"Helios! Are you okay?" The Queen knelt to check if her son was okay, but aside from being a woman, he seemed fine. "Saint Vanessa, please, could you check if he's okay?" she asked the Saint, who also looked a little confused. After checking him with her powers, there was nothing wrong.
"Mother, please don't worry. It was just a silly mistake of mine; I ate a strange fruit from Mythara, and it seems sometimes I transform into a woman." he lied.
"My goodness, why didn't you tell us sooner? Please, go change into something more fitting. I will send someone to ask Saint Karina for a solution." The Queen wanted to smack her son, but she refrained since they were in public.
Seeing that there was really no problem, the nobles sighed in relief. It would have been a disaster if something bad had happened on the last day of the festival, as it was a joyous occasion where the Crown Prince had passed the trial and would ask for his wish from the gods at midnight, along with the other nobles who had also passed.
Amadeus, who had seen everything, was still in shock. Wasn't that my power just now? But why did he lie? His hand, which was holding the fan to cover his face, was trembling with excitement. He didn't know why, but he was really happy at the moment, not like Alistair, who had observed everything and felt lost, wondering if the maiden had fallen for the Crown Prince.
[Prince Helios Caspian Sinclair is now your Vassal. Please take care of him.]
The strange notification appeared in front of him, and his trembling hand stopped as his fan fell to the floor.
Vassal?
Alistair knelt down to pick up the fan but felt his hair get pulled roughly as Medea's uncontrollable hand grabbed his hair, gripped by the shock of seeing another message.
[Helios will now share your soul and feelings; his destiny is now intertwined with yours.]
He needed to talk to him, somehow.
Alistair had some difficulty making her let go of his hair without hurting her, even if he secretly liked the sensation. He handed her the fan and watched her eyes, which were still staring where the Prince had just left.
"My lady, please don't fall for anyone who isn't me." He grabbed her hand and placed it against his chest with a hurt expression.
When Amadeus heard him, he frowned at Alistair and opened the fan to cover his mouth. "What are you talking about? I'm not in love with anyone." He whispered this so no one apart from Alistair could see him speaking.
"But your eyes have been fixated on the Prince the entire time..." Alistair was so agitated that he never let go of her hand, instead intertwining their fingers so she couldn't go after that damn Prince. This gesture made Amadeus sigh in annoyance, but he let it go since he had just discovered something happy.
"Listen, Alistair. Love is not something I can enjoy right now. I have circumstances that will only hurt the people around me, but I promise you I will be your friend forever." He whispered this with a sad but sincere smile. Alistair didn't know what to say; he certainly wouldn't be happy just being friends, so he needed to discover what those circumstances were that prohibited her from having a lover.
"Then what about the Crown Prince who captured your attention?" Alistair asked, tightening his hand around Medea's. But before she could reply, a sweet voice interrupted them.
"It's nice to see you, my lord. How have you been?" Saint Vanessa walked toward them and raised her hand toward Alistair. Due to etiquette, Alistair had to let go of Medea's hand and take the Saint's to place a kiss on the back of her fingers.
"It's a pleasure to be graced by your presence, Saint Vanessa. My days have been quite peaceful, as nothing unusual has happened." He let go of her hand and immediately took back Medea's hand, all under the watch of the Saint, whose eyes twitched at the gesture.
Amadeus noticed her reaction and noticed that the Saint hadn't even glanced at him. He raised an eyebrow; didn't this seem like some kind of cheap romantic drama?
"My lord, I've always known you to have the kindest of hearts, but your late comrade should have known better than to burden you with such heavy requests. If you would like, I could help you find a better accommodation for Lady Medea. The church always welcomes people in need. She could train to be a sister and have peaceful days." Saint Vanessa tried to reason out the situation the Duke was in; he shouldn't just be taking a woman under his wing for a petty request.
Alistair's eyes darkened after hearing the Saint. The church was not the best place for his lady. He could already imagine Medea insulting the gods instead of praying to them, and he couldn't bear the thought of not sleeping under the same roof as her for even another night.
"I must reject your offer, but a promise is a promise. We must go now, as it seems other people would like to have your attention." He bowed his head and turned away to walk in another direction before the Saint could stop them.
"Alistair, I think she's in love with you." Amadeus whispered into his ear.
"Hm? I don't think so. The Saint is a figure who made a pact with the gods to never give away her purity. Saint Vanessa was just being considerate."
"Yeah, by putting me in a damn church to pray all day."
Medea's annoyed voice made Alistair chuckle. He finally let go of her hand to place his on her bare back; luckily, it was covered by her hair, so just by being near her, he could see how lean her back was. "I would never allow such blasphemy. You are meant to be placed in the most beautiful place, with the most beautiful view you could ever see."
After hearing so much "trash talk" from Alistair, Amadeus had gotten used to it. His words would enter one ear and go out the other without even passing through his brain. Completely ignoring the sentiment, he took a glass of white wine from a passing waiter and started to sip it slowly, like the lady he was pretending to be.
Then, music suddenly resounded in the hall, and everyone started to dance. Amadeus stayed in the corner with Alistair, who tried to invite him to join, but he refused. He didn't know how to dance, and he was a man, it would be strange to dance the female part, anyway. He was getting used to being a woman day by day, but he still rejected it sometimes. He had lived all his life as a male; how could he simply live as a woman? It hurt his pride.
"But I have a way to make you dance without making a wrong move." Alistair tried again; he really wanted to dance with the lady.
"How?" Amadeus was curious, though he still intended to refuse later.
"With my power: telekinesis. I could move my lady's body without worries."
"You have the power of telekinesis, and you never told me?" He knew the people here had powers, but he had never seen anyone using them.
