Chapter 154: The prince's secret meeting I

"You are…" Federline whispers at Lemuel sadly, and Lemuel holds his breath once he realizes that he has yelled. 

Lemuel sighs and crumbles his robes, "Fine... I am. So what?!? What are you going to do about it?"

"But what is it to be angry about?"

Lemuel narrows his eyes like he is trying to hold in his tears, and Federline tries to stop himself from launching his entire frustration to Lemuel. He searches caramels in his pocket and feeds Lemuel one.

"Don't stay angry at me, okay?" Federline backs away like a neglected puppy. Since a direct attack does not work, then he will have to be more patient.

Lemuel, confused, nods. Federline smiles while putting a hand on his nape and looks down at his wiggling toes.

"The bath room should be empty now..." Federline shyly informs.

Lemuel nods again, swirling the caramel inside his mouth nervously. Federline has kept in mind that he cannot shower with other men and accepted it without any questions. Thus, since the first day as a guild member, Federline would inform him when the bath room is empty without fail.

Lemuel was about to turn to leave, but Federline gently gets hold of Lemuel's head and pulls Lemuel close to him. Lemuel was about to get his face scarred by a random nail sticking out of the wall. Lemuel smells the gentle sweetness on Federline's body.

"There's a nail."

Lemuel becomes extremely quiet and sprints away, flustered. Federline scratches the back of his head in confusion. Did he just make Lemuel mad again? He is running out of caramels too! 

'Ahhhhhhh,' Federline dips his head in defeat, pulling his hair out of frustration. Why is he doing this anyway? Why is he so hyper-aware of this person?

Lemuel enters the bath room and makes sure to lock it. He slides down to the floor and remembers what the Grand Duchess told him.

"Lemuel, you are different from other men because you have the Halinas's blood running in your veins, and you are also an extremely rare case of a man being able to manifest the powers. In our family history, men who manifest powers can conceive. So, please keep yourself away from other men. Men are beasts who cannot be trusted!"

Lemuel pouts, "But I am a man too... Am I an untrustworthy man as well?"

He remembers the mark he places on Federline and groans. Maybe he is! This is a mess! What is he going to do now?

---

After seeing Lemuel's figure disappear from the distance, Federline looks at the training ground entrance. Kyrie peeks his head out and forces a smile that he is caught - not that he is hiding or anything.

[Bloody hell! Just when I miss Ian the most! This couple is getting more and more cheesy and frustrating!]

"Headmaster, are you looking for me?" 

Kyrie clears out his throat to take away his awareness of his shameless eavesdropping. Still, he is glad that Federline does not get annoyed by this kind of thing.

"Have you noticed any suspicious participants?"

Federline shakes his head. Earlier this morning, the seventh prince received a letter from an unknown source. According to one of the servants that Federline has paid heftily for the information, the prince is meeting with someone who could help him get his hands on the Midnight Queen. The information Federline has gathered matches exactly the information given by the unknown mailer.

The seventh prince knows that the flower is guarded by a relic, so the real question lies on who this individual claims to be able to provide the prince with the flower. The seventh prince is not an idiot, so there must be a good enough reason for the prince to believe this stranger. 

"The only way is to follow the prince to the meeting spot. It could be a trap, but the prince does not seem to be aware of us yet," Federline could only think of this solution because there is no definite clue to look for a person among the sea of contestants and personnel.

"I will go as well…"

Federline widens his eyes because this job is not that hard. He is not new to the field either, so why?

"I just have this sickening feeling twisting my guts…"

--- 

In the depths of the night, when the streets have empties to even the latest wakers, the seventh prince and a group of armed men sneak around the city. Prince Davis has avoided bringing Osiath because he does not want this matter to get into the emperor's ears. He also leaves Narog behind because the giant has a big frame that catches attention. Hence, the prince conforms with bringing five knights with him from his usual two. 

All of his hairs stand up when sudden random barking sounds echo from a house as if the dogs were barking towards ghosts. Although this is not unusual, the prince's heart races much faster, and his breaths shorten from the scare.

He looks at the address printed on the letter and reads the number on the door. 

'This is the right location…'

His hands tremble as he reaches towards the metal ring to knock on the door. 

This is his only way out now. Osiath's face appears in the prince's mind.

"Prince Davis, I will explain my mistake to the emperor, so please stop with all your attempts to steal the Midnight Queen. You should never put your hands on things that could create conflict between different powers. War is never kind or advantageous to anyone."

The prince clicks his tongue and murmurs to himself, "Why should the empire lower its head to anyone? We are the greatest power of the continent!"

He grabs the ring, but before he bangs it to the door, the door automatically opens slightly. The prince has to push it open because there is no one behind the door - at least not when he opened it.

He looks around the small complex, and two knights enter to check out the dark place without a single candlelight. The knights take out mana stones to light up the place. They have entered into the area of the joint living room and kitchen. 

The knights give out signals to proceed a search around this area before proceeding. The prince starts to bite his fingernails from anxiety. Just when he gets impatient and wants to order the knights just to move on, the hallways in front of him slowly lighten up. The prince screams, and the knights quickly bundle back together to protect him. 

No one is coming out of the slowly brightening hallway. The light is coming from one of the rooms with the door flung open. The group proceeds cautiously after the prince gives the nod. 

Inside the room, there is a figure with a large hoodie over any recognizable facial features.

"Don't just stand there, your highness… Come in!"

A knight steps into the room, but suddenly something grabs his leg! The knight looks down and sees a shadowy hand coming out of the ground. The knight panics and slashes the hand, but the hand does not loosen. Instead, it regenerates.

"Your little guards will have to stay behind. I hope you understand, Prince Davis…"

The prince shivers at the chilling voice. The voice amplifies when the sound reaches his ears as if the man sitting inside the room is whispering near him from both sides. The prince lifts his hand to make the knights back away. 

'This man wants something from me, so he will not do me harm for the time being,' The prince reasons.

He watches below how the shadow that forms into a hand disperses, and he walks in. The door slams shut, and the knights make muffled noises outside. The sound soon drowns out. 

"What-"

"Don't worry… Your knights are okay. They will just take some rest since you don't need them for the time being. Come on… Sit!"

The man points at the chair in front of him. The prince swallows nervously and clumsily slides the chair out of the table, sitting on the edges.