Walking through the corridor, Adrian’s mind was filled with thoughts. The conversation with his mother, the test, the way he won, and the engagent. All of it continuously flashed through his mind.
’I may have gotten out of that, but I’m sure similar situations will arise in the future. I have to be prepared.’
The biggest mystery in all of this was the engagent. It made no sense to him at all. Why was Ravenshade so desperate? How would they benefit from this engagent?
’Right now, all I know is that his sudden engagent was sohow linked to so rumors circulating in noble society.’
But what were those rumors? Knowing that was the key to understanding everything about the engagent.
’I can’t ask the servants since they aren’t nobles and probably wouldn’t know the full picture.’
And even if they sohow did know, he doubted if they would share sothing that his mother had refused to share with him.
In the end, he was left with only one option.
’I guess I’ll have to go et her.’
He could not think of anyone else who would answer his questions.
Making that decision, Adrian walked towards his new destination with slightly hurried steps. Passing through the hallway, he climbed the long stairs covered in ornate red carpet, going to the next floor of the mansion.
Adrian paused in front of a room where a servant was standing by the door. This was his destination.
As he walked closer, the servant turned towards Adrian and gave a deep, polite bow. His voice was light and even as he spoke.
"Young Master Adrian. Forgive , but may I ask what you are here for?"
"I wish to et my sister," Adrian replied, straight to the point. "I assu she is in her room. Open the door."
"Wait just a mont," the servant turned to the door, knocking. "Young Lady Airsteia, Young Master Adrian is here and wishes to et with you."
For a few monts, there was silence. Then a girl’s voice ca from within the room.
"I am not in the mood. Send him away."
Her voice sounded both annoyed and uninterested.
Hearing her words, the servant looked at Adrian sheepishly, with an awkward expression. He tried to speak, but hesitated and closed his mouth. Adrian, anwhile, stood silently. Staring at the door expressionlessly.
After a few minutes of silence, the butler briefly looked at Adrian’s tiny figure still staring at the door expressionlessly, then he turned towards the door, once again.
"Young Lady, Young Master Adrian... is still here, waiting to et you."
A reply once again ca from inside the room. But this ti, it sounded more annoyed than uninterested.
"What does he want? Tch! Let him in..."
The servant quickly opened the door and stepped aside, gesturing for Adrian to enter. As Adrian stepped inside, a large, organised room was before his eyes. The room was not nearly as lavish as his mother’s chamber, but it still looked extravagant.
A large bed stood on the left side of the room, and on the right side was a sofa and an ornate table in front of it.
A young girl, looking around fifteen, sat on the sofa, silently gazing his way. Long, deep, jet black hair flowed down her shoulders like a dark fountain, in contrast with her pale skin. Her piercing grey eyes, staring down at him, seed to carry a suppressed intensity.
This was his older sister, the first child of House Ravenshade, Airsteia Caelis Ravenshade.
With an irritated expression on her beautiful face, his sister asked in a tone filled with annoyance.
"Little brother, I thought I told you to go away. What do you want?"
Adrian didn’t reply imdiately. He pulled a cushioned chair from the corner and sat in front of the table, across from her. When he spoke, his voice sounded dull.
"Sister, you must know about the engagent, right? You must also have an idea about rumors circulating in noble society. Please tell everything you know. I have a hard ti understanding all this. It feels sudden, and things don’t make sense."
She tilted her head in exaggeration and replied with a mock confusion on her face.
"And? Why should I tell you anything? Mother didn’t tell you, so she must not want you to know. Besides, what do I gain from telling you? I might even get scolded by Mother."
Adrian’s eyes twitched slightly.
’What do you gain? That’s just a rude way to say no.’
He let out a barely audible sigh. Stretching his lips slightly, he tried his best to speak in the most polite tone he could manage.
"Please, sister, I can only turn to you when I need help. And we are family, would you not help your younger brother if it gains you nothing? You wouldn’t be that heartless, correct?"
Her expression twisted further. Well, it was no surprise considering how he had twisted her words. If she still didn’t agree, then she would be indirectly admitting to being heartless.
