Mercy, your highness!

***

"Make way!!"

A man was running from the hallway carrying a lot of papers on his hands while shouting to avoid collisions from the other palace workers. It was obvious that a lot of papers were falling from the chaotic scene and the maids were used to this scenario.

"Poor Eric, It must be so hard to deal with the prince", the maids whispered.

"I heard that!", shouted Eric while running backwards to get the fallen important papers.

A new maid rushed to help the man, she picked up the papers and put it on the top of the piled papers that Eric was holding. While she was doing that, she felt sudden goosebumps.

"What's your name?", Eric asked with a serious tone.

The excitement took over the eerie sensation and her eyes sparkled. At last, she was recognized and she will get promoted on her first day of work.

"I am Mary, Sir Eric", she bowed.

With her high pitch it was obvious that she was elated.

Eric passed right through her and continued running through the hallway. He can't afford to lose his head right now. Poor Mary just stared at Eric's back, she cannot seem to understand what she did wrong or Eric was just rude as the other noble workers in the palace. While Eric's figure was disappearing in the hallway, a maid suddenly grabbed Mary.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

A hand clasped her shoulders that made her stare on the eye. Mary's eyebrow bends and she seems confused.

"I-i just---"

*slapped*

She wasn't able to react, everything was too fast for her. She touched the part of her face where she could feel a heating sensation from the slap. She turned to the other maid while holding her swollen cheeks.

"WHO THE HEL---"

*slapped*

She was left in shock.

"Think of this as mercy. Here, take the money as a compensation and get out of the Palace quietly", the maid told her.

With her eyes blanked, Mary asked.

"Who are you?"

"I am Lorena, the head maid of the Baltimore Palace", she said with such an aura & pride.

Baltimore Palace, it is where the Crown Prince resides. A palace who only had 1 maid and the rest were male servants. And that one (1) maid is Lady Lorena, the maid who took care of his highness since he was a child and she even followed him in the battlefield just to tend his wounds. The woman who became a mother figure to him.

(But why? what did I do wrong) Mary asked herself. She wanted to ask but she cannot afford to disrespect the closest woman to His royal highness.

"O-okay"

She bowed her head while walking away, she can already taste an iron in her mouth (Ah, I'm bleeding).

Lorena just watched Mary walk past the other maids. She then raised her chin and grabbed a bit of her dress and walked away.

___________________

"My apologies your highne----"

*urk* Eric was right on time to avoid the bag that was threw at him

The bag was covered with blood rolled onto him & touched the side of his shoe.

(Tha-That wasn't a ball inside the bag right?)

The room was silent. So silent that you can hear Eric swallowing his saliva.

Eric immediately avoided his gaze on the bag and regained his composure. "If I won't recollect myself, it will be my head who will roll next", he thought.

He moved forward to the man in front of him and put the papers down on his desk. The office was so dark but you can still see the man in front of you.

A man standing beside the window, wiping the blood of the sword. He wiped and wiped again and then sharpened his sword without saying a word to Eric.

It has been almost an hour and a half since Eric was standing.

(Damn, I can't feel my legs.)

"Your highness, here's the report.. would you mind taking a look?", Eric asked the scary prince bravely while his voice was cracking.

(I probably consumed all my saliva in fear)

The Crown prince stopped sharpening his sword and slowly lowered his sword. He looked at Eric who was still standing with his head bowed down.

"Mary is it?", the Crown prince asked.

Eh?

"Ah.. y-yes. She's a new one, she pr--" he wasn't able to finish his line again.

(For once!! Let me finish talking!")

"I suppose, you already deal with her?"

"No your highness, I was in a hurry and--"

"Then where is she right now?"

"I don't kno---"

*SHING*

A sword immediately pointed at Eric.

"Eric, you can still see the body lying on the floor right?"

"Y-yes, your highness"

"I recently knew that this man, Count Reviere was involved in human trafficking on his fief. So what did I do?"

The sharp pointy sword slowlyburied Eric's neck and a small amount of blood came gushing out.

