“But I would very much love your femininity around here,” Claude exclaimed. “In fact, why don’t you sit next to me? Plenty of space on this couch. Ooh, can I braid your hair like what Elias does?”
“And a Caregiver is exactly as the name implies, someone who gives care,” the Prince interrupted Claude’s excited rant. “I can already predict how chaotic this group might get in the future, judging from Claude alone. So full of machismo, with possibly differing opinions and personalities. We need someone who will keep us grounded.”
I frowned. “And you think that someone is me.”
“I believe so, yes,” his gentle smile ever present. “Someone who’s not afraid of voicing their opinions around princes and heroes. Someone who has conviction and gall to back it up. Claude liking you is just a bonus.”
I glanced at the man mentioned to find him tapping the seat next to him, invigorated with energy. What was with this guy? He reminded me of an overexcited puppy. What if he was actually a puppy turned human? Was that possible in this universe? That sort of magic existed, right? Transformation, shapeshifting, transfiguration?
“I wonder what’s going on in your head right now,” Lord Grimwald muttered out loud, a corner of his lips upturned. “It can only be entertaining.”
“Was musing if Claude’s actually a dog,” I replied. The Prince and Claude laughed out loud at my response; Grimwald chuckled too. Was that really funny?
Claude wiped the tears from his eyes. “I wish I have the ability to shift, but I’m not special like that.”
“Surely you are, or else you won’t be the Hero.”
He grinned widely. “You know what, you’re right, baby girl! Iamspecial! But not in the way you think.” He glanced at the Prince. “Are we supposed to tell them?”
“That’s what these meetings are for,” the Prince confirmed. “As members of the Champions, we should be open and honest with one another from now on.”
I wasnota member of the Champions! At least, not according to the prophecy. Wouldn’t adding me to the equation ruin the future? Wasn’t that the reason Prince Winston Regalis didn’t want to mess with politics and marriage? Did they think that since I was a literal nobody, I couldn’t possibly have any influence on how things would go?
Well, they would be right about that.
“First order of business, introductions.” The Prince eyed me with interest. “And we should start referring to one another by our first names, without titles. I know in your head you’re calling me the ‘Crown Prince’. Enough of that.”
What the hell, how did he know that?His laugh following my internal reaction told me he only goaded me, and I probably made a face that told him exactly what I thought. Dang it.
“In the spirit of fairness, I’ll go first. I’m Winston Regalis. You may call me Winston, or Win if so inclined,” his angelic face plus his radiant smile almost blinded me. Was that a practicedmove? In the modern world, I would call it a “PR smile”. Very convincing, too.
I grimaced. “If I start calling you Winston in public, that will be reputation suicide for me. I can’t be disrespectful to the Crown Prince.” Which was an ironic statement, since I was being very bold with him here.
“How many times must I tell you, you’re a member now,” Winston insisted, his composure losing a little. “If anyone disrespects you, you only have to tell us.”
“I’ll be happy to talk to them,” Claude added, beaming.
Oh, no.That would make thingseven worse.Of course, I could tattle, but there was no way for me to tell what these two would do to the perpetrator. Winston, with his royal power, and Claude with his … Claudeness.
I glanced at Grimwald, nervous. He was a witness to what transpired yesterday morning. Would he tell them? He met my eyes, immediately understanding what I was watching him for, and the bastard smirked.Great, now he had something to hold over my head.
Winston sighed. “Moving on. This is already public knowledge, but for the sake of completeness, my Unique is Precognition.”
Holy fuck. People really could predict the future? With all the magic around, I shouldn’t be surprised. Heck, a prophecy existed!
“My ability allows me to see, at most, five seconds into the future,” Winston clarified. “I can look further, but at the cost of extreme pain. So we will only use it in dire circumstances.”
“You can control it?” I gasped. “Does it stay on all the time? Like do you have to think actively to stop it, or think to activate it? Does it work with everything? Or only things related to you? What does ‘extreme pain’ mean? Do you have migraines, or body pain, or do you bleed from orifices?”
I caught my breath as the three of them gaped at me.
Winston recovered first, chuckling a little. “Yes, I can control it. I have to ‘activate’ it, and it only foresees events directly related to me, as if I were already there, witnessing it through my own eyes. Really useful with dodging in combat. As for the pain, it’s not consistent, but let’s just say it’s a combination of those.”
I nodded along with his words. “I can see the downside of it. You’d have to —”
“— know when to use it appropriately, yes,” he grinned when he continued my words exactly what I had already planned to say. He used his ability to prove it to me. “But the specifics of my Unique are unknown to the masses. It only stays within our group.”
He shouldn’t have to say it. While the Kingdom tried to catalog every person with a Unique, through the employ of Inspectors, specifications were kept close to the chest. It was common sense to keep the details a secret. Only the Kingdom’s royal army, the people close to you, and yourself should know of it. Otherwise, an enemy could use it against you.
