Chapter 17 - Did you consent to it?
1606 Words
“You mean to tell me…”, King Edward watched the two of them, standing straight and their heads hung. He remembers asking them not to conceal important things before this.
“I’m sorry, father.” Vince muttered under his breathe.
“I apologize, my king.” Nate followed.
He can understand the secrecy, after all, if it is forbidden…
“And you do not know the consequences of using this enchantment? Why did you do it, then? It could be dangerous.”
Nate turned to look at Vince, her expression guilty.
“Did you consent to it?” He turned to the prince.
Nate looked even more guilty. She did not ask him.
“I wanted it.” Vince replied blankly to his father. It’s the truth. If she asked him, he would definitely say yes.
She exhaled in relief after hearing him. She should ask him for permission if she’s planning to do something in the future. Vince turned to her and gave her an encouraging smile.
King Edward sighed as he watched these kids. Right.
“So, if you use this enchantment on me, there’s a possibility I could have a higher affinity with magic and manifest magical abilities?”
“Yes, my lord.” She quickly answered.
“It will take time, though. It took over a week or so before I had that moment with time suspension.”
“I thought it didn’t work, or its effect is not the one I expected.” She added.
“I see.” The king sat in contemplation. There is a risk, though. They do not know its other effects. An enchantment that could be exploited, it should really be guarded.
“You haven’t mentioned this to your father?”
“No, sir, I haven’t.”
“When you visit your parents, you should tell them. They might know something.”
She took a deep breath. Yeah, why didn’t she think of that? She’s used to doing things alone. Maybe with Vince, yes. No one else.
“Yes, my lord.”
The king observed her. She still hasn’t stopped addressing him so formally. He’s starting to be very fond of her. She’s an excellent choice for his son.
“How are you feeling?” He addressed this to Vincent. It doesn’t seem like it had a negative effect on him.
Vince shrugged, “I’m good. I don’t feel any different. Well, except I can use magic now.”
“You don’t feel weakened?”
“It’s normal to get weakened when one utters enchantments.” Vince glanced at Nate to confirm. She nodded. That’s how it really is.
“And when you don’t use magic?”
They considered the question. Ever since Nate found out her abilities, she practiced almost every day. The same is true for Vince.
Naturally, the king learned the answer from their expressions.
After a brief pause, he directly asked, “Who would use this enchantment on me?”
The silence after this was very long. Vince was the first to recover.
“I feel that Nate would be the better candidate. She has natural affinity with magic.” He has a hunch, but he hasn’t tried it yet. It would seem that there are a few enchantments he can’t perform as well as she does. When he thought about it, he did suspect that his unnatural way of gaining magic might play a role.
The king took a deep breath, “Shall we do it, then?”
Nate took another glance at Vince before stepping forward. She paused when she’s three steps away from where he sits on his throne.
She hesitated before informing the king, “I would have to whisper it directly in your ears, my lord.” She grimaced. It was a bit embarrassing as the action seems intimate.
King Edward raised an eyebrow at hearing this. He glanced at his son, who shrugged upon noticing his gaze. He gestured for her to come forward.
Nate cleared her throat before walking to the king’s side. She didn’t need to lean down much, even if the king is sitting. She took a deep breath before closing her eyes as the words danced behind her eyelids. She whispered it without any sound, as the instructions said. It was done mutely.
She took another deep breath as she steps backward.
The king turned to look at her. “Is that it?”
She nodded, turning to Vince.
“It will take some time.” He reminded his father.
There wasn’t anything they could do at the moment. King Edward already handed his letter to his son. If he can’t go with them in a week’s time, they will still have to go.
Meanwhile, they returned to their usual routine of practicing magic in the morning. Aaron and Pyro joined them. Selene would sometimes come to watch over Pyro. The kid could get impatient sometimes. Philip visited on Pyro’s first day, and he himself watched in awe as the three others exhibited their abilities for Pyro to see. They wanted him to feel a sense of belonging. That it’s fine to have these abilities. Philip had to personally talk to him about not using outside the hall, even at their house. Pyro listens to him well. When they ran away, he told him a number of things. Reversing those things he told him before was a real challenge. Selene was instructed to oversee him whenever he’s outside the hall.
Vince tried to test his theory and found some complicated enchantments. He would need more time to check his own accuracy. Nate was focusing on helping Pyro. As much as Aaron volunteered to do so, he isn’t capable of using the element Pyro have. Nate could.
In that regard, Pyro is more skilled than her. Maybe because it’s his natural ability. He could create anything out of his ice. He made a small table of ice. He made a ball of ice. He made a plate out of ice. He made a dagger out of it. Nate had to snatch the dagger from his hands before he can use it. It was more of a stalagmite. A pointy cone. But with a handle. He might have seen it from Philip. Knights do have daggers.
Three days later, a messenger came for Nate. From the northeast, and for a moment she had a foreboding. Did something happen to them? The messenger didn’t look worried or concerned at all. She calmed her heart before accepting the letter.
“Please rest first. I will pen my reply later in the day. Maybe tonight.” Nate informed the young man.
“Yes, my lady.”
A servant of the king took care of him and the horse.
What could be in the letter? She searched for Vince in the grounds. He’s supposed to be training with the knights this afternoon. She kept the letter in her purse as she watched several of them spar. Vince among them. The few knights on the side who noticed her presence bowed to her. She did the same, until she realized she isn’t supposed to. As a mere servant before, she did bow to them as well. Her position was higher than a servant, but definitely lower than a knight’s.
It was a while before Vince noticed her presence. She rarely comes to see him with the knights. She still doesn’t like the way they address her as lady or princess. If she wanted to watch them, she would do so from a tower. He quickly dismissed his sparring partner.
“Why did you come?” He directly asked, accepting a towel from another knight and drying the sweat on his face and neck.
“My parents have sent a letter.” She hadn’t bothered lowering her tone. After all, he’s a good distance away.
“Oh.” He sought the lead knight and asked for leave. It was only a formality. It’s not as if the lead would reject him.
“What did it say?” He lowered his own voice as he steps next to her. Nate watched as his face continued to glisten with sweat. Despite wiping his face earlier, he’s still sweating profusely. Nate couldn’t hold back anymore and snatched the towel from him. She quickly wiped the places where beads of sweat are appearing.
“I haven’t opened it yet.” The implication of her words came to him.
“Alright.” He crouched a little to let her reach his forehead much easier.
She frowned at his action. Did he get taller? He wasn’t that much taller than she was last year. She dismissed the irrelevant question.
When they get back to the palace, they went to her quarters. She opened the letter and put it between them.
After a couple of paragraphs, she raised an eyebrow.
“You’re going to have a sibling.” Vince himself is in awe. Who knew the royal couple were still trying? Well, they can. They were still young, so to speak.
Nate coughed lightly on the side. His tone sounded teasing, so she showed him a questioning look. He grinned. She knew that expression. He’s going to tease her about it. Just like how he teased her when everyone started calling her a princess.
She huffed before standing up. She snatched the letter and read the rest with her back on Vince. He was left running a hand at the back of his head. Ah, he made a poor choice. He cleared his throat before shamelessly edging next to her and silently reading the letter’s contents with her. His eyebrows furrowed, not liking what he saw. They are requesting her presence. They would come visit, except the pregnancy makes it inadvisable for the queen to do so, while the king expressed concerns and decided he can’t leave her alone in the castle. They wanted to speak with her face to face to discuss family matters, should the queen give birth to another child. Of course, a son is preferred to be king and ruler. Unless the only heir is a princess, then a queen would be acceptable.
Nate bit her left as she contemplated.
- Writer
