To Be King (8)

Edited by: Kuro and Lille

This chapter was sponsored by: 917brat and the other ko-fi supporter (anon)! Please thank them again for donating to complete the goal (twice)! :D <3 thank you so much for your support of me and my story. < strong>

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By the time Grey, Noah, Abner, and Hartley got back to the White Lily Mansion, it was almost dawn. Luckily, they made it back before the servants started waking up.

As for them, they all went to bed without eating breakfast. They were too tired to think. Though Grey had a painful sleep, it was better than not sleeping at all…

When Grey woke up, he felt his body was sticky. He didn't wear clothes, but his bed was slightly moist, showing that he was sweating all night.

"Having to take a bath twice a day is a pain in the ass…" Grey always showered after waking up and then took a bath before going to bed.

Before he could get off his bed, he heard a familiar *chirp chirp* sound.

System 225's excited voice resounded through Grey's head, [Grey! I have come back. I'm sorry I took so long.]

'System 225! Welcome back. It's good you are finally here.' Grey stopped moving and sighed in relief.

Things were a bit harder without System 225, making him appreciate his presence even more.

[I got a report from Arisa and System 505. You are doing quite well so far. Keep it up.]

'Thank you, System 225. Can you help me analyze this chest? It's locked with magic.'

[Sure, let me see it.]

Grey took the small chest out of the System Space. The two of them could see a complex magic circle where the lock was.

[Analyzing chest, magic seal detected… Analyzing the magic seal… Results in 3, 2, 1…] It was System 225's automated voice.

[This magic seal can't be broken by normal means. You will need to find a mage that's stronger than the one that casts it. Thankfully though, it seems the seal has weakened quite a bit.]

'Eh? How come?'

[It's because the one who cast the seal is dead. Even though the seal doesn't disappear after death, it will eventually weaken over time. Most people don't know this though, only mages do.]

He didn't know if the mage died due to old age or was killed by Queen Meredith and Consort Ceanna. Either way, it was good news for him because he could find a mage with tight lips to undo the seal. And there wasn't a mage alive to report the seal was taken off.

'Thanks for the help, System 225.'

[It's no trouble at all, Grey. I do have one more thing to say though.]

'What is it?'

[In the world plot, one of Prime Minister Dean's trusted allies is a mage. If you can get in contact with him, you may be able to get help from someone trustworthy. He also has an alchemist on hand.]

'God System really likes to come in when I need him most.'

Regardless of whether God System's role was major or minor, he was always helpful.

[Be sure to get rid of the curse as soon as possible. You never know what will happen when Consort Ceanna and Queen Meredith find out the chest is gone.]

'That's true…'

Grey got off the bed and walked to his desk. He wrote a letter and then whistled a tune to call his hawk. The messenger bird quickly flew through the window and landed on the desk.

"I need you to send this to Prime Minister Dean. Do you remember what he looks like?"

The hawk was incredibly smart. It nodded its head.

"Good."

He tied the letter to the hawk's foot. The hawk was quite small, like any other bird outside. It would be hard for anyone to see the letter on its foot.

"Go on. Be sure to come back soon."

He patted the bird's head and walked to the window. The hawk was already out the window by the time he got there. He could see the bird flying off into the distance.

This hawk was trained to go anywhere in the capital and knew who the people were. Even just seeing Prime Minister Dean once, the hawk knew who he was and where to find him. He was with Grey at the time of meeting Dean too. The birds of this world were much smarter than most.

"I hope he wants to see me too."

Grey closed the window and prepared to leave the White Lily Mansion. There were some things he needed to do.

A few hours later, his little hawk came back with a new letter. It didn't have an official stamp on it, but when he opened it up and looked at the recipient, it was Dean.

It stated that Dean was available in three days, so they should meet up at the inn that Grey frequents. It was perfect.

Grey replied that it was a good time to meet, and gave the little hawk some food, before sending it off once more.

He couldn't wait.

*****

Three days later, Grey arrived at the inn, checked in at his favorite room, and ordered food. He wanted to eat breakfast and got some for Dean just in case he hadn't eaten.

He sat on the bed and waited. Dean said he was free in the morning, so Grey headed over the moment he woke up.

His food arrived at the same time as Dean. Coincidentally, Dean also hadn't eaten, so they had breakfast together. It was quiet, but not awkward.

After their meal, someone came in and took their empty plates and bowls away. Once they were alone, Grey felt like he could finally relax. He brought Dean into a hug and didn't say anything. Dean accepted it. He also missed hugging Grey. They were apart for too long.

It was only a few months, but for them, it felt like years.

"I wish I could have hugged you when we first met," Dean mumbled as he buried his face into Grey's hair.

He was taller than Grey by almost a head. He was on the lankier side, so he wondered if he should start exercising more. His cute husband was muscular in all the right places…

"I feel the same." Grey had a lot of things he wanted to say, like how much he missed him and loved him, but he knew he didn't have a lot of time to stay in this room with Dean.

"Dean, I'd hate to cut our reunion short, but I don't have a lot of time so we need to jump to the chase."

"Of course."

The two sat on the bed next to each other and Grey began to tell what was going on and what he needed help with.

"My sources tell me that you have a reliable and trustworthy mage and alchemist with you. I need someone who can not only keep a secret, but their skills are top notch."

"I've heard about the curse but to think it was created using alchemy… Yeah, I can help you with that, but…"

"Don't worry. I can sneak out of the castle and go to your estate for treatment. We need to keep this a secret and prevent Queen Meredith and Consort Ceanna from finding out."

Dean's eyes flickered with hatred when he heard the Queen's and Consort's names but he stifled down his anger.

"What are your plans after the curse is removed?"

Grey smirked and whispered into his ears, "To become King."

"That is pretty easy to do. Let's chat about it more during your treatment."

Within a few days, Grey was able to smuggle himself into Dean's estate. No one knew that he had gone there or that he even left the castle grounds. With Noah, Abner, and Hartley covering for him, he had nothing to worry about.