When he scoffed, the person closest to him, who was Nathaniel at that time, obviously heard it. The others didn't but it certainly caught the captain of the knight's attention. He glanced at the young duke and watched him discreetly.

He saw that the man's face was pulled taut, a cold mask over a handsome facade. His mouth was slightly stretched into a sneer like he found something that displeased him. Just like always, Nathan could not read the duke's mood at all nor what he was thinking. He vaguely felt that Lukas was unhappy but the reason was unknown to him.

Such a young age and only a few years older than he and already a duke with an outstanding aura, Nathaniel is both astonished and curious. He is also young and holds such a high position in the royal court, everyone admired him especially the men under him. It is said that he is a once-in-a-lifetime genius so he is naturally well-received. Also, his status as a prodigy of the Herman family is a bonus.

But in the presence of Lukas the Duke of Agera, he actually falls slightly behind.. The aura around him is impressive that even he is overwhelmed sometimes. As a master-swordsman, he is undeniably strong. No one had triumphed against him in a fight but with Lukas, Nathaniel thinks that this man has a higher chance of beating him.

"This matter should be dealt with accordingly. We don't know the extent of these people's crimes and how big they are that's why a thorough investigation is needed. Search the whole empire if we have to.

" The Emperor then declared.

Ezekiel had his brows furrowed in thought,

"Do you think that the past cases of disappearances are linked to it?

"

Within the past decades, there were countless cases of people that had disappeared. What's more, there weren't any traces left behind. It's as if all of those people just vanished out of thin air like they did not exist.

They would think that the people are dead but the bodies are still yet to be found. Just these past few years, there were already eleven missing people.

"We don't know about that but it is plausible,

" Kael answered as he frowned.

"Didn't you say that the Agera dukedom is also assassinated and the culprits are still not determined? Is that also connected to them?

" Lukas voiced out.

That was the reason why he came back after all because he had to take over the dukedom and more. The Agera family had been all wiped out, silently. The news didn't even leak when it happened. Until now, everyone thinks that the Agera bloodline is still prospering. Because they always lie low and had avoided showing their faces to the public, the people in the nobility didn't find it strange when they didn't attend events.

Aside from the four people inside that room, no one else knows what really happened.

Kael thought about it for a moment. The death of the ducal family in the North was reported to him only after a few days had passed. When they scouted the place, he was stunned to see that everyone inside the mansion was dead. The bodies had started rotting and the foul stench had grabbed the attention of the nearby guard post who checked it.

If not for that, who would know how long the dead people are left in there? Who would know that they have already died?

Aside from the young miss of the family, everyone else is killed. Now, the whereabouts of this young miss is still not known. Just like the others, she disappeared without a trace.

There's a possibility but it's still unclear. After all, there is no evidence.

"The goals of these people are not clear… We have no way of knowing what they are up to.

" Kael stated.

"Then we'll just have to find it,

" Lukas grumbled at the side.

"But how?

" Ezekiel asked.

In all honesty, they have nothing.

"We don't know anything about them except for the fact that they can use magic for some reason,

" Nathan also joined them for he too is confused.

The emperor sighed.

"Let's start there. Find out any anomalies happening around the empire and don't do anything rash. We cannot alarm them and the citizens.

"

"Yes, Your Majesty,

" was their collective response, except for Lukas.

When the atmosphere changed, Ezekiel suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, I saw the Queen and Empress-mother having tea while I'm on my way here.

"

"Oh?

" Kael's brow raised.

Of course, the Emperor was surprised. It was only during the night of the ball that Regina finally showed herself.

"What is she planning now?

" He added.

The Queen had shut herself in her palace for ten years and had been in seclusion. Even so, the Emperor still has a way of knowing what was happening to her all this time. Everything she did was all reported back to him. So even if she did things in the dark, it was naturally known by Kael.

Aside from the planted spies, there are hidden guards. But just recently, the Queen had been more and more secretive. The guards can't even get close to her chambers now as if a mysterious force is pushing them out. The spies of the Emperor also disappeared and he could already guess that all of them are dealt with.

The Queen is sure to be planning something but he had no way of guessing that. He could use his authority as the Emperor but there would always be consequences. Plus the oath his father had taken that time, Kael could not possibly dare to make a move against her. He's in a complicated situation and the only thing he could do is to try suppressing her as much as he can.

"The guards said that there is no movement from the Queen but we have no way of confirming that,

" Ezekiel pointed out.

As the Crown Prince, he is naturally aware of what is going on within the palace. He knows that the Queen is not a simple person and that there's actually a hidden discord between the two families.

Kael's mouth was set into a thin line, looking serious.

"As long as she doesn't do anything, we will leave her be for now. We just need to focus on the problem at hand.

"

After a few more discussions, the group is now dismissed. Nathaniel immediately bade them goodbye and rushed home to his sister. Lukas exchanged words with the two people for a while before deciding to leave as well. After all, he still has duties to do.

He walked in leisure, appearing in the hall with a cold temperament. The guards and the knights that he had passed by had all retreated to the side, casting him curious glances. Some are awed, some are scared, and some are mostly genuine curiosity. These didn't bother him a bit and are ignored.

He then happened to pass by the direction where the Queen's residence is located and Lukas couldn't help but look at it. He felt strangely drawn towards that part like a nagging feeling that is so hard to understand. Lukas's eyes roamed all over before averting his gaze, brushing the feeling off.

It was none of his business. Moreover, he is not interested in trivial matters such as that, thus he continued walking and didn't look back anymore.

He then stared at the looming tower up ahead. The construction was built so high that it looked very conspicuous. Lukas hummed upon seeing it, his hawk-like eyes clearly seeing what's there even at this distance. He had caught a glimpse of someone walking by past the window but did not entertain the thought of it. Instead, just like the Queen's palace, deliberately ignored it as well.