Chapter 134 - A Letter From Prince Draco

King Ophire glanced down from his throne and laid his eyes upon the men who had arrived a couple of hours after they had ventured outside the Palace grounds in search of the etcher.

"Has the etcher been located?" He polled and the excitement in his heart soared when he saw them nod.

It was true that the etcher had been found, but they had not been able to retrieve it since it had already claimed the daughter of the St. Claire family as its etched.

Therefore, in answer they raised their heads, and one of them brought out a letter from his coat.

King Ophire's eyes darkened when he saw the seal placed on the letter as he could recognize it any part of the day since it belonged to his family.

The Royal Seal of the Rosenhyde family that was clearly evident on the letter was in the hands of only two men in this kingdom.

'If that letter wasn't from me then the only other person with the seal is…' He deduced and his glare intensified.

This thought made Ophire Rosenhyde realize that these men had undoubtedly met with their master, Prince Draco before they arrived at the Royal Palace.

'Does this mean that my surprise is no longer a surprise?' He speculated and his mood worsened with each passing second.

When the guards were met with the fierce aura emanating from his body, they lowered their heads and bowed down before their King.

The guards were now fretting that if he was this upset when he realized that Draco was aware of the surprise, what would he do to them when he was informed about what had happened to that surprise.

Noticing their silence, King Ophire had a bad feeling as he inquired about the whereabouts of the letter.

"Why is there a letter from Prince Draco in your hands?" He bellowed while rising from his seat.

Though the guards were higher-skilled compared to the Royal Guards, their level of skill was still lower than the King.

As King Ophire stepped closer to them, they felt a suffocating feeling arising in their chests and began gasping to catch their breaths.

The King arrived before them and snatched the envelope containing the Royal seal without waiting for the steward to get it for him.

He did not release the pressure from the guards who were gasping for their breath and went back to his seat.

Once he was comfortable, he tore the seal open and pulled the letter that had been present inside the envelope.

The inconspicuous noises of groans and gasps fell on deaf ears as his eyes were focused on the letter.

'Such bold and beautiful penmanship.' He admired the handiwork of his little brother.

This older brother could never find fault with his little brother and even if Draco had scribbled over the letter in an indecipherable script, the king would have praised him nonetheless.

King Ophire did not bother about the men who had lost consciousness due to lack of breath but he did take back the pressure that had been the cause of their suffocation.

The dangerous aura around the ruler of the land faded away when he began reading the letter that was addressed to him from his beloved little brother.

This was thanks to what Draco Roschester had written in order to save his guards from the wrath of the King.

The letter addressed to the King was as follows:

{Dearest elder Brother,}

King Ophire smiled when he heard the usual method of address that his little brother would use for him.

{I was made aware about the gift that you had prepared for me with such great care and I was immensely overjoyed upon hearing about it from my guards.}

'You were the first person who came to my mind when I laid eyes on the beast which could only be used by a worthy and capable person like you.' Ophire smiled and read ahead.

{An etcher is such a rare present and I was happy to hear that you had set it aside for me.}

The King nodded his head, accepting the words that were written in the letter as that was the truth.

{However, has elder brother ever thought of the possibility that the etcher which was sent as a tribute may not be fated to form a bond with me?}

This question startled the King as such a thought had never crossed his mind.

According to him, his little brother had the capability to form the bond with that mighty etcher as he believed that only Draco could be worthy of such a rare and precious etcher.

Now that he had been asked to ponder over this fact, King Ophire spent a few seconds in silent contemplation.

However, the outcome of the few moments of meditation led him to the same answer as before.

So, he decided to just read along to find out what Draco's thoughts were.

{Big brother, I know that you only wish for the best for me and my future.}

This statement elicited a furious nod as that was all that Ophire wanted for this brother of his.

{Therefore, I wish to state that I would like to choose my own etcher when the time is right. Or is it that brother thinks that Draco cannot find his fated etcher?}

'No. My brother can find the best etcher in the world!' King Ophire's ardent refusal was clear on his face as he shook his head.

{Please allow me to find my own etcher and discard the thought of finding the etcher that has disappeared.} 

Ophire frowned when he read this sentence as he had quite liked the mighty beast that had been given to him as a tribute.

{Even if that etcher is dragged back, how sure are you that this beast is my fated. Therefore, let the beast go and if I am destined to find it then I surely will.}

These philosophical words written in the letter touched King Ophire's heart and a proud smile graced his face.

The guards who had been unconscious had awoken to the sight of the King's soft smile and this brought a sense of relief to their minds.

This smile indicated that whatever it was that their master had written in the letter had succeeded in alleviating the rage in the King's heart.

King Ophire's smile faded as he noticed that the letter was coming to an end and the words from his brother would soon end as well.

{Now that I have said my piece regarding the etcher, I would like to speak in regards to the guards who have delivered this letter to my elder brother.}

The smile had disappeared and a scoff appeared when he saw Draco's next words which could only be in their defense.

{They had been asked to guard you and handed over to you until I returned yet they failed to complete the task you had assigned…}

Draco had used the word 'failed' as they had not dragged the etcher back to the Palace as they should have if they had complied with the King's orders.

Ophire was grinning like a child as his little brother understood what had happened and was pleased that he had remained neutral instead of standing up for them.