23 Chapter Twenty-Three

"How come the King is still alive? Doesn't he have really high Mana too?" I tilt my head again in confusion and they both laugh wryly.

"He has very high Mana, but not to the extent of dying. He probably will live to be fifty before he suddenly petters out. Anyways, believe it or not, according to the records a new incredibly powerful Mana child was born a several years back. Kid's still kicking despite having broken the records we have so far too! They think the child has a spirits blessing and that's why the child survived so long, but even if the child got a king, highest tier spirit by the way, the child would only survive until the child is eight though... Poor kid." The pity in his expression was so clear it made me almost sad too.

"So, how come the second prince is so sickly?" I tilt my head and they both laugh loudly. I hadn't met the second prince once, all because I was consistently told he was ill. I had even met the third prince, Ryan, when he was born.

"He isn't sick, but since the facts about Mana aren't highly known we're simply saying he's sick. It's because of the fact that he has higher than the normal limit like his father. However, his magic isn't controllable yet, so it's dangerous to be near him. Eventually when he can control it you'll get to meet him, but until then be patient. Oh! Please don't tell anyone we told you this! We'd be beheaded by the king, he doesn't want you to know about this!" I tilted my head at Sparrow's desperate plea and Raven explained.

"Your still really young Rose, he wants to shelter you and give you opportunity to grow, which is why you became an advisor at such an age. You can't blame him, he wants to protect you like his best friend would have, he wants to protect his best friends legacy. You." I stared up at him before nodding. I knew I couldn't tell anyone about this the moment I had heard 'Not widely known' because that usually means 'those without status can't hear this!' which of course is not me. Plus, if no one told me this before, something as major as this, they didn't want me to know, because when I was younger I asked if there was any side effects from having magic. My mom had either not known (impossible since she's the top herbalist/doctor/nurse/whatever they call it) or had purposefully hid it. Since it's most definitely the latter I already decided not to say anything. Now more so, because if they get punished because I can't keep my mouth shut I can't hear other IMPORTANT details. You know what, I might even stop calling them bird for brains now. Maybe just The Bird Duo.