Prince Liam

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The First Royal Academy

The First Royal Academy of Elgard is a worldwide famed school that graduates the best Knights, Sorcerers, and Leaders of the high society. A place that requires not just influence but also talent, hard work, and a great deal of luck.

Even a prince can't advance in this school with some mediocre performance. That's why none of the students there can be seen as incompetent in any way.

Aristocratic children are homeschooled about the world and society for the first 16 years of their lives before applying to the Academy. The Academy teaches them the best knowledge possible for 3 years before sending them off as the new generation of leaders in Elgard at the age of 18.

The subjects that the Academy teaches are many but the most important ones are Magic, Warfare, Alchemy, and Diplomacy. One must at least specialize in one of these four majors. Diplomacy is the busiest followed by Warfare, Magic, then Alchemy.

Other classes serve around those four like the Martial Arts class which is very popular, History, Literature, Religion, Mathematics, Engineering, Technology, Music, Astronomy, and many more.

This school of elites was a place of knowledge and a castle of youth under the leadership of the two representatives from each year. This year, it is Prince Liam and the other five elites.

Three days ago, this Academy witnessed a confrontation that was the first of its kind when those elites, adding a seventh former student to them, confronted one of the top female students of the school, Vivian Moore.

A disgraceful scene happened when a noble was forced to kneel down under the rough hand of a junior knight to a commoner. She didn't bat an eyelid but kept a strong glare at the ringleader of the scene, Prince Liam, her fiance no longer.

The air in the academy dorms was freezing. Now that the top nobles are at odds, things may turn ugly on all fronts if they were to escalate badly.

Some felt it was strange judging by how Vivian Moore was treated so harshly and some thought it was alright as the third-year Vivian was clearly bullying the first-year Matilda and causing her trouble. Social status is important and all but under the judgment of the royal family, all necks are equal.

No matter what's right and what's wrong, Vivian Moore is now at the short end of the stick. She was deemed guilty without trial and got her engagement broken only two weeks before the first day of the final exams. Some rumors went as far as saying that the Crown Prince had arranged a disgraceful engagement for her to a baron house from a rural countryside.

However, the tides of the outside world rarely affected the inside of the academy at this time of year as the finals drew nearer.

In a certain individual building beside the academy's main building known as The Students Assembly, the top room was lit and two young men sat calmly inside staring at their books.

The first was a silver-haired man with green eyes who undid his suit a bit loosely around the neck and discarded his necktie. His appearance gave off elegance and calmness despite his carefreeness while reading from his book, this young man was Prince Liam Harland of Elgard. The other man was a strong-built one with short hair and firm eyes, this young man was Richard Marshall, son of the knights' commander.

"Isn't he here yet?" Prince Liam asked.

"Edmond? I guess not, your Highness. He must have slept on his way back or something. So much for being diligent..." 

"Don't be so stern with him, Richard. They were calling you the gentleman knight last I heard." The Prince replied lazily.

"I'm trying my best to keep it at that, your Highness."

"Well, I'm relying on Robert to keep Edmond from dozing off on the way back."

"If that's... I guess they are here, your Highness."

As Richard said so, the door to the students assembly head office was opened for Edmond and Robert to come in.

"What's the news?" Richard asked.

Edmond fully ignored him and headed to the nearest sofa spreading his body on it and falling asleep.

"Hey!" Richard was almost triggered by that but Prince Liam stopped him.

"Robert, how did it go?" Prince Liam asked.

"We have faced some complications, your Highness." Robert said.

"Elaborate."

"It seems my father and sister are wishing for a pitiful last stand. My sister came down and spoke in a vulgar tone to us and the Baron then dragged the argument to midnight until we were sent off on the promise of continuing the next morning." Robert briefed.

"Vivian spoke vulgarly?" Prince Liam was somehow finding it strange.

"She roasted him… through and through." The supposedly sleeping Edmond explained while lying down and closing his eyes.

"Anyway, your Highness can rest assured that everything will be done by tomorrow. They won't find a leeway." Robert covered up for the roasting story.

"How was Lord Julian's reaction?" The Prince asked.

"He kept silent unless it came to agreeing with Vivian."

"I see. He doesn't want any word he says to be held against him. That's expected. Anything else interesting?"

"Eh... I think that was all." Robert said.

"Vivian is going to attend the finals." Edmond said while sleeping.

"Oh! She said that." Robert remembered.

Prince Liam opened his eyes wide.

"Attending the finals, is it? Well, that's indeed interesting. Looks like we haven't seen the last of Vivian." The Prince said and returned to his book while muttering, "Attending the finals, eh? Will see about that."

Richard waved for Robert to end the report here and go for his business.

The three young men; Prince Liam, Richard, and Robert returned to their studies while Edmond kept sleeping on the sofa without bothering or being bothered.

Those were four of the "capture targets" from the game, the other three are also students at the academy but in the days before the finals, everyone has his favorite spot to study.

Edmond Black, despite being no longer a student, would always hang around the Prince as his assistant and shadow. Known to be the youngest Graduate Knight, Edmond had a peculiar personality of being diligent and lazy at the same time.

