176 Chapter 176
Kyon understood everything at once. Tsayan resembled one of the men with long hair. He must be his father Stephan, the grand elder Brown. As for the older man, he was apparently their guard, judging by his characteristic behavior.
{Kyon didn't know what to do?} - The gun couldn't hurt Stephan, who was in the middle of the noble phase. The elder was no less powerful than Kirsan who got away with an eye injury. There was no time to call the guards, either. Kyon could only count on his token and the girl in black.
«Bastard! You're the reason that my grandson is confined to his bed, drooling all over the place! Get over here!» - The old man suddenly roared. He clenched his fists menacingly and headed towards Kyon. The air filled with an aura of unbridled power.
«Asshole! Damned scum! How dared you to discredit the great name of the Browns?! How dared you mess with my son?! I will tear you in pieces…» - Stephan roared no less loudly and went to Kyon, his eyes bulged wide.
Tsayan stood behind them with a broad smile, shaking with anticipation like a hungry dog waiting for someone to throw him a bone.
Kyon was about to take out the token and the gun when he heard a voice that sent shivers down his spine.
«Get lost.»
The three of the new-comers froze. Pressure and the icy-cold aura emanating from the beautiful girl in black inspired terrible fear and promised a quick death.
«My name is Stephan. I am elder Brown of the second rank. Introduce yourself, young lady.» - Stephan muttered in a trembling voice, with marked respect.
The girl did not even look up from her book.
«I don't care what your name is. I told you to get lost.»
«Yes, my lady. We'll just take him with us and leave at once…» - The elder tried to grab Kyon by the sleeve as if he were an item of furniture or a lost thing.
~bang~
An invisible because of its incredible speed blow pierced Stephan's chest. He flew at great speed right into the door and rolled head over heels downstairs, resembling rather a rag doll than a great elder.
Tsayan and the old man quickly ran to the exit with cries of horror. A pale bodyguard, who had been waiting outside, was bending over the elder.
«Father! Father, are you alright?!» - Tsayan asked when he ran out. He tried to examine Stephan's chest.
The elder coughed dryly, roughly pushed his son away and rose to his full height under the stare of eighteen pairs of eyes. Then he calmly brushed the dust off his clothes.
«I don't know who this girl is, but we'd better stay away from her.»
Everyone could tell that the girl did not use all of her strength. She meant to hit to the door as if great elder Brown was a ball to score in the hole.
The old man from the Romanov family cleared his throat and said:
«We cannot act recklessly. We'll have to wait until this scum is left alone or he leaves the attic. Then I will find out all the circumstances and pronounce the verdict.» - Anger and hatred raged in his old heart. When he saw his paralyzed grandson, the old man wanted to tear to pieces the one who did this to his boy. And then he saw an undistinguished boy who could by no means be the terrible genius (the way the rumors had described him) who defeated his grandson Kaisen in three blows. He had to figure out what was going on.
…
«Phew... Your fans are so jealous! They even tried to get rid of a competitor with a cleverly devised ruse. I admit, the attempt was good, but my clever student had seen through their scheme. Well done!» - Kyon burst into the words of praise, stretching lazily.
The girl looked at him like an idiot. - «Do you seriously think that I will buy it?»
«Alright, alright! I'm kidding, haha. I am popular in narrow circles, but let's not talk about them.»
The boy had piqued her curiosity. Who could he have possibly given a hard time with pathetic development? And who did he leave bed-ridden?
«Let's forget this insignificant event at all.» - Kyon added. He had his reasons to underestimate the timely help of the mysterious lady.
«…» - She said nothing.
And Kyon enthusiastically continued with the lesson.
…
A typical butler entered the large luxurious hall of the royal palace. He looked elegant and sophisticated with his magnificent mustache and in the classic livery.
The servant approached a young man of about eighteen. He was handsome, refined, inspiring confidence and respect. His black hair was neatly arranged. His expensive clothes were dazzling with luxury and quality in detail.
«Prince Charles, Your Highness! We have the information about the whereabouts of the girl you are looking for.»
«My dear girl?! Where is she?» - The prince perked up considerably at the news.
