The palace corridors had become a thoroughfare for chaos.
Todd walked with her arms crossed, her boots clicking against the marble in a rhythm that betrayed her irritation. Beside her, Chad matched her pace, his whip coiled loosely at his hip, his expression one of barely concealed amusement.
"I'm just saying," Chad said with a chuckle, "the kid's got guts."
Todd didn't look at him. "The kid kidnapped a prince. That's not guts. That's idiocy."
"Same thing, if you think about it."
"It's really not."
Around them, the corridors of the royal palace were a storm of frantic activity and low-strung panic. Servants scurried across the polished marble, arms laden with all kinds of items from fresh linen to medicinal salves, while guards in polished plate armor marched in tight, anxious formations. For the past thirty minutes, the very foundations of Aethelberg had shook with a series of deep, subterranean tremors that rattled chandeliers and sent dust sifting down from the gilded ceilings.
"So, where is First Prince Leon now?" Chad asked.
"His attendants brought him in about ten minutes ago. Unconscious. Covered in filth—apparently, some of it was feces." Todd nodded.
Chad snorted. "Feces?"
"Apparently, the masked lunatic carried him through the streets while a mob threw things at them."
"And the prince just... took it?"
"He was unconscious, Chad."
Chad let out a loud, booming laugh, running a massive hand through his messy hair.
"Gahaha! Still. Imagine being the First Prince, potential heir to the throne, and getting knocked out and carried around like a sack of potatoes by some masked maniac."
"Keep your voice down, you idiot! You're enjoying this too much." Todd's jaw tightened.
"I'm just saying—Elias Dukker doesn't care about anything. He does what he wants, when he wants, and damn the consequences. I can respect that."
"He kidnapped a prince."
"And? The prince is fine. Embarrassed, sure, but fine. And honestly? The kid probably deserved it. Leon's always been a bit of a prick."
Todd turned to face Chad, her expression cold.
"I told you to keep your stupid voice down or else someone will hear.
"Ah, relax, Todd! Nobody's listening to us in this madhouse," Chad dismissed with a wave of his hand.
He paused near one of the tall, arched stained-glass windows overlooking the city, his brow furrowing as he stared out into the distance.
"But that dust cloud, though."
Todd stepped beside him, her sharp eyes scanning the horizon.
A massive plume of gray dust and pulverized stone was billowing high into the afternoon sky over the eastern district. Just a few moments ago, a violent, deafening explosion had blasted a gaping crater—several dozen meters in diameter—clean through the surface bedrock.
"By now, the Inquisition is already there to investigate what caused it. The Knights would be on the ground as well, attempting to treat the wounded, pull survivors from the rubble, and record the names of anyone missing in the blast."
"Any idea what caused it?"
"Your guess is as good as mine."
They walked a little further.
"Do you think Raileigh is okay?" Todd asked, a heavy knot of anxiety forming in her stomach.
Chad grunted, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back a little.
"He went off saying he was going to meet up with his new friends. Knowing our master, he's undoubtedly stuck right in the thick of whatever just happened down there."
"Maybe we should go out there and check on him," Todd said, her fingers tightening around her wrist.
"We shouldn't just be sitting here while he might be bleeding in a ditch."
"He'll be fine," Chad grunted casually. "Stop worrying so much."
Todd's head snapped toward him, her eyes flashing with irritation.
"Do you even care about him?! You sound like you couldn't give a damn if our master lives or dies!"
"Hey! Watch your mouth!" Chad snapped back, stepping into her space with a scowl.
"I care about the kid just as much as you do, you crazy woman! But did you forget what Raileigh explicitly told us to do before he left? Stay right here in the palace in case any major developments break out."
"That was before the entire city started shaking like an earthquake!" Todd argued, thrusting a finger at the window.
"We didn't know the situation would spiral into an apocalyptic disaster!"
"And staying put is still the smartest move!" Chad retorted, crossing his arms over his chest.
"What happens if we leave and something major changes here at the palace while we're gone? If he needs us, he will call for us. But we stay put. "
Todd opened her mouth to shoot back another sharp retort, but Chad raised a hand, his tone shifting into something surprisingly grounded.
"Look, Todd... think about the kid he's with," Chad said quietly.
