A Legacy Will Be Crowned

Intermission 3- Favouritism

Kijo took a sip the wine Aloysius had served him- he made sure to have it with him.

"What do you think, Aloysius?" He asked, leaning back slightly in his chair, and crossing his legs. He didn't bother looking at the servant, his eyes were still on the camera feed in front of him. It was quite a bit more interesting than some servant.

The servant tilted his head. "About what, Master Togami?"

Ah, right. There was no way he could've known what Kijo had meant.

"About the contestants. Your group specifically. They're an interesting bunch, aren't they?" Kijo asked, letting out a soft chuckle.

"They sure are," Aloysius said with a nod. "Is that why you put them together?"

Kijo smirked, "Ah, you're such a smart servant. That is why I put them together. It makes things much more interesting. It's also why I assigned you to them," He explained, finally turning to look at Aloysius. "That way we could have these conversations."

"It's an honour to hear that, sir," The servant responded with a bow.

Ah, how Kijo loved seeing him like this. It always gave him an ego boost, and Aloysius knew that. And because he was such a good servant, he kept always doing it.

There was a reason Aloysius was the head butler after all. It was a position he had earned through his obedience.

Kijo hummed, looking back at the camera feed. "Have you prepared the new letters, Aloysius?" He asked, his voice taking on a more serious tone. This was important, after all.

How else could he gives his favourites an advantage?

And maybe it wasn't the most fair thing to do, but it's not like Kijo cared. He made the rules. And if someone wasn't his favourite, it was their fault. His favourites were the ones that simply performed the best.

By now, he had already forgotten most of their names, but it didn't matter. He would only remember the name of his heir, not his potential heir. That would just be a waste of time. It was also why he only bothered to remember the names of a few servants, the rest were simply too significant.

Aloysius nodded, "I have, Master Togami. I'll have them delivered once we're done talking."

"Ah, good. Make sure they don't notice though, that would take some of the fun away," Kijo responded, his smirk growing. It was always entertaining to see their reactions to something like that. The surprise on their faces combined with a small hint of fear was something Kijo always loved to see.

After all, these children meant nothing to him. Not yet, at least. They were just contestants, nothing more. They weren't his heir. Sure, these specific contestants were his favourites- so, he did like them more than the rest- but they were just contestants in the end. All of them still had a chance of losing. It was a shame- Kijo was quite sure they could be useful even if they lost- but those were the rules. Besides, he would be lying if he said he didn't find the despair on their faces entertaining once they realized they lost.

It was the main reason Kijo was watching them, to see the results and the despair of the losers. And how the rest reacted to that, of course. Some were happy, some sad and others indifferent. It was always a fun sight to see.

It also helped with his choice- he wouldn't choose a weak contestant after all. If they can't handle somebody else losing, they were worthless to him.

Kijo snapped his fingers. "Refill my glass," He ordered, not even bothering to look at Aloysius.

But he heard the sound of a bottle moving and saw how his glass filled up, so it wasn't like it mattered. Aloysius was used to these things- he didn't even say anything to Kijo. Though, Kijo was still in the mood for some talking.

"Aloysius," He began, taking a sip from his wine. "Who's your favourite?" Kijo asked, sparing a slight glance at the servant.

"I still find the youngest, Byakuya, to be quite impressive, Master Togami," He answered, having chosen his words carefully as always. It was one of the many things that made him such a good servant.

He hummed, "He was the one that solved the escape room my himself, wasn't he?" He asked, though he was already quite sure of the answer. Not that it mattered- if he wanted an answer from Aloysius, he got one.

"Yes, sir," Aloysius answered, most likely nodding- Kijo couldn't be sure, his gaze wasn't even near Aloysius. "He was only the one that nearly got drowned," He added helpfully.

"Ah, him," Kijo said, his smirk growing slightly. Now he remembered- that one was the one that really interested Kijo. And it seems like even now, he's still on the impressive side. That couldn't be said for the boy's siblings.

"He's a good choice. If I had to choose one, I would also go for him," Kijo continued, "He has quite the potential, don't you think?"

Kijo was quite sure he had already asked Aloysius something like that before, but it didn't matter to Kijo. After all, the boy had changed a little in that time, so the servant's answer might've changed.

"He does, Master Togami," Aloysius said with a nod. "He's using his age to his advantage, using it to manipulate his brother. That's quite a good quality for your heir to have."

"It is," Kijo agreed. "But, there's always a chance he might fail. He's the youngest and those have never won before. I'll suppose we'll see in the next challenge."

Ah, the next challenge. Kijo was very excited for that one, it really was going to be fun. Well, for him at least. As for the contestants... Well, it was going to be quite the experience for them.

It was truly going to weed the weak from the strong. The failures from the potential heirs. Just thinking about it made Kijo smile. He already knew that apart from the final challenge, this one was going to be his favourite.

So, he would make sure it started soon. Which meant tomorrow.

The contestants wouldn't know what hit them. And he meant that almost literally.