"You truly have my gratitude for letting me win, Master Rhys."
"Grandpa!?"
"...Your Majesty."
Rhys almost gasped as the King bowed to him — there were no other guests since the party was over and Rhys was currently in the King's study, but the King's immediate family was all still there, and they could not help but stand up from their seats and gesture to the King to quickly raise his head. Even Rhys did not know what to do.
"What... do you mean he let you win, Dad?" Agatha, who was fidgeting with his father's books and flipping the pages in the corner of the room while everyone else was seated at the table, raised an eyebrow as she looked back and forth between Rhys and the King, "Are you saying he held back?"
"...Did you hold back, Master Rhys?" The King let out an amused breath as he questioned Rhys.
"Of course not, Your Majesty," Rhys raised his palm and shook his head, "I gave it my all, but since it was just an exhibition match, I... did not really see a reason for any of us to get hurt."
"He let me win," the King turned to look at Agatha and Lance, "You have done well bringing this child here, Lance. I believe he is just what my grandchildren need for them to finally get out of their shell."
"Grandpa, we don't need to have a trainer! We already have the best the country has to offer!" Vicky complained.
"The best this country has to offer is scared of you dimwits!" The King raised his voice, causing Vicky and the other cousins to just lower their heads, "Your training will start in 3 days! Make sure you do not embarrass me, or I swear to King Aethelblac that none of you will inherit something from me!"
"You're already giving away the land that was promised to me!" And surprisingly, Vicky also raised her voice as soon as she heard her grandfather's last words, "The house and land that father promised me was given to this stupid Blackie!"
"Vicky! You dare raise your voice against your grandfather!?" Annabeth bellowed at her daughter; her scream, enough to cause all the books in the study to tremble.
"I hate this, and I hate all of you!" Vicky stomped her foot on the floor before just leaving the study; slamming the door on all of them.
"Please excuse me, Your Majesty."
"Go, take your children with you too," the King let out a small but deep sigh, "No, every one of you — leave... except for Master Rhys."
"I'll bring the two of you some tea," Queen Charlotte slightly bowed and nodded to the King as she gestured everyone to leave; slightly pushing Agatha away as she seemed to want to stay, "Master Rhys, would you like some biscuits?"
"N—"
"I baked them."
"Please," Rhys could really only smile as Queen Charlotte also smiled at him. The Royal Family... doesn't take no for an answer, do they? But at the very least, Queen Charlotte seems to be the most normal of the entire family.
"Husband," Queen Charlotte then once again nodded to the King before closing the door and leaving just the two of them in the study.
"Your Majesty."
"Yes, perhaps we can skip some parts," the King cleared his throat, "You may already be aware, but King Aethelblac is a woman."
"...Yes," Rhys turned to look at King Aethelblac's portrait — the very same portrait that was in Lance's castle, the only thing different was that her hair was completely black.
"They had to hide that fact since only men were supposed to fight against the beasts back then. But that is not important in our story," the King waved his hand, "The truth is, the monsters and beasts from the Hole were not our only enemies, Master Rhys...
...the Gods are too."
"...Arachnea said something similar to me."
"Of course, of course..." The King smiled as he looked at Rhys, "...I have heard reports of you meeting the God of Spiders. What else did she say to you?"
"Nothing — she refuses to elaborate like King Aethelblac," Rhys sighed, "She only told me to be wary of the gods."
She also told Rhys that the owner of the blood flowing through his veins, Eros, was considered a traitor by the Olympians... but the King did not need to know that, yet.
"She told me that the gods did not descend from the heavens at all, but—"
"They came from the same place where the monsters lie," the King looked down, "Master Rhys...
...it is the gods themselves that sent the monsters to us."
"...How would you know all of this?" Rhys's eyebrows began to lower."
"Because King Aethelblac fought with Zeus himself," the King looked Rhys in the eyes; the words that escaped from his mouth came out without even a tinge of hesitation.
"...What?" Rhys could really only watch as the King moved closer to the white-filled painting of King Aethelblac.
"This picture," the King stared at the painting, "This is the moment King Aethelblac and her companions fought the King of the Gods."
"Fought... against a god?" Rhys recalled the moments Arachnea just played with them. And King Aethelblac... fought against Zeus?
"And they won?"
"No," the King quickly turned to look at Rhys, "They lost. We lost, Master Rhys...
...humanity never won anything."