Blonde Girl

The next morning Arthur summoned Vladis.

"You called me, your majesty?" Vladis teased.

"Yes, we have something important to discuss" Arthur explained.

"You can tell me straight away. Why the suspense?" Vladis probed.

"I have also summoned Rune. He will be here any moment." Arthur said.

"What? You called Rune!? Are Are you sure he is on our side? What if he betrays us and takes his father's side? You know that blood is thicker than water. No matter what, I doubt a son would betray his father." Vladis voiced out his doubts.

"You are right, he can betray us, and what you said above is correct. An ordinary man would follow the same logic which you stated. But tell me, is Rune Taylor an ordinary man? He is the next powerful man in our empire after you, which makes him third in power. If you are talking about blood, then everyone is aware that Rune loves his sisters to death. Whatever side he chooses, I am sure that he won't harm Camy and Ciel. This one reason is enough for me to trust him and rely on him." Arthur explained genuinely.

Vladis silently heard Arthur's explanation. He knew Arthur was a smart and cruel man but to think that he could care for someone, so deep was still a big shock to him. One wrong move and they would be exposed. The risks were high and there were possibilities of fatal outcomes.

Vladis sighed loudly. "Love is simple but why is loving so complicated."

Knock Knock--

There were two consecutive knocks on the door as the butler entered the room. "Master, Sir Rune has come. I have asked him to take a seat in the living area, but he isn't alone," the Butler spoke respectfully.

"What do you mean?" Vladis asked.

"Knight Vladis, Sir Rune has brought a young lady with him," he said with his head lowered.

"You can leave. We are coming down in a minute," Vladis replied politely.

"What is happening? Rune with a girl? This is strange. As far as I know, he only likes to interact with only three women in his life. Camy, Ciel, and Mrs. Taylor, so what is this all about?" Vladis asked.

"Won't we know if we go down and ask?" Arthur gave him a blank look.

"Okay," Vladis said faintly.

Rune was sitting with Resel downstairs.

"Good morning, Rune and Lady." Vladis greeted.

"Good morning, Lord and Knight Vladis." Rune greeted.

Resel nodded her head in greeting.

"Morning." Arthur acknowledged them.

"She is Resel Rubin from the old library. She is my apprentice." Rune introduced Resel.

"What a lovely apprentice you have, Rune" Arthur chuckled.

It made Resel uneasy. When she looked up and saw the faint smile on Vladis face, her nerves automatically calmed down but when she saw Arthur's face, her nerves started jumping again.

Rune noticed Resel's behavior and tried to salvage the situation.

"Lord, I have some business from you, shall we head to your study?"

It was no doubt that Arthur was the most handsome among the three of them, but Rune wasn't a nobody, his aura and grace were comparable to Vladis.

"Sure, let's head to the study but what about Miss Resel?" Vladis asked in a concerned tone.

"She can wait here if Lord doesn't mind,"

"We are hospitable people. Miss Resel, you can have fun here. For the time being, our butler will serve you some food. Don't feel shy and if there is anything you want, feel free to ask the butler," Arthur said flirtatiously.

Rune didn't like this at all. He glared at Resel when she smiled at Lord.

"Poor Resel, she is targeted because of you," Vladis whispered in Arthur's ear.

"What did I do? "Arthur asked, feigning innocence.

"Flirting with Rune's girl. Tsk tsk, you better not forget that he will be our brother-in-law in the future. Camy and Ciel also love him deeply. It won't benefit us to anger him"

Vladis tried to put some sense in Arthur's mind.

"Do you think I care? I am Arthur, the lord of the empire. No one can resist my charms, not even Ciel." Arthur spoke narcissistically.

"You don't care, but I do, Arthur,"

The three of them were soon sitting inside Arthur's study soon.

"Who is that girl? "Vladis asked sternly.

"She is the daughter of that old man, Rubin. She is also the next heir of that old library and the keeper of bluestone secret."

"Why are you helping us?" It was Arthur who spoke up this time.

"There is only one reason why I am supporting you and it is because I love my sweeties. I know more or less about the conspiracy that is taking place behind the shadows. A heads up for you all, the game is going to be more interesting after Vladis marries either one of my sweeties or both of them." Rune said mockingly.

Vladis could feel the chills in the air. Both Arthur and Rune were glaring at him viciously.

"Rune, please, you know that I won't marry both of your sisters," Vladis said pitifully.

"So, you will marry one of them. Who will it be? Ciel or Camy?" Rune further asked.

"I am going to marry Camy and only Camy, I don't like anyone else" He explained hastily.

"So, you hate Ciel?" Rune asked aggressively.

Vladis could feel the tension in the air. Arthur had almost prepared a mini spell to cast on Vladis.

He needed to hurry otherwise Arthur was going to hit him, that too without any mercy.

"No, no, I don't hate Ciel, but I don't love her either. No, I love her but not in a romantic way. I just love her like a friend, or you could say as a sister..." Vladis elaborated hurriedly before Arthur could hit him.

Indeed, the spell vanished from Arthur's hand.

"What is so special about that blonde girl that you took her out from that prison-like library?" Arthur inquired.

"She is bound to me with a blood oath. Moreover, she is the only one who can take us to the locked library," Rune explained.