3.8

The man in the room was perfectly dressed in a dark blue coat with black pants and a smile on his face. His elegant and refined appearance befitted his status as a prince, but did not hide the arrogance that royalty possesses. Worthy of being one of the most handsome men in the empire, as his body looked like a work of art and blended perfectly with his surroundings.

The second prince of the Yulard empire, Aiden Irsen Yulard. The man who had many merits and achievements in the recent war against Torzik and one of the contenders for the throne. He was a thorn in the side of the nobles who supported the first prince and is known as cunning and cunning by those he is close to.

He looked at Cédric with a mysterious smile and touched his blond locks briefly, seeing that his childhood friend hadn't changed a bit during the wartime they were apart. Although he went to the battlefield as well and even participated, he and the Grand Duke were in different locations, with no time to meet each other.

"You haven't changed at all. Tsk." He clicked his tongue as he blithely complained about Cédric's nonchalant appearance. "I thought I told you to stop calling me 'Your Highness'."

"And I thought I said I couldn't." He replied. "My upbringing doesn't allow me to do that."

"If you really cared about your politeness, you would have bowed and shaken me properly before sitting down and talking to me." He pointed the prince at the behavior with a trace of mockery in his eyes. "Don't call me that anymore."

"What should I call you then? His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?" Cédric replied, a little weakly. This friend of his is the only one who can bring out a childish side of him enough to fight back.

"Call me Aiden, just." He responded. "Or shall I call you Grand Duke Noir as well?"

"If Your Highness wants."

Aiden watched Cédric's indifference. It looked like he could even see himself shrugging at himself. Arguing would get him nowhere. However, even so, there was a smile contained on his lips.

"Okay then, to what do I owe the honor of your presence? Even when I come to visit or request you, you disappear."

"I came to discuss Duke Santos."

"That old snake? There's nothing special about him. Just low tricks that can barely create damage. I'm a little surprised he still tries to extend his claws to the imperial family. The older he is, the more ambitious." Said the prince, relaxed, as he spoke about the main strength of his political enemy.

Cédric didn't say anything, he simply opened his coat and removed a letter from the inside pocket. The paper was white and of poor quality, it was obvious that it was cheap and commonplace, which could be found in commoners' shops across the empire. He simply stretched out his arms and handed it to Clark.

The prince said nothing, but he raised an eyebrow and opened the folded paper. The words that were written made his brows furrow momentarily and then a smile crept onto his lips, escaping a chuckle. Even when he did such acts, he was still handsome.

"That is true?" He questioned the veracity, looking into Cédric's black eyes.

The noble nodded.

"I don't know whether to call him bold or stupid." He lowered the paper, placing it on the table. Finally, he took some of the brewed tea and drank it. "No, he really is a fool. What are you going to do?"

"If His Highness allows it, I will repay what he has done in my domain." He said seriously, but Aiden could see the irritation in him. If he had gone off to war and some idiot had taken advantage of his absence to do silly things in his garden, he would have been angry too.

"I have no objections. Even if I said no, you would, wouldn't you?"

A wicked smile was on his face. His eyes were even curved into a half moon. He was suddenly serious, there was no longer the usual shrewdness in his eyes. Just an unnatural coldness.

"Remember, don't do anything unnecessary. He's still the leader of the aristocratic faction and I don't want that to become a reason for him to use against me. He might be stupid and lacking in intelligence, but if he's still lived until now, he has something to rely on. Be careful."

That was the look Aiden put on when the subject mattered most. Although he seems carefree, playful with those around him and mischievous, when he was dealing with serious matters he could be considered frightening by his subordinates as he could use all his intelligence and cunning to deal cleanly and effectively.

That's why Cédric believed he would make a good ruler. Aiden knows how to be responsible when necessary and has basic moral principles, his status weight was heavy and, therefore, he recognized his duties. Almost everyone in the imperial family was like that, but he stood out among them.

"Yes, His Highness."

"Ah, if only my father would allow me to deal with him." Aiden sighed.

He had long wanted to remove the Duke, but his father wouldn't allow it and always warned him not to think that way.

It wasn't like he was going to do it anyway, he understood the usefulness of Duque Santos, as it's always better to have a known enemy than one you don't know anything about. But sometimes this man was a thorn in his side, not doing real harm, but a nuisance.

