Walking through the corridor, Adrian's mind was filled with thoughts. The conversation with his mother, the test, the way he won, and the engagement. All of it continuously flashed through his mind.
'I have gotten out of that, but I'm sure similar situations will arise in the future. I have to be prepared.'
The biggest mystery in all of this was the engagement. It made no sense to him at all. Why was Ravenshade so desperate? How would they benefit from this engagement?
'Right now, all I know is that his sudden engagement was somehow linked to some rumors circulating in noble society.'
But what were those rumors? Knowing that was the key to understanding everything about the engagement.
'I can't ask the servants since they aren't nobles and probably wouldn't know the full picture.'
And even if they somehow did know, he doubted if they would share something that his mother had refused to share with him.
In the end, he was left with only one option.
'I guess I'll have to go meet her.'
He could not think of anyone else who would answer his questions.
Making that decision, Adrian walked towards his new destination with slightly hurried steps. Passing through the hallway, he climbed the long stairs covered in ornate red carpet, going to the next floor of the mansion.
Adrian paused in front of a room where a servant was standing by the door. This was his destination.
As he walked closer, the servant turned towards Adrian and gave a deep, polite bow. His voice was light and even as he spoke.
"Young Master Adrian. Forgive me, but may I ask what you are here for?"
"I wish to meet my sister," Adrian replied, straight to the point. "I assume she is in her room. Open the door."
"Wait just a moment," the servant turned to the door, knocking. "Young Lady Airsteia, Young Master Adrian is here and wishes to meet with you."
For a few moments, there was silence. Then a girl's voice came from within the room.
"I am not in the mood. Send him away."
Her voice sounded both annoyed and uninterested.
Hearing her words, the servant looked at Adrian sheepishly, with an awkward expression. He tried to speak, but hesitated and closed his mouth. Adrian, meanwhile, stood silently. Staring at the door expressionlessly.
After a few minutes of silence, the butler briefly looked at Adrian's tiny figure still staring at the door expressionlessly, then he turned towards the door, once again.
"Young Lady, Young Master Adrian… is still here, waiting to meet you."
A reply once again came from inside the room. But this time, it sounded more annoyed than uninterested.
"What does he want? Tch! Let him in…"
The servant quickly opened the door and stepped aside, gesturing for Adrian to enter. As Adrian stepped inside, a large, organised room was before his eyes. The room was not nearly as lavish as his mother's chamber, but it still looked extravagant.
A large bed stood on the left side of the room, and on the right side was a sofa and an ornate table in front of it.
A young girl, looking around fifteen, sat on the sofa, silently gazing his way. Long, deep, jet black hair flowed down her shoulders like a dark fountain, in contrast with her pale skin. Her piercing grey eyes, staring down at him, seemed to carry a suppressed intensity.
This was his older sister, the first child of House Ravenshade, Airsteia Caelis Ravenshade.
With an irritated expression on her beautiful face, his sister asked in a tone filled with annoyance.
"Little brother, I thought I told you to go away. What do you want?"
Adrian didn't reply immediately. He pulled a cushioned chair from the corner and sat in front of the table, across from her. When he spoke, his voice sounded dull.
"Sister, you must know about the engagement, right? You must also have an idea about rumors circulating in noble society. Please tell me everything you know. I have a hard time understanding all this. It feels sudden, and things don't make sense."
She tilted her head in exaggeration and replied with a mock confusion on her face.
"And? Why should I tell you anything? Mother didn't tell you, so she must not want you to know. Besides, what do I gain from telling you? I might even get scolded by Mother."
Adrian's eyes twitched slightly.
'What do you gain? That's just a rude way to say no.'
He let out a barely audible sigh. Stretching his lips slightly, he tried his best to speak in the most polite tone he could manage.
"Please, sister, I can only turn to you when I need help. And we are family, would you not help your younger brother if it gains you nothing? You wouldn't be that heartless, correct?"
