Avalyne War Stories

8th Story - Galahad

In the end, everything came down to a coin flip.

It's always been like that in my life. Everything I have, everything I don't... All of it came from pure dumb luck. Of course, I know that I'm fortunate to even be in the position. It's something that many would envy. The one and only prince of the imperial family. It was an impressive title no doubt, but sometimes, I wish I had been born a commoner instead.

Perhaps I might've thought differently if I had won the sole coin flip that mattered to me, but such were the vicissitudes of fate. I lost, and there was simply nothing I could do to change that anymore. Instead of me, it was my sister Gwenhwyfar who earned the right to succession, manifesting the Sunrise Crest at the age of six. That was around the time I awakened as a knight as well.

At first, I was fine with it, but slowly, my sister began to turn away from me. Attracted by the shining lights of high society, she no longer looked upon me as she once did. She left me all alone to rot in the darkness.

What horrible luck.

At the very least, I thought my family would understand my position after that and allow me to walk my own path. After all, I was no longer a potential heir to the imperial throne nor did I have any stake in the future management of the empire. All that was left up to my sister, along with all the riches and responsibility that came with it. As for me, I had expected to be cut loose from the banal lessons and strict rules that the imperial family was forced to adhere to, but that didn't happen.

Instead, I remained stuck with all the downsides of being imperial royalty while reaping absolutely none of the benefits. Of course, some might argue that the luxury food and residence might be something that I enjoyed, and to an extent, they were right. I dined on some of the greatest of meals, bathed in the most luxurious of baths, and slept on fabrics so soft and smooth that no commoner could even begin to imagine how they felt.

But I would give up all of that just for a taste of the freedom they possessed.

A commoner was free to choose whatever they wanted to do, especially with my father's leniency towards orphans and the establishment of several educational institutions due to the efforts of Lady Scarlet and her faction. That's another thing.

I'm not sure who or what the hell she is, but her authority over the empire sure as hell outranks mine. She's not even a member of the imperial family, and she isn't subject to any of its bullshit, yet she somehow wields more power than I do. A mere duke's daughter is more powerful than I am, the goddamn imperial prince.

It's just unthinkable. She has my sister in her pocket, hanging on her every word. The commoners adored her, some of them even worshiping her as their savior. In fact, all the guards in the palace wouldn't even dare turn their swords on her despite a direct order from my father when she stormed into the palace all those years ago. And back then... she was just a child.

Imagine what she could do now.

Click.

There she comes now. And who's that by her side? Ah fuck, my two favorite people in the entire empire walking side by side. I can't believe I have to deal with these stuck-up bitches for the entire day.

I rose from my seat, giving my sister and Lady Scarlet a stiff bow. "Good afternoon, Lady Scarlet. Sister. It's rare that you would call upon me for something. After all, I fail to see what someone as lowly as I could do for the two of you."

Lady Scarlet raised an eyebrow. "You are the imperial prince. You would do well to maintain some dignity for yourself, Galahad."

Throwing punches already, huh? You just can't help yourself, Lady Scarlet... I sighed. "Yes, of course. I shall take care to mind my words from now on."