Chapter 163: Throne Room (1)

A flying carriage descended through the air at a controlled speed, gracefully touching down onto the driveway. It was simple, yet elegant—donning a family crest on each door.

The crest depicted a mythological dragon with five claws, a sign of royalty. All those who saw it would instantly recognize the owner as the Pritchard house, the royal family who oversaw the entire continent.

As the carriage came to a stop, a young and handsome figure opened the door, descending the steps onto the ground below. He had blond hair and sharp intelligent eyes, yet they seemed dull in that moment, almost weary.

“Welcome back Prince Magnus.” Two servants greeted him as he ascended the stairs to the palace, bowing deeply.

“Where is father?” he asked, lacking his usual lazy tone that he was known for. Instead, it seemed as if he was on edge, perhaps due to lack of sleep.

“The king is in his study, shall I notify him of your arrival while you clean yourself up?” the servant asked, his implication obvious.

Magnus frowned in annoyance, but he soon nodded. If even the servant thought he was unpresentable, didn’t that mean he was in worse shape than he had thought?

“I will arrive in twenty minutes.” He stated, walking past the two servants.

Without waiting for a response, the teen walked through the large doors of the palace, his footsteps echoing loudly off the stone walls—leaving the servants with their heads bowed.

The palace was luxurious and open. Servants flitted around the place, each busy with their own tasks. Yet upon seeing Magnus, each one greeted him with the respect his position demanded—not daring to slight him despite only being a second prince.

However, he only responded with a cursory nod each time, heading to his room to get changed and freshen up. The halls were wide, adorned with breathtaking paintings that depicted the long history of the Pritchard house and its feats.

But instead of pride, Magnus felt emptiness. This didn’t feel like home, it was more like a prison. In fact, the academy was more like his home than this desolate place.

As he walked the familiar yet cold halls, his mind wandered. By the time he arrived at his room, his thoughts were still muddled.

His eyes moved to the door which appeared to be opened slightly, causing him to frown deeply. Someone had entered his room. Such a thing wasn’t uncommon since the servants often cleaned it, but he still felt a wave of annoyance.

With a cold expression, he swiftly opened the door, ready to exile the servant from his room.

“Eek!”

The sound of a girl squealing with surprise and shock entered his ears, confusing him. He saw a little girl dressed in a white flowing dress with long blond hair that cascaded down her small shoulders.

She had to be no older than nine, her eyes were like blue gems, sparkling as she turned to look at him.

“Melissa?” Magnus muttered in surprise.

“Big bro!” She exclaimed, her expression lighting up in both surprise and joy. Without waiting a moment, she turned and ran towards him with glee, opening her arms wide.

When she was within striking distance, Melissa launched herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. Feeling the vice grip of the little girl, Magnus couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle—his mood improving significantly.

But before he could say something, the little girl spoke with her head buried into his chest. “Where have you been? I missed you…”

His expression stiffened slightly, but he shook his head. “I’ve been busy little imp,” he said, placing her down gently. “What were you doing in my room?”

The girl pouted, clearly unhappy about being put down so quickly. “I come here when I want to escape from the maids. They’re so annoying…” she grumbled. “Why do I have to learn all this boring stuff anyway? I want to learn magic like you big bro~”

Hearing the cute voice of his little sister air out her grievances, Magnus let out a chuckle, ruffling her hair. “You will learn magic when—”

“When I’m old enough…” she parroted in a mocking tone before letting out a huff. “That’s all mother and father ever say to me. But I want to learn magic now!” she stomped.

Magnus considered giving her a lecture about the importance of patience, however he stopped himself. The thought brought up memories of their father and his own tutelage, bringing a bitter taste to his mouth.

Instead, he pinched the puffy cheeks of the little girl in front of him and grinned, “Well too bad Liss, you’ve got no choice in the matter. You will have to suffer just as I and your brother had to before you.”

His tone was teasing, resulting in the little girl in front of him entering a frenzy. She squealed out high pitched threats and began to throw wild punches towards him that only tickled upon contact.

Before long, Magnus was laughing unabashedly, begging for forgiveness from his little sister. Of course he wasn’t really cowed into submission, but this was the only way to properly satisfy the little imp.

Melissa’s breathing was heavy, but she soon smiled and let out a triumphant harrumph, “That’s what you get for teasing me big bro…” she said, crossing her arms.

“Yes yes, next time I will refrain.” Magnus assured her, in a much better mood than when he had arrived at the palace.

Their reunion was interrupted by a knock on the door, causing both the prince and princess to turn serious a moment later.

“Prince, the King is ready to see you now.” A voice called from beyond the door.

“Thank you, I’ll be there shortly.” Magnus replied, remembering the reason he came back in the first place. His expression turned a little more serious, something that his little sister didn’t fail to notice.

However, she didn’t ask. There appeared to be a mutual understanding between the two.

“You better come see me before you go back to the academy.” She said, trying to sound threatening.

“Of course little imp.” He said, ruffling her hair once more.

Instead of getting angry, she nodded in satisfaction before leaving the room.

Magnus let out a small sigh and realized he couldn’t keep his father waiting for long. He moved to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror, seeing the fatigue evident on his features.

He let out a sigh and washed his face thoroughly before going back into his room to change into clean clothes. He would have preferred a bath, but there was no time.

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