The room went quiet, the only sound reaching everyone's ears was coming from Lythion's voice. His father had gestured for him to speak, and he went on spouting the words in his head out loud without thinking about what his father would say.
"I object, Father." He repeated to everyone's hearing. The two guards stared at him, confused about his involvement but remained quiet as usual.
His father raised his head and squinted to take a long stare at Lythion, trying to see if he was actually the one who objected to him or if it was someone else entirely.
"Is that truly Lythion speaking?" He asked, noticing his eyes weren't betraying him, but maybe his ears were.
"Yes, Father. It is I, Lythion, your son speaking." He bowed slightly in respect, then raised his head to everyone.
His father glanced down at the floor, giving the room a moment of silence. "If it is really you, then tell me, why do you object to my decision? Do you have a tangible reason for this?".
His older brothers sat quietly, staring between Lythion and their father, enjoying the new commotion they didn't have to start themselves.
Their facial expressions already sold them away, revealing the evil side of them that Lythion didn't know could exist between siblings. Their grin and smirk when their father asked the question were just as obvious as their malice towards him.
'How do I say this now? I only thought of getting between the decision, I didn't think of or memorise the next lines after that.' His heart pounded inside his chest when faced with the question. He didn't know what to respond.
Knowing it was his father who asked and everyone was in the room, waiting for him to give a reasonable reply only made things worse for him.
"Well…uhm…it's because.." he stumbled, searching for words to fill up the gap as quickly as he could. "It's because I believe I am a better choice to go for this quest."
His brother's smirk disappeared, slightly flustered by his bold response in their presence. They turned around to see if it really was their little brother speaking or someone else entirely.
"Is that so? Can you explain to me further what you mean by that?". Another question was thrown at him before his brain could process his answer to the first.
"And why do you feel you are a more suitable choice for this quest than your brother, Samson"
Lythion was left in surprise, his frame rigid in place from the questions. His pounding heart increased, making his once calm nerves to spiral in panic.
His brain's structure collapsed, leaving him empty without answers or a thought. He stood there in silence, staring at his father's frame, ignoring his brother's stare.
'What do I say, and how do I say it without sounding rude in front of them?!' He couldn't think of anything. His steaming brain couldn't conclude any suitable response.
To avoid looking stupid in front of them by keeping quiet, he opened his lips to say the words inside his head as they were.
"Well, firstly, the king stated he requires your most trusted son for this quest, which is I, Lythion, your son." He began, noticing the shifts between his brothers in reaction to his response.
He expected an objection from them, but surprisingly, they remained quiet, waiting for him to fumble so they could use it against him.
But he was prepared and expecting it, 'I just hope I don't actually fumble or stutter or that's the end of it for me.'
He carried on with his words, clearing his throat to erase the tension in his voice. He stood boldly with confidence, avoiding the gaze of everyone for a better speech release.
"In addition to that, I think everyone in this room can agree I have spent more time in the wild than anyone else here. Except for the two of you, of course." He referred to the two imperial guards of the king.
One of the sitting brothers raised a hand in objection but was denied by the eldest, pulling his hand down.
"Let the boy speak. He hasn't finished yet." He turned to Lythion, "Please go ahead with your speech."
Lythion stared at him, surprised, but quickly changed his expression to something casual. 'Maybe he isn't so bad after all?'
"I also believe I have the right to experience the world outside our kingdom's region and to bring glory to this house with my actions."
"And to create a name for myself, so I can proudly stand beside you as your son in public, father, just like my brothers."
'Even though I have no memory of my past and about anything older than this day, I believe they must have achieved something worth remembering in this world otherwise, this would be an indirect insult towards them.'
He watched their facial expressions but couldn't decipher anything reasonable from their body movements.
"I believe with these claims, I stand to object to your decision, Father." He concluded, hoping his father would accept everything he laid out for him.
He remained standing, keeping the respect. Everyone else turned to their father, the guards expression and body movement already showed they had begun to enjoy the drama displayed before them.
They probably allowed it since it was something they don't see easily because of their role in the kingdom.
The silence afterwards increased the suspense in the room, and everyone sat, anticipating his next response.
After a while of thought, he raised his head and turned to Lythion. "Hmm, your words do have weight in them."
"But they're still not strong enough to change my decision, for you are still a child and know nothing of the world. You should sit quietly during adult discussions, listening and carefully understanding how these things are done, not interrupt."
'I was afraid that wouldn't work, but at least it was worth a try.' A sigh escaped his lips, nodding to his father's words.
"Sorry for my insolent behaviour, Father." He apologised, bending his head low with his hands crossed.
Before his father could response, the eldest brother, Samson stood up with a word of response.
"Father, I believe his words were persuasive and because of that, I am left with no choice but to support him."
'What?!' Lythion raised his head in shock.