Warning, this chapter contains a sensitive scene. Feel free to skip that part when you see this symbol. [||||||]
And continue when this symbol appears. [====]
-----------------------
Henry rubbed the bridge of his nose to ease his headache. Everyone arrived at the office. They all were tensed at what happened, causing the atmosphere to be heavy.
Who wouldn't when they were aware of the damages they took. Lives were lost while homes were destroyed. For the past days, only terrible things befell Estrela.
Henry gazed at the redhead that stood beside Carl.
"The enemy you saw was?"
"They were silhouettes. And I believe they weren't ordinary ones." Royse gazed at the authorities inside the room. "I believe they are created by the use of the dark attribute."
People whispered at the young man's assessment.
A gruff man bore his eyes towards the redhead. "And how are you sure that these enemies aren't created by some sort of trickery." He asks, trying to fear the young man.
William spoke next, feeling anger at the idiotic words that escaped the man's mouth.
"Royse was the one who had fought the enemies. And if you are not aware, he has also encountered a person that held the dark attribute. If you doubt his assessment then feel free to leave the room and devise your own plan."
Royse examined everyone who became rigid.
William spoke similarly to how his father did. Seeing the situation, he needed to show his and Henry's position and leave a mark on everyone's minds that they were the ones going to rule the kingdom in the future.
Everyone was silent. The man gritted his teeth at the prince's words. He bowed his head and apologized to the young redhead.
Both William and Henry gazed at the only female in the room.
"Amy, do you think you are able to find the perpetrator?"
The ombre-haired girl nods. "I can but I'll need support. Seeing how they managed to create an explosion without anyone noticing, they have the skill to hide their presence." She explains. Amy glanced at the side where Royse stood. She sees his stern expression, evident that he was creating a plan of his own.
"I see..." William murmurs as he held a thoughtful gaze.
William and Henry looked at one another. Seemingly conversing through eye contact.
The two of them pursed their lips at the same time before looking at the redhead.
"Then we appoint Royse as Amy's support." They declared.
Whispers were heard as the authorities were surprised at the decision. Another man rose his hand to speak.
Allowing him, the man voiced his concerns. "We are aware that the young Frostenden and the lady Amy is more than capable, but your highnesses, is it not for the best if we are to be the ones to provide support?"
Henry spoke next, knowing his brother lacked empathy in replying to these kinds of questions.
"Rest assured, it is not because we doubt your skills. We believe that the priority would be the citizen's safety. While the lady Amy and Royse handle the perpetrator, the others are to protect everyone." Henry explained.
The people in the room considered the eldest prince's words.
"Is there anyone against the idea?" Henry asked as he surveyed everyone in the room.
He nods towards William seeing they accepted it.
"Then that concludes our meeting. We will have another one if there are any changes in our plan. As of now, everyone is to return to their station and prepare."
Authorities soon left one by one, leaving the main cast alone.
Royse looks at the twins. Both of the older males noticed his gaze.
"Is there something you'd like to ask Royse?"
The redhead narrowed his eyes. "The Monroe and Caddel family's situation."
Carl sadly looked at the youngest in the room. Both his highnesses furrowed their brows.
"According to the reports, it seems both families were aware of the planning."
Royse crossed his arms, thinking about the statement. He looked at Carl and saw him opening his mouth to speak.
"If you want assurance, it seems the children of the family are innocent. Cain has been under my surveillance and received a report that he was forcefully being locked by his father. As for Amelie, I'm sure Royse already knows." He states, looking at the redhead.
"Yes, she was with me. But I'm afraid she is also in the same predicament as Cain. The baron and baroness are aware that they are being monitored. Seeing their situation, it's likely that they would retort in using an emergency plan." Royse explained.
"Royse, be honest with us." William spoke. He gazed at the redhead differently than usual.
Unlike the usual soft gaze, William wore the cold expression he was known for.
"I am asking this for everyone's safety. Is the white-haired man responsible for the attack?" He asks.
No, rather than asking, William was demanding him of answers.
Royse kept firm as he didn't back down from the coldhearted gaze. he prefered William to show this side instead of favouritism.
"He is not."
William didn't change. Still staring at the redhead.
"Are you sure that you are not uttering any lies?"
Henry felt his sweatdrop as he examined his brother's expression. He knew William was thinking about the words from years ago.
If Royse was capable of bringing chaos to the kingdom.
"Are you sure that you are not keeping any secret from us?"
