Luce opened his eyes to find himself surrounded by cold stone walls, the air thick with the scent of ancient medicinal herbs. A Jinn doctor was examining him with a calm smile. "Ah, you are finally awake... how do you feel now?"
Luce clutched his head, which felt like it was about to explode. "Argh, my head!"
"That’s natural," the doctor reassured him, noting some observations. "You were hit with a lethal fever, but you have passed the danger. Tell me... what is your name, sir?"
Luce hesitated for a second, then said, "Lawrence."
The doctor smiled. "Well, Mr. Lawrence, Prince Rigby was worried about you; he checked on you every day. He ordered that you be brought to him as soon as you woke up." The doctor handed him a healing potion, adding, "This will help you recover"
Luce drank it, then smiled and replied. "Ah, I see. No problem. I should thank him."
The doctor called a guard. "Take Mr. Lawrence to the Prince; he asked to see him once he awoke."
The guard led Luce to the throne room. Before entering, he whispered sternly, "There is a meeting in progress. Sit in the back and do not utter a word until it ends... understood?"
Luce nodded and entered. Prince Rigby sat upon the throne, looking weary. "My father and sister are out of the country," Rigby sighed, "and I am the one in charge today. So, say what you have to say."
Luce sat on the floor with several others. An official named Raimokh stood up, speaking with a tone devoid of respect. "Your Highness, forgive my bluntness, but you lack many of the qualifications to be the next successor. You care for nothing but your appearance and beauty. How can we pledge our loyalty to you when you lack the authority and prowess of Princess Luna? His Excellency, Minister Mikola, sees this clear as day, and fully understands that thrones are not built on softness!"
Minister Mikola erupted in anger. "Don't you dare speak like that, Raimokh! The Prince gives this kingdom everything he has."
Amidst the noise, Luce suddenly stood up, breaking his silence. "Excuse me, but he is right, Your Highness."
A cautious silence fell. Mikola turned toward Luce in shock and rage. "Who are you, you wretch, to interject? Guards!"
But Prince Rigby raised his hand, commanding silence. He looked at Luce with curiosity. " Speak, stranger. Let me hear what you have to say."
Luce stepped toward the throne with steady steps, causing guards to draw their swords. Luce didn't flinch. He stared into Rigby’s eyes and asked cleverly, "Prince... what is the real difference between you and the Princess, other than the physical parts we possess?"
A guard placed a cold blade against Luce’s neck. "Open your mouth once more, and I will separate your head from your body!"
"Lower your sword!" Rigby roared.
The guard retreated. The Prince stared at Luce in deep silence, as if the question had touched a deep wound in his soul. "I do not know, stranger," he said quietly.
Luce continued, his voice cold and steady. "Your Highness, you are a man and you realize this, correct?"
"Correct," the Prince replied.
"Then you know that men were created for strength, not beauty," Luce said, moving through the hall. "A handsome face may garner looks, but strength is what commands obedience. Beauty withers with time, but power grows with discipline. The world does not immortalize men for their appearance, but for what they endured, what they conquered, and their steadfastness when others fell."
Luce raised his voice, the sound echoing off the stone walls.
"A weak man, no matter how fair-faced, is tossed away like a broken ornament. But a strong man, even if scarred and wrinkled, becomes a pillar for others to lean on. Do not waste yourself on the vanity of appearance; that is work for children and harlots. A man’s value is measured by the firmness of his resolve, the sharpness of his mind, and the strength of his will. The throne is not for the beautiful—it is for the strong."
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Luce barked at the Prince, "Do you want history to remember you for this face, or do you want it to call out your achievements? Prove to them who this man is, and who the Greatness within you truly is!"
A dead silence prevailed for a few seconds. The prince’s eyes widened as if he had just heard something everyone else was too terrified to say to his face, before he suddenly burst into thunderous applause. Raimokh shouted in awe, "Your Highness, this is what my tongue failed to say, though not with such grandeur!"
Prince Rigby stood, a spark in his eyes that hadn't been there before. "What is your name, stranger?"
Luce bowed with practiced dignity. "Lawrence... my name is Lawrence, Your Highness."
The Prince looked at the shocked Mikola. "Mikola, from this day on, Lawrence shall be your assistant and shall always be with me. No one has ever possessed the audacity to address me in such a manner because of my status as a prince; therefore, Lawrence, you shall be my mentor."
Luce bowed again. "It is an honor, Your Highness."
Luce approached Mikola and placed a hand on his shoulder, pressing lightly. "Where to now, Mikola?"
