"Agni, which of these three do you think I'm going to have you marry?"
I blinked. The room was pitch black—Father always did love his dramatic lighting effects—but somehow the three photographs spread across his mahogany desk were crystal clear to my eyes. Weird how my vision worked sometimes.
I hummed under my breath and reached forward, fingers brushing the edge of the photos. Across the desk, Father sat perfectly still, watching me with those calculating light blue eyes of his. His black hair had more silver streaks than I remembered, and the lines around his eyes made him look... tired. Weary from age, maybe, but still carrying that suffocating aura of absolute authority.
Honestly? I'd rather be anywhere else right now.
Seeing Father was always punishment in its own twisted way. He only summoned me when something major in my life was about to change, and above everything else in this world, I hated change. Give me my lazy afternoons in the castle gardens over... whatever this was supposed to be.
"Take your time," he said, though his tone suggested otherwise.
I looked back at the photos, studying them from left to right.
The first woman had light blue hair that seemed to shimmer even in the old photograph. Her black eyes held this intense focus that made me think she could probably remember what she had for breakfast three years ago. She was definitely pretty—the kind of face that would stick in my head for more than a day, which was saying something.
But there was more to her than just looks. Those eyes... they held raw power. This was clearly a mage, and not just any mage. Her gaze looked like it could see straight through to possibilities I couldn't even imagine.
I glanced down at the description written in my father's neat handwriting: Highest mana capacity ever recorded in the history of the Kingdom of Light. Extremely promising talent.
"Huh," I muttered, then shifted to the center photo.
This one was blurred, like someone had spilled water on it. I rubbed it clean with my thumb, and a blonde-haired woman with pitch-red eyes came into focus.
The image was... unsettling. She was beautiful, sure, but the first thing that popped into my head was scary. Unlike the blue-haired mage whose eyes held limitless imagination, this woman's eyes held absolutely nothing. They looked like dying embers—not warm fire, but the cold kind that burns everything to ash.
I sighed. Looking at photos of women for marriage felt weird. I mean, I didn't even want to get married in the first place. But then again, it wasn't really my choice, was it?
My thoughts started drifting when my father's fingers began tapping impatiently on the desk. The sharp sound snapped me back to reality.
I didn't look at him—probably had that expression of a man on the edge of his patience but completely helpless when it came to dealing with his lazy son.
I glanced at the red-eyed woman's description: Divine Healer. Currently at the Temple of Solace for prayer and meditation. Due to her status, she holds great influence within the temple.
Temple of Solace? I blinked. That name rang a bell... oh yeah, I'd visited there once. The only thing I remembered was that they had the best cake shop nearby. What was it called again? Never mind, couldn't think too hard about stuff like that.
I looked at the third photograph and my eyes widened.
This picture was crystal clear—high quality, like it was taken yesterday. And the woman in it was easily the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. Among the three, she was in a league of her own.
She had jet-black hair and matching black eyes that seemed to pull me in like a bottomless pit. But unlike empty holes, these eyes burned with pure ambition. They weren't the eyes of someone with wild imagination or hollow dreams—they belonged to a woman who knew exactly what she wanted and was completely confident in her ability to get it.
More than that—she looked like someone who enjoyed crushing obstacles in her path.
I gulped.
She wore a simple dress that didn't scream nobility, but there was a small emblem embroidered on the chest—the mark of the 12th State.
The description was surprisingly brief: Daughter of Grand Duke Valen, 12th State.
I looked back at my father. Right, I had to pick one, or he'd pick for me. Either way, someone was getting chosen today.
Well, this was easy enough.
"The middle one," I said, holding up the divine healer's photo.
My father's eyebrows shot up, clearly expecting an explanation.
I rubbed the back of my neck. "Ah, well... if the divine healer is from our kingdom and she's at the Temple of Solace, then me marrying her would increase our influence a lot, right? Since the temple is neutral among all kingdoms and races, it would be a huge political advantage."
My father blinked slowly, then rubbed his temples like he was fighting off a headache.
"No," he said with a long sigh. "No one would let you even get close to a divine healer. Even if you somehow managed to marry her, she'd be stripped of her position immediately. Do you honestly think the Shadowmere Empire would sit back and let us pull something like that?"
He leaned forward, fixing me with a stern look. "She's a political tool right now. With her divine healing abilities, she's being pushed around by every major power. Getting her married to you—someone who does nothing but laze around all day—would be like painting targets on both your backs."
His voice rose slightly. "The real reason you picked her is because you thought you wouldn't have to do anything, isn't it? By the gods, Agni, do you take anything seriously?"
I groaned as he yelled at me. I mean, he wasn't entirely wrong...
I kept quiet as my father sighed heavily. With a wave of his hand, the left and center photos burst into flames, turning to ash in seconds. Only the black-haired woman remained.
"This," he said, tapping her photo, "is my choice for you."
The room suddenly filled with normal light, making me squint. My father had been maintaining that creepy dark atmosphere on purpose. His face showed the strain of someone stuck in a difficult position, but eventually, that look faded into calm acceptance.
"Lyralei Valen," he began, turning to stare out the window. "Age eighteen."
He paused, his shoulders tense. "She is extremely ambitious. Among all generations of knights in our kingdom, her talent at eighteen surpasses anything we've seen before. It would be pointless to list her achievements—there are too many."
His voice grew more serious. "Above all, she's fully aware of her abilities and is cunning enough to use them. There's no way she'd be satisfied merely being a grand duke. She'll come for the throne eventually."
He turned back to face me, his light blue eyes boring into mine. "So it's better to have you marry her now—give her what she wants and tie her to you. That will restrict her ambitions for the time being and stop her from seeking alliances beyond our kingdom."
"She will use you," he continued, "and you will have to use her."
His gaze intensified. "No—first, you'll have to learn how not to get completely devoured by her and avoid becoming a puppet prince. Got it?"
"Sure, Father," I hummed.
"Learn to think for yourself, Agni." His voice carried a weight I'd never heard before. "Learn to live like a human being. Learn to be a wise king."
He walked closer to me. "A king who doesn't care for his people is no different from a slave merchant, selling lives for coins. Countless such rulers have come and gone, yet the Luminous Empire has stood for generations. It endures because of what it represents."
"And you, Agni, have to become more than your lazy existence to embody that symbol. If it's not you, it'll be someone else taking your place."
He moved to his desk, pressing his palm against its surface. "Make your life meaningful. You'll be attending Aethermoor Academy—it's an independent institution like the Temple of Solace where all races and kingdoms come together. It's a place of power and knowledge."
"Your admission is already processed," he said. "That's where you'll have to find yourself. And this journey starts now."
He looked at me one final time. "Growth always occurs through struggle. In life-or-death situations, people discover who they truly are. If you spend your life idle, it's no different from being dead."
His final words hit harder than expected: "So learn to live."
I nodded. "Yes, Father."
The scene expanded outward, showing the sprawling castle complex and the lands beyond. From a small, hidden exit, I emerged on horseback—a sleek black stallion that seemed eager to run.
"The journey from now on, you'll have to make yourself," my father had said. "That includes reaching the academy on your own. It's a week-long ride."
The black horse kicked against the ground as we started moving. Wind hit my face, and I blinked sleepily against it.
A nap sounded pretty good right about now...