36 | Royal Capital and Locked up(3)|
"Hair...Color?"
"Is it not?" Ava asked, tilting her head back.
"Huh?" Merlin tilted his head to the other side.
"Yeah?" Ava too tilted her head to the other side.
Unexpectedly, Merlin's unique black and white hair is no where to be seen as it was replaced by white.
.
.
Merlin noticed that sun is about to rise,
'Letters forming on my body?' Merlin thought on what Ava summarized regarding the incident from last night a few minutes prior.
'I'll check on that later'
Merlin disregarded useless thought as he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, he felt a surge of energy flow through him, it was mana. With each breath, he could feel it growing stronger, pulsing through his veins and filling him with power.
'Did my Mana absorption rate increased?' Thought Merlin.
The sound of footsteps outside the cell interrupted his meditation. He opened his eyes and looked up, watching as the guards approached. They stopped in front of his cell and one of them unlocked the door.
"Time for breakfast," the guard said gruffly before sliding two trays of food that contains a loaf of bread and a soup.
'Unappetizing...' Thought Merlin before deciding to not eat today either.
'Should I just...break out of here, eat a decent food at a restaurant somewhere, and come back?' Merlin thought, getting tired of these unappetizing food.
>Slurp<
Merlin turned towards his side and saw Ava slurping the soup and munching it with the loaf of bread.
"...Is it good?" Merlin asked.
"Hm? hn! A bit salty" Ava nodded
'It's wouldn't hurt to give it a try right?' Merlin thought as he reached for his tray.
He brought it to his bed and scoop a spoonful of soup before tasting it.
"Hmm...This saltiness is weird. Did they use different kind of salt?" Merlin asked, dipping his bread into the soup when Ava said,
"Hmm? I don't think the saltiness is from the salt though. My mom runs a restaurant you remember?" Ava said.
"Mm, if it's nosh salt, thensh what ish it?" Merlin asked, munching on his bread that he dipped it in the soup.
"Probably the chef's sweat? Prison is a tough place after all, and it's hot in the kitchen. Well, getting extra minerals isn't so bad" Ava finished before sipping her soup.
"..." Merlin stared at Ava, his mouth slightly open, the bread in his mouth is untouched...he's froze.
A second later, Merlin turned towards soup cup and tried to throw up by inserting his finger inside his mouth.
"Uhhaew, come out!"
"Hey! W-What are you doing!? That's disgusting!" Ava yelled, turning towards the other side.
Despite this, Ava continued eating, knowing that it's salt and not sweat.
Merlin quickly calmed down and goes back to meditation, not touching nor looking at his food.
A minute later, Ava continued eating her bread absentmindedly, lost in her own thoughts, when she suddenly felt something stuck between her teeth. She probed at it with her tongue, trying to dislodge it, but it wouldn't budge. Frustrated, she reached up and picked at it with her fingers, finally pulling it out.
To her horror, it was a 2.5cm long curly hair. She stared at it with a pale face, her appetite completely ruined. She looked over at Merlin, her cellmate, and held up the hair.
"Merlin, look at this!" she exclaimed, her voice tinged with disgust with tears forming on her eyes.
Merlin glanced over at her, his expression curious. When he saw the hair in her hand, his own face twisted in revulsion.
"That's arse hair. Hairy people like the chef have that..." he muttered, looking away and continued his meditation.
Ava shuddered, she felt like her soul is trying to leave her body. She suppressed the urge to gag.
"W-w-w-wha-?"
She couldn't believe that she had been eating bread that was contaminated with someone else's hair. She pushed the tray of food away from her, no longer feeling hungry.
"I can't eat this," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "What if there's more hair in it?"
Merlin nodded in agreement,
"I don't blame you," he said, his voice low. "This place is disgusting."
Ava sighed, feeling helpless and frustrated. It was bad enough being locked up in a cell from the crime she didn't commit, but having to deal with contaminated food made it even worse.
She set the hair down on the tray and leaned back against the wall, her stomach churning with disgust. She couldn't wait until she could get out of this place and never have to eat this terrible food again.
'I miss you mom...' Ava had this sad expression which is noticed by Merlin.
To light up her mood,
>Whoosh!<
A ball of water suddenly engulfed her hair, startling her.
"Wha-" before she could finish her sentence, a warm breeze blew into her.
>Fwoosh!<
Peaking through her slightly open eyes, she could see Merlin waving his hand around.
Before long, everything stopped.
