Chapter : 27

  "I am with the 14th Princess," Neil added slowly, taking a cracker. "She uses me to carry her heavy luggage because I have body-enhancement magic. She doesn't even know my name. She just calls me 'Big Guy'."

  Ken let out a dramatic sigh, rolling his eyes. "Man, the Royal family is absolutely crazy, aren't they? It is like they all read a comic book about how to be evil villains and decided to make it their entire personality. My Princess is actually really nice, but the rest of my team is terrifying. One of the girls on my team, Naomi, looks at me like she wants to turn me into a human kebab just for eating potato chips."

  "It is crazy," Love agreed, shaking his head. "Look at them." He pointed toward the center of the room. "They are drinking, laughing, and showing off their magic like this is a fun vacation. Do they not realize that the Succession War is going to get people killed? We are commoners. We don't have private armies to protect our families back home."

  Ken nodded slowly, chewing his food. He understood exactly how Love felt. That was exactly why Ken hid his true power. If the world knew how strong he was, his parents and his sister Jasmin back in the Iron Rose District would become targets. Being normal was the only way to stay safe.

  As Ken scanned the room again, his eyes landed back on the other two commoners he had spotted earlier. They were still standing with the wealthy nobles. One of the nobles, a guy wearing a bright purple cape, was telling a story. When the noble finished, the two commoners threw their heads back and laughed hysterically, clapping their hands. The noble just looked at them with a smug, superior smile, treating them like entertaining pets.

  Ken pointed his half-eaten sandwich toward them. "Hey, Neil," Ken said casually. "If we are the 'Normal People Club' hiding in the corner, what is the deal with those two over there? They are commoners too, right? Why aren't they hiding back here with us eating the tiny swan bread?"

  Neil let out a heavy, sad sigh. He looked at the two laughing commoners with a look of pity.

  "Don't bother with them," Neil said quietly, his deep voice carrying a tone of resignation. "I tried to say hello to them earlier before you walked in. They completely ignored me. They looked right past me like I was garbage."

  "Really?" Ken raised an eyebrow. "Why? We are all in the same boat here."

  "Because they want to forget they are commoners," Neil explained, crossing his thick arms over his chest. "They got chosen for this war, and they think it is their big chance to climb the ladder. They think if they laugh at the nobles' jokes, drink the fancy wine, and act rich, the nobles will accept them. They want to be part of the high class."

  Love looked down at the floor. "It is sad. They keep their distance from us because standing with us reminds them of where they came from. They think being normal is a weakness."

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  Ken watched the two commoners for another moment. He saw one of them try to take a sip of the expensive wine, grimace because it tasted bitter, and then quickly force a fake smile onto his face to pretend he liked it.

  Ken just nodded slowly. He understood perfectly. Even in a room where everyone was a servant, there was still a strict class system. There were the rich servants, the poor servants pretending to be rich, and then there were guys like Ken, Love, and Neil, who just wanted to survive the day and go home.

  "Well, that sounds like way too much work," Ken said finally, breaking the serious mood. He popped the last tiny cake into his mouth and dusted off his hands. "Trying to be someone you are not is exhausting. If I had to stand over there and pretend to like bitter grape juice and bad jokes, I would fall asleep standing up."

  Love smiled, feeling much better. "You really don't care what people think about you, do you, Ken?"

  "Nope," Ken said proudly, giving them both a thumbs-up. "I am a professional slacker. I highly recommend it. Less stress, fewer expectations, and you get to stay in the quiet corner where all the good snacks are."

  Neil let out a low, rumbling chuckle. It was the first time the big guy had genuinely smiled all day. "I like your style, Ken. You are a good guy."

  "Thanks," Ken said, leaning back against the wall and relaxing his shoulders completely. "I just hope the rest of today stays this completely boring. If nobody bothers us, we can just stand here, make fun of the ridiculous capes these rich guys are wearing, and wait for this whole registration thing to end."

  The three of them stood together in the shadows, forming their own little Commoner Alliance. They felt safe in their corner. They were out of the spotlight, away from the arrogant magic users, and hidden from the cruel politics of the Royal families.

  Ken closed his eyes for a second, enjoying the peace. He really, truly wanted this moment of boring, normal laziness to last for the rest of the afternoon.

  But in a room full of two hundred arrogant nobles, peace was a very fragile thing. And unfortunately for Ken, someone had just noticed the messy, completely unfazed farm boy standing in the corner, and they were already walking over to ruin his day.

  ----

  The peace in the quiet corner of the Waiting Pavilion did not last long at all.

  Ken Eliot was just about to take another bite of his tiny, swan-shaped cheese sandwich. He was feeling great. He had found a nice, comfortable wall to lean against. He had found two perfectly normal guys, Neil and Love, to talk to. For a few wonderful minutes, he actually felt like he was just hanging out at a very weird, very fancy cafeteria. He completely forgot about the deadly Succession War happening right outside the doors.

  But in a room filled with two hundred arrogant, power-hungry nobles, someone was bound to ruin the fun.

  The loud, happy chatter of the rich kids standing a few feet away suddenly stopped. The crowd of fancy knights and wealthy servants slowly stepped back, parting like the sea to make way for someone.

  A young man was walking directly toward Ken’s corner. He looked like the definition of a spoiled rich kid. He was wearing an incredibly expensive suit made of dark red silk, completely covered in gold embroidery. His shoes were polished so brightly that Ken could probably see his own messy reflection in them. His hair was perfectly styled, not a single strand out of place.

  But it was his face that stood out the most. It was a face twisted into a deep, ugly sneer. He looked at the room around him as if everyone else was made of garbage, and he was the only piece of gold.