"My name is Royal Minister Mikola," the Jinn replied firmly. "Respect the differences!"
Luce laughed and nudged him provocatively. "Come on, Mikola, don't make our relationship formal... how I hate formalities!"
They entered Mikola’s office, a place of mystery filled with ancient volumes and wall diagrams of winged beings. Mikola sighed, thinking to himself: This boy is either a fool with suicidal boldness or a genius wearing a mask of lethal stupidity.
Luce burst in, arms wide. "Where did you disappear to, Mikola? This place is truly great!"
Mikola looked him in the eye. "Are you done shouting? You realize what you are, correct? You are a human in the Jinn world. We don't hate humans here, but not all of our world feels the same. Don't you wish to return to your own world? Surely, you must have reached this place through one of the portals."
Luce replied with unexpected calmness, "Man, if I am of use to you here, there's no reason for me to go back. I was nothing in my world. Don't you think my presence here, even with a small benefit, might be better?"
Mikola decided to test him. He pointed to a chessboard. "Do you know how to play?"
Luce gave a naive smile. "A bit... I know the basic rules."
Mikola smirked. There is always a way to unmask a genius—challenge his mind. "Let us test your skills then, Lawrence."
Luce shrugged with a silly laugh, "Why not?"
Luce settled behind the white pieces, while Mikola took command of the black army. Mikola said, "Go ahead, start."
Luce shouted enthusiastically, "Let’s goooo!" and moved his pawn from f2 to f4, smiling with exaggerated confidence.
Mikola chuckled inwardly, “Clever.. it seems he knows Bird’s Opening. He wants to lure me into an early trap.” He countered by moving his pawn from e7 to e5, silently challenging Luce: “Show me your trick, human.”
Luce moved from e2 to e3, then looked at Mikola with a provoking wink, "Hehehe, don't rush, Mikola!"
Tension began to creep into Mikola; the boy's sheer confidence was unsettling: “Why is he so damn confident?”
Mikola moved his queen from d8 to h4, putting the white king in a tight spot (Check). Luce didn't panic; instead, a sly smirk played on his lips. Rather than protecting his king or resigning, he made the worst move a player could possibly commit in the history of the game. With blind confidence, he grabbed his "King" and moved it one step forward to the e2 square, placing it directly in the firing line of the black queen's artillery—completely devoid of any natural or military cover!
At this, Mikola slapped his forehead and burst into a loud laugh, "My god! You truly are an idiot! You just handed your king to death on a silver platter... Checkmate in four moves, Lawrence!!"
Luce jumped up anxiously, pacing around the table and shouting, "How? How?!" He glared at the minister and snapped, "Damn it! I haven't played this game in ages. I told you you should go a bit easy on me!"
Mikola looked at Lawrence, muttering to himself in the ecstasy of victory: “(It seems he is merely a fool who possesses nothing but a bold tongue... and this is much better! He has now become the closest voice to the prince, so I will manipulate him to make the prince fall from succession, allowing Princess Luna to ascend the throne. She is the only one worthy of it. Due to the succession conditions, any tampering with either party is deemed a crime punishable by execution. They will execute him, and I will remain completely above suspicion.)”
Mikola forced a fake smile and said calmly, "Don't worry, Lawrence. You will surpass me in the future, so do not be sad. Come, let me teach you what to do here."
Luce walked behind him, appearing dejected, yet his eyes were devouring the blueprints hung upon the walls—images of those winged creatures.
Luce stopped abruptly and asked inquisitively, "What is this, Mikola?"
Mikola approached the drawing and said in a grave tone, "Those are our enemies. An ancient tribe that used to inhabit exceedingly high mountains, called 'The Feathers'. It is said they went extinct long ago for an unknown reason, but I am certain they are not dead yet."
Luce wondered in surprise, "Why? Do you hate them that much?"
Mikola snapped sharply, "They are the reason monsters breached the Jinn realm in the past; they are the ones who caused the imbalance of our world. Furthermore, they possess blood twenty times more potent than high-level healing potions—it regenerates severed limbs without any restriction!"
Mikola moved toward the door, while Luce remained staring at the images with a strange, deep gaze—a look utterly devoid of any naivety. Mikola turned around and called out loudly, "Aren't you coming, boy?"
Snapping back to his senses, Luce replied, "Ah, coming," and hurried after him. Meanwhile, Mikola wondered to himself with suspicion: “(This is strange. Was he mesmerized by their wings, or what?)”