The Idle System (A LitRPG series Book 7): Family by Pegaz (good books to read for young adults txt) 📗

They had stayed long past normal travelling hours. Usually, the royal entourage would avoid travelling at night to ensure the safety of the royal family. This time, however, there was an exception—the princess had waited not far from the town, hoping to receive a reply from her father, but it never came.

Two hours after they had set out, it was time to get off the road for the night. They set up camp and prepared sleeping quarters for the evening before putting dinner on the fire.

The tent for the prince and princess were much bigger than the rest, though not by much. They were lavishly decorated and, despite their portability, they were quite warm inside without the need for a fire.

Inside her lair, Carola was playing a game of dice with the leader of the knights who was a distant relative of hers.

“Your Highness!” a voice called from outside of the tent.

“Yes?” Carola asked.

“Dinner is ready. Do you wish to eat inside or outside with the men?”

She looked at the older knight in front of her and flashed him a smile. “Bring two portions inside as we’ll eat it here.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Soon after, the man returned with two large bowls of stew. He carefully placed them down between the two individuals and excused himself without a word.

Outside, knights from both kingdoms sat around the campfire, eating in silence until it was time to retire for bed. The actions in town which ended with a knight being executed caused a rift in the relationship between the two groups, and it was already showing.

Later that night, a few of the knights from the Gralux Kingdom walked over to the Bahan’s area.

The Bahan knights were still sitting on blankets around the fire with just their inner armour still equipped, but when they saw the Gralux knights walking towards them with serious faces, they thought something was wrong, so they attempted to stand up and grab their full plated armour.

Indeed, something did go wrong. Not one Bahan knight managed to make it to their feet. Instead, their legs were wobbly and weak like a young child learning to walk for the first time.

The Gralux knights ignored them with a smile on their faces and, under the gazes of the Bahan knights, they walked up to the stands which had the Bahan full plated armours neatly arranged and started picking them up to see if they fit.

Inside Carola’s tent, she and the old knight had finished their meal and continued their dice game. It wasn’t until they heard people arguing outside that they stopped.

Carola knitted her brows and looked at the old knight. “See what’s going on outside and put an end to it. If it’s still about the execution of their fellow knight, tell them it was necessary.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

But when he tried to get up, his legs gave way and he collapsed to the side of his chair. As he fell, he moved his hands in front of him to protect himself, but his right arm hit the table instead, causing it to tilt and land on top of him.

Carola screamed and attempted to rush to his side to aid him, but she, too, couldn’t stand properly. Her legs buckled under her weight and she found herself assplanting onto the hard ground.

It was at this time the flap of the tent lifted and the prince of Gralux walked in. Seeing what had happened, he couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“Don’t just laugh! Help me up!” Carola whined.

The prince didn’t respond. He looked at the old knight under the table and—after confirming that he was weak, pinned down, and unable to react—stepped over him and stood over his fiancée.

“Why would I help you up after it took me so much effort to put you down?”

“W-what are you on about?” It took a few seconds for her to process what he meant and a look of horror washed over her face.

“You impetulant fool! What did you do?”

A wicked smirk appeared on his face as he winked at her. “Did you enjoy your meal? I added a little demonic clutch for more flavour.

“Though, without eating the antidote beforehand, the poison causes paralysis from the feet and works its way up. Those who ingest it feel like they’re being pulled into the depths of hell by demons as their body slowly goes numb. Hence the name, demonic clutch.” The prince let out a high-pitched giggle as he knelt down and tickled the bottom of her feet which lay unresponsive to his touch.

Carola attempted to kick him, but all control was lost.

“In another hour, you’ll be completely immobile and your organs will fail. Your lungs are usually the first to go, so you’ll suffocate and die a horrible death. But on the bright side, you’ll get to keep your looks… but you don’t have much going for you in that department either.”

Carola’s heart felt like it was being constricted and her heartbeat quickened in fear. She wouldn’t… no, she refused to beg for the antidote. She wouldn’t give that bastard the pleasure of treating him like one of his whores.

“Since you’ve suddenly made a move, I’ll assume it’s because of the woman with the golden eagle badge,” she declared calmly.

“I suppose I can divulge my plans to you since you’ll be dead soon enough.” The prince sat on the ground next to Carola and stroked her hair. “Yes. I don’t know the full story, but I know the king fears the man who originally owned the badge.

“My men followed your men when you sent them to gather information. Luckily, they have good hearing and heard everything the townspeople told your men. In the next life, make sure you tell your men to gather intel while making sure they’re not followed. It can lead to disasters.

“After hearing the report from my men, I came up with a wonderful plan. I had my men steal armour from your troops while they were resting. My knights will