"Why did you pick a commoner as your Mystero? Are you planning on making all of us look bad or something?"
Erica shouted, her finger poking the bed aggressively.
For a six-year-old, she most definitely had an attitude.
Giving a resigned sigh, Sylus placed the book on the shelf.
"It's none of your business; Mother already approved."
"Yeah, I know. She's too soft on you."
"Why are you here again?"
Erica folded her arms. "As your elder sister, it's my job to make sure you don't make stupid decisions."
"You're only a year older than me."
Erica scowled a bit.
"Aren't you the loudmouth?" She scanned the room one more time. "By the way, why is this room so empty? You barely have anything in here."
"What do you mean?"
"Other than your bed, bookshelf, and table, you don't have anything in here worth mentioning. Are you aware you're a prince of Astrodial?"
Sylus froze up for a while.
It wasn't that he couldn't fill up his room with fancy stuff; it was more on the side of, he felt more comfortable with how the room was.
Unexpectedly, Erica uttered, "Gilgath, please put it under my schedule to have my baby brother's room redecorated."
Gilgath, Erica's Mystero, bowed his head.
"Hey! Hold on, don't you dare do anything to my room."
"I'll be heading out now; I have dance practice. I'll speak to you later." Erica turned around, heading toward the exit.
'Is she even listening to me?'
Erica suddenly stopped and slightly turned around to look at Sylus.
"Just so you know, I do not approve of your choice; be that as it may, when I return, I still wish to speak to the girl."
And with that, she walked out of the room, Gilgath closing the door behind her.
Sigh!
'I sometimes find it hard to believe she is only a year older. How can one be so bossy?'
Sylus lay flat on the bed.
'I guess I'll take that over a brother several years older trying to kill me.'
While deep in thought, he heard the door to the bathroom opening.
It could only mean one thing—the girl was done.
Quickly, he sat upright.
"Took you long enough; I thought you died in there—"
His words clung back in his throat after seeing the girl standing there, her skin red and bruised, while tying a white towel around her.
"What the—how long did you stay in the water?!"
Sylus leaped down from the bed, heading straight toward her.
With a pale and stoic look, the girl replied, "Your Highness was discussing with someone; I didn't want to interrupt."
"While I appreciate that, that doesn't quite explain why your skin is all red and burnt. Were you inside the hot water throughout?"
"I didn't want the water to go to waste."
Sylus was speechless.
The bathroom in everyone's room was a tub and a couple of buckets on the floor.
Before anyone entered to bathe, the maids of the castle had already set warm water and lukewarm water into each bucket.
Said buckets were then poured into the tub depending on your preference.
Sylus found it strange, wondering if a tap could be built in its place.
But to think this girl would soak herself in hot water for so long—it almost made it seem like she didn't care about her own body.
"Wait here…"
Sylus grabbed a dry towel from the hanger and headed into the bathroom; once he was out, the towel was soaked with cold water.
"Go on, spread your arms apart; I'm going to wipe you down before it turns into serious injuries."
"Eh? I do—"
"That was an order."
The girl instantly nodded her head.
She tied the towel, only using it to cover her front.
Soon, Sylus had begun cleaning her body with the soaked towel.
"Honestly, you need to take care of yourself more."
"I'm sorry."
"I'm not telling you to apologize."
"I'm sorry."
Before Sylus could say anything, the sight before him caught him off guard.
He was about to clean the girl's back like he did with the rest of her body, but when he got there, all he saw were scars, each telling a different story.
'I see how it is…'
Sylus put on a small smile and continued cleaning her.
"I just remembered, I never got your name. Mind telling me?"
"Zani, Your Highness…"
Sylus now stood up, heading toward the bed to pick up the dress he had picked specifically for her.
"That's a dope name."
"Dope?"
"Yeah, it's another way to say cool. Anyway, my name is Sylus; go on, say it."
He stood in front of her with the dress.
Zani shook her head. "Never, Your Majesty; calling you by your name would mean my death."
'So uptight.'
"I'll give you time to be comfortable; you'll call my name soon enough. Here, put it on." He handed her the dress.
For a second, it seemed like she wanted to reject it, but after seeing the look on Sylus's face, she took it from him.
After a short while, she had now put on her new dress.
Unlike the rags she had on before, this made her beauty shine even more.
She wore black shorts and boots, with a top that clung tightly to her, making it easy for her to move.
Zani stood with her arms crossed, her face red as she could not tell what to do when dressed in something expensive.
Seeing how cute she was, Sylus covered his mouth, holding back his tears.
'Why does she look ten times more attractive than I expected? Poverty really does kill beauty.'
Suddenly—
[Congratulations on acquiring your first subject.]
[The character Zani will now undergo a Star upgrade.]
[You have given birth to a lesser star.]
[A lesser star has been handed to the subject Zani.]
[The Star Alpha]
[You have gained a new title.]
[The Master]
[You have earned 5 karma points for a good deed.]