Chapter : 24

  With a deep breath, Princess Iris turned around. Grandmaster Finlay pushed the massive wooden doors open. The heavy doors creaked loudly, revealing the glowing, golden interior of the Great Hall. It was time for the 13th Unit to face the lions in their den.

  ----

  The Great Hall was incredibly fancy and huge. The floors were made of polished white marble that reflected the light like a mirror. Massive crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, glowing with bright, warm magic. Huge red banners with the Belmontia Empire’s golden dragon crest decorated the walls.

  But Ken barely noticed the fancy decorations. He was too busy looking at the people.

  The room was filled with the Royal Family. All twenty-one Princes and Princesses were gathered here for the official registration. They were standing in small groups, talking, laughing, and drinking out of crystal glasses. They were all dressed in the most expensive, ridiculous clothes Ken had ever seen. There were capes made of rare monster fur, silk suits that sparkled with real diamonds, and crowns that looked heavy enough to cause neck pain.

  “Yep, classic tournament arc setup,” Ken thought to himself, dragging his feet as he followed Iris into the room. “Look at all these people. That guy with the spiky blonde hair and the red cape? Definitely the loud, angry rival. That girl standing in the corner not talking to anyone? The edgy, silent rival. I feel like I am walking into a living comic book.”

  When Princess Iris walked into the room, the laughing and talking slowly died down. Heads turned. Twenty pairs of Royal eyes stared at the 13th Princess and her small, ragtag unit.

  The silence was loud. Nobody clapped. Nobody cheered. They just stared.

  Ken could feel the tension in the air. It was thick enough to cut with a knife. These people were siblings, but they were all enemies. This was the Succession War. Every single Royal in this room wanted the throne, and they were willing to crush anyone who got in their way. They were all sizing each other up, trying to find weaknesses.

  Princess Iris did not back down. She kept her back straight and walked forward with quiet dignity. She greeted her brothers and sisters with polite nods and formal bows.

  "Good morning, brother," Iris said to a tall man in a blue suit.

  The man smiled, but his eyes were completely cold. "Iris. You look... tired. I heard you ran into some trouble in the forest. It is a shame you don't have a real army to protect you."

  "I have my team, and that is enough," Iris replied smoothly.

  Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

  Ken stood right behind her, holding the bags. He was trying to look as boring and useless as possible. He slumped his shoulders, let his mouth hang open slightly, and stared blankly at a nearby pillar. But underneath his sleepy, foolish act, his sharp mind was working perfectly.

  “This room is a powder keg,” Ken observed internally. “The mana levels in here are crazy. Every Royal has an elite guard standing near them. I can sense heavy gravity magic from that guy by the window, and high-level fire magic from the woman in the red dress. They are all ready to fight at a moment's notice.”

  Suddenly, a very familiar voice cut through the quiet room.

  "Well, well, well. If it isn't my little sister, the 13th Princess."

  Ken turned his head slowly. Walking toward them was the 7th Prince, the same arrogant young man whose convoy had almost killed the old man on the street in the Iron Rose District. He was wearing a shiny gold breastplate and a cape that trailed on the floor. He had a smug, nasty smile on his face.

  "Julian," Iris said, her voice tight. "It is good to see you."

  "Is it?" the 7th Prince laughed. It was a fake, mean laugh. He stopped in front of Iris and looked her up and down. Then, his eyes moved to her team. He looked at Finlay, then Naomi, then Sayma. Finally, his eyes landed on Ken.

  The 7th Prince stared at Ken’s messy hair, his untucked shirt, and his crooked tie. He sneered in total disgust.

  "Iris, what is this?" the 7th Prince asked, pointing a perfectly manicured finger right at Ken's nose. "Did you pick up a homeless beggar on your way here? Look at the state of this boy. He is filthy. He looks like he cleans the stables. Is this really the best the 13th Unit can do? Hiring peasants to fight a Royal war?"

  Naomi’s face turned red with anger. Sayma frowned deeply. Even Finlay clenched his giant metal fists. They hated being insulted by the other Royals.

  But Ken? Ken absolutely loved it.

  Instead of getting angry, Ken dropped one of the bags on the floor. Thud. He stepped forward, grabbed the 7th Prince's pointing hand, and shook it vigorously with both of his hands.

  "Wow! You are incredibly smart, Your Highness!" Ken said loudly, putting on a huge, goofy smile. He acted like he was meeting his favorite celebrity. "You have a great eye for trash! I haven't washed this tie in a week! And you are totally right, I am basically a peasant. In fact, my favorite hobby is sleeping in the dirt!"

  The 7th Prince looked horrified. He ripped his hand away from Ken as if he had just touched poison. He quickly wiped his hand on his expensive cape. "Do not touch me, you filthy commoner! Are you insane?!"

  "Just friendly!" Ken replied, giving him two enthusiastic thumbs up. "By the way, your armor is super shiny. Does it come in my size? No? Okay, cool!"

  Princess Iris had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing. She knew Ken was doing this on purpose to ruin her brother's insult. It was impossible to bully someone who agreed with every insult and made it a joke.

  The 7th Prince's face turned bright red with embarrassment. He realized people were watching him argue with a grinning idiot. He cleared his throat and stepped back. "You are making a fool of yourself, Iris. Keeping an idiot like this around will be your downfall. You will be the first one eliminated from the war."

  "We will see about that, brother," Iris said politely, giving him a small bow.

  The 7th Prince scoffed and turned around, storming off to talk to someone else.

  Ken picked his bag back up and leaned close to Naomi. "See? That is how you handle angry people," Ken whispered, doing a fake scared face. "You just act crazier than them. Now he thinks I am a total weirdo, and he will never bother me again."

  Naomi just stared at him. "You didn't act crazy, Ken. You are crazy. You just embarrassed our entire unit in front of the 7th Prince."

  "I thought it was funny," Ken shrugged lazily.