Hypocrisy

The dark figure followed him out and put a dagger to his neck. "Where is the imperial seal?" a soft woman's voice threatened him.

"I thought the Aaorlins were all dead. How are you still alive? Did you defect from your duty? Do you know that defectors would be beheaded?" Deric said calmly.

"Shut up and tell me where the imperial seal is!!" she shouted impatiently. Her eyes roamed around into the dark fog as if she was afraid of something.

'She is scared of something, but what?' Deric thought with his eyes narrowed. He then subtly glanced down at her shivering hands and the knife that was trembling in her hold. 'She is definitely unsettled by something. If I don't act carefully she might kill me for real,'

"I don't have it," he said with a calm smile.

"Liar, give it to me!" she shouted, slicing his face. Deric remained calm and peered down at her sweaty face. "I really don't have it,"

The Aaorlin gritted her teeth. She really did not have any time to deal with him. 'I don't have time, I have to do something….anything,' she thought, biting into her already bleeding lips. She had already stayed in this darn forest for almost two months now and if she does not return now, 'he will….he will kill him,' she thought.

"Bastard, tell me, tell me where it is?" she shouted anxiously. She gazed into his calm eyes and her heart grew unsettled. 'This bastard is buying time. He definitely won't talk. I have to find a way….what could make him squeak?'

Suddenly a thought arose in her mind. 'Why didn't I think of that,' She glared at him and dashed towards Prince Eru's room.

Eyes wide, Deric rushed after her, but before he could reach her she had a dagger to his beloved prince's neck.

"Now, tell me, where is it? Or I will carve him out piece by piece," she whispered with a fanatic look.

Deric gritted his teeth loudly. "Don't hurt him, he is innocent," he said calmly, but the trembling hand he hid behind his back told another story. He was calmly rattled. This woman now held his beloved prince's life in her hands.

Watching him calmly speak to her, the Aaorlin grew even more anxious. "You think I'm joking, huh?" her sharp knife sliced a small part of Eru's neck.

"Stop! stop! I'll tell you, I'll tell you," Deric shouted with his hands stretched out.

"Out with it," she whispered, moving the dagger directly over Eru's closed eyes.

"Its… it's in Lafta." Deric whispered at last. Even his voice trembled in fear he watched the drops of blood drip down Eru's neck.

"Where? Where in Lafta? In your room?" she shouted, holding the trembling knife to Eru's neck.

"Its… it's in…" in hind sight he saw a shadow moving next to the window, deric knew that his trusted friend had come to his aide. 'I need to buy time,'

"Its somewhere hidden very well. Only I can find it. So….let him go. I'll tell you," Deric said, faking his anxious voice.

The Aaorlin hesitated for a second, her hands around Eru went lax just for a second.

Eru right then blinked awake all he could see was black smoke in front of him and a dazzling red number 'four' sparkled in between. 'a numbered person? But who? I've never met number four so who is this?' he could feel the killing intent from this person. 'Shit, my body won't work. Am I going to be killed by this mysterious person?'

"Now!" Deric shouted.

A short of arrow shot straight through the window, striking the Aaorlin right in her throat. Blood gushed out, coating the little prince in her arms. 'if I can't live, I will at least finish my final mission,' she raised her daggered hand and plunged it straight towards Eru.

Deric jumped in between stopping the dagger from its intended target. The dagger stabbed him right next to his left shoulder. His eyes were blinded by pain yet still he hugged the little prince in his arms and jumped far away from the assassin. After getting a safe distance from her, he peered at the assassin. She had already passed away, leaving a startling corpse with red eyes gazing at them unblinkingly.

"Deric?" a small voice whispered.

"Eru, you…are you okay?" Deric softly caressed his bleeding neck. The bleeding had already stopped, leaving a small scar next to his jugular. "Thank god, she did not harm any major vessels,"

"W—what is going on?" Eru whispered as he softly held his hands out. His body had already become numb and heavy. "Why…why am I in my room? Wasn't I practicing out there? Deric, what is going on?"

"Nothing happened, little prince. You collapsed when you were practicing outside, so I brought you in.

"Then who is she?"

"Someone you should not worry about. I will take care of this," Deric decisively said and held him tight in his arms. "Today, please sleep in my room. I know it will be in convenient but….. at least you will be safe there,"

By then, the entire house was able to notice this commotion.

Lumian was the first to rush in the corridor while Deric was carrying Eru in his arms.. "what is going on? Where are you taking him?"

"Master, prince has got a scare. I will explain the situation in detail after I make him comfortable in my room," Deric whispered with a small smirk.

"Hmm," Lumian hummed. As a trained warrior and general he could already sense the tense atmosphere. He glanced at the dark room to see a bloodied corpse of his maid and the royal warrior, Kaden, standing next to it with his bow and arrow. "Looks like she finally acted up,"

"'you knew?" Kaden whispered from the dark.

"Hmm, I did. She made it quite obvious from the beginning. She was useful, that's for sure, I thought of using her more, sadly, Tsk, tsk, tsk"

"The prince could have died today. Is this your loyalty to the crown, putting a royal prince's life in danger?" Kaden snapped. If the little prince had really died today, Deric would have been beheaded for treachery.

Lumian gazed at him with a mysterious smirk. "I would not put the prince's life in danger," he said this and walked away calmly, leaving behind a raging Kaden.

"Hypocrites, all are such hypocrites," the disgruntled warrior grumbled as he dragged the lifeless corpse out of the room.