Paralyzed (Tboah!AlbeCale)

4) Crown Prince? nah, vacuum cleaner

Knock knock.

Cale entered his father's office without hesitation. Not even giving his name, or any other welcome either.

"Cale. You're finally here."

"Hello, Cale."

His father and stepmother rigidly greeted him. It was like this every time they talked, which was slightly annoying. His siblings stayed silent, but exchanged their own greetings with their eyes. He was surprised to see Lily was there, but she probably cried if she was alone for too long.

Cale sat down casually, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms. Then he stared at his father until he started talking.

"Ahem. I summoned everyone to take part in a family meeting. Lately I've been a bit busy with work, so seeing you all has been difficult. I also wanted updates on your study progress and other things."

Cale purposefully scoffed a bit louder than necessary. Where was this coming from? His father had locked himself in this very office for an entire year, completely ignoring Cale's very existence. The only thing that brought him out of his hermit shell was the current countess.

That was why Cale held a grudge against his father, but did not mind his new family members as much as he previously thought.

His father still ignored him it seemed, as he had missed some of Cale's rash decision making.

"Father, It's been quite some time since I've quit my studies."

"Y, you did what...!? When was this?"

"Is it important? I'm not resuming them, anyway."

"You- Cale, you can't—"

"I can't what? You always say to blend into history, and I can't possibly stand out if I have no formal education. Nobody would take me seriously even if I single handedly won a war. Isn't this what you meant?"

Deruth was speechless, he didn't agree with what his son was saying, but it also had some merit— he did tell the children to not feel forced to step into the limelight. This however... the way he said it felt strange, like it was twisted slightly.

Basen and Lily just looked between the two of them. Lily was of course way too young to understand anything, but she felt the tension from where she lay in her mother's arms. Basen was still too young to understand the intent behind Cale's words, but he also could sense that something else was hidden behind them.

So, he just sat in his chair, fiddling with his fingers and waiting until the tension dwindled out. It was stressful being in a noble family when you couldn't fully comprehend everything.

Violan chose to remain silent as well, afraid that her intervention would be inappropriate. This was not a conversation where she could mindlessly suggest a remedy.

She knew that Cale did not see her as his mother; but she could not force her way into his heart.

Cale spoke again.

"What were the other matters you wished to talk about? I want to get done with my part quickly."

"Err, there's a youth banquet being held in two weeks, and the heir of every noble family was personally invited by the first prince of the royal family. You shall atten—"

"I'm busy then. Basen will go."

'!!!'

Basen's eyes blew wide open. He knew what that meant. He would be seen as the heir if he attended in place of Cale. Why in the world would his brother do this?

Deruth and Violan were also stunned. Declining a royal invitation was like announcing you were too good for the crown. Even if Cale was young, he should know this. And with such nonchalonce as well! He acted as if what he just said was nothing special.

'That should do it. Basen will attend in place of me, and the entire noble community will hear of it. This is the perfect opportunity to showcase my tantrums, but doing this is much simpler and less embarrassing. I don't care if I get teased, Basen needs that title.'

With that, Cale stood up and walked straight out of the room. As always, there was at least one staff member snooping around the door, but Cale paid them no mind. After all, gossipers would only aid in his reputation increasing.

...

After an evening bath, Cale begrudgingly climbed into the massive bed which could easily fit four of him. The lights were still on, so he just attempted to calm his anxiety.

'Maybe the nicer one will appear again. The rest never hurt me anyway, or even touched me. They never will, they're not real... Just my imagination.'

He was so tired.

"Maybe... maybe I could get one of the knights to knock me out?"

He was also desperate.

"Haaaa."

He blew out the candle and switched off the magic lighting using something similar to a switch. One of the family mages installed it recently, and it made adjusting the lighting extremely easy.

With a pitch black room, Cale waited for his body to go stiff.

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

30 minutes had gone by, yet he still hadn't become paralized. Strange.

Cale rolled onto his side, facing away from the pale moon. Perhaps not counting the time would help.

It was at that moment.

Tak.

Cale froze, pretending to be asleep. Something just made a sound in the corner behind him.

Tak tak tak.

Was there someone in his room? But nobody had come in through the door, and the window wasn't open or smashed.

Over the next couple minutes, subtle but hastey footsteps and scuffling could be heard all around the room.

Cale peeked one eye open, and was surprised to see some figure checking under his desk and dresser, chairs, and the sofa. Were they looking for things to steal? But all of Cale's expensive belongings were safely stored away in a vault or spatial storage bag.

The figure suddenly turned around, eyes finding their way towards Cale's. Cale didn't have quite enough time to fake sleep, so instead he faked neutrality.

Cale stared at the intruder blankly, an uninterested and unbothered look painted over his true emotions of shock and recognition.

He also chose this moment to break the silence with an annoyed tone, which his sleepy voice conveyed perfectly.

"Need something? Or are you just checking for dust?"

A/n: Picking chapter names is my favorite part of writing this.

Thx for reading.