Master Valentine had noticed something was off between Demian and Seraphina. In normal circumstances, Seraphina would always push his buttons yet now, they were silent. Very silent, to be precise.
As they finished their dinner Demian got up first and went away at a hurried pace, his face was dry and his eyes had lost their sparks and Seraphina's face carved with pain the minute he left. Was the Young Prince treating Seraphina poorly? Why?
He decided to have a chat with her after their meals and besides, he didn't have time to talk after they had come. He needed to know about the stone as well. It seemed Prince Demian hadn't told them everything.
Reginald, one of his shadow Guards had informed him that the dangerous stone, The Eye of Devil, had been with the Young Prince and he needed to know what he wanted with it...
He knew Prince Demian had his own trusted men and Master Valentine had a hunch that he knew about his Shadow Guards. Although it didn't matter even if he knew it since they were appointed solely for the protection of the Princes and this whole castle including their kingdom but they had served another purpose as well, that was to eliminate a problem before it arose. If the stone was a problem, then he had to terminate it.
Seraphina stood up and said, "Your Highness, pardon me but I am not feeling well. I would like to go back to my chamber."
Billard smiled as he nodded, "Of course, take rest."
Before leaving, Seraphina's eyes moved toward Princess Zenith for a moment and the crown Prince's wife cast her a look that said something was going on between them. It didn't go unnoticed by the old advisor.
Hmm... So many things had been happening under his nose, Master Valentine thought as he looked at Prince Billard who was having his meal in silence but he and Princess Zenith had been talking about their current affairs.
As they finished their meals, Prince Billard started to walk toward his study chamber as Princess Zenith went to her room while humming a merry tune. It seemed she was very happy. Maybe it was because the crown prince had been going to her everyday. A few weeks before, he was very busy and always stayed behind his study table when he barely went to his wife.
Master Valentine followed behind the crown Prince as Billard said, "Master Valentine, have you noticed something?"
"What is it, Your Highness?" He asked.
"I think there are some issues going on between Demian and Seraphina."
Of course, Prince Billard had noticed it as well and Master Valentine hoped the problem didn't involve her being a wizard. Lately, people were talking about strange rumours on wizards living in the castle and Master Valentine had a hunch that someone had leaked out information about Seraphina.
Who could know about her? He had already spread out his goons all over the place to find the culprit and put off the rumours as it might end up digging up the truth.
Demian's transformation was around the corner and he could not take the risk of losing Seraphina now as she was the only one who couldn't be doubted as a secret bodyguard of the young Prince. And after that, as he had promised, he would help her to go back to her nation safely and bring the real princess here.
However, it would be a problem probably because the human princess was in the water nation. He had sent his men often to check on princess Naomi and if everything was according to his plan. However, some of the uncertain things were happening where he didn't put his nose.
"Yes, Your Highness. I have noticed it. Prince Demian is acting strange toward Princess Seraphina." Master Valentine said.
"I don't know what happened but seeing the two so far away from each other pains me." Prince Billard said.
It seemed the Crown Prince had started to like Seraphina as his sister in law. Master Valentine almost felt sad when he would learn about her true identity; maybe he would no longer see her as his family. Same could go for Demian. Would he accept her?
The way the people of Dragon nation had boisterous views on wizards, there was no way anyone would want a wizard around them.
"True, Your Highness," Master Valentine said as he thought of an excuse to go see Seraphina. "Pardon me, Your Highness, but I have to talk to the Dragon guards about their posts as we need to put more security now especially when the young prince's transformation day is coming."
Billard nodded, "Yes, and tell them to keep their eyes and ears open. I don't want Demian to be harmed by any means."
The old advisor bowed and sighed in relief as Prince Billard went toward his destination. Master Valentine's eyes stayed there for a moment and until Billard vanished from his sight, he kept watching him.
He spun on his heels toward Seraphina's chamber.
*****
Seraphina was sitting on her chair as she saw outside of the large window. It was raining heavily as they roared with thunder. The whole castle was under a heavy shower and as if it stood as a crown in the landscape.
There was a knock on the door as it caught her attention. She said, "Come in."
In a white robe, the old advisor entered. His head was hidden under a white cloth that sat on his head. It almost looked like a turban.
"Master Valentine." Seraphina gave him a smile as she hadn't seen him like forever and now that he came, she felt like breaking down before him but she restrained herself.
Master Valentine came near and scrutinised her for a moment as he said, "I had been busy with the state affairs so I could not come talk to you."
Seraphina nodded in anticipation as she said, "I know."
"So, I had talked with Prince Demian about the whole blunder of Rockdelia. He had informed me about everything but I suppose he hadn't told me about something important."
Seraphina looked at him questioningly, "What is it?"
"About the stone."
Seraphina nodded and said, "Yes but isn't he supposed to give it to you for safe keeping?"
"I don't know but he hasn't given me that instead he didn't mention it at all." Master Valentine informed which made Seraphina to have a frown. Why hadn't he said anything about it?
