20: The News

Rowan was awakened by the bright light that hit his face.

"Urgh! What happened?" He groaned in pain. It felt as though a sharp object pressed against the back of his two eyes, attempting to push his orbs out of its sockets. His whole head was stiff, like he has been hit by a hard object.

Rowan staggered by the enormity of the pain. He could not even think properly, nor talk. With every move felt like he was scaling a steep and rocky mountain with only one hand.

At this moment, he wanted nothing more than to curl into a ball in his darkened room, and wait for the agony to subside.

It took awhile, before Rowan finally adjusted to the pain. He slowly opened his eyes. While his visions was blurry, he still recognised his own room.

"What in the…" His eyes immediately widened when realisation hit him like a ton of bricks. He ignored the throb and burning sensation that instantly flooded his system at the sudden movement.

"My Prince! What's the matter?"

Unknown to him, his loud scream got the attention of the guards that were stationed just outside his door. They quickly barged in, their weapons at hands, ready for combat.

When they are sure that there was no danger, the two of them finally faced Rowan, who at the moment now had a blank expression on his face.

"What am I doing back here? Who are you?" Rowan snarled as he glanced at the two.

The two of them suddenly kneeled in front of him.

"My deepest apologies for barging in here without notice, My Prince. We thought that you were in danger."

Instead of answering, Rowan just stayed silent. He had no idea who they might be.

"Please. Allow me to introduce ourselves first. I am called, Somir Barrion. The Captain of the The Order of the Crescent Shields. This is my subordinate, Glenn Euris. We were assigned by His Majesty, the Emperor as your guards from today onwards."

Hearing their their names, something clicked in Rowan's memory, and he almost gasped in surprise.

'Somir Barrion? The Order of the Crescent Shields!' Rowan stared intently on the two of them.

They wore a squared helm armour with two rounded holes, leaving their eyes minimally exposed. Attached to its side are two large antlers

The shoulder part are also squared, quite short and quite large. They're decorated with a wide piece of thick, grey cloth, draped over each shoulderplate and hanged over the edges.

"Remove your helmet. I wanted to see your faces."

"As you wished, My Prince."

Without any further ado, the two older men quickly removed their helmets, exposing their true appearance to their new Lord.

Rowan's eyes immediately landed on the man on his right. The guy with brown hair and a well-sculpted features.

'Somir Barrion. The infamous trainee who rose to fame when he led a group of knights to infiltrate the territory of vicious bandits almost ten years ago. Though he may not be as powerful as the other Captains, he was very intelligent. His high IQ was what got the attention of the Emperor. It became his ticket on becoming the captain of the Investigation Squad Knights.' With this in mind, a vicious grin suddenly etched on Rowan's face. 'If such a man worked for me, then it would be easier to gather evidence against that woman. I needed to know what she did to my mother.' Looking at the two knights in front of him, Rowan finally gave his order.

"You may rise."

"Thank you for your grace, Your Highness," the two of them chanted at the same time.

"Glenn, was it?" Rowan began as he looked at the dark haired man beside the Captain.

"Yes, My Prince."

"You may leave for now. I have something important that I wanted to discuss with Captain Barrion in private."

"As you command, My Prince." With a quick bow, Glenn gave one last look at the Prince in front of him.

According to what he heard, this Prince had a bad temper. However, it seemed that the reports about him were exaggerated. The one in front of him was a calm, and confident prince who knew how to handle himself despite his young age.

Though he wanted stay, Glenn could only march towards the door. He was given an order and he must abide to it.

"Do you need anything else, Your Highness?" Somir finally asked, breaking the silence that hung on the air after Glenn walked out of the room.

Rowan stayed silent as he studied the man once more. The Captain was already on his early thirties, but it did not diminished his good looks. However, his most distinguished features would be the small mole near his right ear.

"I wanted you to do something for me."

Somir was taken aback. Seeing the expressionless face of the Prince meant serious business.

'I had a bad feeling about this.' Somir could only lament on his luck, however, he had no choice, but to follow.

"I am at your disposal, My Prince."

Seeing the determined look on his face, a grin full of mischief finally etched on Rowan's face as he told the Captain of his plans.

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Rowan was now standing in front of his father, the Emperor. The two of them had a staring contest that began when he entered the throne room.

"Prince Rowan. Do you have something to say?" With a tired sigh, the Emperor finally broke the silence.

