The grand hall was a bizarre sight to take in. The long, stone walls held tall pieces of mosaic glass depicting various breeds of horses framed in epic backgrounds. A gentle light passed through them and spilled down to slightly colour the stone floor. Above everyone were several lit chandeliers, with each candlestick holder being a miniature horse. At the end of the long hall was a meter tall platform with nothing on it. At first, when they opened the horse-carved doors, the room was crowded with a mixture of people spouting a barrage of frightened nonsense without hope of sensible replies.

  “What do we do with all these damn attackers?”

  “The magic users have gone amok since the collapse of Tsujuma.”

  “Where have the Elders gone?”

  “Where have any of them gone? It’s always new faces around here.”

  “Do you think I could pop out for a cigarette before the meeting starts?”

  “Forget the magic users. The other dukes are expecting us to start searching the land for Max.”

  “The true heir has arrived!” The moustache man suddenly declared. Max and Ada looked at each other in confusion. In contrast, Kurt and Cy remained composed. It didn’t take long for Max to decide this must be related to one of Kurt’s sub-goals. Too bad they will never know since Kurt can’t access the system despite being the protagonist. “Make way! Make way!” He began scolding the others before turning to Max. “Wait here for a moment.” He began shouting at the people, who were refusing to get into place.

  “Should we stop this?” Max asked Kurt. This was his home now. It would be better to follow his lead.

  “Nope.” Kurt replied calmly.

  “I don’t see anyone of interest so calm down.” Cy was peering into the crowd with his hands deep in his cloak’s pockets. It was remarkable how he could declare it with such confidence.

  “This is madness,” Ada looked unimpressed at the disorganised assembly of people. The moustache man barked at people, then the listeners would shout back. No one moved. “Where’s your dad, Kurt?”

  “He’s not even here.” Kurt looked bored. Eventually, he clapped his hands a few times making the people around him turn. “Settle down or I will halt the rearing of horses and sponsor raising cattle when I inherit. Right Max?”

  In an instant, every soul within the room turned to look at him. Max would’ve felt calm about the sudden influx of stares, but his lack of knowledge about the situation made him be on edge. However, replace horses with cows? That was a policy he could support. “That’s right.”

  “… Isn’t that the guy the king wants?”

  Max couldn’t be sure who had shouted the message, but it was enough to cause a series of murmurs within the crowd. The moustache man squinted while looking at Max before stroking his moustache in deep thought. “No, he’s not,” Kurt declared with confidence before slapping Max hard on the back. “He’s my mate from my hometown.”

  “You called him Max.” A voice shouted.

  “That’s the same name as on the decree,” said another.

  “Max is his nickname,” Kurt’s lack of reaction was causing people to doubt themselves. Max’s haircut was also making it a bit harder for them to keep their confidence. “It’s short for…”

  “Massimo.” Cy cut in smoothly and with confidence. But why that name? His name wasn’t anything alike that name apart from starting with the same letter. “And it’s spelled differently too. His name is M-A-K-S not M-A-X.”

  “And why should we listen to you?”

  “He’s a psychic vet,” Kurt introduced with pride.

  The crowd rubbed their chins, as they tried to assess how to feel about their newest visitors. A silent, starved girl, a potential true heir who might also be a fugitive, and a special vet; it was difficult to weigh up who to trust and let into their home.

  Suddenly, Cy began speaking with an authoritative voice. “I am here to help the horses.” It was like a fuse went off, as the people went rabid with celebration. “Maks is my assistant.” Max nodded along, but the people weren’t interested. They had already made up their minds and have accepted them into their hearts.

  “That’s the spirit, now get in line. We need to get permission before the vet and his assistant can do a check up on the horses.” Kurt’s voice was so much softer than the shouting before, but it was commanding enough the others listened. The people settled themselves into rows based on social position, leaving an aisle in the middle. “Let’s wait for bio dad over there.” Kurt pointed next to the elevated section.

  They were about to move when a series of trumpets sounded behind them. Instinctively, Kurt pushed them all out of the way and into the crowd. A horse came prancing through the hall before leaping up on the platform. It let out a few controlled whinnies causing the residents of the dukedom to stand attention. The rider never showed any indication of getting off his horse, but did take of his helmet to show his luscious, long hair being safely kept under a hairnet. “Kurt?” His voice was stiff and flat.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Bio dad,” Kurt answered causing the three others to look among themselves. They were all used to the butcher’s boy calling the duke his bio dad by now, but they didn’t expect him to address him as such. Kurt encouraged all of them to get closer until they were right underneath the platform, looking up at the majestic, white steed and its rider.

  “Healthy?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good.”

  The atmosphere was so weird between them. Everyone in the room could sense it through the short conversation. No wonder people were conspiring together to overthrow him.

  “Your highness!” Speak of the devil, the moustache man arrived. Suddenly, Max didn’t admire the moustache as much anymore. The person behind it tainted the art for him. “The man standing before you is your real heir. I’m afraid to say… Well, I cocked it up back at the village and picked the wrong one.”