The redhead was aware of the implications. It was normal considering the fact that he was the only one who had too many encounters with the underground group. The one who was always there when an incident takes place. The one who always saved everyone. The one who seemed as if he knew everything and took charge on his own.
The one who seemed suspicious of them all.
"His highnesses wants me to be honest. Then I shall be."
In this situation, Royse was a suspect.
Then he'll prove himself.
"You are dealing with a being known as a demon."
A deafening silence engulfed the room.
Amy furrowed her brows. Royse keeping the secret on his own would only give him further trouble.
This was for the best.
He needs to know that there were others he could rely on.
The revelation seemed to have changed William's expression.
"I heard that they have long perished when the great hero sealed the demon king." Carl spoke first, being undeterred by the news.
"It seems they didn't. The white-haired man is a leader of the underground group. He was the one taking custody of the demon."
Royse was sure of this. The way the man was desperate for him to return the orb.
The man knew what was inside.
"I see..." William whispers.
Henry gazed at his brother, knowing he finally calmed down and was satisfied with the answer he received. But he furrows his brows at the new problem at hand.
"A demon showing up is enough to ruin everything." Henry states. He looks at Amy and Royse. "Since we know who our enemy is, it seems we're going to need to rely on you two. As much as I don't like the truth, we're powerless against the enemy." He finished, evident that he disliked passing the most important job to them.
Royse knew Henry was aware of how demons take their prey's.
He was worried for them.
Carl furrowed his brows, seemingly confused at Henry's statement. "Ok, I understand the situation but Royse, since you're being asked to be honest and all, can you please tell us the truth why you're assumed to be capable of fending against a supposed extinct enemy." Carl looked at the redhead as if tired of being kept in the dark.
Everyone else seemed to look at the brunette in sympathy.
"I'm sure you're the only one who he isn't aware Carl. Henry and I have known for years since we were little. And as for the lady Amy, we have a feeling that she realized Royse was the person responsible for the beam of light when he admitted that he infiltrated the base. The light was too far from where she was stationed at that time."
Amy became silent. She sighed knowing that there was no way of saving Royse from this.
Carl turns towards the ombre-haired girl and sported a disbelieving expression.
"Even you?" Carl spoke.
Royse groaned as he facepalmed himself. "I've been quite obvious huh..."
Amy stared at her friend in sympathy.
"Apparently you were." Henry added.
Carl, having enough of this, spoke again. "Please tell me that the secret you are hiding is the reason why this two are protective of you."
William nods. "Yes, you see Carl, Royse here is the famous undercover hero." He finally explains.
Carl took a minute to process the words.
Undercover hero.
There was only a few with that title.
And if it's famous, then there's only one.
The one that was rumoured that they possessed all 3 rarest attributes and black eyes. The one who appeared like a storm and disappeared a few years later.
Carl immediately whips his head towards the now silent redhead.
Royse crossed his arms as he examined the expression of the brunette. He was somewhat pleased by seeing the flabbergasted face.
"Congratulations, you finally know. And here I thought you were the one who excelled in gathering information."
Carl tried to maintain his composure as he pointed his index finger towards the redhead.
"You, you're Midnight Terror..."
"In the flesh. So can we please move on?" Royse spoke unperturbed.
Amy sighed. "Trust you to think that this isn't a big deal."
Which they all agreed was a big deal. Someone having a rare attribute was already a big deal, and then someone here held all 3.
They were sure many scholars would agree that it was a blessing for them to meet someone like that.
William and Henry chuckled at her words. "That is indeed a Royse thing to say."
"What? I mean, I'm still me. I just so happened to have another identity." Royse scoffed, missing the point.
Carl narrowed his eyes towards the twins. "Is that why you suspected Royse?"
Henry huffed, leaving the explanation to his brother. "We never doubted him but we needed to be sure if he was on our side or not. He has all 3 rarest attributes after all. So when Royse spoke the truth, it made us relieved." William spoke.
"Yeah, being adamant on proving I'm innocent, I went and gave in." Royse added. He narrowed his eyes towards the princes and smiled. "Quite smart for his highnesses to put pressure on someone. That's a quality that shows that his highnesses are following after the king's footsteps." He comments.
"We'll take that as a compliment." Henry replied with a smile.
Amy clapped her hands to capture everyone's attention. With all eyes on her, she finally returned to the main topic. "Seeing that we have people more than capable enough. I'd like to know if there's a plan for us to follow."
