Unblessed? The phrase played over and over in my head. For that brief moment, I felt as if the entire universe was conspiring against me. I was so excited about being able to use magic just a few hours ago, but now the person standing in front of me, looking at me with disgust, is telling me that I am unblessed and that I never had a mana heart to begin with. Is this a joke to you? What the hell is going on with me?

The nobles were all whispering about me, "The prince is unblessed"

 “What a disgrace to the royal family”.

For me, the hall known for being blissful was no longer so. Everyone looked down on me because I, the kingdom's fourth prince lacked mana.

The hall erupted at the news that I was mana - less, but before things could get worse, my father stepped in and said, "SILENCE!”

When he attempted to continue his sentence, guards standing outside the hall's door announced, "His Highness Duke Herner El Elims enters."

The people in the hall, including the queen and even the father, were stunned by the events. Duke Herner, a six-foot-tall man with a fighter-like build, entered through the entrance gates. Though this might not be surprising for the duke to attend the royal summons, he never attended any banquets in his life; instead, it was his other family members who were known to attend the banquets in his place.

Duke approached the stage and said, "Your Majesty, we have an urgent matter that requires your attention as soon as possible."

"What's the matter, Duke, that you felt compelled to attend the banquet after a decade?"

"Your Majesty, King of Anartia Kingdom, has contacted us via mana image mirror."

“What? That Arnold contacted us? Why is that? ”

"He wishes to speak with you about the recent trouble on our kingdoms' borders."

"Hmmm... Arnold is not the type to speak first in these situations; he prefers to let his prime minister handle the politics."

"It appears he has altered your majesty."

"It could be my fault, but King Arnold's demeanor has changed from before."

"Well, we can't keep the king of some kingdom waiting for long, so I'll handle this, and we'll discuss Amethyst's results later!  Please enjoy the festivities."

Father left after saying this, and the Duke Elims didn't say much to me before leaving as well.

The hall, which had been lively prior to the Duke's arrival, had fallen silent. Every person in the room recognized the significance of the situation, which compelled the duke, who had never attended a banquet before, to attend.