CHAPTER 36- Aerich the Oracle

A new day arrived, and as usual the palace was filled with people moving around, decorating things.

The maids and butlers were busy preparing for the ceremony to be held in three days, Adrianna was moving around coordinating most of the stuff, Rachel was adding in instructions here and there and Isis was sitting on the throne as usual, listening to the various people coming in with their problems.

Everything was normal, but the door to Ray's room was closed. He had come out earlier and asked no one to disturb him because he was practicing magic that needed a lot of concentration.

No one found it weird, as Ray did this quite often. In his eighteen years of life, Ray spent many days alone in his room practicing magic. Its result was easily visible as everyone among the court mages knew about the prince's insane magic control.

However, if someone really tried to enter Ray's room at this moment, they would be surprised to find it empty.

Ray was nowhere in the palace or anywhere near. He had disguised himself as a butler in the palace, and left without alerting anyone.

His destination was the North. It was time to finally see what was wrong with the Duke's wife.

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Among the four dukes of the Celestial Empire, the Northern Duke Ono Kazuo was probably the most feared one.

The Eastern Duke maintained a public image that earned people's respect, the Southern Duke maintained a polite and amicable stance with people earning everyone's love while the Western Duchess didn't really involve herself in the empire's affairs and everything was maintained by her subordinates.

The Northern Duke however was a man who hated injustice and was extremely harsh with punishments. He would personally kill everyone that committed heinous crimes in the most painful ways possible.

However if one knew this man properly, they would find that if there was something he loved more than justice, it was his family.

He had three wives, a few concubines and more than ten children but he loved everyone close to him dearly.

In fact, a few of his children had become barons and marquises after replacing previously corrupt nobles.

As such, to ensure that his children could have a smooth rule as nobles, he always took a hard stand against injustice, letting people know that he would never tolerate anything that went against the laws.

"Did any of you find the cause?"

Currently Ono Kazuo was sitting in a room with a group of people where each had a frown on their faces.

They were people who specialized in healing, appraisal, poison, curses and even magic but no one could tell what was ailing the Duke's second wife.

She had collapsed about a week ago and didn't wake up since.

Since then the Duke had called numerous people but couldn't find out what had happened.

"The Duchess isn't suffering from any disease, she hasn't been cursed, the appraisal shows her condition as normal and there is no poison afflicting her… she seems completely fine except that she is not…"

"It's a really weird situation… none of us know what is happening to her, but her body seems completely healthy and fine…"

Kazuo sighed and closed his eyes.

Everyone that he had contacted till date had told him the same thing.

He didn't know what to do and he had never felt so powerless.

It wouldn't have been a problem if her condition was recognized and people failed to cure her, in that case he could have requested help from the palace and the queen who was the best healer in the empire could have helped his wife, but this was the worst thing that could happen.

At this moment, there was a knock on the door to the room.

"Enter."

The Duke said mindlessly.

A butler entered the room and bowed to the Duke before he started speaking.

"Sir, someone has arrived at our doorstep and is requesting to meet you…"

The Duke was visibly annoyed at this.

"Can't you see I am in an important meeting? Is the Duke's name so frivolous that anyone could come and request to meet me?"

"The person said he was an oracle and could help you about the duchess…"

Immediately there was a flash in the room and the Duke had vanished.

With another flash, he arrived at his mansion's doorstep where two guards were standing.

Seeing the Duke appear out of thin air, they flinched but bowed the next moment.

"Who is the person that requested my presence? Bring him in!"

The guards hurried out of the door and after a few moments returned with another man in tow.

This man looked quite young, around his mid twenties, with black hair and a lean physique. But the thing that caught the Duke's attention was the amethyst color eyes.

Oracles were extremely rare people who were born with a weird power of seeing and predicting from birth.

These powers generally didn't have to do anything with systems, but completely on chance. A child of two completely normal people could be an oracle or the child of two oracles could be a completely normal person.

No one knew how or why they existed, but one thing that was common in every oracle was their amethyst color eyes.

The Duke was not sure if the person was an impostor and would have personally beheaded him if he wanted to joke about curing his wife, but seeing the amethyst eyes and no sign of any disguise artifact's aura, the Duke was fairly certain this person was the real deal.

"What is your name?"

"Aerich."

The Duke frowned.

Seeing as the person was a commoner but didn't even bow in his presence irked him quite a bit, but he didn't say anything.

The two guards however were not as tolerating.

"You! How dare you not bow in the presence of the Duke?"

"A mere commoner dares stay this disrespe-"

However, before the guards could continue, the man named Aerich scoffed.

"The only person who knows what has happened to the duchess is me, and as such I thought it would be a waste of time to go into formalities. Isn't that true, Duke?"

Kazuo had never seen a commoner this brave where everyone feared him, but when he said that he knew what had happened to the Duchess, he seemed to forget the disrespect and looked at him with serious eyes.

"I think you know what will happen if you dare lie to me."

The man named Aerich shrugged at which the guards seemed to get more agitated.

"I do not lie!"

Aerich declared with a serious tone which seemed to convince the Duke a little as he asked the oracle to follow him.

Indeed, Aerich didn't lie… except the fact that he wasn't an oracle… and that he wasn't Aerich at all, but the prince of the Celestial Empire, Ray.

Using the disguise skill he had copied from Claire, he had posed as an oracle and approached the Duke.

What he wanted to do was simple… find out what had happened to the duchess and bring out 'Number 3' who, if he was correct, was somewhere in this mansion.

As 'Aerich' followed the Duke upstairs, a certain pair of eyes was silently observing the duo.