The day after his homecoming, Cerdic was having breakfast with his family. Freshly baked bread, roasted meat, and a special aromatic tea imported from the East were all placed on the table. Regulus sat on the main seat sipping from a porcelain teacup. Seraphina sat next to him. Aldric was a real food lover. He was eagerly trying out every dish on the table. Cerdic smiled as he observed his younger brother. Aldric wasn't following any table manners, but Regulus and Seraphina didn't seem to mind. Cerdic remembered how strict they were with him when he was at that age. They seemed to have two different approaches towards him and his little brother. But Cerdic didn't mind that. After all, he was the firstborn, the heir.
"Cerdic, now that you have completed your education, I think it's time we looked at your future." Regulus said, taking a measured sip from his teacup.
"My future?"
"Yes." Regulus put the teacup onto the table. "You still remember Selene? daughter of Lord Skyreach?"
Cerdic suddenly understood where this was going.
"Father, with respect. I just returned from the academy." Cerdic daud hesitantly. "And I am just sixteen. Isn't it too early to talk about marriage?"
"Too early?" Regulus raised an eyebrow. "I don't think so. Most of the noble heirs marry around this age. I was no exception."
"Your father is right, Cerdic." Seraphina chimed in. "You are the heir of the Brightmoon family. You need to look beyond your own personal interests."
"The Skyreach family has supported us for years," Regulus said. "This marriage will also be an alliance that will tie our two families together."
A political marriage? Cerdic understood his father's intentions.
"You should know, your father and I also got married over a political alliance," Seraphina said as if she read Cerdic's thoughts. "But neither of us regretted that decision. I am sure you won't either."
Cerdic remembered that his mother was actually a member of the Rosetide family. Another prestigious noble family. The marriage between Seraphina and Regulus did help them form a long-standing alliance. This alliance brought them a lot of benefits. There was no doubt that an alliance with the Skyreach family would be even more beneficial.
"I understand, Father," Cerdic said at last. He was aware that as the heir, some sacrifices were expected of him.
"Good, then I will personally meet lord Skyreach and discuss matters." Regulus said, leaning back on his chair.
With that, the discussion ended. The breakfast completed without any more serious interactions. Cerdic then stood up and turned towards his younger brother.
"You said you've started training swordplay," Cerdic said, smiling. "Show me how much you have learnt."
"Really?" Aldric looked excited. "I will come right away."
He ran off to get his training sword.
"No, not like that." Cerdic said as he parried an attack from Aldric, sending the boy stumbling back.
"You use too much force," Cerdic said. "This way, you will tire yourself out before doing any real damage."
Aldric nodded in understanding and took his battle stance again. Then he lunged forward, but Cerdic parried again.
"No, you are meant to cut, not to crush. It's a sword, not a mace."
Regulus watched with a faint smile as Cerdic guided Aldric in his training. He felt a sense of happiness from watching his sons. At that moment, hurried footsteps were heard from the far end of the courtyard. Garon approached with a concerned expression and passed a folded parchment to Regulus. He unfolded it and looked through the contents again.
"So, they will come in three days," Regulus muttered. "Evernight family is moving swiftly, it seems."
"What's your order, milord?" Garon asked with urgency.
"What else?" Regulus sighed. "The assassination must be carried out within three days. Send the message. Use our fastest messengers."
"As you command, milord." Garon bowed before walking off.
Cerdic had seen Garon passing some kind of message to his father. He also noticed how serious Regulus looked when he read the message. He was curious.
"I got you!" Aldric tried to hit Cerdic again, noticing he was distracted. But Cerdic sidestepped and swept Aldric's legs. The young boy landed on the ground with a thud.
"Ouch!" Aldric cried. "Not fair; you are too tall."
"Then, wait until you grow up," Cerdic laughed.
He helped Aldric up from the ground.
"We will end it for today." Cerdic stretched his arms. "Go play with Victor. I need to meet Father."
Aldric pouted in displeasure, but he left Cerdic alone. Cerdic walked towards Regulus.
Regulus was still deep in thought as he stood next to the training grounds, eyes gazing into the distance.
"Father. You seem troubled," Cerdic said as he approached.
"Ah...Cerdic, I was just thinking about a piece of news I received." Regulus snapped out of his thoughts.
"What news?" Cerdic asked. "Is it troubling?"
"Troubling?" Regulus chuckled. "You can say that. But it can also be a false alarm."
"Can you tell me about it?"
Regulus looked at his son thoughtfully.
"You are the next heir of the Brightmoon family," Regulus said, nodding. "Yes, I believe I can tell you."
Regulus turned towards the mansion.
"Come to my study. We will talk in detail."