“Humph! I still do not want it! It’s yours. Do with it what you will!” The king was acting like a little kid. I turned and looked at the newly appointed advisor for help. He sighed and turned to the King.

“Your Majesty. She has no ability to take over four kingdoms. Only we have such an ability. And… She is right. The kingdom who annexed it would need to take over and reorganize things.” The new advisor replied. I do not know his name but good job!

“Dan, you traitor!” The King yelled out. He had a sour look on his face as if all his plans had been destroyed right there.“Anyway. I need to know who Pholin Segri really was and where he comes from.” I asked. If his brother is as powerful as what I have been told, then I will need to make a few plans. It already bothered me that he was able to escape from my detection magic and barrier without even alarming me or leaving a trace behind. I had Iena check the dungeon a few times, but still, nothing was found.

“Pholin, from what I know, was from a town to the north. He made a name for himself in the academy as the smartest person to ever appear. He was not good at magic or swordsmanship, but his knowledge caught my eye, and I allowed him to work in the castle. I am one who values talented people, as you know. He worked hard for many years, and when the previous Prime Minister passed, I appointed him as my new one due to his abilities. Other than that, his past ends at the small village. I have many witnesses that said he grew up in a small family. I am not sure if they were his real parents or not, though.” The king replied. But this only left me with more questions.

“I see. Did he, by chance, have any brothers?” I asked.

“Mmm… Yes, he did, but his brother was not the best of people. He was someone who caused a lot of trouble for Pholin when he was starting out to the point that he was banished from the kingdom after he started a fire in the city. He was even injured in the fire. I banished him so he would not cause problems for Pholin anymore.” The king’s explanation connected a few dots. It explained how he got the burn mark. And if he was a petty man who held a grudge, he would dislike the kingdom even more. But why would Pholin help his brother? Was it because he wanted to become king? Or was it because he could if his brother were to help him?

There were many things I did not know yet and many things I needed help with. “That’s it for now. I will be going to the academy tomorrow to gather a team to work at my estate for a while. I need them to research the weapons I found, but I do not trust anyone at this time, so they will need to be under a blood seal contract.”

“I will let the Dean know. But I have one question for you, Princess Cyrilia. What is going on between you and my daughter?” The king asked. I figured this would come up sooner or later since the two of us really did not hide it.

“Mmmm… Dating? I guess. We are currently a couple.” I answered honestly.“I see…. I see… I guess she got her wish then. I do hope you will take good care of her. But if she became queen, I guess that means you will be the king… Hoho…. I like this…. Yes! We will hold a formal engagement in two years’ time!” The king suddenly yelled out, causing me to hold my head. This man always gets way ahead of himself.

“I think we are not even close to an engagement side of things, but I will let you know if we decide on it,” I replied before turning around, ignoring his little outburst. I did not wish to deal with any more headaches. “I will be off. I have many things I need to explain to my parents and things to deal with.”

“Yes, you should deal with your family matters..”

—

With my meeting with the king done. I wanted to go home and rest. I spent too much time away and left my entire family at home. I am sure they were worried about me. Sadly my thoughts and reality were not exactly matching up. “Oh! Faith, you are home. How was the war?” My mother asked in a cheery voice. I turned and looked at the others, and they all shook their heads.

My brother walked over to me and whispered into my ear: “Mother has been like this since she woke up. Father is fine, but Mother….”

“I see….. Brother, take Mother to see the flowers in the garden. I need to speak with Father.” I said. I wanted to use rewind on my mother, but if it is due to trauma, I do not want to break her. Unless I rewind past that moment but she would still find out about what happened again.

“Huh? I just came in from looking at the flowers!” My mother pouted and stomped her feet. She seemed more childish as well.

“It’s fine, Mother. We can talk while we stroll. I wanted to tell you a small secret.” My brother said as he took my mother’s hand and pulled her along. When my mother heard the word secret, her eyes lit up as she nodded and let my brother lead her away.

My father, who was sitting on the couch, let out a long sigh. “Faith…. I know what you are thinking but do not use that magic on her this time. She needs to overcome this and come to terms with things. While she has retreated to this state for the time being, she is sure to come around eventually. I just hope it will be sooner rather than later….”

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