The Author's Will

55 | Mirrored Blades

　　 What does it mean to be strong?

The question lingered on his mind like a seed planted in fresh grains of soil. As the needle in his arm pricked into his skin, Daniel could feel little to no pain when Tieve inserted the antidote serum into his stream of blood.

Ever since his conversation with the white-haired girl, whose pushy attitude and insults seemed to give him a great push, her words hadn't left his mind. By now, two weeks had passed since the banquet, and Daniel focused on steadily regaining his health — but he was noticeably quiet and always thinking about something.

His scarlet-haired attendant only watched on with concern, but could never bring himself to ask about what was on the prince's mind. Prince Daniel hasn't been the same ever since the day of the banquet... Tieve sighed to himself softly, disinfecting the needle's incision whilst preparing a little bandage. He remembered finding the prince in a state of reverie, in the midst of the long and endless mess of a labyrinth - and he hadn't gotten out of it since.

"That's the last of the antidote, Your Highness." Tieve spoke calmly whilst tidying away the tools he had used to treat Daniel. The raven-haired prince observed his aide cleaning things up, a faint series of clatters and clinking with his elegant movements.

Although the servant was chosen by his uncle, and would likely follow the orders of the man who hired him over his own master, Tieve Cevalier was a good person who diligently cared for Daniel - and not just because of his sense of duty. This young man had the eyes of someone who cared, and Daniel was rather good at discerning people like that, from people who only pretended to act selflessly.

"Tieve," He called out, catching the red-haired young man's attention. "Just out of curiosity, but what do you think makes a person strong?"

The butler blinked in confusion, unsure of where this sudden question sprouted from, but he didn't question it. Tieve raised a hand up to his chin in consideration. "Hmm... I suppose being able to stay rational in dire situations? Or being someone who's able to protect others weaker than themselves?"

Not a bad response, he thought. But Daniel wasn't entirely sure about how to simply become those things. The more he wondered about it, the more difficult it seemed to achieve those standards.

"I want to be strong..." He whispered, and Tieve's eyes widened at the look of determination in the boy's eyes. "I don't want to be a coward who hides in fear of getting hurt anymore. I don't want to let others control me like a puppet..."

The servant could tell Daniel was likely referring to Duke Atlan, during that last part. Ever since moving into this estate, the first prince had experienced torturously strict rules and lessons. Even though it was his own uncle he was living under, Daniel was learning nothing but pain. He had been so overworked and drained from all the poison intake, there were many times he even felt his body would suddenly die from the stress.

Daniel was aware of his limits. He knew there was no way he could keep this up without hurting himself as a result — and doing so could end in a fatal way. He couldn't keep up with his uncle's impossible workload.

Tieve surveyed the prince's troubled expression for a moment, before offering him a small smile. "If it's about strength, I think you should look at the Duke of Cherliann," he began to say, and the mention of Mikael's current guardian caught his attention. "That man singlehandedly won every war he's ever fought in — the people respect and revere him, and it's said that the knights he raises are always the strongest."

Daniel considered it for a moment. "Duke Cherliann, huh..." It was true that the man achieved many great feats — in fact, he was most qualified to rule the Empire because of his illustrious prowess in many fields. Although Rudien was infamously known for his murderous, baleful and heartless 'grim reaper' personality, rumours about him had changed from before. It seemed ever since his daughter — Irene Cherliann was born, the man developed a human, loving side to him.