47 Sweet Midnight (2)

(A few hours ago)

The dazzling moonlight spilled into the hollow yet opulent room, highlighting the intricate design that was lined in gold and silver with luxurious furniture. Every bit of touch that showcased the wealth and majestic presence of the royalty. The appearance that seemed overpowering and less of a home. Forlorn and distant.

While the seemingly empty room appeared cold without a trace of existence in sight, the row of thick curtains danced along the whistling wind. Their shadows overlapped upon the cold rug, elongated further onto the dark wallpaper. The entire scene gave a rather gloomy air inside the room.

Meanwhile, the door towards the balcony was left open, swinging back and forth every now and then, but never to touch each other. They remained separated, leaving a gap that stood aligned in concert with the strapping figure who was standing firmly before the railings of the balcony.

His hands were inside the pockets of his black pants while his heavy, dark overcoat fluttered behind his back, covering the white shirt that embraced his perfectly well-built figure every time the wind cooled down. Meanwhile, two buttons on his shirt were left opened which revealed his broad and sturdy chest.

The midnight sky seemed well-fit against his dark appearance and extremely pale skin that looked almost transparent under the faint moonlight. It was as though darkness was made for him and only for him.

When the young man opened his eyes, the beauty of the crescent moon hovering far above him was reflected upon his shimmering golden iris. A moment of peaceful silence blanketed the surroundings before the young man who seemed frozen finally lowered his gaze.

And what greeted him was the view of the royal garden with several colors blending in with the green leaves. Yet, even the most vibrant roses paled in comparison to his beautifully-shaped lips that blossomed like the Spring.

The man's thick saber-like eyebrows rose slightly upon sensing a light movement from behind. Yet, he didn't seem to have the slightest intention to turn around. That flawlessly-refined features with tall nose bridge and well-cut jawlines remained expressionless, seemingly lost over the garden view.

But, if there was ever be a bedazzling existence that was too good to be true like the single thought one would often daydream about, then it would have been him, a perfectly gorgeous beast.

"Your Highness," called the person behind the young man. A familiar crimson hair and formal attire. When the attendant arised from his bowing posture, Leonard Angwin's face came into view.

"Took you long enough," the young man remarked apathetically. He turned around then and his lustrous raven hair swayed lightly.

Revaz Rouben Astacrona, the second prince of Astallane Empire, son of the deceased Queen Leticia Algrahm Iashivili and the current King Lucius Debroire Astacrona. As the name hinted, the Imperial Capital was indeed named after the royal family. From this point alone, anyone could see how prideful and domineering the first king had been.

Nevertheless, the arrogant King Astacrona along with his long time friend, the first duke of Chestarrow, they were the founder of the Astallane Empire. Hence, no one to this day had questioned his willful action in naming the Imperial Capital.

Leonard Angwin bowed once again but this time in apology. "Forgive me, Your Highness. There were a lot of documents that Your Highness needed to take care of today."

"Hmm…" Prince Revaz let out a soft grunt before asking, "So, how was today?"

Leonard immediately knew what the second prince was referring to in his question. His brows instantly furrowed as his eyes portrayed a dubious look when he recalled the series of events that occurred this morning.

Prince Revaz tilted his head slightly when he saw the look on Leonard's face. However, his voice remained emotionless. "Anything suspicious?"

Leonard hesitated for a bit but eventually, he nodded and answered curtly, "Lady Alice." He knitted his eyebrows before further adding, "Lady Alicia Bridgett Chestarrow. There's something peculiar about her."

The second prince raised an eyebrow upon hearing the daughter of the Grand Duke Theoderus Balzac Chestarrow. As far as he knew, there was nothing special about that kid and even though she was the grand duke's daughter, she was less than her cousin which was why he agreed on the duke's proposal. But, it seemed that the lady had piqued Leonard's interest.

"How so?"

Thus, Leonard began recounting the events he had encountered during his visit at the duke's estate, from the peculiar condition with Ophelia to the weird persistence of the archbishop to follow up Lady Alice's condition.

If one were to listen to these series of events separately, nobody would notice the oddity but once Leonard recounted the whole story in an orderly fashion, people were bound to notice something strange about this. Especially when the party involved was the grand duke.

After listening to everything that Leonard had to say, Prince Revaz narrowed his eyes slightly and quoted the most important thing first, "So, nobody knows what's wrong with Lady Ophelia. Have you tried investigating my elder brother's side?"

It was a widely-known fact that Lady Ophelia had a marriage arrangement with the Second Prince Revaz in Astallane Empire and Prince Revaz had also shown his stance to this fact. Since, he had accepted the grand duke as his ally, Prince Revaz had treated Lady Ophelia sincerely like a genuine fiancé.

Hence, everyone somehow had an understanding that Prince Revaz was only waiting for Lady Ophelia to come into age for the official status of princess consort to be hers. Everyone also knew that no other lady could compare to Lady Ophelia in term of status and talent. Lady Ophelia was indeed the top lady of Astallane Empire and worthy of being the princess.

