24. Seraphina (1)

The next day, the Duke was in his mansion drinking a cup of coffee. He had been looking at the door, waiting for the assassins he sent out to come and tell him the news.

'It couldn't be that the little prince took care of them. Patrick said that the prince didn't bring any guard and was even wearing a cloak. Unless he had some sort of treasure.' The Duke furrowed his brows and then stood up, looking at the ring on his hand.

It was golden with spiraling patterns, and the single, tiny blue ball was held by pieces of metal. He rubbed it.

It glowed as it started to flash.

"Lord Atryas," a voice came from the ring.

"Send Seraphina over to my manor," he said before cutting the call.

'If the prince told his father, that man would have already come for my head, so I guess he kept the information to himself.' Atryas went outside of his manor, looking towards the city lit with yellowish crystals.

'Prince Julius, I don't know how you found out about her, but that secret dies with you.' Atryas had a fierce expression.

He had worked hard as a normal human without any magic or aura talent. He worked hard just to get to where he was. No spoiled prince was going to bring him down.

...

Julius ate sweet bread as he made his way into the slave market. He walked into Patrick's office, and the cat man nearly screamed when he saw the prince still alive and kicking.

"Hey, I'm back again. Did the Duke agree?" he asked. Patrick, who was in a daze, shook his head as he forced a smile.

"Your Highness, I don't think you know the importance of this slave. The Duke won't agree—"

"I'll double the amount I offered. And don't worry, what I know stays with me," Julius said. Patrick couldn't help but feel nervous around this little boy.

An action from this boy could end his life.

"D-does anyone else know?" Patrick asked, staring at the prince, who munched on the soft bread in his hand.

"No, I haven't told anyone, so you're alright, I guess," Julius said, then turned around and walked towards the door.

Patrick frowned as he brought out a knife from his back and ran towards the prince with a mad expression.

"Die!!!" he shouted as he stabbed at the prince.

Maybe if it was Julius when he was still 10, this attack could have hit him, but with five years of focus and reflexes training...

*BANG!!*

Patrick gasped as he felt a heavy punch in his stomach, and he was sent flying to the other side of the office.

Julius looked at him calmly and shook his head.

"That was a stupid move. Just tell the Duke to give me the girl, and I'll be on my way," Julius said, then left the place.

Meanwhile, Patrick still stared at the roof with a shocked expression.

His knife was about to go into the prince, and then the prince vanished. He felt a pain in his stomach and realized he was at the other side of his office.

He stood up, gathering the books that had fallen down. The prince was becoming a pest.

"That Atryas," Patrick muttered, balling his fists. He gritted his teeth so hard that veins began to show on his head.

He stormed out of the office towards the Duke's manor and entered a carriage that took him there.

As he arrived, he came down and immediately went inside. The Duke was still in the living room, with a hand on his chin, thinking.

"I already know what you want to say. And I have already called some elite assassins to take care of him," Atryas said, and Patrick facepalmed.

"No, that's not the right move. We could send the girl to him and have her kill him herself. We would make him think he is now in charge, and then she would kill him when he lets his guard down," Patrick said. Atryas looked at him and furrowed his brows as he considered the idea.

"I don't know. It might work. But let the elites go for him first. If they fail, then we'll go with your plan," Atryas said, and Patrick sat on the chair.

"Oh, and also. The prince raised the price up to 10,000 gold. This alone is enough for us to run away and still live comfortably for decades," Patrick said, and Atryas looked at him with a frown.

"Are you suggesting that we run?" he asked with a fierce tone as he frowned at Patrick.

"Yes, yes I am. We wouldn't want the demons on our trail, so we'll have to stay low-key," Patrick said, and Duke Atryas relaxed on his couch.

All they had to do now was wait for news from the assassins.

*A few hours later*

In an abandoned building close to the inn where the prince currently stayed, Ray sat on a chair, stroking his bond as he stared at the two new assassins he caught in front of him.

"I want to know why you're going after the prince," Ray said to them, and they kept quiet, looking at him.

"If I tell you, will you free us?" a lady asked from the new two, and the three before looked at her in shock.

"Yes, I'll let you all go," Ray said to them, and the woman sighed.

"The prince wants the demon princess Seraphina, who is currently training at the grey convoys base," the lady said, and Ray frowned at her.

"There's no demon princess named Seraphina," Ray said to her, and she shook her head, still tranquil.

"The one that went missing six years ago. When the demon king and queen waged war on the humans, searching for their child."

As the lady explained to him, Ray couldn't help but be shocked. A demon princess, kidnapped?!

The demons, as one of the most powerful races in this world... for the Duke to kidnap their last daughter and get away with it... It was absurd.