Chapter 14

"Your highness?" A mutter.

"Huh…? Marcus?" Damien muttered incoherently. 

Damien looked at Marcus who was looking at him anxiously; the he looked around to notice the familiar study of the Marcus; and he remembered that he had come here to discuss about the imperial congress; and he had started to daydream about a strange place with a circular plate before him and six other blurry figures… 'the riddle…' Damien thought to himself. He was thinking about the riddle before he had blanked out…

"hah... You startled me, your highness... " Marcus trailed off with a frown, "What happened to you, your highness? Weren't you already cured of your illness?"

'Cured? I wish I was…' Damien thought to himself. His 'illness' may have been cured but the voice in his head.

"No, it's not my illness Marcus; It's gone already, and do you think the sunglade academy lets an invalid attend classes there?" Damien said with a pale smile, "This is just the aftereffects of my treatment. And why are you whispering? Didn't you cast a silence barrier already?" 

"Oh, I forgot... ahem, anyway, I was just worried about you, your highness, I thought you were gonna have a fit again…" Marcus said while avoiding eye contact as if he was searching for some distraction, and a distraction did came as a soft knock was heard form the door.

"It's Shatov, he probably brought breakfast for you, your highness." Marcus said with a smile after looking at the door, "He must have guessed that you hadn't had anything to eat after seeing you in your uniform. Should I send him away, your highness?"

"Let him enter; — I was planning to eat at the cafeteria before, and you know I can't do that now, right?" Damien said with a chuckle, then he watched Marcus waving his hands—dispelling the [silence barrier]— and let the butler enter.

 "I've brought breakfast, masters." The butler, Shatov addressed both of them. He was as a middle aged man who had remained like that since Damien had been a toddler and pulled at this whisker-like mustache. Damien remembered that he was a refugee from the Beastman kingdom and he was a demi-human, but one needed to look at him very carefully to discern his beastman bloodline from his slightly ruddy skin and his pointy teeth that you could find in the human savages as well. 

"Thanks, Shatov. You're a life-saver; I was quite hungry you know?" Damien smiled at him smile, and pointed at the cup of coffee in the table, "You still remembered by preferences? I'll nag this old man here to raise your salary, haha."

"Many thanks, your highness. But Lord Marcus' already pays me enough even with his dwindling finances." Shatov 

Shatov bowed and returned after placing the breakfast in the table. He silently performed his duty, as if he was 

Then Damien continued after Marcus waved his hand casting the silence barrier again, and started to eat the breakfast.

"You still drink coffee right?" Marcus asked with a smile poured a cup of coffee. "You don't know how happy I was when I heard that you had overcome your condition, your highness. And do you have any problem with your studies."

"Yes, and don't bother with sugar." Damien replied, while taking the cup, "Well, how can I have problems with studies when you were my teacher, Marcus?"

 "But, What about you, Marcus? last I remember you said you won't pursue Madam Varvara again, but I heard that you had started to court her again. And I even saw you talking to her before in the throne room. I thought you had already given up." Damien added casually, then started to sip on a cup of coffee while staring out the window.

Marcus almost choked on a bread after listening to Damien.

"What? No, it's not like that! I'm not courting her. Not at all. And who did you even hear such bullshit from? I'm gonna skin that bastard alive." Marcus cried after gulping down a glass of water.

"Such gossips still reach my ears in academy, Marcus. It's not like I have completely abandon my position." Damien said with a smile.

"No! No! They're all lies!— lies made by my enemies! I'm not courting that woman anymore! " Marcus denied while blushing like a teenager in love. "You don't know how stuck up she's become after becoming a countess your highness. She doesn't even receive my messages and won't see me in her house as well. 'I'm busy Marcus, let's talk later.' She says me when I meet her during official meeting and her attendants always say this, 'Lady Varvara is meeting an important person. Can you wait for sometime lord Marcus?' But she never comes out of her mansion and even if she does she just says that she's busy." Marcus said all of this with such rapidity and eagerness, as if he was a lawyer defending his own son in a court, while still stuffing foods in between his sentences.

Damien also noticed that the Marcus' old habit of eating faster when he was either stressed or nervous about something had shown again.

