Chapter 56

ARTORIUS' POV

"Good! Your punches improved drastically over the past few weeks!"

Father and I started to take the weekend to train together. We both had an interest in martial arts and he taught me from a young age as a form of self-defence.

When we lived in the slums it became a necessity for me. The children in the same slum would have killed me if I didn't know how to defend myself. Luckily, my father was a professional and I had the basics down.

"Alright," He said as he took another wooden pole. "Try a roundhouse kick on this." He ordered me, holding the board firmly.

"As you say," I replied to him as I got into my stance.

He gave me a reassuring smile as he held the pole up to his stomach. I smirked back at him and went in for the kick.

The pole split in two perfectly down the middle. Father snapped it back together and threw it to the ground.

"Nice!" He complimented me while holding his palm out towards me.

I gave him a high five and giggled. "That felt good!" I exclaimed.

"It feels even better when you land one of these in a real fight!" He replied, sweat dripping down his face but still full of energy.

One day I'll be able to land one of these in a fight.

The sun's heat could be felt in such clear skies. Summer started a week ago, and so will my summer vacation. The yard in our house was a perfect place to train and work out. It was spacious and the grass was well-maintained.

Both of us planned on getting back into shape, going down the route of practicing martial arts and bodybuilding throughout the entire vacation.

We were done for the day and headed back inside the house to take a shower. We both were sweating profusely in the heat and wanted a cold shower.

"So, Sung Hei," Father said, catching my attention from the television that was turned on. "What do you want to do when you grow up?"

His question was thought-provoking, especially so suddenly.

"When I grow up? I'm not really sure yet…" I replied, trying to come up with a good answer.

He clicked his tongue and shook his head. "That's no good. A young boy like you has to have dreams. You cannot just say 'I don't know,' you must have a career choice, right?"

I made up an awkward smile and scratched my cheek. "W-well, a decently paying job would be good enough for me."

He threw a wet towel at my face, cooling me down and cleaning my face. The last face I saw him make before my vision went black was of disappointment.

"Gah!" I shouted out in a panic.

"You need to have bigger dreams than just a 'decently paying job,'" He said with more power in his voice. "Be ambitious for once, son!"

He ignored my cry for help as I panicked to take the wet towel off my face. I wiped my face and arms with the towel before looking back at him.

Father had taken off his shirt to put inside the basket. I couldn't remember when I last saw him shirtless and forgot how toned his body was.

The size and proportions of his chest and abdominal muscles were near perfection. He barely had any body fat. His entire physique looked like a professional sculpture had been carved it out of the finest marble.

"Woah…" I whispered. "Your body is still in such good shape."

He noticed me gawking and complimenting his body. "Oh really? Thanks for the compliment!" He said, smiling with pride and joy. "Many don't notice it since I usually wear long-sleeved shirts."

"Why not roll up the sleeves?" I advised him. It seemed as though it just clicked in his mind that he could do that.

"My, what a genius!" He exclaimed proudly. "I never thought of that somehow!"

A cheeky smirk breaks from my lips as I try not to boost my ego from his compliment. "Like father, like son," I told him, trying to be witty.

We both laughed about it and kept our tops inside the laundry basket. Though now we were both left with one question, who goes in the shower first?

I turned to him and he turned to me. "You can go," He says, nudging me inside the bathroom.

With no other option left, I sigh and lock the door behind me.

"Artorius, wake up," A faint feminine voice spoke out.

The voice freaked me out and I looked all around the bathroom. The door was closed and the voice was too feminine to be my father's.

My vision went blank and I couldn't see anything. I tried to move and I couldn't. It was a terrifying experience, something I couldn't explain even if I tried to with words.

"Artorius?" The same voice rings through my ears, awakening me from my sleep.

I was slouched over on my desk, face planted into my arms on my desk. I looked up to see who it was but my vision was still blurry from waking up.

"W-what…" I muttered, still trying to grasp the situation.

All I could make up from my blurry vision is a woman standing in front of me, wearing a dark blue dress while holding onto a crimson-coloured animal. I rubbed my eyes furiously and looked again, only to realise it was Kathlyn.

"Oh, thank god," She sighs in relief. "You woke up. I thought something happened to you."

I cleared my throat and looked around, just realising that I had fallen asleep and I was dreaming. Even though I couldn't remember much of the dream anymore, I could remember the final words father told me.

"N-no, I'm fine. I was just really tired," I told her, trying to reassure her.

Amelia jumped onto my desk and looked at me with a concerned face. I gently caress her to reassure her that I am fine.

"So, what do you want?" I asked Kathlyn, smiling and rubbing my hands together.

"Felix told me to notify you about dinner," She replied. "It will be ready in an hour."

Why would he use Kathlyn to notify me?

"Hmm, okay. I'll keep that in mind."

I looked around my desk to realise the mess that I had created. Sketches of different ships littered the desk, some half-finished while others near completion. Eraser dust littered the floor and desk while multiple pens and pencils were scattered all around.

The sketches were all rough sketches but they would be the catalyst for the real ones. Amelia and Kathlyn both noticed the drawings as I organized them into a single file.

"What were you working on?" Kathlyn asked me, glancing around at the multiple sketches that I picked up and put into a pile.

I placed the stack of papers in an empty place and slapped the top of it. "A new project," I replied to her.

