HENRIETTA: PRAELUDIUM [TO BE EDITED]

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 20

"The crown princess is missing!"

The Grand Duke could feel an immense number of aurae escaping his body as he heard the bad news. The knights who were scattered around him quickly covered their heads as the shock from the Grand Duke's released aura damaged the whole room, including their armour.

Keita, who felt guilty to the abducting incident quickly stepped forward. He fell onto his knees as he confessed how he failed in protecting the crown princess.

"I deeply apologize for not fulfilling my duty, your excellency. I deserve a severe punishment of death for not being able to protect the crown princess."

The Grand Duke, who was still in a state of anger attacked the young knight. Keita didn't stand up nor fought back as the Grand Duke's magic filled with blinded rage continued to attack him.

"Father! Stop! Just imagine what Henrietta will feel if something bad happens to her knight!" Hendrix shook his father's arm as he forcefully stopped him.

But the Grand Duke who just lost his daughter for the second time didn't feel any kind of remorse to his subject. He was too blinded that his rationality was slowly slipping away from him. He wanted to kill and hurt anyone, especially those who took her precious daughter.

The knights and the princes who were present looked terrified as they watch the young knight suffocate from the grasp of the Grand Duke's magic. Keita was starting to accept his fate as well. Yes, he deserves this more than anyone, for failing his task and for letting his precious hope to be taken away from him.

"Stop this at once!" A familiar voice filled the room and the suffocation that the young knight was feeling slowly vanished.

The Grand Duke who was caged in his emotion slowly lost his consciousness. Hendrix and Arthur quickly took care of both their father and the young knight; Hendrix takes his father to his room, while Arthur took the young knight away to the dungeon.

Despite him having a special place to the crown princess, Keita still committed a grave sin a knight could ever do, leaving them no other choice but to lock him away for a while.

The person who stopped the chaos a while ago — Astraeus — instructed the knights and the other servants to clean the palace. He also instructed the Grand Duke's aide, Sir Reynolds, to prevent anyone outside the palace from knowing about the disappearance of the crown princess.

Astraeus felt anxious at the disappearance of his master as well, but he couldn't lose his focus. Not now when his master needed him the most. He only needs to cleanse himself from that black magic that poisoned his body during the abducting incident, so he could focus on searching for the crown princess, his Henrietta.

"Please tell me what happened when I passed out." Astraeus was in the middle of brewing a potion for himself when he felt Hendrix's presence in his room. Hendrix gritted his teeth as he was suddenly reminded of his failed attempt to protect his sister. He sighed then he sat in front of the mage.

The young prince told him everything, starting from the time when he passed out, until that time when they found out that the princess was missing. He also told him about the black knights who infiltrated the palace and the sorcerers who abducted the princess.

That's what the current powerful mage in the empire only needed in order to start his search. He didn't want to ask them, the imperial Highnesses, for help since he thought that it was their fault for not being able to protect his master. Hendrix frowned when the mage suddenly disappeared from his seat. "What's with him?" he whispered to himself then left the mage's room.

He needs to wait until his father calms down before they could perform a powerful locator spell. Doing it on his own won't do him any good, but instead of doing nothing while waiting, Hendrix ordered his brother, Arthur, to lead an investigation about the nobles they are currently suspecting in the imperial council.

"I'll use the shadow corps for this task. I'll leave now, brother." Arthur bowed to him before leaving.

The two brothers made sure to move as discreetly as possible to not alarm any knights or servants. Somehow, they're suspecting most of their servants since they believed that the culprits wouldn't be able to infiltrate the palace smoothly without someone inside the palace helping them. Which was right.

Arthur used the Shadow Corps and led the secret investigation. The Shadow Corps are special knights of the imperial family that do dangerous tasks that a normal knight can't do, like stalking and silencing an enemy. While Hendrix remained in the palace, silently observing his surrounding to search for the rat.

Meanwhile, Astraeus appeared in the cell where Keita was chained and locked. He might've decided to move alone, but he still wanted to bring someone useful and competent, like his master's loyal knight. Astraeus had always known about Keita's deep loyalty towards the crown princess. He also knew how the young knight became his master's personal knight. He knew everything about him, that's why he trusted Keita more than his master's family.

"You there, the idiot knight," Astraeus whispered, calling the attention of the young knight.

"What are you doing here?" Keita asked with his cold voice. He was already aware of Astraeus' presence that he wasn't even surprise when the latter called him.

Astraeus, on the other hand, chuckled in amusement. He knew that the kid was special, and he was happy that he remembered to take him with him.

"Do you want to rot in here while your master's missing?" He started with a few words to try to wake the younger's inner desire to save their master.

The younger frowned as he glared on the cold ground where he was sitting. "How could I dare show myself to her when it was me that harmed her?"