"There you go. All clean" Merlin said before doing the same to himself.
'What just happened?' Baffled Ava just stared at Merlin.
She knew that Merlin is a mage but...
"You're a Dual elemental mage?"
"~Something like that~"
.
.
>Clank<
Merlin is meditating when he was suddenly startled by the sound of heavy footsteps echoing through the stone corridors. He didn't care about it and continued meditating, discovering the perk of having 2 cores.
>Clank<
Merlin heard the footstep stopping in front of his cell. He opened his eyes to see the identity of his visitor.
To his surprise, he saw king Glayder himself standing in front of his cell, followed by a retinue of guards.
Seeing the king didn't make Merlin's mood better but the thought of the probability that he'll be release today slightly lifts his mood.
"Merlin, that is your name correct?" The king said, his voice booming through the dungeon. "You have been here for two days longer than I intended. I apologize for the delay, but I had urgent business to attend to."
Merlin nodded, not forgetting the noble etiquette he learned from Elenoir.
"Yes, Your Highness," he said, his voice cold.
The king nodded, then state
"You will be release today, under one condition."
"...May I know of the condition?" Merlin asked, a little suspicious of the king.
.
.
Merlin and Ava can now be seen walking through the stone corridor, following the King with his guards behind.
"Harald, release him from the cuff." King Glayder ordered the man who accompanied Merlin on his way to this city, Etistin.
"Yes, your majesty" The middle-aged man, Harald, approached Merlin and brought out a key from his blazer and unlocked the cuff on Merlin's hand.
>Click<
Upon releasing the cuff, Merlin rubbed his wrist, feeling itchy.
The king led Merlin to his carriage while one of his guard led Ava to her mom's restaurant.
Merlin followed King Glayder to his carriage and sat down after he's given the permission to do so by the king.
Merlin recalled the condition King Glayder stated,
'You should be my son, Curtis, sparring partner for 2 weeks.'
"Your majesty, you said that prince Curtis is taking sword's lesson right? Why do you want me, a 'conjurer' to be his sparring partner for 2 weeks?" Merlin asked, not hiding his curiosity.
"Hmm, Curtis will start his second year at Xyrus academy in 2 weeks that's why. I want to let him experience beforehand that, he's not the only talented individuals in this continent."
Merlin nodded at the king's reasoning.
"When is his training to be a Beast Tamer start?"
"Tomorrow"
The carriage made its way through the bustling streets of the royal capital, Etistin. The ride was smooth, and it wasn't too long nor too short. Merlin couldn't help but wonder how well will prince Curtis fare against him at swordsmanship.
As the carriage approached the massive gates of the palace, the guards at the gate quickly recognized the king's carriage and opened the gates, allowing the carriage to pass through.
Merlin's eyes slightly widened in amazement as he caught his first glimpse of the Royal palace. The grandiose building was surrounded by lush gardens and shimmering fountains, and the architecture was unlike anything he had ever seen before. The sight left Merlin awestruck.
It's totally different from the pristine palace of the Elves.
As the carriage made its way towards the entrance of the palace, Merlin was deep in his own thought.
Before he could dwell on his thoughts any further, the carriage came to a stop, and the doors were opened by a liveried footman. Merlin stepped out of the carriage, his eyes adjusting to the dazzling opulence of the palace's interior. He followed the king and his retinue through a labyrinth of hallways, each more magnificent than the last, until they arrived at a large set of double doors.
The guard opened the doors for the king,
>Creak<
A breathtaking sight appeared before Merlin.
The throne room was massive, with soaring ceilings and walls lined with precious gems and metals. At the far end of the room, the king's throne sat on a raised dais, and a retinue of royal bodyguards stood at attention.
Merlin couldn't help but feel a sense of overwhelming awe as he stepped into the throne room. He had never seen anything like it in his life.
It's totally different from what he experienced in Elenoir.
As he took his place at the king's side, he couldn't help but wonder what lay in store for him in the magnificent halls of the Royal palace.
The king turned to Merlin and said, "You must be tired after your time in the prison. Would you like to rest first or would you like a tour of the palace?"
Merlin thought for a moment before answering, "Your Majesty, I would be honored to have a tour of the palace. I've never seen such grandeur before."
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A/N: This is a drafted chapter, I can't update like usual. I guarantee you that as long as I have motivation, I will write and this shall not be dropped.
Exam is also near, and life problem always comes knocking on my door.
Also, you can grant me motivation...paypay me ;)
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