NOVEL WEB Chapter 24- Reward
Alatia has three brothers and all of them are older than her.
Being the only sister, Alatia was pampered like a true princess by not just her parents but her brothers as well. And no, their affection doesn't originate from Alatia's divine powers; they have liked her ever since she opened her eyes and bewitched everyone with her cuteness.
They adore her a little too unconditionally and always are there when Alatia needs them. It was surprising that when Alatia fell unconscious that day I wasn't executed immediately on the suspicion of poisoning the princess.
Maybe it was the affection Alatia has shown toward me that, even her father hesitated before finishing me off.
However, her affection could last only that long. Now, that I am standing under the gaze of Prince Edmund, I realize how much he and the other members of his family, resent me.
The reason behind the sudden arrival of the Prince remains a mystery but I have a feeling that this sudden appearance is somehow related to me.
"I can see that you are doing great Alatia. How about you training?"
Sitting in the reception hall were the two nobles and two servants.
Behind Your Highness, Edmund stood a brunette woman whose name I recalled to be Cassie. She is his personal attendant and there were rumors that he has been secretly dating her. Well, there was not much information about him in the game so I couldn't be sure.
Now, behind Princess Alatia stood me...someone who has been avoided by Alatia these days. However, given what happened between us some minutes ago, I mustered my courage and stood as Alatia's personal attendant.
Alatia doesn't seem offended...however, I could see that she was restless.
"I am doing fine, brother. Then, can I dare ask your purpose for visiting me just a few months before my enrollment?"
Straightforward as ever—was how I perceived Edmund's expression as he rested the teacup on the saucer and leaned forward.
Placing the cup on the table he sighed and looked at Alatia with droopy eyes
'....damn...I can see a Shoujo protagonist right here...' I hid my musing and heard the Prince uttering in a pitiful voice,
"Can't I come to see my sister without any reason?"
"No."
'...ouch.' Even I would have been hurt hearing such a blunt response without even a single muscle on her face twitching. It felt like she didn't even need to think twice before answering.
However, the way Cassie didn't react to this small exchange, shows how common it was for Alatia to treat her family in this manner.
Edmund slumped on his seat in defeat before he asked, "I thought my arrival would make my sister jump in joy...but I was wrong. Well, forget about it."
Alatia? Jump in joy? Is he really talking about his sister? Or was that his wishful thinking?
Regardless, suddenly, the air around Edmund shifted and momentarily his eyes traveled toward me.
Without having a clear vision of Alatia, I could tell that her expression must have shifted as well.
...she didn't look in a great mood.
"The reason why I arrived here before your enrollment was to ensure which servant would be taking care of my princess sister in the academy."
"Shouldn't this be already clear to everyone? Apart from Kyle, I won't even consider taking anyone with me."
My lady....*sniff*
Edmund didn't give any indication that could tell that he was offended, but surely, his demeanor oozed with objection.
Hopping on his feet, he advanced...not toward Alatia but me.
"I suppose your obsession with him only originates from your friendship not because of his skills and passion toward his duties, right?"
I didn't have any particular reaction to that since he was, in a way, right. There was no distinctive feature about me that could make me stand out. I was far from the best butler to serve the first princess of the Empire.
So, Edmund was right. If not for her affection toward me, then I might have been serving some old dude as a slave.
'....makes me shiver...'
"How wrong can you be, dear brother?"
With her arms crossed and a calm smile spreading her lips, Alatia got up.
That challenging smile made me want to stop her...but I couldn't.
"How can you assume that Kyle, someone who knows me better than anyone, wouldn't be the best to serve me? Someone I feel comfortable with and someone who can share my grief and happiness...in a way, I feel lucky to have Kyle as my servant."
Alatia...are you planning to make me cry in front of Royal Highness? Or worse...are you tempting me to hug you again?!
"Someone who can share your grief huh...I wonder when this guy became so close to you."
My hand suddenly went towards the dagger as I felt a sharp killing intent directed toward me.
However, then I realized my mistake.
Before I could pull out my dagger, a thin single-edged sword was already pressed against my neck and the suppleness of a woman's breast was pressing against my back.
...it was, undoubtedly, Cassie.
I couldn't trace her movements. Haah, she might be on par with Collen in terms of physical stats. As expected of the bodyguard of the Prince.
"Sir Kyle, I request you to mind your actions in front of Your Highness-"
Her sentence didn't reach the full stop as suddenly the temperature of the room began to drop and the sword she held was covered with ice.
"You...whoever you are, step away from him right now."
....that must have hurt, Alatia. She probably can be your future sister-in-law.
Regardless, as Edmund nodded, Cassie pulled away her sword and bowed, "Excuse my impudence, Your Highness."
She said that, but she didn't mean it. Regardless, the temperature of the room returned.
Finding the opportunity I asked, "My lady, can I voice my thoughts?"
She raised her brows as it seemed she was going to argue with her brother all alone. However, she didn't reject my initiative and nodded, "Go ahead."
I pulled my sleeves and corrected my posture before stepping forward. I wasn't intimidated by Prince's wariness since my desire to serve Alatia was far stronger.
"Your Highness, I am aware of your concerns and all your reasons are pretty valid. After all, I was brought up as a noble until some years ago before I began serving My Lady. Not having proper training as a butler and being non-awakened, surely makes me unworthy to serve the Princess."
The look in his eyes told me that he agreed with everything I said and didn't want to hear what I was about to say.
However,
"But, my lord, I assure you, that until I am alive I would never allow any harm to reach Alatia. If you want, I can even form a soul contract of my loyalty."
"Ah..."
"Huh?"
"~~~!"
Three reactions from three people. Cassie and Alatia were vocal with their reaction but not the Prince. He just looked at me with his brows raised, seemingly intrigued.
I could tell that Alatia was about to interject, but suddenly it was the Prince who spoke up,
"Kuku...interesting. I never anticipated such a commitment from you. "
With his gaze narrowed he continued, "However, shallow words wouldn't be enough to show your worth, Kyle. For the next ten days, I would be staying in this mansion and monitoring your work-"
"No, thanks. You don't need to."
Alatia's bone-freezing voice left the Prince speechless with his lips still parted.
Wow...she doesn't even hesitate to insult him.
"Dear sister, please let me finish first."
Coughing he looked back at me before continuing, "Once I ensure that Kyle is an appropriate servant for my sister, I will grant you a reward. A reward which will make even a non-awakened invincible."
I raised my brows in surprise. This never happened in the game, so maybe it's a trap? For the Prince, who was undoubtedly jealous of my closeness to Alatia, to suddenly talk about reward and all.
Hmmm, suspicious.
However, "I shall do my best to erase your doubts and concerns, my lord."
I bowed with my left hand pressed against my chest.
There was no point hesitating here when I had already committed my life to Alatia's happiness.
Being under surveillance for the next ten days was nothing.
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A/N:- Let's see. Some power-up is required and a pre-canon event needs to be changed. Drop a comment if you are excited about the beginning of the Academy.