Instead of answering, Rowan only observed his father. A lot of people said that he was the carbon-copy of the Emperor when he was still young. The only difference was the shades of their eyes. Even when he was already of age, he still have a lean, and muscular body that any woman would find attractive.

As Rowan looked at his father, he could not help, but think about what his mother liked about him. Though they loved each other, he did not make his mother his Empress.

"Well? I am waiting."

Rowan was brought back to reality when the Emperor's booming voice suddenly hit his ears.

"This brat! You are in the presence of His Majesty! Show your respect!" Matheo, the old advisor of the Emperor screamed angrily. His teeth gritted as his brows met at the center. He was about to lash his whip, but was instantly stopped by the Emperor.

"Matheo!"

Seeing the menacing look on his Emperor's face, as well as the terrifying aura that oozed from him, Matheo's body instantly trembled in fear. He quickly called out his whip and stepped back to the side. All while secretly glaring daggers at the boy in front of them. His eyes twitched even more when he saw his expressions.

'Just you wait! One day, I would personally wipe that smug smirk on your face!'

"Leave us."

"Your Majesty?" Matheo was instantly taken aback. He could not believe his ears. Instead of doing what he's told, Matheo only stared at the Emperor. This would be the first time that the Emperor commanded something like this to him.

"I would like to have a private conversation with the Prince."

Seeing the sharp look on the Emperor's eyes ended everything that Matheo wanted to say. Years of being with this man, he knew that his head would be rolling if he dragged what he wanted even further.

"As you command, Your Majesty." Bowing in respect, he once again secretly glared at the Prince before making his way out of the throne room.

When the old man was finally out of sight, Rowan gave out a small sigh of relief. Ever since he knew it, he was never a fan of the old advisor. Whenever they met, the old man gave off the vibe like he was a predator eyeing a little rabbit. Like a python waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

"Third Prince Rowan…"

The cold voice brought Rowan back to reality. He turned to focus his attention on the Emperor once more.

"Father?" As much as he wanted to vomit the words, he had no choice but to give respect to the man in front of him.

"I have a little surprise for you. Bring him in."

With a snap of the Emperor's fingers, the huge door suddenly opened. It revealed three men. Two of them were Knights, dragging a battered body of a man behind them.

Rowan narrowed his eyes.

'He seemed familiar.' He was not sure, though, as he could not even recognise the man beneath the thick layers of blood that almost covered his face. He could only look at his father in confusion.

"Tell me, Prince Rowan. Was this man responsible for you almost getting killed?"

Rowan's eyes widened at what he heard. However, before he could say anything, a clear and pleasant voice suddenly rang in the room.

"I believed that this man was an assassin sent to kill the Prince, Your Majesty."

The two of them quickly turned to look at the newcomer.

"You!" Rowan's expressions immediately soured at the mere sight of the woman. He watched how she approached them with grace. Her long, crimson dress with a wonderful phoenix design did not overshadowed her feminine features. Rowan had to admit though that her personal style did not shamed her lowly upbringing.

"Oh, my Prince! Who dared to assassinate you within the Empire?"

Before he could say anything, the Queen suddenly lounged herself at him. Her embrace almost chocked the air out of his lungs as he stepped backwards at the sudden action.

"My Queen. What are you doing here? I was having a private conversation with the Prince."

"But Your Majesty. Now that Princess Ophelia was no more, it was now my responsibility to take care of Prince Rowan as his surrogate mother. My heart ached upon hearing the news that somebody dared to harm the Prince right under our noses. It felt like I failed my job as a second parent to him."

'What? How shameless!' Rowan instantly clenched his fists at what he heard. He gritted his teeth. Seeing the crocodile tears that fell upon the woman's face make his blood boiled in rage.

"Father, she…"

"If I only have the authority, then I would immediately put the Assassin's head in the gallotin for the act of harming a member of the Imperial Family."

Rowan was once again cut midway when she spoke. That was when he finally realised something. She wanted to put all the blame into the man and killing him would be the best way to shut his mouth forever.

"Indeed, My Queen. Harming a member of the Imperial Family was an act of treason that could get all of his family members to be killed…" the Emperor trailed of. Seeing the look on his son's face as he glared at the Queen, he could only sigh.