'Well, it's not like any of his plans are going to work anyway.'

Aiden finished his tea, focusing on Cédric again.

"Have you thought about it? My father's proposal."

Cedric said nothing, just looked at him. Aiden soon continued as the Grand Duke didn't know what he was talking about. The man who was his childhood friend was only interested in a few things.

"The wedding between you and my sister."

"I said no." Short answer.

"I know. There are rumors of how you turned down such a proposal, which is believable. And I also had confidence that it would be so." He explained, seeing his friend's handsome face as he played with the cup in his hands. "My father said you would have until the Victory Ceremony to answer him definitively, but maybe you changed your mind."

"I will not change."

"Too bad for Elise then. She was even excited to marry you. She's always had a crush on you from a young age." He said. Licking the corner of her lips and lifting the same corner. "I didn't want that and neither did he. He knew you would refuse and only offered to shut the nobles up. While I don't like the way he's using his daughter to bond with that mercenary, I can't help admitting that it is. a wise decision as emperor."

"I also think." Noir agreed. He didn't like politics, but he had to admit that the Emperor was one of the best on his stage.

Cédric rose at the end of his words. The matter he had come to discuss was already done and he spoke briefly with his friend. There were still matters to be dealt with, mainly about his territory, which he was away from for some time.

"Are you going?" Aiden asked.

"Yes."

"All good." Aiden nodded, watching Cédric walk over and open the door. But before the noble took the first step, he spoke again. "I know the reasons for saying no. I just hope they come true."

Cédric stopped and listened attentively to his friend's speech. He didn't say anything for a while, before turning to Aiden briefly and answering him.

"Me too." And he left.

Aiden looked at the closed door and sighed, picking up his cup and looking into the bottom. He knew the reasons why Cédric had refused, he only hoped that his friend could really fulfill such a wish. Perhaps his desire has also become part of him.

He glanced back at the door and frowned at having noticed something only now.

"Then he says his upbringing doesn't allow it. The bastard left without saying goodbye to me." He complained and cursed him.

*

Pure white stretched across that entire area. Marble pillars and other stone as white as ivory. There were statues of men and women, even animals too, all scattered throughout the corridors of that huge building and its outbuildings. Priests ran and walked in all directions, while visitors also walked with different goals in mind, some to pray, some to confess and some to visit a family member. The sunlight streaming in through the stained glass windows made the whole scene look like a landscape in an oil painting. It was incredibly beautiful.

Brandon glanced at the image in front of him, realizing that he was actually a bit affected by the beautiful appearance of the place. It is not surprising, after all, the temple itself was designed to have elegance, beauty, a pleasant aesthetic, but that showed a certain grandeur. A worthy place to call the gods home and believe in them, as this place was considered a holy land for all believers and represents the center of religious power in the empire for being the seat.

He was in front of a stone statue of a man with his torso bared, a spear and animal skin as the raw material for his clothes. This was the God Yuas, a warrior who possessed superhuman strength, boundless courage, and an indomitable heart; they say that his story goes back to a small tribe and that he was their best warrior against foreign forces. The statue of such a god was erected because a citizen of the empire was chosen by him, and was classified as a Minor God for being in the hall and not being one of Lucan's three patrons.

Brandon was watching her as he thought about the story the priest who guided them had told. He accompanied James on his journey through the capital visiting the main sights of Aster and after they had lunch they decided to go straight to the temple. As he thought, the streets were just like the commercial ones, full of people, and a long wall as big as that of a nobleman's residence stretched across that whole place. A gate was also in the center and open, with people coming in and out, wearing the best clothes they had to show respect as they entered a holy place. That was how important faith was to them, always sincerely demonstrated, regardless of class or status.

The trio had entered and a priest soon accompanied them to show the entire temple, telling the stories of the gods, their names and powers, it was fascinating in a way. And they walked through the place until now, with Brandon at the statue and James and Nott at the priest's side.

"Now we will go to the main hall. By this time, the prayer must have ended and you are free to walk around there until the next session."

Brandon was awakened from his reverie by the priest's voice that said a little loudly, drawing his attention to the three of them. The priest wore a green tunic and beige clothing, with a detail representing the god he believed in, and his appearance was beautiful, with brown hair and honey-colored eyes, almost golden. James and Nott soon agreed and followed the priest, and Brandon as well, away from the statue of a god.

