Styx, The Dagger

A maid appeared maid and lead us through the halls of the palace everyone was silent. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I could feel beads of sweat forming on my forehead as I remembered the emperors pressure.

I kept my eyes downcast, trying to avoid drawing any attention to myself. Occasionally, I glanced up to see my mother looking back at me with concern etched on her face. I tried to smile reassuringly, but it was no use.

When we finally arrived at my room and the door closed behind me, I let out a sigh of relief and exhaustion. The events of the day had taken their toll on me. The Emperor's fury and the anger in his eyes still haunted me, sending shivers down my spine.

I shook it off, telling myself that it was over now and I needed to move on, I cleaned myself up and went to bed, hoping that sleep would come quickly.

The next day a diffrent maid had come to awaken me and bathe me which I had promptly rejected, after I had completed wearing my clothes the maid led me to through the long and spacious halls all the way to the Dining room.

In the Dining room there was many decorations with sculptures and painting all over the walls and On the table in the middle were Mom, Dad and James along with the Emperor seated on the chairs casually chatting with each other while James was answering a question asked by the emperor.

The Maid knocked on the open doors to gather the attention of everyone and announce my presence which she did as soon as everyone looked over after which she bowed towards The Empror and Dad and then left.

"James cmon over and have a seat we were just about to ask the servants to serve the food without you if you had taken any longer" said dad as he pointed me to sit on the chair besides James and the Emperor also chimed in "Indeed, well since you are here I believe it's time for breakfast" The Empror said as he clapped his Hands twice, which resulted in the back doors to open and servants carrying food along with plates, cutleries and glasses.

I sat down beside James awkwardly, feeling like an outsider. James was ignoring me entirely, which only added to my discomfort.

The servants kept the plates, cutleries and glasses infront of each of us and then placed the food we would be eating and promptly left once they were done.

"So William, you're definitely strong, and I'm sure you will have a great awakening. Do you have any plans of joining the Empire's army in the future?"

I was about to drink some water when suddenly the emperor asked this question, I didnt give an answer right away as I had never thought about this.

I am the second son of the Grand Duke and only the first son will inherit almost everything including the title, I will at most get a few mansions and properties owned by Dad.

Joining the army would be a good way to establish my own title and make a name for myself, but I wasn't sure if it was the right path for me... I am sure my strength will reach the peak by myself thanks to the system so at that point does having a title really matter?

...

Nope, not at all, I will be able to live a pretty easy life with the inheritance I will get from dad, even if it's small it's still enough for me to live out two to three lives filled with extravagance and still not have to worry about running out of money and on top of that Im sure I will be as strong as the emperor in the future so being in the Army is really something akin to trying myself down.

I looked at the emperors eyes staring right into mine and I realized that I couldnt just straight up turn his offer down as currently we really arent in the best relationship and turning it down will only sour it, hell I may not even get the Magical Weapon the Emperor was talking about giving so I just nodded.

"I havent thought about it yet, however I will defenetly consider it properly once I awaken"

The Emperor simply nodded at my response with a soft smile and continued eating, I could however sense his disappointment. I knew that he was hoping I would join his army and become a valuable asset to his kingdom but I didnt want that at all.

As the meal came to an end, I couldn't help but feel relieved that I could finally excuse myself and get some alone time. The silence in the room was almost suffocating, and I needed a break from the pressure of being around the Emperor. With a small sigh, I pushed my chair back and stood up, bowing slightly towards the Emperor and my family. "Excuse me," I said softly, "I need to use the washroom."

Recieving the nod of the Emperor I promptly made my way out of the room, I couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over me. The palace was huge, and it was easy to get lost, but fortunately, there was a guard nearby who I asked to point me in the right direction to the washroom.

The washroom was not to far away, just a corner turn from the hall I was in which I arrived quickly to, The washroom was surprisingly empty considering the amount of staff this palace has when I entered.

It was spacious, with multiple sinks and stalls, and the marble walls and floors gave it a luxurious feel.

As I washed my hands and rinsed my mouth, I couldn't help but think that this was one of the grandest washrooms I had ever seen, even compared to the ones back in my world. Once I was done, I quickly dried my hands and left the washroom, feeling slightly more refreshed than before.

As I swung open the doors to exit the washroom, I was startled to see the Emperor standing right in front of me. I stumbled back a step, surprised at his sudden appearance. "Your Royal Majesty?" I said, my voice slightly shaky.

The Emperor gave me a friendly smile, and I couldn't help but feel confused. Wasn't this the same man who had been staring at me like a wild beast who had been starving for a long time and finnaly had found prey just yesterday? "Hey, William," he said, "I wanted to apologize for my son's behavior the other day. Also, feel free to call me Your Majesty."

I was shocked, hearing The Emperor actually apologizing to me? I felt a nervous knot form in my stomach as I tried to compose myself. "No need to apologize," I managed to say, trying to keep my voice steady. "And I would be honored to call you, Your Majesty."

The Emperor smiled again and reached into his pocket, pulling out a beautiful silver dagger with a shimmering blade. "I would like to apologize as a father," he said, holding out the dagger towards me. "This is a rare magic dagger created from the finest magic ore found in the Empire. You can use this to protect yourself from anybody who tries to cause harm to you, it is called Styx" He said.

As I looked at the dagger, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. It was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, and the silverish glow from the blade was mesmerizing. I nodded my head in gratitude as I accepted the dagger from the Emperor, feeling the weight of it in my hand. It was a rare magical item, and I knew that my family had plenty of similar items, but I had never been allowed to access them.

As I thanked the Emperor, a smile appeared on my lips, and I knew that I was looking forward to using this new weapon to protect myself in this strange and unfamiliar world.

*******

Hey guys, now let me explain the lack of updates last week.. Its because I just started college the first week and got a little to distracted by that but nothing to worry I am back and will be uploading in both stories according to the schedule, once again sorry for not uploading last week