"Kid. If you want to save her, then just tell me. I don't need to hear any of this drama from you. The only person I'm eager to listen to is her highness. So do you want to save her or not?" Astraeus sounded pissed because of the latter's dramatic response.

Keita's frown deepens as he lifted his head and looked at him. Somehow, he could feel that the person in front of him doesn't see him as a disappointment nor a great knight. He was only seeing him as an idiotic kid, which is most certainly fine with him. It's better than what his mind perceives him to be anyway.

"Yes. I want to save the princess!" His answered filled with determination made the mage smile.

Astraeus snapped his fingers and the chain locking his arms and feet loosened open. The mage didn't wait for the knight to express his gratitude and quickly grabbed his arm. And with another snap of his fingers, they vanished into thin air, leaving the dungeon cell empty.


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[ ANNARITAS NATION, LUECÉ ESTATE. ]

The Luecé Estate resides in the boarder of the capital of Annaritas Nation. This estate is a little larger than a normal count's estate, mainly because of the noble bloodline of the Luecé Family. The Luecé Family is one of the founding families of the Nation of Annaritas, but despite that, the first father of this family didn't desire any more power or title, he only desires a huge land and money for his family. And their influence grew wider because of their humbleness.

That's one of the reasons why the current head of this family doesn't fear the wrath of their nation's leader and even the empire's ruler. The greed flowing on the current Viscount's body started when he was young. Viscount Kise Luecé was in fact the second son of the former Viscount, his father. And because of that, he also became second in everything. He was once a kind child that turned darkly because of the unfair treatment he received from his parents.

That was his sole reason why he ended up poisoning his elder brother. He was 15 when he discovered a poisonous flower growing in a secluded part of their garden. He used that and poisoned his brother. No one has suspected him since the poisonous flower he used was one of a kind that was not yet known in their nation. And after his brother's disappearance, Kise Luecé was soon proclaimed as the only heir of the Viscount. Now, the things he wanted the most will soon become his. He thought he was already satisfied with it, not until he met a strange man from a banquet he held to celebrate receiving his new title.

The man didn't look like he was part of a noble family, yet his demeanour screamed the opposite. His golden orange eyes that shines like the scorching sun and his silky-looking black hair that covered half of his left eye. The man knew the desires hidden deep inside him, the desire to rule the whole Nation of Annaritas and to make it independent from the Empire of Amaranthia. He thought that it was impossible, knowing that he will be facing the greatest hero in history, the Grand Duke of Annaritas, Second Prince Deus Clarion le Clair.

"We can make your deepest desire possible, Viscount," says the man who whispered to him like a vicious predator.

The Viscount didn't believe him at first, until he saw their weapon with his own eyes; a girl that resembles the imperial crown princess.

"Doesn't she look familiar?"

'I'm not sure, but she resembles the imperial crown princess."

"What will you do if you find out that she's the real crown princess of this empire? Do you think you can help her take back what's rightfully hers? I mean, you could get a grand reward if you succeed."

The Viscount who was known for being smart and wise had unexpectedly drowned in the venomous temptation of the man whispering beside him. Without thinking of his noble honor, the Viscount agreed and made a deal with him.

And that's how he got stuck with a marionette that couldn't even move for an hour without feeding on other people's mana and essence. Just what did he get himself into?

"Viscount Luecé, are the preparations ready?" The princess asked as she prepares her favorite tea.

It was indeed tea time, a time to enjoy their break from a stressing job they've been doing. The Viscount, who was sitting across from her, stared at her for a second before answering. "It's almost done, your imperial highness. We can start by tomorrow for the first test."

"Great job. I can really count on you, Viscount. I will soon reward you handsomely once everything is done and completed," the princess said, delighted at the good news she heard from him.

The Viscount couldn't hide the smile forming on his lips as he took a sip from his cup. Right, the reason why he turned against the empire was to achieve his goal. And that's the most important thing right now.

The smile on his lips soon turned upside down. His lips became pale and his complexion turned violet. The Viscount unintentionally dropped his cup of tea as he clenched on to his chest. He was unable to breathe as a hot, stingy air filled his chest. Soon, he fell on the floor while he desperately tries to breathe.

He could already feel his body suffocating from an unknown liquid that's boiling inside of him.

'Could it be... poison?' He thought.

He quickly turned and looked at the princess who was still enjoying her tea. The princess smiled nonchalantly at him as she watches his swollen eyes suddenly explode from the lack of oxygen.

"Do you remember these side effects, Viscount? Chest tightening, your complexion changing, and your eyes swelling until it explodes. That's the same side effects from the poison your elder brother took, right?"

The Viscount could no longer hear nor speak. He couldn't even breathe anymore while the princess explained to him how they found out his little act of betrayal and the clues he left in the imperial palace before arriving in his estate.

Betraying a devil will really cost you so much for you'll have to pay the price with your own life.