223 The Real Plan

"Did you think I want to be King?" Sylvy rebutted. 

"Then abdicate your seat to me! Give me back what is mine!"

"You know very well that is not possible," Sylvy replied. 

"Then there's nothing for us to discuss, is there?" Eskyl said as he rolled his eyes. 

"I am ready to offer you something else."

-Something else?- Eskyl thought to himself. 

What could his sister have that he would possibly want, other than the crown that rests upon her head? 

"The position as Head of the Flutterheart Family." 

Eskyl glared at his sister for a few moments, unblinking. The position of head of their family was not hers to give. This was just an empty deal. Sylvy could tell that her brother did not believe her. So she explained. 

"Once my term as King is up, you and I both know that we would be selecting a new head of our family. They would pick me to fill that role without question. Every member of our family who had been King always takes on the role after their term as King is complete. That is our tradition."

Eskyl realised his sister was right. 

Sylvy placed her hand on her heart as she continued, "That is not a responsibility I wish to take. I have no desire for it, nor do I want it. You, on the other hand, is the best candidate for it."

"Me?" 

Sylvy nodded her head. 

"What, why?" 

She continued to explain to him that with his experience as Grand Advisor, she had seen how he was able to manage situations. Albeit, there were some situations he had handled that became a fiasco. But Eskyl's intentions were mostly justified. 

He always put their people first. Sylvy had faith in him to put their family first, should he become the head of the family. 

"But you do realise just your word against everyone else is not enough, right?" he remarked. 

Sylvy bit her lip. She had been thinking about it for quite some time now, but never did she expect that the first person she would officially tell would be her brother.

"Once my duties as King are complete, I plan to leave Papillion," she said. 

"What?" Eskyl gasped in shock. 

"I want to explore the world beyond Papillion," she said with a smile. 

Eskyl did not believe what he was hearing. 

"You're joking," he mused. 

"I am not," she replied. 

"Where do you plan to go?" he asked. 

Sylvy had not put much thought into it, but she knew that was what she wanted to do. There were so many things out there she wanted to see and try. Even the short horse ride Ramas and her took from Papillion to the Mothylek's campsite was more than enough to mesmerise her. 

She wanted to see more. 

"I will figure it out as I go," she replied. 

"But what about mother? She's not going to agree with what you're going to do," Eskyl reminded her. 

Eskyl looked at her in disbelief, "Mother is not happy with you? Are you lying to me?"

"I mean, has she ever been happy with any of us?" Sylvy lamented. 

Both siblings share a laugh. Their mother had expectations of the both of them, expectations they seemed to have never quite lived up to. Even when their father was alive, she wanted them to be perfect. 

But how can you expect children to be perfect in their youth?

"Why should I listen to your plan?" Eskyl questioned. 

Sylvy pondered over his question for a while before she replied, "Think about it. If you killed me now…"

"Wait," Eskyl sat up with a confused expression, "You thought I was going to kill you?"

"Well… yeah. I mean you did bring an army into the Throne Room earlier, and you trapped me in here."

Eskyl laughed as he shook his head, "Sylvy, I merely wanted to scare you." 

"Oh… Well, I feel a lot safer now." Sylvy heaved a sigh of relief, "So, will you take my deal?"

Looking over at his sister, did he really have another choice? He pondered over the options he had. He knew that if he did anything too severe, the people beyond the door were not going to let him off the hook easily. 

If anything happened to Sylvy, he would have incurred the wrath of many different people. His chances of leaving alive would be extremely slim, if not close to impossible. His rash personality had doomed him once again. 

-I really should have listened to Torbuck.- Eskyl said to himself. 

"I don't see why not. What more do I have to lose?"

Both siblings shook hands to make good on their deal. Eskyl lifted the magic seal he had placed on the doors, allowing the people on the outside to enter. Ramas was the first through the door. He was all fired up. 

As soon as he saw Eskyl, he walked up to him. His right hand was clenched into a fist. 

"Ramas! It's alright," Sylvy quickly spoke out and stood before him to block his way.

"We talked it out, and have come to an agreement." she continued. 

Ramas listened to Sylvy and backed down, but what she said baffled him. 

"An agreement?" 

Sylvy explained, "Eskyl will remain as my Grand Advisor. What happened in the Throne Room was a misunderstanding. We have agreed to bury the hatchet."

Everyone was surprised, including Vy and Lycster. But surprisingly, Grand Priestess Alfin did not look surprised at all. Sylvy did not go into too much detail with the deal the Flutterheart siblings had made. 

But Sylvy assured that Eskyl and her had come to an understanding and that he was no longer a threat to her. 

"As long as your Majesty says the word, we will do as you ask," Alfin commented. 

Sylvy asked for the guards who were arrested to be released. They would return to Flutterheart Mansion immediately. 

"They can escort mother home while they are at it," Sylvy said. 

"Escort mother home? Mother is here?" Eskyl gasped in shock.