The taller man blinked, following Skyler's pointing finger. His lips twitched as he saw the gem fixed in the wall, but he schooled his face and shook his head at the youth.
"No, you can't."
Skyler's shoulders visibly slumped.
With his eyes downcast, he nodded.
"Oh...."
Casting one final furtive glance at the gem and secretly memorizing its location in his head, because, ahem, for the future, Skyler followed after the servants. Alisha scoffed at him, thinking just how poor he was for wanting a temperature-regulating gem?
Her perception of him dropped further.
Now, to the princess, Skyler was merely a pathetic imposter—one who needed to be kicked out soon to avoid tainting the air.
Passing through a few more chambers, they finally arrived at their destination. As the door of the grand hall opened and they stepped in, Skyler's eyes were immediately drawn to the majestic throne at the end of the hall, resting atop an elevated platform reached by stairs draped in red carpet.
Then, he glanced at the huge gleaming chandelier casting light upon everything, followed by paintings depicting scenes of past royal triumphs adorning the walls.
Only after that did he notice the people present in the hall. One... two... three... he counted inwardly. There were a total of six young figures, some looking younger than him, some a year or two older, standing in the hall alongside three older individuals.
All of their eyes traveled to Skyler and the people with him, only to pause at him. He was a new face they hadn't seen before.
A few murmurs echoed in the air as the people greeted Alisha and George. One of the taller boys in the youngsters, with light blue eyes speckled with dark, glanced at him after he shook George's hand.
"Who is that?"
Alisha was the one who responded. She was greeting her father as she turned to him. Her tone was dismissive and disdainful.
"Don't pay him any mind. Just a beggar Uncle Alistair picked up. He will be running soon enough with his tail tucked between his legs, once his lie is exposed."
Skyler's ears perked up, his gaze finally leaving the throne. Wow, this was the first time anyone had called him a beggar, even though they had seen his handsome face!
A flicker of annoyance crossed his face.
He rolled his eyes, silently adding Alisha's name to his blacklist. He would teach this princess some manners later. For now, he had a different priority. His gaze swept over the faces present.
'Just as I read in the novel, including Alisha and George, there are eight people who will enter the tomb with me.'
He also checked his two other uncles and one aunt, the brothers and sister of Riya.
'Hmm, they all look different from Mom. Except for their eyes... Is this the Thorne family trait? Blue eyes? Strange. My eyes are a more clearer shade of blue. Theirs have a more prominent black hue.'
Before anyone could understand Alisha's words or question her meaning, a hush fell over the hall. A rather old voice, amplified by Evol, boomed through the entire hall.
"Make way for Her Majesty, the Queen!"
The door of the hall swung open, followed by an oppressive, warm aura. A regal figure, her emotionless, cold face etched with an air of authority, calmly walked into the hall. Clad in a tailored suit, she wore a magnificent cloak of gold velvet, draped over her shoulder.
Immediately, everyone in the hall bowed in respect. Skyler also mimicked the person next to him, his eyes trailing the woman who was supposedly his grandmother.
He sucked in a breath.
The queen didn't look old.
Not at all. She appeared to be in her mid-forties or, at most, late forties.
'How is it possible for her to appear so young? She must be incredibly powerful.'
He ducked his gaze when those clear blue eyes turned to him, probably because his presence was new and unfamiliar.
The Queen paused in her steps. Her gaze lingered on Skyler for a moment longer. Yet, she ignored him the next second. Stepping onto the platform at the end of the hall, she was soon seated atop the throne, the only seat in the hall. The two guards following behind her stood on either side of her.
She waved her hand dismissively.
"Rise. No need for formalities."
That's it. Simple, cold, and concise. Even though she was talking with her own flesh and blood—her children and grandchildren.
However, everyone present seemed to be already used to her cold countenance. No one said anything and stood straight.
After all, this was how she was.
Elizabeth Thorne.
The Queen of the human Continent.
She swept her gaze over everyone, her finger tapping the armrest of the throne.
