Chapter 50

  Show Yourself

  “Remove your hood.”

  Three words spoken with authority. Three words meant to force you to remove any traces of anonymity. Hearing the words, and seeing the relatively calm nature of the prince, I pause for a second. My gaze stating that I am judging him, and finally I nod, an acquiescence to his authority.

  With a quick movement, I remove my hood and stare at him, a note of proud defiance filling my face, as I know I have done nothing wrong.

  Of course, only after I remove my hood do I feel the all too gentle caress of air brushing my cheeks, and only then do I feel the all too familiar touch of dried wax on my cheeks. For a moment I wonder what that sensation is, but it only takes a moment for me to realize that this is the sensation of dried lipstick on my cheeks.

  Yes, my reward from the Love Fountain skit now coming back to haunt me.

  The prince stares at me, then I see him lean to the right, then the left as he takes in the dried lipstick stains on my face. An act that has to make me look absolutely foolish, but I don’t back down. I can’t, not at this point.

  I just stare back, as the princeling leans back takes in my gaze and then I watch as he breaks.

  “I can’t, I just can’t, you are too cute,” the prince began, as a faint smile breaks on his face. “I feel that I might have made a fool of myself here.”

  The now sober princeling begins, as his mind tells him that he clearly broke a lot of rules of decorum. Then turning to Madame Voyou, he seems to subtly humble himself as he tries to make amends for the past few awkward moments.

  “Keep the ring as a gift, a promise to you that I will still push for this arrangement,” the prince began, his tone far less forceful and thereby able to calm the entire room of fighters and dignitaries that had been slowly slinking in. Seeing the nobles, it was clear that this concession was likely as much of him realizing his mistake while now sober, and wanting to keep his political aspirations alive.

  “I will also hire a healer for your father,” the Princeling continued, then looking around he shouted when he did not see the person he was looking for, “Madame Bloom?”

  Flickering flash.

  “Here,” Madame Bloom called out, her body seeming to appear from the very shadows next to the guards as I could have sworn I saw the glint of a blade slide up her sleeve. Either not seeing, or choosing to avoid the idea of someone brandishing a blade in his direction, the Prince responded seamlessly.

  “Madame Bloom, I wish to hire you and your Apprentice here as a special favor to me, to heal Madame Voyou’s father, and Madame Voyou’s leg.”

  The princeling began, apparently keeping his drunken words to heart, even while sober. Seeing his nearly complete change in demeanor, one of his guards came forward and used some type of glowing dark purple Skill on him.

  “I am not bewitched,” the princeling protested, pushing the guard back after his Skill had run its course. “I am just seeing things clearly for the first time.”

  Then pausing to turn back to Madame Voyou, the princeling again got down to one knee and spoke, “while I might have acted inappropriately earlier, it did show me that my feelings for you have not soured over the years. If anything they have only grown, from a simple crush to something more, something real.”

  “Your highness, this is all too—” Madame Voyou began trying to speak, but she clearly cut herself short, not wanting to ruin the good mood.

  Seeing that Madam Voyou was still reeling from the rapid change in emotions, as was everyone, I took a protective step forward. “Too soon, you will need to prove your sincerity, not with words, but with actions.”

  At that, Madame Voyou turned to look at me. Her sharp blue eyes catching mine and seeming to ask, what am I doing. I honestly don’t know, but my only plan right now is for us to buy some time, and hope that eventually this all gets settled with an apology, or worse just an awkward stare months from now, and the hope that they will try to find other routes to travel when spotting each other on the street.

  “Ahh yes, and where would I be without you, my friend.” The princeling began, and seemed to add some type of connotation to that word friend at the end. He began speaking and then upon turning to me he locked gazes at first, but then I noticed the moment his eyes shifted slightly and took in my face. At which point he began to giggle again. “I’m sorry, I just can’t take you seriously.”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  I sigh and am half tempted to remove the lipstick kisses on my face, but it seems to be working well enough to change the entire atmosphere of this place. Was that really the issue? Is he just a terrible drunk? Well, a terrible drunk on narcotics of some kind. Speaking of which, I glance around and try to take a look at all the dignitaries faces.

  Most seem confused by what is happening, though one wearing the crest and colors of Nostrylvania seems to be agitated. Seeing the look in my gaze, the princeling turns to see where I am looking and seems to nod for a moment, before reaching out a hand to place on my shoulder.

  Flinch.

  I nearly jump at the touch but quickly try to regain my composure as he seems to continue where he left off, though he makes a point not to look at my face as he speaks, “as for you, my friend. I am going to grant you the Royal Family’s official Healer’s Seal of Excellence.”

  Gasp.

  With those words, everyone’s eyes go wide in shock, even Madame Bloom, my mentor, and the person who has slowly been making her way closer to my side while not getting too close to the prince. Also, his ability to reward such a prize on behalf of the Royal Family all but confirmed my understanding of his rank in society.

  At those words, the princeling turns to lock gazes with me and just waits expectantly for me to reply or offer some form of response to this statement. Yet, I have no clue what this is, what it does, or what it means.

  “I take it this is a good thing?” I ask, trying to get more context about what a Healer’s Seal of Excellence means. Then, I would need to know if the Royal Family’s version would be better, or if it is just the issuer? Sort of like getting certified at a local community college, or at an ivy league school, you still had to learn. Then whether you succeeded or failed was all based on how you applied what you were taught.

