I Was Framed, Now I'll Take The Throne

5 days passed quickly after that day.

Lionel continued his training as usual, but this time with a new kind of determination. He didn’t miss a single class, which surprised everyone in the estate.

In the afternoons, he practiced swordsmanship with their soldiers. He also used his stat point from completing the mana mission to improve his swordsmanship skill further. That 1 stat point was big enough that he could feel the difference in his body.

His reflexes somehow became faster, and his grip on the sword had improved. Even the knight training with him seemed slightly impressed, though they didn’t say it out loud.

At night, Lionel would practice his magic skills. He wasn’t stable at using it yet. Sometimes his light ball would flicker, and there were times it would burst apart on its own. But, at least, he was slowly learning how to control it.

He had been gathering mana from the flowers in the garden to speed up the process, too, but after a while, the missing plants had been noticed by their gardener.

The gardener even mentioned it to one of the maids, wondering what was happening and how scared he was if this would continue.

So, Lionel stopped and asked Diana to buy magic stones instead.

At first, she looked at him in confusion.

"Magic stones, my lord?" Diana asked, tilting her head slightly.

"Yes. Buy high-quality ones, Diana," Lionel replied calmly. "Don’t ask why, just get them from the market."

Diana hesitated for a bit but eventually nodded. She knew better than to question her young master’s strange requests.

And so, with the help of those stones, Lionel’s mana grew stronger in just 5 days.

- - -

Name: Lionel Silvestre Exelio

Age: 14

Mana: E

Swordsmanship: B (S+)

Archery: D+ (S+)

Horseback Riding: C- (S+)

Hunting: D (S+)

- - -

Lionel was staring at his stats early in the morning. He was already dressed by Diana.

Outside the corridors, he could hear everyone moving swiftly. The servants should be busy cleaning everything and polishing everything they owned since it was the day. The day that his cousin would arrive

"My cousin is taking longer than usual," Lionel muttered. He was already getting bored.

"Thinking about that, what will happen today?" he asked under his breath.

He thought about it for a moment. His memory from this time was a bit fuzzy since it was decades ago. He already completely forgot what happened. The only thing he could slightly remember what would happen in a few days.

"I know that Cassian will arrive, then we will train together for a few days... and after that..."

His eyes snapped open when he remembered something.

"That’s right," he murmured. "The retreat from the academy!"

It wasn’t really a retreat, but that was what everyone called it. From what he could remember, they would have a week-long training camp for young nobles that was arranged by the academy.

They’d set up tents, hunt, test their survival skills, and compete with the other nobles. However, during this time, that was not the only thing that would happen.

It was the monster outbreak.

Back then, he remembered almost getting injured during that event. A corrupted beast had attacked their group, and if not for Cassian, Lionel would have been badly injured or killed that day.

It was the first time he felt deeply grateful to his cousin. He even swore loyalty to him after that.

Lionel stared blankly at the wall for a moment before a small and playful smile appeared on his lips.

"I guess I should change that part," he said quietly. "This time, I’ll try my best to avoid that." He thought.

Just then, a knock came from his door.

Knock. Knock.

"My lord," Diana’s voice came softly from outside, "the carriage of his highness has arrived."

Lionel abruptly stood up from his chair with that. He brushes the creases from his coat with his smile widening a little.

"Let’s greet my cousin, shall we?"

He opened the door and was greeted by Diana, who bowed lightly at his presence. She followed him as they made their way down the long hallways of their estate.

When they reached the front entrance, Lionel spotted his mother waiting. Duchess Elara stood gracefully beside the grand fountain. She was looking in front, with her hands folded neatly in front of her.

His father was nowhere to be seen because he was away with Captain Reinhardt and some of their troops.

Moments later, the sound of hooves echoed from the distance. A white carriage adorned with gold and the royal crest stopped before the estate gates. The door opened, and a young man stepped out.

It was Cassian.

Cassian was taller now. His body was lean, but it was defined from years of training. His hair was black like midnight, falling neatly above his green eyes. He got his hair from his mother, and not the usual blonde hair that the Imperial family has.

Cassian immediately smiled as he saw Lionel’s family waiting for him. He felt as if he was a very important guest.

"It’s been a while, Duchess, Lionel," Cassian muttered before bowing his head gracefully.

Lionel looked at him quietly for a moment. Furry crossed his eyes for a second before it was quickly replaced by adoration. It was not only his cousin who could play this masked game.

"Yes," Lionel said softly. "It really has been long, cousin."

The Duchess stepped forward afterward, her gentle smile never leaving her lips.

"How was your ride, Cassian? Was the journey too long?" she asked kindly.

Cassian’s expression softened as he looked at her. His green eyes shimmered beneath the sunlight, and the smile on his face was warm. It was the same expression that made everyone around him naturally drawn to his presence.

"Not at all, Duchess," Cassian replied, followed by a small chuckle. "The ride was peaceful, and the weather was kind to us. It’s always refreshing to visit the Exelio estate. It’s like my second home already."

The Duchess let out a light laugh at that.

"I’m glad to hear that. You’ve grown so much since the last time I saw you. You look even more like your mother now."

Cassian smiled again, modest but charming as ever. "That’s quite the compliment, Duchess."

Lionel stood silently beside them, watching their exchange. He could see why people adored Cassian so easily. His cousin has always been soft, and his smile looked effortless. He was also good at his studies.

Everything about him screamed "perfect" while he was the stubborn type. He grew up reckless, and he always misses his class. That was why he knew there were some sorts of rumors about his incompetence around.

The two of them always get compared, and he has already gotten used to people saying Cassian was better than him.

’I was really a fool,’ Lionel couldn’t help but shake his head slightly, but still, he kept the smile on his face.

After a few seconds, Cassian turned to him.

"My dear cousin!" Cassian exclaimed brightly, stepping forward with open arms. "I missed you! Have you been attending your classes lately? I hoped you’re attending some of them. I always worry about you in my free time."