"As far as I remember, I only have eight grandchildren who are between the ages of 16 and 25. Why do I see one more?"
Her words stunned everyone present.
All eyes turned toward Skyler, who was trying to hide, hoping to make himself less noticeable. The royals had a hunch about his identity when they saw his blue eyes, but to think he was truly one of them...
Unbelievable!
Nevertheless, the question was, who were his parents? The queen's daughter and two sons present glanced at each other, trying to determine if one of them had an affair.
Alisha was the most shocked. She had mocked Skyler, calling him a liar. Yet, the Queen was declaring him her grandson in front of everyone, without any proof?
It was at that moment that Alistair Thorne returned. He had vanished earlier, however, luckily he returned just as the Queen posed the question that no one had an answer to. He greeted the Queen first before scanning the room, his gaze finally settling on Skyler.
"I brought him here. He is Riya's son."
Elizabeth's fingers, tapping the armrest, paused. Her eyes once again dropped to Skyler, this time with more intensity.
Yet, unlike her shocked children, only two words escaped her lips, despite the fact that she hadn't seen Riya Thorne for years.
"I see."
She turned to Alistair, her oldest son and the only one who had refused to marry.
"Good. We need as many youngsters with royal blood as possible. The fact that you don't have children is frustrating enough."
Skyler scoffed inwardly at her words. She had summoned her grandchildren, except those who hadn't awakened their potential yet, to send them into a place where there was a chance they might not return alive.
'Truly heartless.'
He snapped out of his thoughts when suddenly Elizabeth Thorne stood up.
"Come forward, all the young ones. We don't have time for idle chatter. We must proceed with the preparations as soon as possible. Your parents must have already informed you that you will be entering a tomb."
All the young royals present nodded.
Skyler followed his eight cousins, joining the line that formed in front of the Queen who looked down at them from above.
She surveyed them, her lips curving into a cold smile. Once she had scrutinized each one, her gaze showed disappointment.
"How weak. Each and every one of you."
Elizabeth looked at the nine youngsters. She stopped on two in the end: a girl with pigtails and a short, muscular boy.
"You two."
She said, her voice sharp as ice.
"What is wrong with your elemental crystals? They aren't stable at all."
Her icy gaze immediately turned to the youngsters' father. It was her middle son.
"How can you be so careless? Did you not supervise your children's growth, despite all the resources I've provided?"
The man scrambled to explain himself. He was in no way weak, a strong 20-star Light, but in front of his mother, he always felt like a speck of dust. Yet, Elizabeth shut him off.
"No need. Spare me your excuses."
She pressed her fingers to her temples before looking at Alistair Thorne.
"How much time do we have before the ancient tomb seals itself and disappears? We can't afford to miss this opportunity. Not with one of Eldoria's most powerful weapons resting inside those walls."
He replied without hesitation.
"I assessed the situation as soon as I returned. Based on my calculations, the tomb will seal itself in ten days. If I could, I would have gone in to retrieve the weapon myself. But its gate has restrictions. Only those of Thorne family blood, aged 16 to 25, are allowed entry. Our only option is to send in the younger ones and wait."
Elizabeth clenched her fists, then sighed. She regained her composure instantly.
"We need that weapon. You know it's vital. The future of countless people depends on it. Not many know, but it's the only item that can halt the disaster threatening Eldoria."
She waved her hand dismissively.
"The only positive news is we can send more people into the tomb with the young ones. Everyone entering the tomb can bring three others of similar age with them, even if they aren't of the same family. These people just need to be very loyal to them."
Elizabeth sat down again in her seat, her gaze sweeping over everyone before settling on Skyler. He was the only youngster whose elemental crystals were in decent shape.
"It's truly a good thing because with the strength of the youngsters before me, I'm sure they will all easily perish in the ancient tomb, let alone find the powerful weapon."
Skyler nodded, agreeing with her. His cousins were really weak. They needed to work very hard, like him. Unfortunately, they weren't the main character of this event.
He was. Hehe.