  Cy smirked before looking at Max and then at the duke before them. Then he did a double take. His smile suddenly dropped, as his brows knitted in confusion. Max didn’t have to turn around to see the other faces to realise they were all drawing the same conclusion. There was an uncanny connection. No wonder the system tried to make him take on this story.

  Duke Landrut tilted his head a little, as if trying to access the situation himself. “True?”

  Max gave a flat answer. “No.”

  Duke Landrut breathed in sharply through his nose. “Not mine. Only Kurt.” It was admirable how few words came from him.

  “This is Maks, he’s my friend from the village,” Kurt introduced before rambling on. “But he wasn’t born there though. He’s an amnesiac-”

  “So, he could’ve been born nearby and just not remember.” The moustache man countered. “Just look at him! He’s the splitting image.” Max looked up at the duke, wishing he could take some of that hair. Their facial features may be similar, but Max must’ve gotten his hair from his ‘mother.’ “Tall and strong; like an heir should be.” Kurt pouted in offence, but he kept his mouth shut.

  The duke continued to look down at Max. “Like horses?”

  “I prefer cows,” Max admitted.

  “Not mine.” The duke declared again at the moustache man, as if challenging him to give another reason to reconsider his decision.

  “Kurt doesn’t even like horses!” The moustache man argued back.

  “That’s not true!” Kurt snapped back. Whatever was holding him back before was gone now. “Horses are delicious.” Thoughtlessly, he leapt up on the platform and gave the white horse a pet, which was welcomed with a neigh. “Take Blissy here, she’ll be delightful when smoked and-”

  “That’s enough!” The moustache man exclaimed while holding his ears. Max looked around to see the look of discuss on everyone’s face. He could even hear someone retching at the back of the room. “Enough of this nonsense about eating the horses!”

  Kurt’s story was mounting to something. It was a two-star, so his story needed an obvious villain. Was Max now supposed to be his rival? Time to be his ally. “You could also use the bones to make glue.”

  Kurt nodded along with what he said but was clearly not as enthusiastic of the idea. “In life and death, horses are useful. I will make sure everyone in the dukedom knows it. So if you have time, come on over to the Fife Mars Inn.” … Wait a second… Was the meat at the inn-? “We’re doing a ten percent discount right now.”

  The duke had been listening to their interaction before leaping off Blissy. The metal of his armour clanged together with every movement before stopping with the duke giving Kurt a hug. “Son.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Kurt tried to escape, but his bio dad’s arms were like steal.

  “Son.”

  “Let- Go-”

  “Please reconsider, Your Grace!” The moustache man pleaded in desperation. “If he’s the true heir-”

  “Then I would name Kurt as my heir and immediately renounce my claim,” Max said without hesitation. “Let’s just skip all the politics and drama-”

  “But I don’t want it either! Let go of me!” Kurt kept trying to struggle out of his bio dad’s arms. Eventually Ada hopped on the stage and tried helping him out of the tight embrace. Worryingly, Cy was suddenly refocused on the crowd behind them. Did he see something?

  Max felt two desperate hands grab his shoulders. “You must become the next duke.” The moustache man was on the verge of tears, while clinging onto Max like how the duke clung on to his son. “Think of the horses!”

  “Let go-” “Get the fuck away from me-”

  “What’s that in your fate, Blissy?” Cy asked in a loud voice causing the voices to simmer down in curiosity, even Kurt’s bio dad looked up from his son for a moment. “Could I approach the horse? As a psychic vet, I think I can read something about Blissy’s fate.”

  Duke Landrut looked at his confused horse, who gave a small neigh, before nodding. The room went silent in anticipation and curiosity. Playing the part, Cy began walking around the horse causing her to flick her ears and flare her nostrils in anticipation. “I see, I see,” he murmured. Max couldn’t help rolling his eyes from Cy acting up. “I understand.”

  “See what?” Duke Landrut asked with his grip tightening. Kurt began choking, while Ada continued to weakly tug at the confining arms.

  “Blissy is set to retire. Officially. In a couple of minutes.”

  “Why?” The duke asked Cy with concern clear on his voice.

  “Because you’re going to renounce your title, hand it down to your son, and then start travelling the world with Blissy.” Cy gave her a small pet on the nose, but quickly yanked his hand away before the horse could have a chance to bite him. “It’s her dream to see the world.”

  What was Cy doing? Did it mean Kurt’s fate had already changed? What was he looking for earlier? Max was confused.

  Duke Landrut finally freed Kurt, so he could get up close with his noble steed. “True?”

  The horse whinnied.

  “I retire.” The basic words were anticlimactic while the duke pointed over at his dumbstruck son. “Kurt duke.”

  They did it?

  Holy shit, how did they do it?

  Cy glanced over at Max, still being held by the moustached man, before giving him the smuggest smirk.