(But mine isn't about human trafficking! it's about that maid!) Eric really wanted to shout.

Just when he was about to finish him off, someone arrived.

"Your highness!"

It was Lorena.

The prince didn't lower his sword, but shifted his gaze to Lorena.

Eric can feel the tension between the two, it looks like there's two invisible swords fighting each other.

"What are you doing here?"

"Your highness, I just want to check on you", Lorena answered.

"I'm fine, go."

He shifted his gaze back to Eric who was in front of him. He can hear Eric's heavy breathing and his shirt is already wet from his sweat. He felt satisfied seeing that Eric was about to burst. He was about to make a move when Lorena stopped him again.

"Her name is Mary, she's a new maid. She picked a few confidential papers in an attempt to find a higher post. She doesn't know how to read nor write. So, I just fired her", Lorena explained what happened eye to eye to the prince.

When the prince didn't answer, Lorena added.

"So spare the girl, your Highness", Lorena bowed.

She's doing everything to make sure that the prince won't be a tyrant. Though he's already become one, she's still attempting to redirect the Crown prince.

"Eric, kill the maid. If you don't do it this time, you're next."

He released Eric from his grasp.

"Yes, your highness"

Eric hurriedly ran away from the office to redeem himself. He knew he couldn't kill a maid, so he went to the place where he could commission this kind of task.

"YOUR HIGHNESS!! THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO! HAVE MERCY EVEN A BIT!", Lorena reprimanded the Crown prince without fear and faced him.

The beauty of the Crown Prince, is the total opposite of his heart. Platinum Blonde, green eyes, tall, broad shoulders, intelligent, and he's even a swordmaster--- he doesn't have flaws in all these aspects. He's really perfect. But his heart, his judgement is not right. He preferred to take their lives quickly than to waste his time for a due process.

"I know what I am doing, you're dismissed", he answered firmly.

(I really don't have the power to persuade him anymore.)

Lorena bowed with grace and exited the office. She recalled the adorable little prince running around the Baltimore palace. Her eyes quickly filled with tears, she stopped walking and stared in the skies.

"My dear, what have you become.." she whispered to herself.

Crown prince Titus just stares at the huge gold-coated door. He's now alone, surrounded by blood and messy piled up papers. He hated being a crown prince, he just wanted his life back.

He was the 2nd prince and he was always free--- free killing in the battlefield for his older brother Jared. They're not close but they're living in peace. He just wanted to be his brother's sword.

"Tsk. If only he wasn't so soft", he murmured.

The late Crown Prince Jared is kind, so kind that he can't even order an execution. Little did he know that the failure of not carrying an execution for Count Paresi leads to his own downfall.

The late Crown Prince just banished him in the empire but instead of repenting and rethinking his life choices, Ex Count Paresi joined and established an assassination as his death wish. The empire knew that Crown Prince Jared is kind and no one holds a grudge on him that's why the palace security is not strict. All of them including the Emperor were complacent until the tragedy struck.

LETTER CONTENT:

"A man with the same face of the murderer Paresi was last seen riding on a carriage going to the border"

-ShadowX

"How incompetent!", he crushed the confidential report.

Can't contain his anger, he stood up and approached the map on the long table right beside him.

"Border you say? Is he going to cross going to Xin Kingdom. Hmmm the orientals?"

He smiled. That's the dumbest escape route. He just walked straight to a mouse trap-- The Duchy of Vezgaraux. The secret ally of the emperor.

"Or should I say, my father's war companion?"

Upon realizing he has the upper hand, the Crown Prince then sat on the table and rang the bell to call Eric.

*kring* *kring*

"I have already taken care of the maid--", Eric's report was interrupted.

"It's okay, don't go after the maid. Instead, request an audience. I need to talk to the emperor tomorrow. I'm going to sleep now."

Crown Prince Titus just walked past Eric after giving an order.

W-what just happened? Did he just ask me to kill the maid and then withdrawn his order?!!

I HAVE ALREADY GOT THE MAID KILLED.