratulations to your daughter; she has been chosen to be my son's Mystero. You should be honored."
"I am, Your Highness. I-I can't thank you enough."
The woman bowed her head, and right after, the girl did the same.
Sylus could already tell his choice to pick her as his assistant would spark an uproar in the family.
Did he care? No.
What could they do to a five-year-old?
…
Later that night, Sylus was back in his room, lying calmly on the bed with a large book titled 'Astrodial Family Tradition' on the cover.
Since his new maid had headed to the bathroom the moment they got to the castle, he decided to pick up a book and read in his spare time.
His father had given him the book on his birthday, and now he was halfway done with it.
'Do I seriously have to keep this cloth on all the time?'
Sylus pulled the side of his collar, wanting nothing more than to walk around in his underwear and socks.
'Probably the best part about being homeless and poor.'
Flip!
(Inheritance will rule over a territory until they are of age to become kings.)
Sylus sat upright the moment he read that.
'What?'
He kept reading, turning pages after pages.
His eyes widened with each one.
Of everything he read, two things quickly caught his attention.
The throne's succession was not automatically granted to the first heir; instead, it was earned through a demonstration of worthiness, except in the rare case where the heir was an only child.
And secondly, the only way they could prove they were worthy to rule as king was through a trial known as Adon Vale.
Adon Vale, as explained in the book, was a trial where each of the heirs was given specific territories in the kingdom to rule over. The heir who was capable of turning a deserted land into a flourishing land would be chosen as Verdenez's new ruler.
'This has to be a joke, right? Are they intentionally going to ruin a town just for us to prove ourselves?'
Sylus looked to the side.
'Then again, this might be good. It means that stupid elder brother of mine isn't going to be eligible if I win.'
Although his brother was away at the academy, Sylus had not forgotten the multiple times Lucas tried to kill him.
'So there's a chance I can be king. The question here is, do I really know anything about fixing a territory?'
Sylus let out a heavy sigh.
'…Maybe I should go read some books on it.'
Bang!
Sylus flinched as his door slammed open.
"Wha—"
"Little brother! Big sis is really mad right now! Where are you?!"
Standing at the entrance of the room was his sister, Erica von Astrodial.
Her silver hair danced, her red eyes sharp as blades as she landed her gaze on Sylus.
Behind her was her Mystero, a gloomy boy.
Sylus didn't know his name, but as long as he was a pretty boy, he could never like him.
'Oh, it's just her.'
Erica stormed in.
"There you are. What is this I hear about you picking a peasant as your Mystero?"
"Did Mother already tell you?"
"No. I eavesdropped. Answer my question. Where, even, is she?"
Sylus closed the book.
"She's having her bath."
"Is she now? So? Why did you pick her?"
"She's cute."
"Uhnn?!!!"
Erica slammed her hand on the bed.
"This isn't a joke Sylus, answer my question…."