Chapter 206 - Trouble in Prazia (Part 1)

A guard led Mathilda to the study. Verone and her maids had no idea that one of Vaughn's trusted people had arrived in the Crown Prince's palace.

Earlier, Verone was already making a fuss over the delay in the Crown Prince's return. Even her maids could not get any answer from the other servants in the palace. The cape was on its finishing touches, and no one had spoken to Verone about the exact date of the Crown Prince's return. She was also apprehensive about the effect of Lotharia, which she thought Vaughn had ingested.

"They are keeping me here as a prisoner, and they are not giving me clear answers. What do they plan to do to me?"

"Please extend more patience, Your Highness. We are still fortunate that they did not put us in prison as soon as the Crown Prince left."

"If they have the audacity to put us in prison, they can do that. But, I will make sure that Zenia Anisen will suffer the consequences."

"What do you mean, Your Highness?"

"I will lodge a complaint to the King and tell him that it was the Crown Princess' idea to imprison us. Let's see what will happen to Zenia Anisen," Verone sneered and looked smug when she said it.

"You are right, Your Highness. The King will surely favor you."

Mathilda told Redivo the message that Ruvin wanted her to deliver. He was relieved that his little brother was sensible enough to do what he did. Redivo was glad that he told Ruvin about the plan regarding the emblem, and it was a good thing that Ruvin remembered it. Redivo was certain that Ruvin had thought about the possible consequences when someone from Damien's side had seen the arrival of the carriage in the Palace of the Crown Prince.

"Tell Ruvin that I will see him first thing in the morning. It will look suspicious if I leave now. It is normal for people to come here even in the middle of the night, but it will look suspicious if a resident of the palace will suddenly leave at night. The Ninth Prince's men are closely monitoring us."

"I understand. I will relay your message to Ruvin."

Mathilda bid Redivo goodbye and boarded her carriage. She wondered where Vaughn went this time with the Crown Princess. Ever since they had been together on the day that Vaughn brought Zenia to the Royale Palace Inn, he never left home without her. Whenever he was out, he was surely together with the Crown Princess. She wondered about the identity of the person posing as the Crown Princess.

* * * * *

While Vaughn was working in the stable, he sensed someone was following him. He could not see the person, but he knew that he was being followed. At first, he thought that he was only being paranoid. He went to different locations in the stable to confirm his hunch. Sure enough, that person was indeed following him.

He went out of the stable and climbed a nearby tree and hid as he tried to see who was following him. A young man, around thirteen or fourteen came into view. He was startled because he thought that the young man was Jorick. But, he looked so young compared to Jorick. However, their resemblance was uncanny. He was certain that he had never seen the young man anywhere before.

'Why is he following me?'

Vaughn looked around and suspected that Damien's men must've tracked them. But, he did not see any of the Ninth Prince's men. He wondered why the young man was following him. Was it mistaken identity? 

Vaughn had decided that it was best not to go near the young man. He could be someone being used by the enemy. 

The young man left after losing Vaughn. He had to report his discovery right away.

"Leader Azer, I am still not well-adept in sensing someone with a pure spirit, but I think I sensed a faint existence within the establishment of Madame Bisset."

Azer was startled. When he dined in the restaurant before, he could not remember sensing it at all. He had always been proud of his ability and could not believe that a mere level 3 practitioner of dark magic could sense something that he was not able to. Although he left his guard down while dining, he was still powerful enough to sense a nearby pure spirit.

He tried to remain calm and composed, even though he was already seething with envy. He knew that the level 3 dark magic practitioner was someone with immense talent. In fact, the Dark Magic Lord already recognized the skill of that young man when one of his men brought the child to him a few years ago. He was wandering around the town of Prazia with dirt all over his face and seemed lifeless.

The young man named Richaem was only around seven or eight at the time. The steward of Marquis Edmond Quivel found the child and took pity on him. The steward named Petro brought the child back to the estate of Marquis Edmond, who saw the child. He suspected that the child must have witnessed something dreadful that led him to be like that. 

Richaem refused to speak and did not say anything about himself. The steward got permission from the Marquis to allow the child to stay. However, the Marquis told the steward that when the child reached the age of ten or eleven, he should start practicing the art of dark magic. When he proved to be useful to the Marquis, Richaem could stay. 

The steward took care of the child, who showed interest in dark magic. The steward was also a practitioner of dark magic. Marquis Edmond had decided to employ only those people who knew dark magic. In the end, he got rid of his servants with no talent in engaging dark magic. He had given them proper compensation for their years of service. 

When Richaem started practicing dark magic, he showed the immense talent that delighted Marquis Edmond. When he got a bit older, the Marquis assigned Azer to guide him and polish his skills. At first, Azer was enthusiastic to take in a student until he noticed that the boy was progressing at incredible speed. At the rate that Richaem was going, Azer estimated that the boy would be able to surpass him in five years.   

"Tell me, Richaem, where did you sense it?" There was a hint of mockery in Azer's tone.

He was certain that Richaem was mistaken. It took him almost five years to properly detect someone with pure spirit. He had to admit that Duke Gordon was one of those rare geniuses who were able to detect the pure spirit even without proper guidance. The Duke only learned about dark magic from a book, and Azer only pointed out the things that the book failed to mention. Duke Gordon was a rare talent indeed, and it was the reason why the Dark Magic Lord took interest in him. They must find him at all costs.

"When I went to the stable of Madame Bisset's establishment, I sensed a pure spirit there. I was too late when I finally zoned in the source. I couldn't find him anymore."

"You said  him , are you certain that the person with pure spirit is a man?" Azer was teasing the young lad.

"I am certain because there was no woman there at the time."

Azer's face changed when he heard Richaem's explanation. He knew that it was not the time for him to be petty. The pure spirit that the young man had detected could be the one that they had been searching for.

"Quick, tell me everything in detail starting from where you went that morning until you went home."

Richaem nodded and narrated everything to Azer. The Dark Magic Lord was about to return, and they could finally start the next phase of the experiment upon his return. They should get that pure spirit by hook or by crook.

Zenia had prepared their dinner when Vaughn returned to their room that night. He told Zenia about his encounter with the young man.

"It is indeed odd…" Zenia tried to analyze things and found only one possible reason.

"What do you think that young man wants from me?"

"I could be wrong, but something tells me that he is connected with that Leader Azer and the Dark Magic Lord. Aren't they looking for some people with pure spirit?"

"I'm not someone with a pure spirit, you are. You need to be careful. Duke Gordon already told us that you have a pure spirit." Vaughn fed Zenia with some sweet dessert that she had always loved.

"Ah, why do I feel like I'm not someone with pure spirit? I did so many unscrupulous and naughty things? Duke Gordon could be wrong." She put slices of roast beef on Vaughn's plate.

"Should we go over the Duke's room and ask him?"

"Nah, let him rest. He entertained so many ladies earlier and must be exhausted. He looked like a proper host," Zenia let out a hearty laugh.

"I noticed that the Duke is no longer as stiff as before when talking to women," Vaughn laughed along with Zenia.

"You're saying that now, aren't you the same before?"

Vaughn's eyes widened when he heard his wife's question.

"Where did you hear that? I can talk to women, unlike that guy."

"But it was your great-grandfather who told me once that you and Redivo were always afraid to talk to women when you were young."

Vaughn almost choked on his food. He couldn't believe that his great-grandfather already sold him out. He looked at his wife, who was happily eating at the moment and thought about the other things  that the old man divulged. He should give the former King of Tissuria a piece of his mind when they meet again.