11 I'm planning to start a business?

It was the year 464.

One day, I realized that I was already eighteen years old.

The moment I noticed how much I had grown, it dawned on me that I was almost an adult.

Despite my age, I had not yet made much of an impact on the world, which went against All-Father's wishes for me.

I couldn't help but wonder how I'd somehow missed my own tenth birthday.

I did receive gifts from my father and some of my half-siblings, but not everyone acknowledged my existence.

As I studied different languages, commerce, business etiquette and the geography of our kingdom, my sense of time had deviated without me realizing it.

Nonetheless, ten years had already passed since I last saw All-Father, and Serena and I had already become engaged.

I was currently in my room.

My father's gift to me was a much more presentable room. I loved him for that.

The room was exquisitely decorated, with plush cushions adorned with gold embroidery, and the ceiling was painted with beautiful murals.

The soft light of the sun filtered through the thick curtains and fell gently on the ornate furniture, casting a peaceful and serene atmosphere in the room.

I was studying the four duchies of our kingdom, poring over maps, charts, and records to understand every detail about our land.

"(If I to make an impact in the world, I need comprehensive knowledge of our kingdom and its people.)" (Lumiere)

My father, King Grey, was now 61 years old. But, he was still hale and hearty.

It wasn't yet time for Arthur to take over, even though he was 35.

The king actually started ruling when he was twenty-five, fortunately and unfortunately for Arthur, he didn't have that luxury.

Could I really call it luxury? Depends.

Still, training to be Crown Prince, Arthur trained in royal protocol, governance, diplomacy, and military strategy. He also represented the king at various important events and meetings and assisted him in his duties.

What would happen if Arthur became king? My other half siblings, would they lounge around as unemployed royalty? No.

Respectively,

Vanessa, Jericho, Teramath, Beckham, Lora, Lana, Leom, Viktor, Salmarc, Lloyd, Bell, Micah and Genevieve would be given the titles of:

Duchess, Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscountess, Viscountess, Baron, Baronet, Count, Viscount, Baron, Lord and Knight.

Yes, Genny wanted to become a Knight.

Jericho wasn't thrilled by the idea of becoming a Duke. As someone who'd trained his swordsmanship nonstop for years, he preferred being a Margrave.

But our political system sets one's position in the order of birth.

Genny wanted to be a Knight and the order of birth made her eligible to be one - lucky.

She was twenty now, so I suppose training won't be an issue.

As for me, I was still battling with ensuring I was financially independent before getting sent out of the house at twenty.

It was the king's complete choice to decide.

At this point, I was using Rank A [Water Magic] spells with ease.

All those years of practice had finally paid off.

I didn't even break a sweat when using them. My magical abilities had improved immensely, and I had 25,000 mana points, which was 10,000 higher than it was ten years ago.

That's right, I was overpowered.

But with great mana, came great resp... greater capacity.

I could cast Rank B spells of other magical affinities like [Fire Magic], [Wind Magic], [Earth Magic], and [Plant Magic].

It was as if I had become a magical Swiss Army knife.

I even went on to develop a Rank S spell by combining [Fire Magic] and [Wind Magic]. Unfortunately, I never got a chance to use it as it was hard keeping my impressive magic skills under wraps... hehe.

My lessons with Serena, my fiancé, went smooth as butter. I must say, she was an excellent teacher, but there was one magic affinity that seemed to elude me—[Holy Magic]. For some reason, I found it almost impossible to pick up.

I guess I was too unholy for holy magic - but I doubt that's the case.

Nevertheless, it didn't matter.

Everything was coming together like a perfectly baked cake. I knew that with my knowledge of the kingdom and my magical abilities, I would make a difference. I was ready to take on the world, and nothing—not even the toughest of magics—could stop me.

As I was lost in my thoughts, reminiscing about my progress, I suddenly felt a warm sensation on my neck.

I turned around, and there she was, Serena, my beautiful fiancé, standing right behind me with a tender smile on her face.

"Good afternoon, my love," she whispered, and I felt my heart race. I wasn't expecting her to sneak up on me like that.

I turned back to my book, trying to focus on reading, but she had other plans. She placed her hands on my shoulders and began to massage them, gently kneading the knots in my muscles with her delicate fingers.

"Serena, what are you doing?" I asked, trying to sound stern, but failing as a soft sigh escaped my lips.

"I'm giving you a massage, silly," she said, her voice laced with amusement. "You've been studying for hours. Let me help you relax."

I couldn't help but smile at her words. She always knew how to make me feel at ease. Her hands worked their magic on me, easing the tension from my body. I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation of her touch.

"Thank you, Serena," I murmured, savoring the moment.

She continued to massage me for a while, and I could feel my muscles softening under her gentle ministrations. When she was done, she leaned over and planted a soft kiss on my cheek.

"Feeling better?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

I opened my eyes and turned to face her. "I am," I replied with a grin. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said, her smile growing wider. "Now, how about we take a break and go out for a walk? It's a beautiful day outside."

I nodded, feeling grateful for her presence in my life. With her by my side, I knew I could conquer any challenge that came my way.

She'd learnt enough for me to comfortably expose her to the outside world.

No one would know she was a summon unless they had Rank SSS+ [Appraisal] and that, was a definite impossibility.

...

On my chair, I was lost in thought, trying to figure out my next move. And I realized that my first way to change the world would be through business. Serena looked at me curiously, and I quickly elaborated, telling her how commerce could create jobs, boost the economy, and provide goods and services that people needed.

Especially in a time when feudalism was partly practiced.

Serena nodded in agreement, impressed by my line of thinking. "That's a good plan," she said, beaming with pride. "But where do we start? Which merchant city do we go to?"

I thought for a moment before answering. "I think we should start in the city of Nuvada in the Duchy of Elvindor. It's one of the largest merchant cities in the duchy, and it's a hub for trade with neighboring duchies as well."

Serena looked thoughtful and then asked, "But how are we going to get there? We have no money, do we?"

I sighed, realizing that she was right. I had forgotten about our financial situation. But then suddenly, I remembered the high quality magicubella tree that Serena had manifested ten years ago after we fought some goblins. It was a rare and valuable material that could fetch a good price in the market.

Excitedly, I turned to her. "Serena, remember the magicubella tree that you manifested? We can sell it and use the money to fund our business venture!"

Serena smiled and nodded. "That's a great idea, love. Let's do it!"

I grinned, feeling energized and motivated.

We had a clear plan in mind.

- - - - - - - - -

We were out of the mansion and in the Royal Capital.

I couldn't help but admire the magicubella tree that we had just uprooted. The fact that the tree could maintain its quality even without being rooted in soil was amazing to me.

I expressed my amazement out loud.

Serena replied with a smile. "That's the power of plant magic, I guess."

As someone who had studied magic for years, I knew just how impactful it could be.

"When I cast the uprooting spell, I made sure to infuse it with a magic spell that would maintain the tree's quality. It was a combination of my own magic and the natural magic of the plant." (Lumiere)

Serena looked impressed. "That's incredible. I had no idea you could do that with magic."

I smiled and said, "Well, there's a lot you can do with magic if you know how to use it."

As a Trifect, she wasn't educated on my versatile way of using magic.

"The key is to understand the properties of the plant you're working with and how to infuse it with magic in a way that enhances its natural properties." (Lumiere)

As we continued to walk towards the market, we discussed the possibilities of what we could do with our new business venture.