The First Princess of Averlyon

Chapter 14- The Duke and Duchess of Wesealt

Yuden was taken aback as he stared at the papers in his hand.

"These are the documents related to the case of Princess Zahra's kidnapping!" He exclaimed.

Confusion and frustration clouded Yuden's mind as he tried to make sense of the situation.

"What is this doing here? It was supposed to be in Averlyon... The date is 15 years ago! How could this be in my study?!" Yuden wondered, perplexed.

He took a deep breath to think calmly.

"The last time I came here was just at least a month ago. Rei would bring the files necessary at the office—" Yuden paused, a sudden thought crossing his mind.

As thoughts raced through his mind, Yuden pondered, "Was there someone else investigating her? But who?!" Unable to find an answer to his own question, Yuden was left in a state of uncertainty.

The sound of the door opening drew Yuden's attention, prompting him to carefully stow away the papers he held in his hands.

At that moment, Yuden realized that the sun had risen, signalling the awakening of the residents of his palace. The bustling sounds of voices and footsteps echoed through Yuden's study room.

The servant who entered the room hastily exhibited a moment of stunner as his gaze met Yuden's stern expression.

With a respectful bow, the servant stuttered, "G-Greetings, Your Highness."

Curious about the unexpected visit in the early morning, Yuden questioned the servant, "What brings you to my study in the early morning?" Rising from his desk, Yuden awaited an explanation.

The tall ash blond-haired man stepped closer to the trembling servant.

Fearing Yuden, the servant stammered, "I-I heard the m-maids saying you h-have been absent from the study room for a few weeks. I-I thought it must be dusty, s-so I came to clean," he justified.

"Okay, you can go ahead," Yuden, who noticed the dust on his bookshelf and the remaining area in his study room, said. "There should be no dust left." He added, before exiting his home office.

The servant nodded and headed inside while Yuden exited his workspace.

Yuden wasn't surprised by the servant's quivering or his hesitant replies despite Yuden being an impatient person.

Despite his status as the crown prince, Yuden had been involved in multiple wars. The kingdom of Yuranis had successfully conquered several other kingdoms, solidifying its reputation as one of the most powerful in the region.

While Yuden was seen as carefree by the public, only his palace servants were aware that his time abroad was not spent studying but rather participating in battles.

Upon his return from his first victorious campaign, rumours began to circulate within the palace that Yuden had developed a tendency to abduct servants and war prisoners only to torture them to cope with his trauma experienced at the time of the war until he was pleased.

It amused Yuden, to hear such rumours about himself.

It was Rei, his close aide who kept him informed of the palace gossip.

Although Yuden did not necessarily enjoy it, he recognized the importance of understanding his servants' perceptions of him.

Yuden's rules were quite simple. The only way to rule over someone was to use love or fear. Yuden, however, preferred using the latter as love was nothing but a sign of weakness to him.

"Your Highness," A dark-haired man spoke as he came down the stairs.

"Duke Claude," Yuden curved his lips into a smile.