«In the royal library. Upstairs.» - The butler replied stiffly.
«Is your information reliable?»
«Beyond reliable. This source can be absolutely trusted. Shall I prepare the carriage and escort?»
«Do, please.» - The prince answered absentmindedly with a dreamy smile of a boy who is head over heels in love.
When the butler took his leave, the expression on the prince's face changed dramatically. The fire burning in his firm and resolute eyes had nothing to do with a naive, childish love. He was impatient, excited before the imminent meeting and the upcoming conversation.
Soon Charles got into the carriage and headed for the library in the central square accompanied by the guards following him on the mounts.
The white carriage with an intricate pattern and the emblem of the Grands inspired pride and respect for the royal person inside. Some passers-by bowed as soon as they saw it. The prince was more than an ordinary person, he represented the greatness of their kingdom. Michael's son Charles was the second most powerful student of Cernos. If Princess Kara ever abdicated the throne, Charles would become the great king of the Iron Throne.
The prince was sitting in the empty carriage, resting his elbows on his knees, his fingers interlocked. A swarm of thoughts and different scenarios tormented his mind. The beautiful, elusive girl he never got a chance to meet was not some empty-headed stubborn chick. She was the leader of the killers guild in the Iron Throne, the owner of the most dangerous and powerful shadow organization in the kingdom. If given appropriate payment, they can take an order to kill almost any person in the kingdom, including the royals.
The girl whose name he didn't know wasn't just a leader. She was the best of her kind, an unsurpassed genius with an extraordinary ability to get invisible and quickly eliminate the target.
Once Charles saw her in action... Since then, the beautiful stranger had always been on his mind, so graceful, deadly, and inaccessible. She had organized the exceptional guild by herself and was running the show. This lady was worthy of becoming his beloved, but it wasn't his real goal.
His primary task was to hire her to kill Kara, Queen Vlada's only weakness. He understood long ago that these creatures who had enslaved his father came from the demon race, but he couldn't tell anyone about it. The Queen had long taken over the entire elite of the Grands. All the servants and executives were under her control. No one could be trusted, not even friends. Once they found out he knew who they were, and the prince would die or lose his mind in slavery like his father. Charles hated Kara and Vlada with all his heart, but he was no less afraid of them. Every time he woke up in a cold sweat, knowing that it could be his last night. The prince would gladly spend all his savings to get a powerful imperial killer in the capital, but his every move, call or letter were monitored. He could only play the role of a narrow-minded narcissistic prince who was student number two of the best school. Thus, pretending to be head over heels in love, he pursued the killer girl who might make his dream come true.
Charles started noticing it was getting easier to pretend before the servants and other Queen's puppets. He did not know himself where his affection ended and something more that began. Another meeting or two and he might want to marry the brilliant girl rather than punish the nasty demons.
Today he was sure of success as he had acquired something valuable. The girl would be flattered by his gift and spare him some of her precious time for an important conversation. She would heed his request.
The carriage pulled up at the library, and the prince stepped out, proud and confident. Hundreds of eyes filled with adoration and respect followed the royal young man.
Charles went inside, waving the guard to stay outside. He didn't need any witnesses. When the prince arrived at the top floor, he was rather annoyed and perplexed to find at the entrance a crowd of 21 people astonished to see him there (16 old-timers, 4 ill-wishers and 1 guard of the Grands).
«Your Highness Prince Charles, my respect…» - Stephan bowed respectfully to the young prince. Tsayan and the others greeted His Highness appropriately as well.
The descendants of direct blood groaned and slapped their foreheads after a sudden insight. How could they forget the rumor that the prince was in love with the girl with icy-cold aura? It turned out they had been dealing with her! It was clear as day they had no chance. The prince would definitely marry her. At least they didn't waste their time: they had met a lady worthy of the prince himself.
The prince nodded casually at the greetings and walked inside. When he entered the reading hall, he saw a weakling sitting at the table with a dazzlingly beautiful girl, the reason for his motives, the goal he'd been pursuing. His heart started beating faster.
Their eyes met. He looked at her tenderly while she was cold as usual.