He told her that he was just collecting them. Did he really plan to use it for personal gain? Knowing even after that those stones put curses on you?
Seraphina was perplexed by it as Master Valentine asked, "Did he mention anything about what he had planned to do with it?"
Seraphina shook her head.
Then she recalled he had told her what if he needed it for his personal gain? Her heart thumped. Was he serious when he said that?
She looked at the old advisor while the old man stood there with a pair of old eyes which had doubt written in them. "Well, tell me about the stone. Did captain Roover say how he gained it?"
"No," Seraphina tried to recall but as far as she knew Roover hadn't mentioned it. "Why?"
"Well, you must have heard of three stones." Master Valentine said in which she nodded. Demian had told her about it and he had told her the story as well.
"The stones should not be where normal citizens live." Master Valentine said.
"Why?"
"Because they call upon disasters."
Seraphina's eyes widened as she asked, "What do you mean?"
"Have you heard of The Heaven of Drums?" He asked.
Seraphina said, "Yes. The stone which could give you life and immortality."
"Yes, but while the caster is unaffected by its effects, the people surrounded him are affected by it."
"How so?"
"It has a great power in it and that's why it attracts negative energies which enhance the trouble, disasters and every bad thing around it." The old advisor said, "Those with high power in them might be able to protect themselves but those who don't have enough spirit energy, they go through intense depression, sadness, rage, even envy."
Seraphina listened to him with great concentration and felt that she had been sad but that was because Demian treated her badly. That didn't have any connection with her. But what if Demian had been under its influence as well? Maybe that was the reason for his coldness toward her and she had noticed Celia getting angry. So, the stone was acting already.
"Then we should tell it to Demian." She said but Master Valentine shook his head.
"I can't tell him that otherwise he would know about my own goons although I don't know if he knows it already but I would like to keep it hidden."
Seraphina nodded but she felt her head was aching from all of this. She had been feeling light headed and had less appetite. She didn't know if all of these are the effects of the stones as well or not but she needed to know if Demian was affected by it. "Then I will tell him."
Master Valentine nodded and said, "That would be great but I would like to know, is there something happened between you and his Highness?"
Seraphina looked at him, she felt her tears would come out any moment as she recalled Demian's harsh words. She nodded as she looked at the ground. "He has been avoiding me like I am some sort of disease."
The advisor narrowed his gazes down as if he had entered the land of thoughts.
"He said he didn't want me to come into his room." Seraphina said, her lips trembled but Master Valentine smiled.
"Well, I may know the reason."
Seraphina looked at him with a hopeful gaze as he continued, "It's only a few days until his transformation would begin and Dragons don't like their partners to see them in their weakened state. And I think his transformation had started as I noticed he seemed very dry."
Seraphina bit the inside of her cheeks. She hadn't noticed it. How could she be so selfish and not notice that he had been in pain. She recalled when he was in fever and that excruciating pain that almost fainted him. She had witnessed it when she had arrived. She felt like smashing her head against a wall.
"But why would he do that?"
"Because he is cursed as I have told you before and..." Master Valentine didn't say further but his sentence told there was more to it. Seraphina had heard about the curse would devour him and soon he might become a monster and he would eat her-the tale Zenith had said. But did she told her the truth?
"Is it true that the curse might make him a monster and if he eats a human, he might get back to himself?" She was unable to refrain herself from asking. Was Master Valentine planning to sacrifice her?
Seraphina noticed that the question she asked made the advisor a bit uneasy as his shoulders became digit. So it was true...
"Well, the myth was that if he eats human flesh while transforming he might not become a monster."
Seraphina's feet seemed to lose their ground. So what Zenith said was actually true...
"But," Master Valentine added, "That is just a myth."
The advisor must have noticed the confusion on her face as he began, "When Demian was born, his mother died but it had nothing to do with the curse but the young prince and the rest of the people who had seen his cursed marks seem to think so. But we know the queen was weak that time."
Master Valentine looked at a distance as he was remembering the old memories that had been squished under the dust. "As he was born with a curse mark, the King was afraid to lose him too thus, he and Prince Billard had went to the sages taking the little prince with them."
Seraphina thought it must be hard on the King to loose his wife and at the same time finding his son with a curse. No father would want his child to have that fate.
"The old sage told him that the curse would bring disaster or blessing but time will tell what fate has decided for him." Master Valentine's words seemed to ring in Seraphina's mind. She had heard that but where?
She recalled the sage had said something like this again when both of them had gone to the hidden valley of the Dragons.
Master Valentine looked at Seraphina with a sad face, "I think, Prince Demian thinks, he would be a doom to the kingdom and he might hurt you and that's why he has been distancing himself from everyone. It had been since childhood that he always acted cold toward everyone."
Seraphina's heart clenched at the thought. He had been lonely all of his childhood and as he thought he was a doom, he gad been acting like that so when he would become a monster at least no one would hesitate to kill him.
Seraphina scolded herself as she was so stupid to fall into his traps. That little Devil! The nerve he had!