He may look sleeping right now, which is true, but his senses are heightened all the time. However, his mind was still concerned about Vivian's matter, something was still not assuring him.

At first, when he arrived with Baron Hewes and his son at the Moore mansion, the atmosphere around Vivian was heavy and her eyes looked devoid of their color. Yet for an hour she would disappear and return brighter than before, ready to pick a fight.

It felt somewhat twisted even for his taste. He even thought she might have taken her own life when she disappeared for that long time.

"That's strange... you are not asleep yet." The Prince spoke.

Edmond sat up on his sofa and looked at the prince.

"I feel like... someone is coming." Edmond was about to say something but he turned to the door.

By the next second, hurried footsteps were heard behind the door and someone started knocking on it.

Edmond stood up and opened the door for one of his family's agents to appear.

"Report." Edmond felt that his gut feeling was right and something was not going as planned.

The agent approached Edmond and whispered to him. Edmond's face hardened as he kept listening then sent the agent away.

"Edmond, what is it?" Richard asked.

"... I'm afraid either we overestimated ourselves or underestimated Count Julian." Edmond said and turned to the Prince, "The Baron's son was assassinated."

Everyone was silent with visible shock on their faces. It was expected that Count Julian Moore would make a move but they were ready... or were supposed to be ready.

"How?" The Prince asked.

"Stabbed."

"Where?"

"In the safe house."

"That's..."

Assassinating the Baron or his son was possible through poison or an accident but inside the safe house of all places!

That place was a mini fortress! Forcing the way in is practically impossible let alone sneaking unnoticed.

"The Assassin?"

"Nowhere to be found."

"The weapon?"

"Nothing was left behind."

"The exact location?"

"Inside the Baron's son's quarters. Very secure. The agents heard nothing."

"A traitor?"

"Impossible. These are all agents from the main house. If our agents were compromised then the whole anti-espionage system in our country is compromised."

The four young men looked grim.

"Take us there."

***

A dead body, a single stab to the back, death by excessive bleeding, the room was locked from the inside, no sign of entry or struggle, no sound was heard, the victim died while changing clothes, no traces of Magic used during the last twelve hours.

Three probabilities.

A suicide and the weapon used has magically vanished, a traitor among the agents of House Black, or an assassin that can walk through walls.

Unimaginable, unthinkable, and impossible.

The prime suspects? The wealthiest man in the Kingdom and his Daughter.

The evidence? None.

"It is safe to assume that it was an assassin. Then again, it is not safe at all.... the irony!" Said the Prince who was watching the corpse of the boy.

Edmond kept looking around hoping to find a single clue, while Richard was moving around with a fork-like device.

"No signal of any magic being used here indeed. With all due respect, your Highness, I think the safest choice is a traitor." Richard said his opinion.

"That's not a pleasant thing to think about, Richard, and the Agents here are all trustworthy. They even presented themselves for inspection once we arrived." The Prince lazily said, "Also, it would be very boring if it was a traitor. An unknown assassin that can walk through walls... now that's something."

Richard shook his head wryly with a sigh. The Prince's bad habit of looking for the hard answers was as annoying as ever but little they could do about it.

A moment later, a fourth young man entered the room.

"I've spoken to the Baron, your Highness. The man is devastated by the loss of his son." Robert said.

"Naturally." The Prince replied without much interest.

"Your Highness, I suspect that my father and my sister are behind this." Robert said.

"Your evidence?"

"Who else would want the Baron's son dead?"

"Your hard evidence?"

"... Nothing, your Highness. Just a hunch. I apologize." Robert retreated then remembered something, "Right, my sister tried to pass some poisoned candy to the Baron's son. It can be used against them."

The Prince raised his head with a blank expression.

"Really?"

Edmond put his hand in his pocket and retrieved the wrapped candy.

"Vivian Moore tried to pass this to the boy with her... feminine charms." Edmond said.

"Pfft! Seriously?" The Prince stood up and picked up the candy. "I never thought she would use her feminine charms for… anything honestly."

The Prince seemed highly interested in the case even more now.

"Your Highness, if we confronted her with that..." Robert said.

"With a wrapped candy? She will make fools out of us. The evidence was in our possession and we can't convict her with something she can turn against us. Don't bother." The Prince tossed the wrapped candy to Robert.

"Let me at least try, your Highness. I will corner her and make her admit it." Robert said.

"Do what you see fit at your own risk." Said the prince while turning around.

A grin appeared on Robert's face as withdrew from the safe house.

"You will let that kid screw around, you Highness?" Asked Edmond.

The Prince looked solemn for a second before nodding.

"Let him go. The waters in House Moore may look calm for the time being. We can just give it a poke and see how the ripple moves. Keep a close watch on House Moore." The Prince said.

"I will send an agent." Edmond nodded.

A smile appeared on Prince Liam's face. Sure as hell things should get more fun.

"Just when did House Moore get such an interesting assassin?" He said while looking around and smiling uncontrollably.

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