161 A Woven Myth (1/2)

A lingering feeling of dread washed, deep within his heart of hearts. He knew that Lu'um had gotten in a way that couldn't be undone or countered anymore. The situation Lu'um had thrust Reed into was one far beyond his own level of expertise for bullshittery and evasive language.

He was equal parts horrified and awestruck of her astonishing decisiveness when it came to the big question.

How was Reed supposed to have answered? That he was secretly afraid of making such a big jump, even if he really did love Lu'um? It didn't sound very mature answer and felt like it would've betrayed everyone's expectations of them.

Reed bashfully smiled for the cameras and scratched his head. He sputtered out, ”O-Of course, of course! W-We're just focused on finding the right time to have it, given how busy we usually are...”

Take a slow, deep breath, Reed! Play it cool! Deep breath, deep breath, deep breath...

His flushed, nervous expression was not practiced facade — Reed really was utterly embarrassed at the moment. It was already one thing for him to open himself up to a stranger, but talking about his love life and future wedding? In front of millions of people and a live audience?

Even for Reed, it had been too much to handle. His calm, dignified facade had broken — for a brief moment, the Stainless Prince had disappeared and Reed had taken center stage.

For a vast majority of the continent, barring a handful of people, it was the first time they had seen the Stainless Prince for who he really was inside — a young man in love.

In simpler words, a normal person.

It was an important, cultural moment that resonated with mortals across the continent for a variety of reasons. For generations, mortals had been under the impression that Chosen were of a different breed than them.

That Chosen were near-perfect creatures without flaws — beings that could not err. They were special, unique individuals who had become as close to a God as a Mortal being could achieve.

This belief was especially true when it came to the four royal families of the Mulia — the Old Blood — as they were considered living proxies of the Four Sovereigns' wills in their absence.

True, Reed's verbal hiccup was just a small matter, but it would not have happened to say, Haydn Kingscrown, had he been asked the exact same question. He would have calmly answered the question without even the slightest noticeable change in emotion or expression.

Neither would it have happened to any other prince or princess of the Old Blood — the question would not have broken the impenetrable public facade they had been taught to create for themselves. They had been taught to act in a matter befitting their noble blood.

And yet here was Reed, who had broken his 'Stainless Prince' persona because of a single question — transformed into a pile of mush.

It was rare enough for mortals to catch a glimpse of the royal families, let alone know of their personal lives, so it was highly attractive that they had accidentally caught a glimpse of something truly special.

A bit of the royal families' perfect illusion had died but in return, something brand new had taken hold instead...

Mortals, if only for a fading moment, felt connected to Reed. Here was something that they, too, understood. A commonality between both Mortalkind and the Demigods. There was no distinction between races, ages, and divinities when it came to matters of love.

It was yet another small thread that Velvund would use to weave the narrative he desired.

Reed had to become someone that every person could feel a connection to, be they Chosen, Mortal, Human, Avunian, Eisalon, Old and Young. An individual who they could feel confident in following.

...To clearly describe and demonstrate the shared experiences a person has with another person was also another deliberate method to encourage and foster a powerful, meaningful relationship with a person.

Showing that you and the other person aren't so different, after all, despite whatever impression they may have had about you.

The questions that Wasserman had asked Reed and Lu'um had all been written by Velvund beforehand -- all designed to weave their experiences into shared threads of common interest between themselves and the entire continent, be they Mortal or Chosen.

Their likes and dislikes, their hobbies, their fears (a question that would have been asked to any other royal members ever), their future dreams, their funniest stories, and anything else of interest.

...To show one's own vulnerabilities and open one's heart to another was not a weakness — it was a sound method to foster a closer, more trusting relationship with another person. Dropping your guard was an effective way to develop trust, something only a very few royal people knew how to do in public.

Reed had already done this on his own though, as Velvund had anticipated. It was a long-con three years in the making and was the reason he had pushed for Reed and Lu'um to become engaged.

He had exploited his own grandson's pure, bashful feelings about love on international holovision for the benefit of the grand narrative.