Prologue

I've always hated the spotlight. That pedestal that you get placed upon, only for someone to pull it out from under you and bring you back down to the ground. Those few seconds that are all about you, suddenly disappear, leaving you to be the useless mess that you were before.

Being related to the First Emperor's right-hand man didn't do me any favours either. My Grandfather, Basil Herz, was the Strongest Swordsman in the Kingdom of Kartenia and was an instrumental asset in the 'Great War' which preceded the formation of this nation.

As the oldest son of the Herz family head, I was given a lot of resources that would set me up to follow my father and grandfather, as one of our nation's leading swordsmen. However, life took an unexpected turn when I was five years old. In the hopes of getting my father's attention, I trained my hardest and won a swordsmanship tournament that my academy held.

This was the best day of my life, or at least that's what it was supposed to be. I climbed onto the podium and looked at the wonderful sight in front of me. This was the first time that I had ever won anything. My eyes sparkled as I stood on my toes, trying to get even taller than I felt at this moment.

"Of course, he won it."

"With the blood of the hero flowing in his veins, there was really no doubt who the winner was going to be."

"If that wasn't enough, his rich family can afford to get him one of those fancy personal instructors to teach him swordsmanship. We never even stood a chance"

I turned my head in the direction of the sound. My eyes widened when I saw my closest friends talking about my accomplishment as if it was all decided from the start. Despite knowing how hard I worked for this tournament, these guys spoke as if I had it all handed to me.

I felt betrayed. I quickly wiped the tears that had formed in my eyes and readied myself to receive the medal. Our headmaster, a giant of a man, walked towards me slowly, halting right in front of me. "Well done Young Man! I would expect nothing less from a Herz. You have made your family proud."

An innocent remark. But it stung. After listening to my friends undermining my months of hard work, and blaming it on my family name, a simple comment like this was very hard to be happy about.

"Thank you, sir," I replied, fighting off the tears that had once again begun forming. I quickly got off stage and went to the changing room. I didn't want to stay any longer. It didn't matter to me what the others had to say. I trained those long hours to show my father what I can do. I called for my butler, James, who escorted me back to the mansion.

As the carriage got closer to the estate, my excitement became harder to handle. I was about to burst when James opened the door. I was greeted with a piercing welcome from the sun as I got out of the car. My eyes quickly adjusted to the grand sight of my home right in front of me.

The Herz family home was one of the most magnificent buildings in Kartenia, second only to the Royal Palace. The white marble building was quite difficult to look at during the day, as it shone as bright as a star. The path leading to the entrance was decorated with flower bushes and a large fountain on either side. I walk into the house, quickly making my way to Father's study.

Father has been my role model since even before I picked up a sword. I grew up watching his training sessions, admiring the elegance in his swordsmanship, hoping that one day I would also be able to do the same.

This was it. A chance to show Father how far I had come, how much I have grown. Before I knew it, I had reached the room. I knocked on the huge wooden door, excited to tell him of my first ever achievement.

"Come in", came a tired voice. I slowly opened the door and made my way in.

"Ah, Valerio. How was your tournament?" he asks. "It was really good Father; I won the whole thing! Look!" I held up my prize for him to see. He looked at me and smiled at me. He got up from his chair and walked toward me. Suddenly, I was in the air, with Father holding me up high.

"Well done, Valerio! I knew you could do it." I was ecstatic! If I was smiling any harder, my face would have been ripped. This is the happiest I've ever been, and nothing was going to take it away from me. "I would expect nothing less from a Herz. It's in our blood."

The smile on my face disappeared. "Huh?" I whimpered out. "It's expected that you won the tournament. No member of the Herz family has lost in a sword-fighting contest, especially one at the academy level!" He laughed.

I wanted to cry. I wanted to hide away from everyone and everything and just cry. "Thank you, Father. I will be going back to my room now. I'm really tired, I think I'll rest until dinner." I walked out of Father's study and shut the door behind me.

I ran past many of my uncles and cousins as I made my way back to my room. I was holding my tears in, but I was about to burst. I quickly entered my room and slammed the door shut, tears flooding out of me.

That pedestal that you get placed upon, only for someone to pull it out from under you and bring you back down to the ground. After everything I did, the family name gets the credit? The first time that I got the chance to stand out, was taken from me. They put me on a pedestal, just to tell me that I got there because of who I am?

I hate the spotlight. And no matter what anyone else tells me, I will never go back into it.