"Brother Brandon, isn't the temple really a beautiful thing?" James asked, half-asserting.

As a citizen of the empire, James had an affection for the place equal to any other. Although he prefers magic and doesn't really like the idea of living for the sake of a deity, he admired such beings who could rise above everything else in the earthly world and reach an entirely different level.

"Yes. I also think it's pretty."

"I'm very happy to hear that from you gentlemen." The priest spoke, smiling gently at the three of them. "That makes me proud. The Temple of Lucan is much older than this empire and yet it's still so beautiful. Sometimes I wonder what it looked like when it was built or who built such a building, it must have been a genius to make it. something and have a great view."

The priest pointed to a statue – a seated woman with a flower in her hand and a wreath on her head, and her clothes were simple, like a dress – as they continued. Brandon looked at the figure, simply focusing on the slightest smile, but the peace that was in the expression was still seen.

"She is Zephyra, a goddess with a focus on plants. Her origin story goes back to being born from a flower that bloomed in a lake and that created life with the tears of a heartbroken young man; the story tells how he helped her to know the world and she with her friendship to console him.In the end, they fell in love and when he died, the goddess kept his body on top of the lake where he was born and surrounded the place with the flowers that he loved most when he was alive." He looked at them. "Do you know why I'm telling you this? It's because this is the oldest statue. It's not the three patrons or the highest ranking gods, but this one. We don't know why it was the first, but some theories suggest that the architect was a chosen by her or was the beloved himself."

"And which one do you think is right? Mister Priest." The purple haired one asked curiously. This subject was also mysterious and interesting, as mages liked to know the reason for things.

"Hmm… I think it's the most likely that he would be chosen. Since if he was the beloved, he should have done it with her as the center. If it were me, I would have done it." He tapped his fingers on his chin before answering.

The group walked away from the statue until they could no longer see it when they turned to the right and went straight, but the priest continued to talk about the statue of the Goddess Zephyra.

"Anyway, isn't it curious that it was the first? Why would the genius architect of the temple have built it first and not the patrons? I'd really like to know if it was back then." A trace of both enthusiasm and disappointment appeared in his voice. "And even though the temple is called the Temple of Lucan, with the exception of the patrons' room, the place it is and the room it guards is the part that has been worked on the most. You can tell if you look closely. But it's still so beautiful. despite age." A sigh escaped his lips. "Maybe he was just moved by their beautiful love story."

The priest ended up being silent for a while. He didn't say anything else, but continued to lead them into the main hall. For devotees, even if they are not their gods, the subjects that refer to the reasons for their origins are important and can carry weight, after all, their past can serve as examples of learning for them.

Brandon heard it and couldn't help thinking. It's inevitable. When you are listening to the success stories of others' love lives and comparing them to his own, a bitter taste arises in your mouth along with a slight heaviness in your heart. He is aloof in front of others, but if he were alone, a deprecating and wistful smile would have grown on his face.

'Do not think about it.'

He shook his head twice. He couldn't let his emotions get the best of him, at least not when he was accompanied by James and Nott. He didn't want to worry both of them with the sadness he was trying to contain. And he didn't even want to feel that way.

Everything was fine.

A deep breath was taken and the slowly building anxiety subsided. However, after that, he too couldn't help but admire Zephyra's luck. She was born and met the love of her life, even if they were unknown at the time, the lover was someone who stayed with her until the end of her life. She didn't have to know the pain of a broken heart like her lover and scum as a partner. The story seems as if they were destined.

'Her luck is really great. I know this is wrong, but I'm a little jealous of her. I would also like to be that lucky and meet a partner.'

A mate. Someone who was next door. That's what he wanted.

He never believed in the enchanted tales his mother read to him as a child, but he always admired when the couple stayed together in the face of difficulties. He thought Phillip could be by his side just like them, but time has shown he was wrong. Lastly, he was a bit cynical if he could actually find someone who would do that.

Maybe he was just disappointed that he was injured.

However, he still had hope that he could find him.

It was a little strange for him to think of it this way divided into two sides, but there was no help. It was complex. And he felt a little silly, it was like there was a light in him that wouldn't go out for nothing, even rising to prove his hope was right.

Of course, all this in his heart, while there was nothing to prove it. All that was left was his only option: waiting.