Her expression twisted further. Well, it was no surprise considering how he had twisted her words. If she still didn't agree, then she would be indirectly admitting to being heartless.
Adrian could see her visibly clenching her fists to control her emotions. With a deep sigh, her expression calmed somewhat. Opening her mouth, she was just about to speak when she suddenly paused, and a smug smile stretched across her face.
Adrian noticed that her eyes weren't on him, but instead she was looking at the table. As he turned, he saw what she was looking at. It was a wooden board divided into multiple small squares. It would've looked just like a chessboard if only the blocks weren't red and black.
He instantly recognized what it was.
'Sthenios War.'
In fact, he was quite familiar with it—it was a strategic board game based on war simulation. This game was also one of the reasons why he suspected that this might be the world of a story or a game. Thus, Adrian had gathered all the information he could about this game.
'Because it seems like a weird mix between Chess and turn-based RPG games.'
But unlike Chess and other strategy games that focus on gradual strategic play, Sthenios War was a more psychological game that emphasized tension, paranoia, and high-stakes decisions.
Apparently, this game was created by the greatest strategist in the history of this world—the one who supposedly helped greatly in unifying the empire Adrian lived in.
His name was Sthenios Cruor Rurikvel. That is why this game was called Sthenios War. Apparently, Sthenios created this game with the intention of training the future of the empire. He seemed to have succeeded, since this game is extremely popular among the nobility.
"Little brother, I will tell you what you want to know. But I have a condition."
Hearing his sister's voice suddenly brought Adrian out of his thoughts. He asked in a guarded tone.
"What might that condition be, sister?"
She pointed toward the game board. Her smug smile deepened.
"Play a game with me. If you don't know the rules, then I'll teach you. My condition is that I will only talk as long as the game continues. I won't say a single word more after the game ends."
Adrian went still as he heard her condition, contemplating as he looked at the game board.
'Hmm… It doesn't sound too bad.'
He hadn't ever played it, but he knew the rules. Besides, he didn't think simply prolonging the game would be too hard. He would've liked it better if she had simply answered instead of doing all this, but he didn't think he would be able to change his sister's mind.
"I would gladly play against you, sister, if that is what you wish. And I am familiar with the rules, so you do not need to trouble yourself."
She frowned as she heard his overly polite tone. Sitting across from him, she arranged all the pieces on the board. Adrian was playing as the Red commander while his sister was in turn playing as the black commander.
'According to the rules, who starts first is decided by a coin toss.'
She tossed the coin. Adrian ended up winning the toss. On every turn, you have three moves. Of his three moves, he used two to place two soldiers in front of his commander piece, as if to shield it. He used the last move to put a soldier to the commander's left. There was a single block gap between the three pieces and the commander.
Adrian started speaking.
"I know that I'm supposed to get engaged to the daughter of Count Florivelle, but I can't understand how this would benefit Ravenshade. The Florivelle Family sounds like one of the regional noble families, and they seem to be the only ones benefiting from this engagement. What I know is that it's all connected to some rumors circulating in noble society. So please start with the rumor."
She moved two soldiers to opposite corners of the board and moved the third soldier toward a terrain block in the left corner of the board on Adrian's side.
"Talking about things like benefits at your age? You sure don't sound like a child. As for the rumors, all sorts of rumors are always circulating in noble society; there simply isn't a time when they aren't circulating at all. But I assume that's not what you're asking."
She gestured for him to play his turn.
"In recent times, there have been three instances when noble society was truly buzzing with rumors. The first rumor was about a boy who managed to ascend to the Origin Phase at only the age of three, which obviously refers to you.
"The second instance was about a year ago, rumors stating that the power of immortality had finally reappeared. Apparently, the owner of that power is a boy from the slums of a viscount's territory. He seems to have been adopted by the Knight Commander of the Third Imperial Knight Order.
"The third instance has been happening for about a month. Noble society is filled with rumors of a girl who not only reached the Origin Phase at the age of five but also possesses an affinity for four of the six major elements."