Chapter 3: A Common Tree

It was now morning. The sunlight passed through a small crevice from the door that led to my balcony and hit my face, waking me up from my slumber. I was too tired to get up from my bed due to exhaustion, then I remembered that Mother and I were supposed to meet early this morning at the library. My sleepiness immediately disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Without delay, I got up from my bed and went to the bathroom to take a bath. After that, I changed into very sophisticated clothes. I took a look in the mirror and was quite satisfied.

I was quite tall compared to other children my age, towering at four feet. My outfit was also rather fancy—a night-black garment and pants, with a wide and flowing robe embroidered with a golden eastern dragon at the sides.

I had to admit, though, I was a pretty handsome boy myself. My midnight blue, shoulder-length hair, along with my sky-blue eyes similar to Mother's, made me look very alluring. Once I grow up, this face will definitely be a lady-killer.

As I admired my appearance, I realized that I was already running late for the meeting with Mother. Fixing my face for a bit, I hurriedly exited my room while also greeting the maid standing just outside.

"Good morning, sister! Can you please clean up my bedroom? And also, change my bedsheets for a clean one. I have a meeting with my Mother, so I'll go now. Thank you and bye!" Without even waiting for the maid's response, I was already sprinting along the hallway.

"I understand, Your Highness…"

As I ran, I heard a loud scream from my bedroom.

"Why are the bedsheets drenched with sweat!? And it stinks!"

I'm very sorry, sister… I promise I'll grant any of your wishes after this. For now, I need to hurry. Mother is very scary when she is angry.

***

The Sylvan Archives is the largest library known throughout the seven continents. It was said that this archive holds all the history and knowledge of the world, although I don't know if that was the truth.

As I stood just before the entrance of the archive, I was very impressed. The whole archive was actually built inside a huge tree! The tree was so thick that it would take at least a thousand people to encircle it. It was so tall that it made the castle surrounding it look small in comparison.

However, there seemed to be no doors that would let me into the archive. This was where the most interesting part came in. I took out a small golden plaque from my pocket. The wooden plaque was coated in gold, with the head of an eastern dragon engraved on it. This plaque was the Dragon Seal—the only key to entering the Sylvan Archives—and it could only be activated by the Sylvania Empire's royal family. Naturally, as the son of the Emperor, I was able to activate it.

I raised the seal in front of the tree, and suddenly, white lines of light began to appear on a part of the tree, forming an upside-down U-shape. With a creaking scream, each half of the shape began to open like double doors. I then entered the archive. The double doors shut behind me and vanished.

I looked around the archive. It was the second time I'd seen this place, and it never failed to amaze me. The first was one year ago when my Mother and Father introduced me to this place. Rows of bookshelves lined up in a very orderly manner. At the middle-end, there was a receptionist's table where one could inquire about books. Behind the table, a beautiful white-haired woman stood with a not-so-smiling face.

"Arthur Sylvania, you are fifteen minutes late," the woman said. Although she had a smile, her eyes were anything but friendly.

"Mother... I'm sorry."

I looked down in remorse. My Mother always taught me that, as the Crown Prince, I had to constantly mind my etiquette. That was easier for me since I was also a very mindful person before. Ever since then, I hadn't made the mistake of being rude to anyone. This was a special case.

Due to what happened last night, I slept too late and stayed in bed for too long. But I didn't plan to use that as an excuse. If I did, I would have to explain what happened, then why it happened, then reveal my past, which I wasn't ready to share. Without me even realizing it, I had grown attached to them and was afraid they would begin to avoid me—or worse, exile me—once they found out who I really was.

I was thinking of other excuses to tell when my Mother reached out and patted my head. I looked up, staring directly into her eyes, which were now full of kindness, unlike the cold look she had earlier.

She caressed my head softly, making me feel a funny sensation in my stomach. Then she said gently, "It's fine, my dear child Art. It's okay to be late sometimes, but you have to remember—you're the Crown Prince of our Empire and the future Emperor. If you act rudely, people will see you as an arrogant idiot unbefitting of the throne."

"I understand, Mother."

"That's good. Then shall we sit at that table over there and begin?"

My Mother pointed at the reading section, where many tables and chairs were placed. She left the receptionist's table and held out her hand to me. A big smile was on her face.

"Mother... I can walk on my own…"

Yet, Mother still held out her hand with a smile that said she would never take no for an answer. It seemed I had no choice but to take her hand again.

As we walked, I grew curious. Why was my Mother, the Empress, working as the only receptionist in this archive? Couldn't she assign other people to work in her place? The question bugged me so much that I asked her.

She laughed at my question. "Well, I guess we should have a little introduction before we begin our lessons."

After saying that, we were now sitting at a table across from each other. That's when I remembered that this was the beginning of my succession training. The first stage of my training was learning history, and my trainer would be my own mother—the Empress.

"My dear Art, what do you think of this tree?"

"This tree? It is quite impressive… and huge."

"Other than that?" my Mother asked, clearly not satisfied with my answer.

What else was there to say, though? This was just a tree that had somehow managed to live an exceptionally long lifespan. Such trees were quite common in the Upper Realm. The only impressive thing about it was the archive.

Seeing my uninterested expression, my Mother pouted in annoyance.

"Gosh, you should be excited like a kid and eager to learn about it! This tree is our origin—it is our very own ancestor!"