The murmurs within the royal court had been growing louder over the past few weeks.
At first, it was nothing more than whispers among the noble houses. A mysterious boy always by Princess Flora's side. An unknown figure granted access to the palace. Someone who had earned the favor of the royal family without any noble lineage to speak of.
Then, the whispers turned into direct questions.
And the source of these rumours? Isaac Von Verne, the royal doctor.
While he hadn't openly spoken against Yuuya, he had carefully spread subtle doubts among the nobility. Questions like:
"Who is he?"
"Why is the princess always with him?"
"Is he truly someone we can trust?"
Now, gathered in the grand audience chamber, several nobles had finally come forward, pressing King Alfred for answers.
"Your Majesty, forgive us for being direct," one of the nobles spoke. "But there has been a great deal of concern regarding the young boy who has been seen frequently with Princess Flora."
Another noble, dressed in deep red robes, nodded. "Indeed. The boy does not belong to any noble house. We request clarification on his identity and purpose."
The murmurs grew, with many of the court mages and ministers nodding in agreement.
Alfred, seated on his throne, exhaled softly.
Yuuya's presence was meant to be a secret, but at this point, it was impossible to hide it any longer.
A small smirk formed on his lips as he spoke, his voice carrying through the hall.
"Yuuya," Alfred said, "is Princess Flora's personal butler."
The room fell silent.
The nobles exchanged glances. A butler?
Some of them seemed sceptical, but no one openly opposed the king's statement. After all, the role of a personal butler was not uncommon in noble families.
With that declaration, Alfred had secured Yuuya's place within the palace—at least for now.
But not everyone was convinced.
The Paldia envoys arrived in Araulia the day before, and today, a formal diplomatic meeting was being held.
The Paldia Kingdom, known for its powerful knights, had always been a strong ally of Araulia. The delegation, led by Prince Chris von Paldia, entered the grand chamber for the diplomatic discussions.
Chris was here to observe and learn about diplomacy, gaining firsthand experience in handling negotiations. Even though he was young, as the first prince of Paldia, he was expected to understand politics early.
Chris stood at the front, his sharp brown eyes scanning the room. His fiery red hair, made him stand out even among the armored knights surrounding him.
The meeting started with talks about trade agreements, military alliances, and shared training programs for knights and mages.
But soon, the topic shifted.
One of the Paldia envoys, a stern-looking knight, spoke up.
"Your Majesty, during our stay here, we have observed an unfamiliar face within the palace." His gaze flickered towards Alfred. "A young boy, always near Princess Flora."
Chris's expression hardened instantly.
He stepped forward. "That's right. Who is he?"
Alfred, still amused by the previous court's reaction, smirked slightly. "Yuuya is Flora's personal butler."
"A butler? Is that really all he is?" Chris scoffed, stepping forward. "Flora never had a personal butler before, and now, suddenly, she has one? Someone with no noble background?"
The hall grew silent.
Chris crossed his arms. "With all due respect, Your Majesty… I do not believe an unverified individual should be so close to Princess Flora."
Chris turned toward Alfred again. "I propose a duel."
The nobles in the hall stirred.
Alfred raised an eyebrow. "A duel?"
Chris nodded. "If he truly deserves to be at Flora's side, then he should be able to prove himself. Let me test his skills in combat."
Alfred exhaled, his gaze turning toward Yuuya's direction.
This was a good opportunity.
Alfred had seen glimpses of Yuuya's ability, but not enough to fully understand his strength.
He wanted to see it for himself.
"Very well," Alfred said. "The duel will be held at sunset."
That afternoon, Yuuya sat in the Royal Library, flipping through ancient texts regarding teleportation magic.
His fingers traced the aged pages, his eyes scanning every line for a clue.
(There has to be something…)
Just then, a soft flutter of wings caught his attention.
A small bird-shaped magic beast landed gently on the table, its body glowing faintly with blue light.
Yuuya's eyes narrowed.
"A message…" he muttered.
The bird opened its beak, and a tiny parchment scroll unfurled.
It was a letter from Dia-neesan.
[Yuuya, I have searched every record I could find… but I still haven't discovered a single clue about your hometown.]
Yuuya's hand clenched slightly.
(Still nothing…)
Dia's letter continued.
[It's strange. A village completely erased from history? There should be some trace of it. I don't believe this is a coincidence.]
[Yuuya, I suspect someone may have intentionally removed all records. If that's true, then this is bigger than we thought.]
[But don't worry. I won't stop searching. Be patient. I'll find something eventually.]
[Take care of yourself. And don't overwork yourself, okay?]
Yuuya exhaled.
"Someone erased the records…?"
A strange feeling settled in his chest, but before he could think further, he reached for a blank parchment and began writing a response.
He had just finished sealing the letter when—
The library doors burst open.
"Yuuya-sama!"
Lena rushed in, breathless.
"You need to come quickly! You're going to duel with Prince Chris!"
Yuuya paused.
(…What?)
In the castle's training grounds, two boys stood opposite each other, wooden swords in hand.
On one side stood Yuuya, calm and unreadable.
On the other stood Chris, his grip on his sword tight, eyes burning with determination.
Spectators gathered around the arena—the royal family, nobles, and the Paldia envoys.
Flora stood near her father, tense. "Please, stop this duel," she pleaded softly.
But Alfred simply smiled. "This is necessary."
Chris stepped forward, raising his sword. "Don't hold back."
Yuuya sighed, adjusting his grip. (This is a waste of time, but fine.)
"Begin!"
Chris lunged first.
He was fast—far faster than an average eight-year-old. His movements were refined, precise, and aggressive. The force behind his strikes was powerful for his age.
Yuuya dodged his first swing with ease.
Chris spun, following up with another rapid strike, but Yuuya parried smoothly, stepping back just in time.
The watching knights murmured among themselves.
"Prince Chris's footwork is exceptional!"
"His form is near perfect for someone so young!"
Chris's teeth clenched. Yuuya's expression remained calm, as if he wasn't taking this seriously.
"You…!" Chris's frustration grew.
He lunged again, this time feinting an overhead strike before suddenly twisting his wrist mid-air and aiming for Yuuya's ribs.
Thud!
The wooden sword connected.
A collective gasp rippled through the crowd.
Yuuya stumbled slightly from the force of the impact.
Chris's lips curled into a smirk. "Finally landed a hit on you."
But Yuuya simply exhaled.
"...Not bad."
Chris blinked, startled.
Yuuya rolled his shoulders, adjusting his stance properly for the first time.
"Alright," he muttered, "I'll take this a little more seriously now."
Chris barely had time to react before Yuuya vanished from his sight.
What?!
A sudden impact slammed against Chris's sword, nearly knocking it from his grasp. Yuuya had closed the distance in an instant.
Chris gritted his teeth, trying to counter, but Yuuya effortlessly deflected every strike.
Then—
Yuuya shifted forward.
In a single swift motion, he stepped past Chris's defense and struck cleanly at his wrist.
Chris's wooden sword flew from his hand, clattering onto the stone ground.
Silence fell over the courtyard.
Chris stood frozen, staring at his empty hands.
The match was over.
Alfred leaned forward slightly, his golden eyes filled with intrigue. (So this is the extent of his skill... Interesting.)
Chris exhaled sharply before bending down to pick up his fallen sword.
Instead of anger, his expression was one of newfound determination.
"…Fine. You win," he muttered.
Yuuya blinked in surprise.
Chris crossed his arms. "But don't think this is over. From now on, you're my rival."
Yuuya let out a sigh. (Great. Just what I needed.)