The Fallen Prince

⋇- 38: Changes -⋇

"En, my nephew," said Belinsk with a smile on his face, "how wonderful it is to see you again. I'm glad to see you're in good health."

En only glared at the tall, lean man with short dark hair that had strands of gray. En's stomach churned when he saw that the man wore the king's dark military clothing and spotted the crown flashing on his head. He clenched his fist; that man had stolen that from him.

"It's too bad you didn't listen to my advice and decided to challenge me." Belinsk shook his head. "I didn't want you to go through so much pain in a short time. I wanted you to have a life full of freedom after seeing how you care about that girl."

"Stop acting like a comprehensive relative and tell me why you put your daughter in the challenge," said En as calmly as he could.

Belinsk shook his head as a slim man with long gray hair and feline eyes stepped in front of him. En raised a brow, recognizing one of the members of the Royal Council.

"Watch your mouth, young one," he said, his voice firm. "You're talking to a King."

En chuckled. "It doesn't matter. He'll lose the title soon, anyway."

"Regina, Kraden," said the long-haired old man, "control your candidate's behavior. He might not gain any sympathy if he behaves like a brat."

Warm hands landed on En's shoulders. When he looked by his left side, he saw his aunt gazing at the man in front of them with cold eyes.

Looking around, En noticed other people filling the improvised meeting room that only had a small number of chairs and a table. Besides some members of the council, En spotted Reina looking at the scene with discomfort.

"My nephew is only frustrated, Gui," said Regina, her tone calm. "He's a responsible and well-mannered young man overall."

"Frustrated." Gui set his feline eyes on En. "Seems he's letting his feelings control him. That's a not good sign for a possible Eterian King."

En glared at the old man in silence, realizing that he was one of the members that didn't like the idea of a half-breed becoming King. No matter how hard En worked to please the council, Gui would always find something to complain about him.

"It doesn't matter what you think," said Kraden. "The boy was born royal, so he'll become king no matter what your opinions are if he wins this challenge."

"Keyword: if," said an arrogant voice in the background. "We shall see what happens on the battlefield."

En turned around, recognizing that voice. It had been a while since he last heard it. En's brows rose as he spotted a young woman with long, wavy scarlet hair tied in a braided ponytail. The silver and purple spear in her tanned fingers flashed under the room's white lights.

"Ah, Shaula," said Belinsk, his tone pleased, "you're finally ready."

"Yes, Father," said Shaula, walking towards them. "I apologize for taking long. Those boring supervisors wouldn't stop mumbling about the weapons and armors I could use for this battle. Why didn't anyone tell them that as a Guardian, I don't need those useless things?"

Belinsk sighed as he caressed his daughter's head. "There's no need to apologize. It's my sister's and her husband's fault for not doing their job. Let's hope at least the chosen arena has no flaws."

En fought the itch to punch Belinsk in the face. How dare that man spoke about Regina and Kraden like that?

"What's the meaning of this?" asked En, his tone emotionless. "Why do I have to fight Shaula instead of Belinsk?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Gui shook his head. "You and Shaula have astral powers, so it's fairer if you fight her instead of the King."

For several seconds, En gazed at the old man in disbelief, wondering if it was allowed to change the opponent of the challenge like that. He then gazed at Belinsk.