"You never asked me." Alistair smiled briefly. "I know dancing doesn't thrill you, but would you like to try how strong my power is?" In reality, making the lady dance smoothly was pretty easy; with his power, he could move an entire airship.
Amadeus twirled his glass of wine. He was tempted to know the feeling of being controlled by that power, but then he saw a figure coming toward them. He smiled brightly at his newly found vassal, even if he didn't quite understand why he even had a vassal.
Helios was dressed in a female military uniform; he had refused to wear a gown. He still possessed the pride of a Crown Prince, so he had to salvage some dignity. He walked toward the Grand Duke and the lady for whom he felt a strangely strong pull, a feeling so intense he wanted to call her "Master." When he saw her smile, he smiled back brightly; they seemed to share the same inexplicable attachment.
"My lady." He knelt down and grabbed her soft hand, but instead of placing a kiss, he pressed his forehead against her backhand, shocking everyone who saw the gesture.
It was a gesture not used in court etiquette, but one used by knights when they swore their loyalty to a person.
It didn't last long, as Alistair snatched Medea's hand back. "Crown Prince Helios, what is the meaning of this?" He said it with a cold voice that puzzled Amadeus, as he had never heard that tone from him before.
Helios stood up and glanced at the Duke, smirking to provoke him, before returning his gaze to his Master. He didn't know why he felt like this. He knew it wasn't a trick or a form of mental manipulation. He simply knew he had found someone he had to protect with his life, and he had an urge to always stay near her... or him. He felt like his Master didn't really have a specific gender. "My lady, would you like to step out to a more private space for a conversation? We have a lot to talk about."
Amadeus nodded and was about to follow him when he felt a hand grabbing his arm. He looked behind and saw a very sad Alistair. He rolled his eyes, took Alistair's hand, and dragged him along.
Helios led them to a faraway room and checked to ensure no one followed them and that no one could hear them. When they entered, Amadeus sat on the couch, looking worriedly at Alistair. He had brought him along so he wouldn't get jealous, but he wasn't ready to reveal everything to him yet.
Seeing the worried expression on his Master's face, Helios looked at the Grand Duke, and with a flick of his hand, he erected a barrier around himself and his Master. Alistair could watch over them, but he couldn't hear a word. Helios then sat on the couch opposite Amadeus to face him.
"Nice to meet you, my lady... or lord. My name is Helios Caspian Sinclair." He blushed, feeling embarrassed as he struggled to find his words. He had brought them here, but he didn't know how to start, he couldn't exactly just say "I want to call you Master, is that alright?"
"Hi, my name is Amadeus Hayes. You can call me Medea for now, and... I think you're my vassal now." Amadeus too doesn't know how to start the conversation, so he just said what he knew would have caused this strange phenomenon.
"Vassal?" Helios touched his long hair, considering the word for a second... it sounded just right. "But how, and why?" He completely forgot about court etiquette, sensing instinctively that his Master wasn't from this world.
"I don't know either... but..." Amadeus glanced over at Alistair, who was observing them from a corner, so he covered his mouth. "I'm an Anomaly, but I don't know what kind of blood is running through my veins." He had only just met Helios, but since the notification told him that his fate was intertwined with his vassal, he should be honest with him.
Helios's eyes widened, and he stood up, shocked and speechless.
This was troublesome; Anomalies were the species the government used to extract energy. "Fuck." Helios slumped back onto the couch and placed his hands on his head. "This is all fucked up. How come you haven't been detected yet, Master?" He finally said the word Master, and despite the dire situation, he felt overjoyed.
"Well... I met Saint Karina from Mythara, and she did something to conceal my power, and Alistair gave me this bracelet." Amadeus raised his wrist, showing the five-petaled flower bracelet made of yellow gemstones. Seeing this, Helios sighed in relief and looked over at the Grand Duke, whose eyes were still fixed on his Master.
He took some minutes to calm down and reorganize his mind; he had a lot of things to ask but time was passing faster than expected. "Would you like to live with me here in the castle?" Helios suggested, but Amadeus refused; it would attract too many unwanted eyes.
"Then I would like to meet you every day. I am your vassal now; I need to make sure you're alright at all times, and I'll help you with anything you need. But... can you turn my body back to normal?"
Amadeus shook his head. "I can't... I am too stuck in this woman's body. Sorry..." Amadeus looked down, feeling guilty about his inability to control his power.
"Ah! No worries, seriously, Master. We will eventually find out how to use your power more easily. Tomorrow, please tell me everything you know about it. I'll come find you at the Duke's mansion." Helios broke the barrier, finally looked over at the Grand Duke, and spoke to him. "We have to go to the altar now to pray to the gods."
It was almost midnight, and everyone who had passed the trial was to be granted a wish. It had already been decided that Prince Helios's wish would be for the prosperity of the kingdom, but he had changed his mind. The kingdom could achieve prosperity through the hard work of its people; he needed a more useful wish now that he had a Master to protect. It wasn't that the kingdom wasn't worth protecting, but he had other priorities.
They all went to the back of the castle, where nobles and commoners alike stood in line for their turn to have their wishes granted. Naturally, the first in line was the Crown Prince.
Before ascending the altar, Helios looked at his family and smiled. "I have a greedy wish I would like to make, so please do not be angry." Not wanting to hear his family's protests, he rushed to the altar, knelt down, and closed his eyes. He intertwined his hands in front of him, and as the moonlight hit his figure, clouds began to swirl in a circle above the altar.
"Please, gods, hear my plea. I am about to embark on a long journey where I will require endless luck. Please grant me this wish, and may it never be broken by anyone."
Beneath his sincere tone, he grinned. Luck was, after all, the strongest power in the universe. I hope they don't get mad at me, he thought, since I will be using the luck they grant me to help their enemy.
After all, it was their own fault for hunting his master.