William nods. "There is. I want both of you to focus on the perpetrator. When you find out it's whereabout, I want you to retreat immediately. We wouldn't want an all-out fight from happening early on when we aren't prepared. The people will need to be taken to safety if a battle were to unfold. As much as possible, I want to lessen the casualties." William explains.
Amy and Royse nod at the plan.
"Then we'll be sure to exercise caution."
[||||||]
"DID I NOT TELL YOU TO STAY?!"
Another vase fell on the ground and shattered. Water spilt from it as the flowers lay lifeless on the ground.
"SPENDING YOUR TIME WITH THEM IS A HINDRANCE!"
Amelie kept her gaze on the floor. Her cheeks were sore from the slap. Her hair was a mess from all the pulling.
Maids could only look at the young lady in pity. They wanted to console the poor soul but was afraid to be on the receiving end of the baronesses fury.
The mother glared at her daughter with enraged eyes after finding out what Amelie had done.
Isthia huffed as she couldn't believe her daughter was there at the incident.
They promised 'her' they would no longer act and instead rely on 'her'.
If there was anything they were aware of, 'she' was absolute.
And her daughter being there could've disturbed 'her' plans.
It could've been the end for Isthia.
Isthia fumed as she glared at her daughter, only giving attention to the fact that her daughter would be the cause of her downfall.
"I thought you were better than this Amelie. It seems I'll be needing to forbid you from going to the academy." She announced as she walks away.
That made Amelie raise her head.
"NO!"
Isthia widened her eyes.
She turns towards Amelie and saw her looking at her with the same hatred.
"I refuse!"
Amelie pursed her lips.
Isthia opened her mouth to register the words she heard.
"Refuse?"
Isthia stared at her daughter wide-eyed. Her face became grim as she realized Amelie had talked back.
"My daughter who knows nothing. No power, nothing to prove herself, dare to refuse me?"
Amelie won't back down.
She's had enough of the tormenting.
She wasn't going to give in easily.
Seeing her adamant nature reminded Isthia of her sister.
A clap of thunder echoed within the room. The aura around the baroness spiked, causing everyone to still.
The baroness was known to be easily angered. But her doing this, meant she was truly enraged.
The head maid trembled as a memory of her younger years came into her mind, knowing the sight all too well.
"Amelie, it seems I misjudged you." Isthia continued to glower at her daughter.
Amelie's eyes trembled as she saw her mother's wrath.
Thunder roared inside the room as Isthia let loose of her attribute.
"You are a worthless daughter. Yes, just like your cousin, and just like your aunt."
Those were Isthia's final words before leaving the room.
[====]
Amelie gazed at the window. She watched underneath the moonlight. Watched how the stars beautifully decorated the night sky and glimmered.
The blonde was jealous of how they burned so brightly.
Unwavering.
Why couldn't she be like that?
She wiped the tears that blurred her eyes. The moment earlier was still fresh in her mind and still made her tremble in fear.
She was grateful for the maids that took care of her, especially the head maid who made sure to attend to all her needs until it was time for bed.
The mysterious lady once again appeared beside her, sitting on the window frame.
"I felt your sadness. I believe I shared you some courage did I not?" She asked. Her voice held a smooth tone as if lulling her.
Amelie nods.
"Yes. I managed to be honest..." She states.
She did.
She told the truth to her friends.
And most of all, deny her mother.
The lady brought her fingers below the chin of the blonde and rose her head to meet her eyes.
The lady smiled.
"Then why are you sad?" She asks.
Amelie felt her words become stuck in her throat. Feeling light-headed, she hurriedly removed her chin from the grasp.
"I-...." She pursed her lips. "It's a ridiculous reason..." Was her only explanation.
The lady became obstinate for the real answer. "There is no ridiculous reason. If you are sad, then it's best to admit to it." The lady stood up and floated behind the blonde.
She puts both her hands on her shoulders and leaned on her ear and whispered.
"Be honest with yourself."
Amelie widened her eyes when she recalls Royse' words.
She continued to gaze on the ground before finally giving in.
"My friend is the ideal person I wish to be. I saw his courage, his strength. I am told I am strong, but I wonder if that was the case."
She wasn't even able to stand firm against her mother's wrath.
The lady smirked.
"You wish for power?" She asked, floating in front of her now.
Amelie took a minute to reply.
Was it power she desired?
Would it allow her this time to hold against her mother?
Would she be free?
The lady smiled, feeling the aura of the blonde. The familiar aura that gave their species joy.
"Yes, I wish for power."
The lady smiled at the answer she received.
"Then power you shall get."
That was all Amelie heard before blacking out.