Chapter 17 Detaining The Eldest Prince

Magnus sat in his private chambers, surrounded by stacks of documents and scrolls that needed his attention.

He had been working tirelessly for hours, sifting through the bureaucratic mess of his kingdom, trying to ensure that everything was in order.

Suddenly, the door to the chamber opened, and a eunuch entered the room, his face pale and trembling.

He carried a letter in his hand, which he presented to the King with a deep bow.

Magnus raised an eyebrow and asked. "Who sent this letter?"

He took the letter and broke the seal.

"I do not know, Your Majesty," the eunuch replied, his voice shaking with fear.

"It appeared suddenly on your desk, as if by magic."

Magnus frowned, then began to read the letter.

As he read, his expression changed from one of confusion to one of shock and anger.

He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white as he read about his son, Prince Edward, involvement with the recent chaos.

As he continues to read, Magnus suddenly stood up, his face twisted in fury.

"How could he do this?" he muttered to himself, pacing back and forth across the room.

"How could he be involved with the cultist?"

"How could he be so foolish?"

The eunuch stood still, his eyes wide with fear.

He had never seen the King so angry before.

Magnus sat down, his mind racing with thoughts and emotions after reading the anonymous letter.

His anger calmed down as he couldn't bring himself to fully believe the contents of the letter.

After all, it could have been a trap or a ploy by his enemies to create chaos within the palace.

He summoned his trusted attendant, Shadow, and handed him the letter.

"I need you to investigate this," the emperor said, his voice low and serious.

Shadow nodded, his face a mask of stoicism. "I will do my best, Your Majesty," he replied, bowing respectfully before leaving the room.

As he walked through the palace, Shadow pondered the contents of the letter.

He decided to begin his investigation by speaking with the palace servants, as they were often privy to information that others were not.

After speaking with several servants, Shadow discovered that there had been some unusual activity around Prince Edward's quarters.

According to the servants, the prince had been leaving the palace regularly, but nobody knew where he was going.

Shadow dug deeper and found some clues in the anonymous letter he had received, confirming the suspicions that something was amiss with the prince's activities.

...

Magnus sat in silence on his throne, lost in deep thought.

Shadow, his loyal advisor, stood before him, waiting for his command.

After a moment, Magnus broke the silence with a tense voice, "How is the investigation progressing regarding the contents of the letter?"

Shadow bowed respectfully and responded, "Your Majesty, I have thoroughly investigated the matter and can confirm that there is indeed something amiss with Prince Edward."

Magnus' face turned to one of anger and sadness at the news.

He pondered for a while, trying to figure out what to do next.

Finally, he spoke with a heavy heart, "I can hardly believe that my son could be involved in such a heinous act. What do you suggest we do?"

Shadow hesitated for a moment, considering his response carefully. "Your Majesty, I suggest that we thoroughly interrogate the prince, but we must also be cautious and guard ourselves against any possible danger in case he is truly in collusion with the cult."

Magnus nodded thoughtfully, realizing that time was pressing and he needed to act quickly.

"Summon the guards immediately and capture the prince. We must find out everything he knows about the cult" he commanded.

Shadow bowed his head in agreement and quickly left the throne room to carry out Magnus' orders.

Magnus sat on his throne, lost in thought.

He was deeply troubled by the fact that his son is involved in the cult.

He had always tried to be a good father and mentor to his children, but it seemed that he had failed with his son.

As he waited for the guards to arrive, Magnus couldn't help but think about the events that had led up to this moment.

He had always been proud of his son's intelligence and wit, but he had never suspected that he could be involved in something as dangerous as a cult.

...

Mr. Black, the leader priest of the God of Shadow, was sitting in his dark chamber, surrounded by the flickering light of the candles.

He had received the news from the spy he planted in the palace that the emperor had found out about their collusion with the prince.

It was only a matter of time before they would be caught.

Mr. Black acted fast and quickly made his way to the prince's chambers to inform him of the situation.

"What is it, Mr. Black?" the prince asked, his voice tinged with annoyance.

"I have seen, my lord," Mr. Black replied, his face grave.

"The King got wind of our collusion."

"What!? How could that be." the prince asked.

Mr. Black said, his voice barely above a whisper. "We need to leave immediately, or it will be over."

Edward was shocked to hear the news. He had been so careful not to be caught, but they still found it out.

Mr. Black quickly gave him a plan. "We have a safe house where we can lay low for a while until things die down."

The prince nodded, quickly gathering a few essentials and donning a cloak to conceal his identity.

They made their way through the dark corridors of the palace, trying to be as quiet as possible.

They finally reached a secret passageway that led to the outside of the palace.

As they stepped out into the night, they heard the sounds of the palace guards searching for them.

Mr. Black quickly led the way to a hidden alleyway where a carriage was waiting for them.

The driver quickly helped them inside, and they made their way through the city, trying to avoid the guards.

After a while, they finally arrived at the safe house, a small cottage on the outskirts of the city.

Mr. Black quickly made arrangements for them to stay there until they could come up with a plan.

...

Magnus and his guards burst into Prince Edward's chamber, expecting to find the young prince there. But the room was empty.

He looked around, his face a mask of confusion and anger. "Where is he?" he demanded.

The guards scrambled around the room, searching every nook and cranny for any sign of the missing prince.

They checked behind curtains, under beds, and even inside the wardrobe. However, Prince Edward was nowhere to be found.

Magnus' frustration was palpable. "How could he have escaped so quickly?" he muttered to himself.

One of the guards approached the King cautiously. "Your Majesty," he said hesitantly.

"The rooms appear to have traces of dark magic."

Magus' face hardened at the news. "Dark magic?" he repeated.

"Are you sure about that?", his voice raised.

The guard nodded solemnly. "Yes, Your Majesty. We found remnants of a spell that was cast recently."

Magnus' head was spinning.

He couldn't believe that his son had been involved with the cultists, who were wreaking havoc in the city.

He had wanted to catch him and put a stop to his involvement, but with the prince now on the run, he feared that things would only escalate.

"We must find him," Magnus declared, his voice firm.

"He cannot be allowed to continue down this path."