Not long after I finished my snacks and tea, Sir John Returned with five books in his hands.

"Here, Your Highness," he said, placing the stack of books on the table with a soft, resonant thud. "These are the finest primers in the collection. I hand-picked them myself."

I got closer to take a look at the books. There were three Magic books and two martial arts book.

The magic titles were straightforward: The Fundamentals of Mana, Basics of Magic Visualization, and Starting with All Attributes.

The martial manuals were equally blunt: Getting Started with the Sword and The Basic Manual of a Regulus Knight.

None of them had flashy, clickbait titles like How to Slay a Dragon in Ten Days. But sometimes the Simple looking ones are the best ones and that does not go just for books. 

'I have never been the type to Judge a book by It's Cover anyways.'

"I am Sure these books will be of great service to you, My prince" He said with a satisfied look.

My prince... huh. Seems like I have unknowingly earned Brownie points from one of our nation's Best mages.

"yes, I am sure they will" I looked at him like a thankful nephew, who just got his long whished Gaming console from his Cool Uncle "Thank You, Sir John"

"Hoho! No need, No need. Just take care of them" He nodded and said in a low voice "They are quite Sensitive"

'Why does it feel like this Creepy old man is marrying off his daughters instead of lending out books?' I had heard in the Game that The more knowledge-hungry a mage becomes, the further they drift from social norms. 

I hadn’t quite believed it until now. I looked at Sir John’s trembling, protective hands.

"Thank you. I will treat them well with the utmost respect," I said, offering him a sympathetic gaze before turning to my ever-loyal maid. "Mary!" and pointed to the books.

"Yes, Your Highness" Mary stepped forward instantly, gathering the heavy books into her arms with the practiced ease of a maid who had carried far heavier burdens.

"okay, Then, I will see you later, Sir john" Saying that I went out of the Library and went straight to Our Arbutus Palace with Mary. I looked at books with excitement.

'I can't wait'

*****

I stood still in the Library, looking at door from where The Third Prince went out.

It was a good change. While I wasn't acquainted with The third prince Tyler that well, He wasn't a stranger to me either.

For any human child in Verden, the ages of five and ten are the twin pillars of development. Their birthdays are meant to be beacons of their potential.

The princes were no exception. The first prince, Second prince and first princess had grand celebrations. Several great noble houses were invited at their birthday parties.

I remembered the grand celebrations for the First and Second Princes —the roaring feasts, the hundreds of Noble houses vying for a moment of the Possible future King's time.

But the Third prince's fifth birthday had been different. It was a muted affair, attended only by the essential royal staff and a handful of nobles who worked within the palace complex, Like me.

It was a calculated insult, a masterpiece of shadow-work by the two Queens to ensure the Third Prince remained a ghost in his own home.

The first time I saw him, he was barely a week old—a fragile thing. The second time was at that lonely birthday.

Back then I had only one thought about him when saw him.

When other children of his age were struggling to scratch a single word into a slate or stuttering through a basic sentence, Prince Tyler was already reading and writing simple sentences with fluid ease. 

He was a quiet child, a stark contrast to the noble brats who only knew how to throw tantrums to get what they want.

But I had soon realized that his Quietness was not shyness, It was calmness, and an Uninterested attitude towards most things, unlike other children.

At first, His unusual demeanour worried me. After all, the only situation where A child becomes mature quickly is when the world around him is too cold to allow the child to have the luxury of a sweet childhood.

And given the fact that Gilly was never able to show any fatherly affection and given who That child's mother is, It would not be surprising if the child grew up without being loved.

But my worries had been unfounded. I saw the way he leaned into his mother; I saw the genuine, radiant warmth in Miss Eli's smile.

It was a surprise to see that of all people, That woman had become such a fiercely loving mother, but it was a pleasant Surprise, a welcomed surprise. Motherhood sure can change people

'He is a natural genius.' 

It has been more than one year since then and It wouldn't be surprising if he can already read complex language.

But I still gave him books with easy language to understand.

"Fred!" I barked, startling my Disciple.

"Yes, Master?"

"There is an empty bookshelf in the third personal study room, isn't there? Fill it. I want the best basic-to-intermediate texts on every subject—history, alchemy, geography, political science, Magic, Weapon arts, Runes —from the first three floors."

"yes, Master"

I muttered, stroking my beard. "I have a feeling the Third Prince is going to be looking for more than just 'basics' very soon."

*****

I Came back to Arbutus palace and went straight to my and opened the books.

In this world, there are three kinds of energy used by three different Job. For Mages, That is mana. so...

I slid off the bed and sat in a cross-legged meditation position. Thanks to my skill [GENIUS OF MAGIC], It should not take much time.

I didn't try to "force" anything. Instead, I treated my consciousness like a radio receiver, slowly turning the dial to find the right frequency.

According to the books, a 'gifted' mage would take about an hour of deep meditation to sense the atmospheric mana for the first time.

Five minutes. That’s all it took.

Suddenly, the world "turned on." I could feel the mana—it felt like a low-frequency hum vibrating in the air. I felt it in the mahogany of the desk, the silk of the curtains, and the stone of the walls.

Most importantly, I felt it inside me. It was like discovering I had a second circulatory system, a network of invisible veins pulsing with a dormant, liquid light.

I opened the book and saw the next chapter.