Claiming the Crown

Jarte and the Queen Mother got to their feet then walked side by side. Jarte dreaded having to walk all the way to the entrance of the throne room but he didn't protest.

After their touching reunion, Queen Mother had simply said, "You must tell me all about the years which have passed. But now is not the time. There are more pressing matters at hand."

He silently agreed with her. Who knows how many stages he had to go through to claim the crown anyway? And time was ticking away.

However, he didn't have to ask what to do next. She told him that he must take a bath and get dressed appropriately. It was then he realized how haggard his condition truly appeared to others.

As soon as they approached the door, it opened on its own. The knights gathered in front of the door, some servants had also gathered to take a look at their king. He forced himself to smile lightly. As soon as they saw him, they moved away from his path and positioned themselves close to the walls. Jarte looked at Zephyr who was doing his best to not meet his gaze.

"Come with me to my chamber, Zephyr. I must speak with you."

If someone could translate the true intention behind his words, it would be something like this: 'I have never been here before and I don't even know where my room is but I can't make a fool of myself in front of everyone. Show me the way and save me from humiliation.'

Zephyr most likely understood this because he smiled. He placed his right fist over his heart and bent forward slightly,

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Octavia's curious gaze fell over Jarte and Zephyr before she spoke, "Mehedarkha, you come with me. The rest of you are dismissed."

Martha placed her hand over heart, "Yes, Your Majesty."

'So that was her name. I'll continue calling her Martha, if she doesn't object.'

Jarte heard some servants whisper among themselves, 'Has His Majesty already chosen a personal guard?'

'I don't think I've seen that knight around in the Palace Realm much.'

'Don't tell me he was in... '

'Stop it! They'll hear us.'

Every Kingdom in this world was divided into two realms– the common realm and the palace realm. Nobles and Royalty lived in the Palace Realm, seperated from the common folk due to their strength and magical ability. The nobles and royalty had myriad of mysterious abilities. Even a descendant of the Ancients wouldn't be able to tell which particular attribute would awaken within them. Some even spent their entire lives without gaining any godly attributes at all. They were called 'defects' due to their lack of blessed attributes. There weren't any known defects in any of the Ancients' bloodline. Such individuals were a rarity even among Earned Nobility.

The common folk used their magic for general purposes but even the strongest of them could not hold their own against a defect. Those who gained the ability to do so attracted the attention of the divine and earned nobility. Nobles and Royals could travel to both realms but their abilities would be limited in the Common Realm and they could only stay there as long as they didn't cause bloodshed.

This system was created by the divine so the common folks and the nobility could co-exist in harmony and have a fair chance at life. The royals and the nobility competed against the nobility of other kingdoms while defending their territory from other kingdoms. The common folks competed among themselves peacefully for their trades. The nobles mostly focused on politics, war and sharpening their abilities.

Soon, everyone went back to tend to their own duties. Zephyr and Jarte silently walked to Jarte's Royal Chamber and didn't exchange a word the whole way. Anyone could be listening.

Zephyr walked closely behind Jarte, subtly guiding him around the palace. He stopped walking or coughed when Jarte was about to make a wrong turn and Jarte paid close attention so he could follow the right path. Most of the servants looked at Jarte oddly due to his appearance. Some ignored the duo altogether. Those who recognized him, greeted him. He acknowledged them with a smile or a nod, 'Word sure spreads fast here.'

Zephyr stood still once they reached a great door. Jarte also came to a halt and faced it, it opened on its own. This made him widen his eyes lightly. The door made a loud creaking noise as it opened.

[New Location discovered: The Royal Chamber of the King]

[Entering The Royal Chamber will decrease fatigue by 20% with each passing hour]

[Those you invite inside will receive fatigue decrease by 10% per hour]

Jarte smiled, "This will be useful."

Zephyr knitted his brows together in frustration, "What does it say?"

'So he can't read it either. Are the contents of the screen only available for the owner? Most likely.'

"Never mind that, Zephyr. I invite you to come into the chamber with me."

Zephyr sighed, "Gladly, Your Majesty."

[Invitation accepted, effects of the Royal Chamber will be applied once you enter.]

Jarte walked in, followed by Zephyr and the door closed on its own.

[The privacy system of the Royal Chamber has been activated automatically due to the King's presence]

[Any sound from the chamber is unavailable for outsiders unless you turn the privacy system off]

'This will prove to be useful. Finally, some privacy.'

[The system has detected darkness]

[Would you like to turn on the lights?]

'Yes.'

Light flooded the room. As soon as the golden orbs illuminated their vision, Zephyr started frantically checking every corner of the room. He went so far as sniffing the bed. He left no curtains unturned, checked under the table and also patted the sitting spaces. Finally, Zephyr raised both of his arms and a red glowing circle with symbols appeared before him, he seemed to be taking a look at the entire chamber with it.

Jarte couldn't hold it back anymore. He burst out laughing. It was like watching a wild monkey run loose in a chamber as it turned the entire place upside down.

Zephyr glared at Jarte, "What's so funny, Your Majesty?" Jarte could see his eyebrows twitch.

Jarte slowly stopped laughing, "I just remembered something funny."

"You were clearly laughing at me!"

"I was, pardon me."

Zephyr's irritated expression softened, "This is so much more like you." He paused for a moment, "You did well so far, Jarte."

As soon as he said that, realization dawned upon Zephyr's features, "I mean, Your Majesty. Pardon my rudeness."

"No, call me by my name when we're alone. It feels odd to hear you call me 'Your Majesty'."

Jarte sighed and Zephyr's expression relaxed once more. Jarte brought out the gem Zephyr placed in his pocket earlier,

"I'd like to ask you a lot of things. But first, let's start with this."