Knight 'n Gale

Chapter 19

The man in purple robe displays a carefree and playful trait in contrast to his menacing aura that was leaking out from his body. In addition, his strange dark eyes were pitch black in color and gives off a creepy chill in one's spine.

However, although he looks like this and has a pale white skin, it couldn't hide the familiar face that Gale knew in her past life, especially because the guy also has the same shoulder length curly hair and chiseled jaws.

Surprised at his sudden appearance, she blurted out the man's name as she knew, "Johnny Depp!"

Because she was in Cedar's body, the high-pitched tone when she spoke was unfit to his image as a well-built, handsome knight, that it gathered the attention of almost everyone around.

Noticing the strange gazes upon her, she cleared her throat, " Eherm, sorry. Cough... cough..." she faked a cough and looked away. "I thought he's someone I know... nevermind."

Hearing her lousy excuse, Yrhan rolled his eyes.

Lata, on the other hand, raised his brow and smiled, "I see... I wonder who's Mr. Depp? I didn't know anyone from the Family of Depp. Is he perhaps a noble from another kingdom?"

"What the... did I just dug a hole for myself?"

Having a surname means the person was of nobility, which makes it easier to trace. If she was to lie, she'd only expose herself.

"It was only a character from a book that I wrote sometime ago," without even flinching, the Crown Prince answered for his knight. Consequently, he turned to Cedar with an innocent expression. "Right?"

If Gale wasn't so sure, she might have doubted herself and think that it wss the truth.

With that kind of we-need-to-talk-seriously-later smile, she couldn't help but to shiver from the subtle feeling that something bad was going to happen soon.

However, for the situation at hand, she forcefully left such ominous feelings at the side of her head and chose to follow along. "Yes. T-the story depicted a very very handsome pirate with curly hair and playful personality. I-It just so happen that the figure in my mind has a striking resemblance to you... haha..." she awkwardly laughed at the end as she felt hot from embarrassment.

"Oh... so you're even dabbling in writing fiction, your highness?" Lata asked, as he grinned from ear to ear. "I would really love to read it."

"Not gonna happen." Alexander quickly answered before changing the topic. "Anyway, this man here is Count Lato Rhesia."

Hearing that name, both Roki and Cedar were surprised, as they shifted their gaze to stare wide-eyed at the said person.

It was no wonder that they had reacted this way, since the count was said to be bedridden with a contagious disease, making his eldest son, Merlin, take over his position.

Also, for Cedar, although he had never met this person, he knew that the count was already in his fifties, if not in his sixties. However, the man before them seems to be not more than thirty-- the same age as his son!

"Your Highness, how was this possible?" The first one to react was Roki. "Isn't the count bedridden for a long time now?"

"Obviously, that was just a farce to hide his being a necromancer." Alexander calmly explained.

"Then, Sir Merlin..."

"He knows about his father." Alexander patted his butler's shoulders. "Let's talk about this later as there were more important matters right now, don't you think so?"

"Eherm... pardon me, your highness."

"Secretly take the prisoners back in the castle and have Number Twelve investigate the duke's part in this matter. Take half of the elves with you to make sure that you won't get into an accident."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Yrhan," he then called out to the Elven Priest, standing near him. "Only half of your men will accompany us towards Timbreford. The rest will go back with Roki."

"As you wish." Yrhan agreed as he nodded to the elves behind him, prompting them to do what the prince had said.

"Also, you should take the other carriage as I have some business with Cedar." Alexander ordered as he gave a meaningful glance at the Priest.

"Fuck. This girl sure sucks at lying. What happened to her being an actress? Imma strangle this lad, seriously."  Sensing the Prince's suspicion, Yrhan silently cursed Gale in his heart as he tried to explain. "Your Highness, this..."

"I would be glad to listen to that later." Alexander then ignored Yrhan as he walked straight towards Cedar.

Looking at the Crown Prince heading towards him, Cedar gulped and attempted to get his way out.

"Your Highness, I... I need to make the reports that Roki has to--"

"He'll manage." without even letting his knight finish his sentence, Alexander went inside the carriage. "Come inside. Now."

Hearing the prince's order, Cedar coukd only turn his head to look at Yrhan for help. However, the latter only shook his head as if saying that he couldn't do anything about it.

So with a trembling heart, Cedar was left with no choice but to enter the carriage as well.

As soon as he stepped inside, he was stunned.

It was because the interior of the carriage wasn't as it was before. Instead, they were in a closed room that resembled the Crown Prince's chamber at the palace, just that it was smaller in size.

Spatial magic. It was a rare magic that was also used to create storage rings and the likes. Still, that was only one of its basic uses and the knowledge about this type of magic were only limited as there were only a handful of people who has an affinity in spatial magic. Thus, anything that was related to it comes with an overwhelmingly expensive price.

Now, seeing that the prince had decided to use such an item, Cedar couldn't help but to feel nervous even more.

"I feel like I'm a criminal going to his trial knowing that he'll only be sentenced to death. Ugh... Why am I so stupid?"  Cedar bowed as he lamented inwardly.

"Kneel." suddenly, Alexander's voice rang out.

Startled, Cedar glanced up only to be met by the Crown Prince's cold eyes.

With a cold sweat on his back, Cedar slowly kneeled with one knee as he silently wracked his brains on what to say.

'Shnngg!' Without a word, Cedar heard the unsheathing of sword just in front of him.

"So, who are you, really?"

"Your Highness, I am..." He paused as he felt the coldness of the Crown Prince's sword on his neck.

"We both know that you aren't Cedar." Alexander spoke without the usual warmth nor playfulness. Instead, his words contained his anger. In addition, the killing intent that emanates from him was suffocating, making even Cedar-- who had trained his body thoroughly, have a hard time breathing.

"What did you do to Cedar?" He asked, as a ripple of emotions flashed through his eyes momentarily.

"Your Highness, I am Cedar." although he knows that Alexander was ready to kill him anytime, he still insisted. After all, technically, he truly was Cedar.

"Cedar never had such strong healing abilities." Alexander stated. "If you don't confess right now and tell me where Cedar is, I will kill you."

"Your Highness, I really am Cedar." taking a deep breath, he looked straight at the Crown Prince.

"Fuck it. When it comes down to it, I'll just tell him the truth... If he still wanted to kill me... then... I guess that was my fate." 

Leaving everything to fate, Cedar continued, "However, it was also true that I wasn't the same Cedar that you know."

Hearing such a strange answer, Alexander stared hard at the knight kneeling before him as he knitted his eyebrows.

Then, Cedar continued, "What I'm saying is that, I gained the memories of my other self..."