"Elias. We fought him ourselves, remember? Yes, we held back cuz he's a kid but he held his own well despite the power gap. He possesses Advanced Accelerate Heal superior to anything you and I've ever seen. Besides that his Flow reserves are massive and he's got that bizarre transformation as well. And that girl, Jamie—she seems strong as well. If Raileigh is with them, he'll probably pull through."
Todd bit her lip, the heat of her anger deflating into a quiet, reluctant sigh.
"I know... I just hate feeling helpless."
"Me too, I get guilty when I call you stupid when you're like this."
Todd punched his arm.
"I see, but are you really sure you shouldn't go look for your master?" a smooth, polite voice suddenly asked from right behind them.
Todd and Chad spun.
Bjorn Zeppelin stood a few feet away, his hands clasped behind his back, a pleasant smile on his face. The Tenth Prince was lean and sharp-featured, his jade-accented robes immaculate, his golden eyes gleaming with something that might have been amusement.
Todd's expression instantly smoothed into an unreadable mask. Chad, on the other hand, made no effort to hide his disgust, his forehead creasing into a deep, aggressive frown.
"It's pretty damn rude to go around eavesdropping on other people's private conversations." He grumbled, crossing his arms and glaring down at the prince.
Bjorn tilted his head, his smile remaining perfectly fixed, his eyes twinkling with innocent confusion.
"Eavesdropping? Me? Whatever do you mean? I was walking down this very corridor in the same direction as you two the entire time. Is it my fault you failed to notice my presence?"
Todd's eye twitched almost imperceptibly.
'He was right behind us?' she thought.
'Neither of us felt a thing... Not a single vibration of Flow, not even the sound of his footsteps.'
Among the princes, each one had a special talent. For example, Raileigh was born with an Anomaly Trait; Prince Viola commanded the largest energy pool among all the princes and Hermes was the undisputed master of manipulation.
But Bjorn... Bjorn was good at hiding.
It was entirely impossible to tell what was going on behind those pleasant, smiling eyes, even though he radiated an unmistakable, underlying aura of slime and shade.
Leaning heavily into that deceitful nature, Bjorn was the most terrifyingly skilled user of Flow Suppression among the younger royals—capable of completely erasing his spiritual signature, heat, and physical presence to the point where he practically ceased to exist in reality. Even experienced Votaries like Todd and Chad couldn't detect him when he chose to slip into the shadows.
"Oh, our apologies for blocking your royal way," Chad said, his voice tight with thinly veiled hostility.
"Please, feel free to pass us by and be on your way."
Bjorn chuckled softly, taking a slow step forward.
"While it certainly was not my intention to overhear, I couldn't help but catch fascinating bits and pieces of your little chat."
'Liar.' Todd thought.
'He didn't just 'happen' to be walking this way. He was actively tailing us to extract information on Raileigh's current whereabouts. The real question is... how long has he been standing in our shadow? How much did he hear?'
"Tell me," Bjorn murmured, tapping his chin thoughtfully.
"Where has my dear little brother Raileigh run off to? I haven't seen his charming face around all morning."
Todd answered quickly. "He's gone to see his friends."
"Is that so?" Bjorn hummed, looking out the window toward the dust cloud.
"I see. You know, I've made quite a habit of observing my little brother over the past few years. He has always possessed a rather peculiar obsession with the ancient history of this kingdom."
"And?" Chad sneered.
Bjorn chuckled, returning his gaze to them.
"And... isn't it fascinating that when he chose his personal living quarters in the residential wing, he specifically selected the chamber with a hidden sub-basement? The one that directly connects to that sealed strongroom that may be leading down into the Old Ruins?"
Todd and Chad exchanged a glance. Bjorn watched their subtle reactions, his eyes gleaming with malicious satisfaction.
"Oh? Why such surprised expressions? Anyone who's spent at least an hour studying a little history would know about the tunnels under the palace, most of the sealed but still connected to the ruins. It doesn't take a genius to connect the dots, this isn't rocket science, whatever that is." He shrugged.
He turned his gaze back to the window, watching the gray dust cloud swirl over the city roofs as it began to dissipate
"And earlier, you mentioned something very interesting... You said Elias Dukker possesses a secondary, bizarre form. Tell me... does that mean the masked brute who humiliated my eldest brother, Prince Leon, on the surface walls was actually Elias?"