"However, we still have to gather evidence that would prove that this man indeed tried to harm the Prince. We could not hold him accountable until we have a solid proof."

"But Your Majesty! We almost lose our Prince…"

"Are you questioning my decisions, Luana?"

The Queen instantly shut her mouth closed, however, she stood her ground. Seeing the expression of the Emperor, she knew that he would not change his mind even if she begged him to. She could only comply to his wishes with a seething heart.

"I would not dare, Your Majesty." She took a quick bow to cover her wicked expression.

"I should take my leave for now, Your Majesty. I still have a lot of things to do in my Palace." Before leaving, she simply glared at the boy. Though she looked calm on the outside, her insides was like a boiling volcano that would explode at any given moment. Her steps were heavy as she made her way out.

"Father. Since I am the one involved in this matter, I would like to take responsibility for investigating this man." Contrasting his personality, Rowan kneeled in front of his father.

'I remembered now. This man was also there when the one named Lucas first attacked us in the mountains. I needed to know what happened at the time when I lost consciousness. He would also be my greatest weapon against the Queen," Rowan thought. This man was his only chance to know the answers to some of his questions.

"Granted." Seeing the determined look in his son's eyes, a small smile etched on the Emperor's face.

'Are you seeing this, My Ophelia? Our boy has finally matured. You would have been so proud.' The Emperor's face suddenly turned serious. He already know all the dirty things that Queen Luana has done behind his back, however, he took no action.

'One day, I hope that you would realise why am I doing this. When that time comes, know that it would be my greatest lesson to you as your father.' He wanted the Prince to be able to handle and solve his own problems, and not relying on someone else.

"Thank you, father. I would leave you to your thoughts."

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"If I remembered correctly, then your name was Porteur, right?" Rowan asked before sitting on a chair in front of the man.

Glenn was only a few meters behind him, his hand gripped his sword, ready to strike if the captive tried anything funny.

"Sir Eurice. Leave us." Glenn was dumbfounded at what he heard.

"But My Prince. How could I leave you alone with a criminal." He tried to reasoned, but the murderous glare that he received from the the prince made him think otherwise.

"Alright. I would be waiting outside." With a serious look on his face, Glenn finally walked out of the dark room.

Meanwhile, a cold chill ran down Porteur's spine. Though they only had a short meeting, the boy still remembered such details. He rolled his eyes, trying to find a way out. However, all he saw was a large, dark room with no windows.

Realising that he had no way out, Porteur smiled. "Indeed. Are you going to kill me now?" He acted normally in order to hide the nervousness on his voice.

"It would depend on your answers." There was a hint of murder in Rowan's voice, however, he suppressed it quite good.

Hearing this, Porteur could not help, but laugh. "Your Highness. Please do not forget that I am, but a mere mercenary. How would I know how to answer your inquiries?"

Rowan's eyes twitched in irritation at what he heard. If he did not need informations, then he would never plead his father to hand this man over to him. He could only take a sharp breath before looking at the man again.

"I wanted to know about what happened after I lost consciousness on the falls. You better tell me the truth."

"Ah! So you wanted informations? Though I owed you my life for rescuing me from the clutches of that woman, I must apologise. Please Know that it was not my place to divulge such gruesome tales. I believed that there was only one person who could explain to you better than I could."

As soon as the words escaped his lips, Rowan's eyes instantly widened like saucer plates. Only one name registered in his mind.

"My Kalliste," he whispered to himself.

"Where is she now? Tell me!" Even though they already parted ways before his abduction, Rowan still wanted to get her back.

"What are you waiting for? Tell me where she was…"

"Your Highness."

Rowan did not get to finish his sentence when the man suddenly spoke. Instead of being angry, Rowan shut his mouth closed. He wanted to hear what he wanted to say first.

"Did you not know?"

This got Rowan's full attention. Just looking at the serious look on the man's face, he suddenly felt an ominous feeling. As though something punched him in the guts, and for some unknown reason, it felt like his heart was being shredded to millions of pieces.

"What do you mean? What did I not know? Tell me now!" Without any second thoughts, he grabbed Porteur on his neck as he shouted in exasperation. His eyes burned with rage as he looked at the man with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Your Highness. The little lady that was with you," Porteur paused for a second. He gave out a deep breath before meeting the gaze of the boy.

"She… she died while trying to save you from the clutches of a monstrous creature."