"Really? I don't believe, you…In fact, I think she's angry at you for something you did— maybe your eating habits is to be blamed?" Damien said with a smirk then pointed at all the plates Marcus had emptied by now. "Anyway, tell me if you need any help Marcus. I'll try to talk with Lady Varvara if you want."

"Please, don't tease me anymore, your highness." Marcus said with slumped shoulders and flushed cheeks. "let's just talk about the matter we came here for instead." 

"Okay, okay, don't act like that, old man. I was just itching to tease you after such a long time you know?" Damien threw his hands up. " How about we continue from before then?"

Damien then put down the coffee, and waited for Marcus to start talking , but Marcus, first cleaned off a plate full of pancakes, and put down his cutlery while staring at the another plate of food.

"Marcus." Damien looked at Marcus reproachfully, ready to lecture him about his diet, and health but the old man hurriedly put down his cutlery, and started to talk. 

"Oh, yes. Young master. let's get down to business then."Marcus started."So what do you know about the yearly congress young master?" 

"The public knowledge or the one known by the insiders?" Damien asked back.

"let's start with public knowledge then."Marcus answered after giving Damien a thoughtful look.

" The annual congress's motive is to discuss the matters of the Empire, but now it has slowly turned into festival of sorts, where even competition between youngsters and even adults are held. " Damien answered.

"And what about the insider knowledge?" Marcus said with a grin.

"Well, I heard that the Empire is searching is for someone specific among the people who have attended the congress. Although, I've got no idea about who is the one being searched for." Damien shrugged.

But he hadn't relayed everything to Marcus though. Damien didn't exactly know who they were searching for but he could guess from the clues that it was someone for like him… 

"I see that you've done your homework young master." Marcus said with a smiled. "The empire really is searching for someone in every congress that's been held till now."

"We're — or rather the Emperor is hunting for a shard holder in during the congress. And only people from the council and your family knows about this."

Damien was silent for sometime as he has guessed right.

"And how will the Emperor know about whether someone is a shard holder or not? And why would a shard holder even appear in such big gathering? " Damien asked curiously, but with a hint of sarcasm. "What if they already know about the 'secret' motive of the congress?"

Damien was already preparing some plans in case there was a chance for him to get found out.

"We councilors also asked similar questions to his majesty and do you know what his answer was?." Marcus replied with a sigh.

"let me guess; he said that it was the directive from the Church? And they had received an oracle from 'The Everseeing one"?'' Damien said while frowning.

Marcus nodded with a thin smile, and said, "He also said that the shard holder would be among the visitors from outside, and he had a way to fish them out."

"Really? Then why haven't a new shard holder has appeared till now then?" Damien said sarcastically, and shrugged."Although, it's doesn't matter to me whether there is a hunt for a shard holder or not."

'Let's see if the shard holder will appear or not.' Damien thought to himself.

"That's right your highness. I also suggest you prepare for the other things instead." Marcus said in agreement without knowing that Damien had taken dangerous decision.

"Hmm, okay then. What do I need to do?" replied Damien.

"You won't be required to do much until the end of the congress when the competition will be held. It's like tournaments organized in your academy. But do note that stakes are high for this one and the participants are among the best in our Empire has to offer. Anyways, the competition will be quite fierce, your highness. However, I don't think you will have much problem." 

"Huh, why do you say so? Didn't you say that the people there will be quite good? Do you have such confidence in me?" Damien said with a grin.

 "Yes, your highness. You're second only to princess Annalise when it comes to combat and she is one of the best in the competitions." Marcus said cautiously.

"Well, you're right, Anna is just built different." Damien said with a smile.

Marcus chuckled then he casually brought out a large hologram with a big list of names.

"What is this, Marcus?" Damien asked with a bad premonition.

"A list, your highness. This contains the information on everyone that will be in the congress." Marcus said nonchalantly. "And you need remember them all if you don't to embarrass yourself or keep someone near you who constantly gives the whole biography of everyone."

Damien's smile faltered and he pinched the bridge of his nose after seeing that Marcus was being serious.

'Great… here comes even more things for me to study now…'Damien thought to himself.