Seeing you once again

Meanwhile, Lucian walked down the hallway of the Imperial Palace as the sun went down. He had a lot of work to do, so he had arrived earlier than the others. The way he appeared in the capital lately did not fit his personality. It was too boisterous. And honestly, he was quite annoyed. However, Eugene said it was necessary to imprint people's minds with his image, so he did it, and half-forced.

'That damn master. He must have been happy to see me suffering.' he was referring to Alucard, his uncle.

"Lucian."

Lucian stopped at the voice calling him. He turned around and saw a young boy with a familiar face. His pitch black hair gently moved, and his vivid ambered color eyes were looking at him.

"Ezekiel?"

Ezekiel approached slowly. "It's been a long time since I last saw you at the library brother."

"Right." As he answered, he took one step closer to him.

Although it had been a long time since they had seen each other. Lucian knew that his younger brother Ezikiel doesn't have any interest in becoming the crown prince, only his mother wanted it. Lucian looked at his young brother with a relief expression on his face, as he patted Ezikiel's head gently.

"You don't have to be so formal when you're with me...and you'd grown a lot taller than last time."

Hearing Lucian's compliment, a light smile showed on his uneasy face, then a warm embrace startled him. Seeing his younger brother warmly hugging him, Lucian continued to pat his head as he let his guard down.

"Is something wrong?" He queried, as he looked at him dearly.

"When I found out that mother had tried to assassinate you again, I feel so awful at myself..... because I knew that she did those things for me and her selfish desires."

When Ezekiel turned at age of five, His peaceful and carefree life turned upside down, and soon brought him to hell. Now his twelve years old and still a pawn of his mother's plan.

At this time he already knew all of her mother's wrongdoings, crimes, and most of all his mother's deep secret. But all of this brought him guilt and depression, as well as the shame he felt about himself. Where he could only wish that he wasn't born from his mother's greed.

Lucian looked him in the eye and wiped out his tears, as he knew that Ezikiel is nothing like his mother and was a sweet and caring child.

" The only thing I could promise to you when I become the new emperor is that you can live your life free under my power."

"Is that mean that you're going to kill her ?" he asked, as he stepped back in a distance.

" She has to pay everything she took away from me, but killing her wasn't meant for me to do...."

"Someone is serving more than I do.."

" So I hope you won't resent me when that time comes." He remarked as he head to his room nonchalantly.

" Thank you, and I hope you won't resent me as well." He replied hesitantly, as he sighed in relief and leave.

*****************

Meanwhile, In Lucian's chamber, Eugene who's been waiting for his spy and Lucian to arrive was reclining himself lazily on a sofa while reading the latest news of the empire.

" Those nobles who were against the Royal Empress Will surely name Lucian as an official crown prince of the empire..." He thought, as the person who he'd been waiting for had finally come.

*KNOCK!!! KNOCK!!KNOCK!!*

" Your highness, it's your loyal servant...I have brought the tea you asked."

Eugene who's been waiting for her stood up and opened the door nonchalantly, then immediately closed it as her spy entered.

"How's the empress movements?" He inquired as he sat down on a divan, his eyes landed on her and waited for her response.

"Pfft!..now that you've asked..her Majesty the empress has been so stressed lately. If only you could've seen the way his majesty the emperor scorned her in his chamber." She intoned with a chuckle.

"The emperor rejected her?"

" Maybe?! Because lately his majesty the emperor requested her presence and after having a private conversation with her. Her Majesty went out of his chamber in outrage, she looked so annoyed and as if she's going to murder someone so mercilessly."

"I guess his majesty had finally come over to his senses..but it's already too late...Now since you've arrived earlier than his Highness, I'll inform you of your new mission in advance."

"Now, you'll be assigned to another mission, and that is to check and protect someone from now on," he informed while taking out a letter on his sleeve and handing it to her carefully.

" This...?"

" I wrote everything you need to do for your mission and also everything you need to know about her," he explained.

"Her?" She asked while looking at him dumbfounded.

" Ohh right.. Hmn... you can just ask sir Conan about the details, he's much more knowledgeable than I do..."

"I understand. I guess you don't have time to..." she mumbled while placing the letter in her pocket.

"Well yes, I don't have --" He paused, his eyes looking at the front door, where he heard someone knocking at the door.

*Knock!!Knock!!*

"....?"

"I guess we can now start ...." He announced helplessly, as their spy Kiara opened the door and greeted her master.