"Keep your mouth shut, Prince," Chad growled, taking an aggressive step forward, his knuckles popping.
Bjorn ignored the warning entirely, his tone growing mockingly playful.
"Which leads me to my next curiosity... does that mean Elias Dukker is also the one responsible for blowing that massive hole through that city district just now?"
The provocation was blatant, sharp, and sickening. The air around Chad and Todd flared with a strong Presence as both attendants bristled despite their attempts at self restraint.
"How dare you raise your posture against His Highness!" a sharp, shrill voice barked from the darkness of the adjoining archway.
Two figures instantly stepped out from the shadows behind Chad and Todd. It was Bjorn's personal sattendants: his butler, Ankapong, and his head maid, Gladys. They acted as if Chad and Todd had attacked Bjorn—as if they were the ones in the wrong.
Todd's eyes narrowed.
'He played us.' she realized.
'He intentionally provoked us to get us into this situation.'
Ankapong and Gladys were strong. Not as strong as Todd and Chad, but strong enough to be a problem. In a straight 2-v-2 fight, Chad and Todd could easily crush them. The problem wasn't the strength of Bjorn's staff.
Todd flicked her eyes sideways.
The other servants and palace staff were watching them—some with curiosity, others with thinly veiled hostility. They saw two attendants confronting a prince, and they drew their own conclusions.
'Tch, he's doing this for the optics.'
Chad seemed to realize the same thing. His posture relaxed, his hand falling away from his whip.
Bjorn let out a soft, disappointed sigh. Slipping his hands casually into his trousers pockets, he stepped past Todd and Chad, slowing down just as he reached the space between them.
He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a low, sinister whisper that only the two of them could hear.
"You two are no fun at all," Bjorn murmured, his cheerful facade vanishing for a split second, replaced by a cold, sociopathic chill.
"Though I suppose smart dogs are always the most entertaining ones to tame. Don't worry, you two... Once I've personally killed your master, I'll have a wonderfully fun time re-educating the both of you."
A surge of pure, unadulterated fury exploded through Chad's veins. His face went bright red, his chest heaving as he turned to grab the prince's collar—
"Chad, no," Todd whispered fiercely, catching his forearm with an iron grip.
"He just—"
"I know. But not here. Not now."
Chad's jaw tightened. He looked at her, then at the retreating figure of Bjorn, then back at her.
"Maybe we should check on Raileigh after all."
Todd nodded slowly.
They turned and headed back toward the Twelfth Prince's quarters.
*
Bjorn chuckled softly, not even bothering to look back. He sauntered down the grand hallway, his hands in his pockets, with Ankapong and Gladys sweeping after him like dark shadows.
Once they had turned a far corner and were well out of earshot of the main corridor, Ankapong wiped a bead of nervous sweat from his forehead, looking at Bjorn with a timid, trembling expression.
"Y-Your Highness..." Ankapong stammered quietly.
"Was it wise to provoke the Twelfth Prince's attendants like that?"
Bjorn didn't stop walking. He tilted his head back, letting out a quiet, raspy laugh. "Foolish Ankapong. It was entirely necessary."
"It... it was?" Ankapong asked, blinking.
"Of course," Bjorn said, his tone dripping with cold, calculated arrogance.
"I had no concrete way to verify my postulations. I only had vague rumors and a few bluffs. But their silence? Their sudden, violent tension when I brought up the vault and the explosion? Their reactions gave me every single piece of information I needed, far more accurately than their words ever could."
A dark, terrifyingly evil smile stretched across Bjorn's face, twisting his handsome features into something truly monstrous.
"Raileigh isn't in the palace. And I don't think his two friends will be in any better position. The board is completely wide open... It's time to set my plan in motion and wipe out the competition once and for all."
Gladys, walking beside him, glanced at his expression and sighed.
"My prince. Your face."
Bjorn blinked, his expression smoothing back into something neutral and pleasant.
"Ah, thank you, Gladys," Bjorn said smoothly, his voice returning to its light, aristocratic cadence.
"Come along, now. It's time we pay a formal visit to my dear stepmother... Queen Nadia."