Chapter 11. First Death Flag (1)

Prince Lysander's heart felt unusually strange that day, even more so than before. It seemed to be skipping a beat, heightening his awareness of every small movement around him. Luckily, he was dressed in his own clothes this time, having convinced his servant, Rina, and the others months ago not to meddle with his attire unless it was for royal events or important gatherings.

As he gazed at his reflection while buttoning up his shirt, Prince Lysander once again observed his short, messy blonde hair, slightly damp from the recent shower. His emerald green eyes appeared somber, his unblemished facial skin glowed in the mirror, and his towering stature almost matched the reflection before him. Though he considered himself somewhat handsome, he always found Lucius to be the more appealing one.

"Putting that aside, is today the long-awaited day?"

Prince Lysander's gaze shifted towards the window, where the sky appeared unusually blue, and he could feel the refreshing spring breeze and the soft sunlight that wasn't too harsh.

'A beautiful day to die.'

"Hmm, if I remember correctly, the day I died in that bus accident was also during spring, wasn't it?"

As he looked at his notebook filled with memories about the game and the world he was currently in, Prince Lysander unconsciously held his breath before exhaling heavily. He then heard a gentle knock from outside and Rina's soft voice, "Your Highness? It's time for breakfast."

"Very well, Rina. I have finished dressing..." Prince Lysander placed the book among the others before stepping out and following Rina to the royal family dining room. "Today, Your Highness will only be having breakfast with Prince Lucius," Rina spoke as she followed Prince Lysander from behind.

Prince Lysander halted his steps and turned to face Rina, "Really? Where have father and mother gone?"

"It appears Your Majesty the King went to visit one of the Duke's families for an important matter, while Your Majesty the Queen went to a tea party outside the city."

"Is that so?"

"Weren't you informed about this, Your Highness? Did you forget?" Rina replied.

"It seems I forgot. Thank you, Rina, for reminding me. Let's not make Lucius wait too long," Prince Lysander responded promptly, shaking his head before resuming his walk down the palace hallway towards the dining room.

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Upon reaching there, he was welcomed by Prince Lucius, who was already seated at a table laden with prepared food. Prince Lucius, now 12 years old, waved his hand towards Prince Lysander, "Let's have breakfast together, Lysander!"

"Of course, Lucius. You seem particularly enthusiastic today. What's the occasion?" Prince Lysander inquired as he settled into his seat next to Prince Lucius. He began eating his breakfast leisurely, anticipating his brother's response with a spark of excitement.

"Well, today is my final day of magic training, as my magical abilities will only continue to grow once I enter the magic academy... although starting tomorrow, I must begin learning how to govern the kingdom. How about a game together this afternoon? I would like to demonstrate the magic that earned approval from the Royal magician trainer!" Prince Lucius replied, his mouth full, with the soft sound of his servant clearing their throat in the background.

Prince Lucius impulsively swallowed all the food he hadn't chewed thoroughly before coughing and choking. Without hesitation, Prince Lysander quickly handed him a glass of water, which Lucius gulped down hurriedly.

"Thank you, Lysander! So, what do you say? Let's play in the palace backyard! I want to show you the cool thing I mentioned earlier!" Prince Lucius exclaimed, looking at Lysander with hopeful, shining eyes.

Is this the moment he invites me to play in the garden and claims he will demonstrate his so-called cool magical abilities, even if it means potentially harming his own brother?

Of course, this was the result of our shared magic practice and my observation that there were no signs he would unleash an excessive fire magic attack...

"Yes, let's play together later."

'Come forth, oh flag of death! Let me embrace it with open arms!'

Following breakfast, Prince Lucius bid farewell to attend his final magic training, while Prince Lysander headed to meet Kain as per usual.

"Hi-yah!" With all his strength, Prince Lysander wielded his sword at the straw dummy, cleanly slicing it in two. Kain nodded slightly and responded with an impassive expression, "Impressive. This is the first time I've witnessed such rapid improvement in just a few years. Your talent in this field is truly remarkable, Prince."

"Thank you for your commendation, Master."

"In that case, continue on this path, but remember not to overstrain yourself as it can be detrimental. Let's conclude today's lesson here. Until tomorrow."

Watching Kain walk away, Prince Lysander sheathed his sword and took a deep breath before heading towards the palace's garden right in the backyard.

Under the midday sun, Prince Lucius stood alone in the garden, seemingly not having summoned his servants who would surely disapprove of him using magic for anything other than learning or dangerous situations.

But I didn't say anything to Kain... would he just pass by later?

"Ah! You're finally here, Lysander! I've been waiting for you!" exclaimed Prince Lucius, running towards Prince Lysander, who gave him a thin smile.

"I took a little detour earlier, just in case there might be mistakes later on," Prince Lysander replied with a light tone, his somewhat mysterious statement confusing Prince Lucius as he looked back at him.

"Never mind, forget about it. It's not important. Oh, by the way, big brother, didn't you mention there was something you wanted to show me?" Prince Lysander's interruption broke Prince Lucius' reverie, as he seemed to struggle to interpret his younger brother's words.

"Oh, right! I want to show you this—"

"Wait, Lucius!" Prince Lysander interjected, stopping Prince Lucius' hand that was already in motion.

"What is it?" asked Prince Lucius, slightly annoyed at being cut off.

"Point your hand towards that empty space over there. Are you planning to cast a spell on me and kill me?"

"Ah! Oh, I'm sorry!" gasped Prince Lucius in surprise, quickly apologizing to Prince Lysander before directing his hand in front of them both. Prince Lysander had shifted to stand beside him.

"FIRE BOLT!"

BOOOOOM

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To Be Continue ?