"These sketches look… interesting," She said softly, glancing at the sketch on top of the pile and back at me.

The sketch was a rough idea of what I remembered a Man-o-war would be. I only managed to finish the hull of the ship, still trying to figure out how the masts would work.

"I'll take that as a compliment!" I told her with a nervous smile. "These are just sketches, these would look different when fully built."

Kathlyn lets out a soft chuckle seeing the nerdy side of her childhood friend. "I see! You must be busy then. I'll leave you alone."

She turns around to take her to leave the office. I looked at Amelia and she seemed comfortable here. "Alright then, I'll see you at dinner," I told her as she was about to leave.

Kathlyn leaves and closes the door behind her. I sit back down and sigh a deep breath of exhaustion. Amelia jumps onto my lap and sits down comfortably.

"You've been busy, haven't you? Ten sketches in such a short time? Your abilities are scary!" Amelia exclaimed.

I couldn't tell if she was complimenting me or scared of me.

"I could've finished all of them if I didn't take a nap," I told her as I picked up my pencil once more.

"You had a dream, didn't you?" Amelia said with certainty.

"Yes, I did," I replied nonchalantly. "Though I cannot remember much of it anymore, just like you."

"Hey!" She yelped, insulted by my words.

I picked up the sketch of the Man-o-war and stared deeply at it. Even though I had a near-picture-perfect memory of it, I couldn't figure out how the masts worked on this specific ship.

The masts were so big that they couldn't be turned like in a schooner. It would need an escort of smaller ships because of how heavy and massive it was.

Amelia stared long and hard into the sketch with me, but to no avail, we both were out of ideas.

"Forget this," I whispered, keeping the sketch on the pile again. "I'm tired of this. Let's go take a walk around the estate."

"I already explored the entire place!" She exclaimed.

"I haven't. Won't you accompany me anymore?" I asked her, acting sad to guilt her.

"Of course! Just don't be sad!" She yelped in fear.

Works like a charm.

ALARIC'S POV

Sylas informed me about Artorius' current location. He has arrived at his estate just as planned and seems to be working in his office.

It's not my duty to spy on one of my own monarchs, but for the safety of Amadeus, I have to do it. I cannot risk him usurping the throne.

Artorius is also planning a new project. It's unknown to us what he is working on but it might be something devastating.

Suddenly the doorknob of the room makes a noise and moves. The door crept open and a tall fair elf entered my room, wearing a black suit with a bow tie and also covering his face with a cloak.

"Pardon me for the intrusion, your majesty," Owl greets me with a bow.

"Come in," I told him. "What news do you bring?"

He takes off his cloak that covered his long silver hair that ran down to his shoulders. "All preparations are complete. We are ready for tomorrow," he reports.

I give him a simple nod of approval. "Very well. I expect no trouble tomorrow,"

Owl was the leader of the spy team, and also one of the best spies on the team. His leading the operation would lead to a higher chance of succeeding.

"My lord, I have a personal question to ask," Owl speaks up.

It caught me off guard but I was curious about his question. "Speak your mind," I told him, giving him my approval.

"Why take such measures? He seems to be no threat to the crown or the people." He asks me with a face of skepticism. "Artorius' actions seem non-violent. Especially his projects."

"Have you heard of what happened to Astrid?" I rebutted his claims.

Owl looked at me with furrowed eyebrows, intimidating but not frightening. "Yes, I know of what happened. How does that tie in with his project?"

"After he killed his son and taught him a lesson, Astrid signed a contract with Artorius," I explained to Owl. "He would pay for more than half of the project. He was threatened with his life to sign the deal."

His eyes widened in realization. "W-what!?" He exclaimed. "He made him sign a contract against his will?"

"He seems like the perfect king on the outside, but deep down he's ruthless and selfish."

Artorius is a master at controlling media. He only lets news about his good deeds be public while his bad deeds are not told of. It's the first time I've seen someone control the media to his advantage, an idea I wish I knew of before.

Owl takes a deep breath to calm himself. "I understand," He says. "He seems like a dangerous man. I only saw his outer shell, not what is inside him."

"Indeed, you need to look into his eyes to understand what he really is."

My heartbeat suddenly sped up, thinking of what kind of person we are dealing with. I had set up a group of spies and a hitman after a single man.

Only he could make me scared to take such precautions for the party. But I was slowly becoming skeptical of this plan.

Was it all worth it? Is he really that dangerous? Maybe I'm just overthinking, but what if!?

Owl glances around the room to avoid eye contact with me. "Well, that was all I had to report and ask. I'll take my leave." He says before making eye contact with me.

"Very well. What's the time, by the way?" I asked him before he could leave.

He quickly pulls out his pocket watch and checks the time. "It's half past seven," He replies. "Is there something important at a specific time?" He asks me before he opens the door.

"Not really, I just lost myself at work," I told him back with a deceiving smile.

Owl had glanced back at me and smirked in return before leaving. The door closes and I get back to my work.

I continue to write the last bit of my will. A final message to Amadeus, a catalyst of motivation to help him when he is grieving. It would also be a secret message for someone.

Since I'm just working on my guts, I'm not certain about who Artorius truly is. If I am to be wrong, I would give him this last piece of information. It was something I wanted Amadeus to do, but he is not fit for doing such a daring task, only Artorius is worthy if he proves himself.