  The prince just stares at me, and suddenly I feel a deep penetrating gaze as his eyes glow blue, the same way Madame Bloom’s do when she reads me. Seeing him, it would make sense that he would have such a similar Skill. In fact, I would assume most royal members would need just such a Skill if they wished to succeed in politics.

  Chuckle.

  “Oh dear, you are far too precious, and is that a musical background I see?” He asks. Suddenly I feel bare, as he all but called out my Music Resonance Skill to everyone.

  “Maybe one day, you and Death Machine could pair up,” the princeling asked, and suddenly I felt way too uncomfortable, as I did everything in my power not to look at Madame Voyou, aka my teacher and of course Death Machine.

  “Sadly there is no time,” Madame Bloom cut in, her powerful tone brokering no room nor argument.

  “So this is the Apprentice you traded so much for?” The princeling asked, apparently calling up some prior meeting that I am not aware of.

  “She is,” Madame Bloom responded, while giving a slight nod in acknowledgement of the power of the princeling before us.

  Hearing that, he turned his gaze back to me and then smiled, and almost lecherous smirk before responding, “I did not think you were so talented at spotting wild talent. But clearly we might need to call on your house’s services more often.”

  “If it pleases you,” Madame Bloom responded, a note of reverence and hope in her tone. Here she was, almost ready to shank this person one moment, to going to bowing at his perceived benevolence. Hearing the comments, and seeing Madame Bloom’s response, I get the impression that things in the Bloom household are not as cheerful as they might otherwise seem. Then again, I’m a pessimist at heart, apparently.

  “It does, it would also be of great service for me, if I could offer the first ranking of royal seals for the Healer’s Seal of Excellence, but only if you agree your Apprentice is worthy of such a reward.” The princeling began.

  This was a dick move, honestly. He basically calls her out in front of everyone saying he can overstep his authority and bestow some type of reward on me. Knowing that if Madame Bloom says no, it will likely create a rift between us. Or if she agrees, then he will be seen as the smooth-talking politician who made this reward happen. A reward that seems pretty good, if everyone’s reaction is anything to go by. Seeing the options, I make it a point to only offer the praise to Madame Bloom, one way or the other. In fact, if I was certain that it wouldn’t cause any problems with the seemingly volatile princeling, one who cannot handle their booze and foreign substances, I would turn it down out of habit. But before I could deny it, Madame Bloom responded for the two of us.

  “If it pleases your highness, then I on behalf of the Bloom House would welcome such a reward for my Apprentice.” Madame Bloom began, and hearing her talk, I realized I was right. This was apparently something that would show well for the entire house? Meaning that I couldn’t deny this, if I wished.

  “Thank you, then with that, I am pleased to announce that we have our Royal Seal Master on hand,” the princeling gestured to an older man with curly white hair, which posed well with the nice dress clothes and black vest jacket with a pocket watch clearly dangling from a clip and chain giving more flair to his ensemble. Seeing him, he was equal parts, train conductor and mad scientist all rolled into one.

  The old Seal Master waved and began walking forward, as he did, his medals all began to flash and show gold and silvery brilliance.

  “Now, before we complete the seal, it has to be voted on by your patients,” The princeling began. Turning to the crowd of fighters who had been close to committing principicide a moment ago. Now it seemed he was trying even harder to help quell them a bit and likely regain some of their lost favor.

  “Now I will leave it up to you all, has your healer earned the right to be seen as an officially sanctioned healer by the crown?” The princeling began.

  Hearing his words, I felt I would need a bit more clarity on what exactly I was being sanctioned for. Or what I would possibly be sanctioned for.

  “Yes!” Yet before I could get too lost in my own thoughts, everyone let out a resounding yes. With that one-word response and a slight gesture by the princeling, the Seal Master came forward and began speaking what had to be a well-established line. One that he no doubt had completed dozens of times.

  “With the power granted to me by the Royal Family, and by the judgement of your peers. I will now administer the first of five settings for the Healer’s Seal of Excellence. This is a seal that shows not only your commitment to excellence, but also your commitment to the country as a whole. With this, you can heal freely on the streets, or in practices, so long as your Master approves,” the old seal master began, his words causing a few people to chuckle at the apparent improvisation. As he spoke, he began pulling out a few vials of clear liquid and a white cloth that he began dousing with a pungent smelling liquid. One that smelled of grain alcohol and disinfectant. If I had to guess, I would assume this was this world’s version of a wet wipe. One that he then proceeded to use on me, by wiping away a small area on my left wrist, right where the veins were. As I watched him work, he continued to speak, his words and actions seamlessly integrated.

  “It is a seal that while immediately offering boost to your healing recovery, precision, and Skill learning speeds,” As he continued to speak, I suddenly realized that this might be a power boost? But how? A rune? A tattoo? If it is a tattoo I hope it is cool. These are my thoughts, but then he continues and throws off everything. Every good thought I had about this, every chance at free power coming without a cost, all of that was thrown away by the words that came next.

  “With this, we can monitor for your health and overall wellness, check on your progress, and see when you are abducted from our borders.”

  Hearing his words, I realized it was likely spun as a means to be reassuring that superiors would be alerted if I was kidnapped and taken from the kingdom, but I took it as a far more depressing note.

  They could and apparently would use this to track me.

  Suddenly I felt very nauseous, and wanted to get far, far away.

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