Chapter 9: Before The Banquet [1]

When Ardyn thought back to himself as a young teenager, he remembered playing around all the time. For him, classes were boring. The teachers were annoying. School was very demanding and monotonous.

His friends were the only ones who made life entertaining. Hanging out with them was one of the pieces of color in Ardyn's dull, gray routine.

But for as long as he could remember, he had always felt empty. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't feel like he was longing for something. It was like searching for one particular star among millions in the vast night sky. Deep inside, his heart was waiting patiently, silently aching for something unknown and unattainable.

The feeling was small, not big enough to cause a major disruption in his life, but it sometimes nagged at him during his low moments, confusing him and even driving him crazy.

He tried to deal with it by occupying his mind with TV shows, anime, manga comics, and video games. Whenever he did this, the longing would temporarily disappear, but he didn't think much of it at the time. He just thought it would go away eventually, for good.

He was wrong.

Now, even after his death, even after being taken to this strange world where he hardly knew anyone, it was still there. It would not stop bothering him all the time.

But when Evan started to explain everything to him…

For some reason, the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place.

The feeling of being complete. The sensation of filling up that small, empty, but gaping hole in his heart.

Perhaps this was what he had been searching for all along. Maybe it really was fate that brought him here.

Maybe this Summoner of his would be the one to bring him all the answers that he needed.

He had to figure out how to find them as soon as possible.

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***

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Evan left quickly, leaving only Ardyn and Mathias in the room. The curtains moved gracefully as the wind shifted, revealing a beautiful, starry night sky.

Ardyn sat on a chair, replaying the events just now in his head. He examined Evan's words carefully, wondering how he could make use of his time here. He could try making plans for his journey, but he didn't even know the layout of this land.

Also, it seemed that he needed to attend the banquet. But why? Wouldn't that just reveal his identity?

Then again, Evan had introduced him earlier as his friend. Surely not a soul would suspect him or anything?

Also, what should he wear?

Ardyn wanted to laugh in disbelief at his own thoughts.

Geez, where are my priorities?

He looked up at Mathias, who was currently choosing a suitable outfit for him in the wardrobe.

He felt a little bummed that the friendly demeanor Mathias displayed earlier was now almost nonexistent. He thought that he could also make friends with the man, but now there was a clear distance between them even though physically they were not that far from each other.

"Hey, uh… Mathias?" Ardyn called out hesitantly.

Mathias didn't even spare him a glance. "What is it?"

Ardyn chose his words carefully. "Uh, don't take this the wrong way, but… why are you guys still holding a banquet? Shouldn't everyone prepare for an evacuation instead?"

Mathias was silent for a moment before he let out a quiet sigh.

"The Prince didn't divulge all the details to me earlier because he was in a rush, but I can tell what his goals are," he said. "It's mainly because of you."

Ardyn sent him a baffled stare. "Because of me?" he repeated.

Right. They kept mentioning that since earlier. They implied that the reason why they had different plans now was because of him.

But why?

Mathias nodded in confirmation. "He doesn't want any suspicion to fall upon you, so he decided that it's best to hold the banquet for at least a few hours," he explained calmly. "First, he'll call for the Guardians and summon a meeting with them to formulate a plan. Next, he will have you attend the party and mingle with the crowd to avoid suspicion. After that, he will find the right timing to inform the King and Queen about the potential arrival of an Otherworlder. How he's going to tell them, I don't know the specifics. But I trust in my Prince. He always knows what to do."

Ardyn fell into contemplative silence. "You sound like you really trust him," he commented.

"Of course I do," Mathias said in a matter-of-fact tone as he finally grabbed an outfit from the wardrobe. "He's not just the beloved Prince of this kingdom. He's also my Summoner. As a Guardian who's bonded to him as well as his friend, I trust him with all of my heart. Of course, I don't agree with his views every time, but I respect them. So if he wants to protect you, then I'll follow his orders, whatever they may be."

Ardyn smiled self-deprecatingly. "I guess you don't really like me, huh?" he said wryly. "It might be too late now, but... I'm sorry for coming here. I didn't know that this was gonna happen. I mean, that this would be the result of my death."

He didn't know why he apologized — he knew that it wasn't really his fault — but he still felt that he had to.

If these people were strangers to him, the same would apply vice versa. After hearing everything from Evan, he couldn't exactly blame Mathias for feeling conflicted over his arrival.

"Not everyone is as kind and open-minded as the Prince," Mathias said, placing the outfit on the bed. "As you've already sensed by now, I don't exactly approve of your presence. The moment the Prince told me about your identity, I made it clear that I was not very keen on having you stay here."

Every word he said was like a minor stab to the heart.

Ardyn couldn't help but feel a little downcast. After all, who ever enjoyed the feeling of being rejected from a place?

Mathias sighed again as he turned to Ardyn fully, folding his arms across his chest. "I do not harbor any ill intentions towards you. But please understand. I care more for the people's lives rather than a single life," he said in a softer tone this time. "If the people ever catch wind of what the Prince is doing, which is purposefully concealing you here in the castle and hiding your identity, he will face public backlash. I don't want that for him."

Ardyn winced. Come to think of it, he had never thought about what might happen to Evan if the truth ever came out. Now he felt guilty.

"Then… are you gonna rat me out?" Ardyn asked. He did not believe in beating around the bush. Since Mathias was being frank with him, then he was gonna be honest as well. "Because if you are, then it's fine. I'll accept all the consequences. I'd rather not let thousands of people die on my behalf."

Surprisingly, he genuinely meant it.

If he ever survived but thousands of people died instead, he wouldn't be able to live with the guilt. He would rather just die a second time.

After all, he was alone here. He didn't have family or friends anymore.

In that instant, Mathias's features seemed to soften. For a moment there, he looked just like the polite, friendly young man that Ardyn met a while ago when they had a quick tour around the castle.

"Do you think that I'm heartless?" Mathias asked gently.

Ardyn only stared at him, deciding not to say a word.

"…Maybe I went too far just now. I'm sorry." Mathias started rubbing the back of his head, looking both guilty and sheepish at the same time. It was clear that he was trying. "It's been a real messy day, but it's fine. It's very possible to evacuate everyone before the sun rises the next day."

"It is?" Ardyn couldn't help but ask.

Mathias nodded. "The process here is different from, I assume, your original world. The Prince and I will work on the plan later before the banquet begins along with the other Guardians. Just get dressed and I'll come fetch you later. His Highness wants you to meet the other Guardians."

Stunned, Ardyn could only nod. "Okay."