"A pleasant day your highness.." she greeted while closing the door carefully.

"Now that you are here, I need you to check someone for me and make sure to write it precisely in your report."

"I understand...but may I know who that person is your highness?" She asked curiously, as she wondered who could be that girl who tamed this good-looking beast.

" She lives in the northeast portion of Avandor, Calztela."

" In the countryside?"

"Yes, and you must leave as soon as possible....." He announced.

"I understand...but I'm afraid I can't leave this place as you wished...The Imperial Palace had strict regulations when it comes to letting us maids resign our duties... Also, the head maid didn't allow us maids to resign until the grand banquet for appointing you as the official crown prince and your birthday ends."

" So it's impossible for me to leave this place as you wished."

" Tsk..and do you think! I would let some strict regulations from a head maid stop you from going?!" Lucian slowly lifted the parchment that was covering his face, as he looked her straight in the eye.

" Well. I guess we could figure something out.." She mumbled helplessly and didn't speak any word, as his words made her hold her tongue.

Kiara bowed its head lightly and obeyed his order with awe, as she swiftly served them with tea.

" Well your highness, we could just fire her ourselves...."

" You mean...?"

"I'm sure they wouldn't dare to disobey your orders, am I right Kiara ?"

"Hmmmn...well I could do some acting.." she remarked confidently.

"Then everything is all set."

As the sun sets, The head butler who's just passing by Lucian's room heard a crashing sound of broken glass in Lucian's room. Hearing it, the head butler paused and turned his head where he heard it crashed. Then at that exact moment, a young maiden screamed in despair as he heard her begging for mercy.

The head butler immediately knock on the door as he felt perturbed about the begging voice of a woman.

*Knock!!Knock!!Knock!!*

"Your highness, It's the head butler...may know what's going on?..." Waiting for a response, Lucian's advisor Eugene immediately opened the door and complained. The head butler immediately went in and as soon as entered his eyes dilated from shock, as he saw Lucian's hands were stained with its blood.

"Your highness! Your hands are....." Staring at Lucian's wounded hand, the young maid immediately begged for his mercy.

" Please forgive me, your highness, for I did not know that you don't like green tea..." She plead and cried pathetically.

As the situation got worse the head butler immediately slapped her in the face and scorn her off. " How bold of you to serve his highness something like this!" He berated just as he turned around to ask someone to call for the royal doctor, he paused when he heard Lucian speak.

" I ordered you to fire this maid immediately!!!" He announced powerfully.

Hearing his command butler immediately proposed a better idea for him to reconsider his order.

"Your highness, we can punish her many times as you want but firing a maidservant is something I can't do since the head maid would be the one dealing with this---"

"Then, do you think that head maid of yours would save you if I cut off your head for disobeying me!!!!"

"Well, I...."

" I am the first prince of this empire and soon heir to the throne. To think you would rather follow to a mere head maid than me, your master ?!.. Are you underestimate my position as a first prince and the royal family?"

"Certainly, I would not dare to mock you, your highness!....."

" Then tell me what you must do?"

" I'll expel her immediately, as you wish..."

The head Butler was stunned by Lucian's sudden change as his words filled him with astonishment and terror, as he dragged her out of the room, the young maidservant began again to plead for his mercy. As soon as the head butler left the room, Eugene immediately closed the door and chimed the bell that was meant as a 'wave a call' for the servants.

Meanwhile, in the head maids office. While arranging all household duties for the Royal servants of the royal family. The head maid was disturbed by the sudden knock on the door.

*KNOCK!KNOCK!!*

" Madam, It's the head, Butler.*

"Come in."

The head Butler immediately entered the office and tugged her in to head maid's front desk, her head bumped onto the floor near the head maid's desk.

"What's the meaning of this?" She inquired, as she stood up and looked at the young maid lying on the floor.

"Fired this useless maid!!"

" And why would I do that? You know that -"

" Because this is an order from the crown prince."

"Wait, it's from the crown prince!" she exclaimed eternally, as her breath instantly hitched upon its response. As her eyes widened for a moment, she had no but to obey its order, as her sharp eyes looked at the young maid who was wiping her tears pathetically, she replies.

"I understand... I'll expel her immediately as he highness commanded."

"Then, I won't waste my time any longer." At the moment he left her office, her body showed a sign of fear in him, as his order filled her with awe.