Adrian could see her visibly clenching her fists to control her emotions. With a deep sigh, her expression cald sowhat. Opening her mouth, she was just about to speak when she suddenly paused, and a smug smile stretched across her face.
Adrian noticed that her eyes weren’t on him, but instead she was looking at the table. As he turned, he saw what she was looking at. It was a wooden board divided into multiple small squares. It would’ve looked just like a chessboard if only the blocks weren’t red and black.
He instantly recognized what it was.
’Sthenios War.’
In fact, he was quite familiar with it—it was a strategic board ga based on war simulation. This ga was also one of the reasons why he suspected that this might be the world of a story or a ga. Thus, Adrian had gathered all the information he could about this ga.
’Because it seems like a weird mix between Chess and turn-based RPG gas.’
But unlike Chess and other strategy gas that focus on gradual strategic play, Sthenios War was a more psychological ga that emphasized tension, paranoia, and high-stakes decisions.
Apparently, this ga was created by the greatest strategist in the history of this world—the one who supposedly helped greatly in unifying the empire Adrian lived in.
His na was Sthenios Cruor Rurikvel. That is why this ga was called Sthenios War. Apparently, Sthenios created this ga with the intention of training the future of the empire. He seed to have succeeded, since this ga is extrely popular among the nobility.
"Little brother, I will tell you what you want to know. But I have a condition."
Hearing his sister’s voice suddenly brought Adrian out of his thoughts. He asked in a guarded tone.
"What might that condition be, sister?"
She pointed toward the ga board. Her smug smile deepened.
"Play a ga with . If you don’t know the rules, then I’ll teach you. My condition is that I will only talk as long as the ga continues. I won’t say a single word more after the ga ends."
Adrian went still as he heard her condition, contemplating as he looked at the ga board.
’Hmm... It doesn’t sound too bad.’
He hadn’t ever played it, but he knew the rules. Besides, he didn’t think simply prolonging the ga would be too hard. He would’ve liked it better if she had simply answered instead of doing all this, but he didn’t think he would be able to change his sister’s mind.
"I would gladly play against you, sister, if that is what you wish. And I am familiar with the rules, so you do not need to trouble yourself."
She frowned as she heard his overly polite tone. Sitting across from him, she arranged all the pieces on the board. Adrian was playing as the Red commander while his sister was in turn playing as the black commander.
’According to the rules, who starts first is decided by a coin toss.’
She tossed the coin. Adrian ended up winning the toss. On every turn, you have three moves. Of his three moves, he used two to place two soldiers in front of his commander piece, as if to shield it. He used the last move to put a soldier to the commander’s left. There was a single block gap between the three pieces and the commander.
Adrian started speaking.
"I know that I’m supposed to get engaged to the daughter of Count Florivelle, but I can’t understand how this would benefit Ravenshade. The Florivelle Family sounds like one of the regional noble families, and they seem to be the only ones benefiting from this engagent. What I know is that it’s all connected to so rumors circulating in noble society. So please start with the rumor."
She moved two soldiers to opposite corners of the board and moved the third soldier toward a terrain block in the left corner of the board on Adrian’s side.
"Talking about things like benefits at your age? You sure don’t sound like a child. As for the rumors, all sorts of rumors are always circulating in noble society; there simply isn’t a ti when they aren’t circulating at all. But I assu that’s not what you’re asking."
She gestured for him to play his turn.
"In recent tis, there have been three instances when noble society was truly buzzing with rumors. The first rumor was about a boy who managed to ascend to the Origin Phase at only the age of three, which obviously refers to you.
"The second instance was about a year ago, rumors stating that the power of immortality had finally reappeared. Apparently, the owner of that power is a boy from the slums of a viscount’s territory. He seems to have been adopted by the Knight Commander of the Third Imperial Knight Order.
"The third instance has been happening for about a month. Noble society is filled with rumors of a girl who not only reached the Origin Phase at the age of five but also possesses an affinity for four of the six major elents."
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