Yet now, somebody had laid their hands on Lady Ophelia which was a direct slap to Prince Revaz's face as though the enemy was declaring, "The second prince's fiancé? So? In the end, didn't his people suffer in my hands?"

This was reason why his elder brother, the first prince became the prime suspect. No one talked about it on the surface but the competition between the two princes was very clear to some people behind the scenes.

Leonard kept a respectful stance as he answered Prince Revaz, "Unfortunately, no, Your Highness. It's hard to diagnose her as well since Lady Ophelia's emotion was too unstable this morning. I've tried to search for some clues from the staffs in the duke's residence but nobody seems to know what happened as well."

Pausing his speech for a moment, he added, "Lady Ophelia is quite talented in magic and that's probably why she's still alive. Your humble aide believes that Lady Ophelia might be able to clarify the situation when she recovers."

Prince Revaz had also considered that option after he had heard the situation from Leonard. If there was no way for him to inquire about the incident himself, then he could only wait for Lady Ophelia and while they waited, he should probably send some of his shadow guards to keep her safe.

"Alright, let's wait. Select several shadow guards to keep a lookout," Prince Revaz gave his order which Leonard took note of.

Thereafter, Prince Revaz moved on to the next topic, "And the church? Did you find out why the archbishop is insistent on Lady Alice?"

"Not yet, Your Highness. Since the church is an independent existence who is on par with the royalty, we can't really make such a blatant move against them. Forgive me but it might take a while."

Prince Revaz knitted his eyebrows and looked up at the night sky. For some reason, he had a bad premonition to the sudden occurrence of these few elements that somehow settled outside his control, as though the once peaceful and stable situation that had been maintained through the years was about to fall off.

He let out a brief sigh, "In that case, tell the shadow guards to watch Lady Alice as well."

"Leonard," Prince Revaz turned around and looked at his personal attendant apathetically. However, his eyes held a hint of solemnness in them. "Make sure to take extra caution in dealing with this issue. As long as there's no significant change, you should take your time to prevent any misstep."

As a loyal subordinate and the person who had been with Prince Revaz the longest, Leonard trusted His Highness Revaz's instinct more than his own. Thus, Leonard willingly obeyed without question. "Certainly, Your Highness."

Prince Revaz merely nodded at his response. Thereafter, Leonard asked, "Your Highness, will you be leaving tonight as well?"

It was a regular schedule, almost a habit, for Second Prince Revaz to venture outside when night met the sky. After all, it was the only time that Prince Revaz could step outside the castle. It was the only way to observe the kingdom with his own eyes.

The corner of Prince Revaz lips lifted slightly in self-deprecation. He closed his eyes for a moment. Although a few years had passed and countless seasons had numbed his emotions like the coagulation process on his blood and organs, the fact that he had died a long time ago had left a rather incorrigible scar.

Nevertheless, the short period of night in summer was precious. "I will go."

"Then, I shall take care of things here," said Leonard. Thereafter, he watched the second prince held the balcony railing before using one hand for support and went over it smoothly. When Leonard looked down at the ground, Prince Revaz had long gone leaving no trace of shadow or sound in his departure. It was as though he had disappeared into thin air.

----------------

A powerful gust of wind blew at a particular spot in the downtown district of the Imperial Capital. Along with the wind, Prince Revaz's figure suddenly appeared in the middle of the road. His black cape flew in the air for a few seconds before settling quietly behind his back.

From there, the second prince slowed down his pace and walked leisurely while taking in the quiet surrounding. The row of shops on each side of the road were already closed but Prince Revaz still paid attention to the condition of every building in order to discern the situation within the Imperial Capital.

It was then, amidst his midnight stroll, an unfamiliar scent floated into his nostrils. The prince stiffened almost immediately. His entire being froze as the scent began to overpower his senses, blinding his surroundings in a never before intoxicating sensation.

His body staggered slightly as every part of his body trembled through the tingling air creeping down his throat. But instead of agitation, the taste left him in tremor. His desire boiled uncontrollably to the point where his feet had moved on their own towards a certain direction.

With no control of his own body, Prince Revaz dashed in the fastest speed that was humanly impossible. And before he realized it, he had stood on the ledge of the clock tower staring at the glowing shade of rose that was more beautiful than anything he had ever encountered.

Prince Revaz swallowed his saliva as the scent left his senses flaring out of control. His golden eyes had long turned ruby red as though blood had dyed his beautiful iris.

Even the prince, himself, hadn't realized the change that had happened for the first time after that day when his daylight had turned into night and sealed his fate forever to never meet the sun again.

He finally let go of his breath and fully grant the intoxicating scent to embrace him. As he took a step forward, the petite figure also turned around but immediately slipped down the ledge. His blood-colored eyes flickered and his body flew like the wind to the lady side. His cold hand reached out to pull her up and into his embrace.

That was when every color escaped his eyes and everything withered, leaving only the blossoming rose in his arms along with the taste of desire that aroused the eternal blood craving within his bones.