n

n

nLukas's purple eyes went to him,

"Oh? So this is the captain of the knights? You have quick reflexes, not bad.

"

n

"Nathan put down your sword.

" His Majesty ordered.

n

"Calm down Nathan,

" Ezekiel seconded.

nHe was confused as to why they are both letting this man do this but heeded their orders nonetheless. Nathan's eyes trained on the arrogant duke who didn't even try to fix himself at all and continued slouching on the chair.

nHis Majesty saw Nathan's inquiring eyes and smiled.

n

"This is Lukas, the new duke of Agera,

" Kael, the Emperor, stated.

nHe knows that, and if so, he is still one of the Emperor's subjects.. Hence, this act of him is preposterous.

n

"He is also sort of my big brother,

" Ezekiel added.

n

"Heh. I was never your brother,

" Lukas interjects.

n

"That's why I said sort of… You still have not changed, I see,

" Ezekiel replied and shook his head lightly.

nLukas glanced at Ezekiel,

"What's there to change?

"

nUpon observing how the two interacted with one another, Nathan then understood. They are both close. Nevertheless, his curiosity for their leniency was still there.

nHe had never heard of Ezekiel having a blood brother, so this man wouldn't be a Windsor nor has the royal bloodline. The only close relatives the imperial family has are the late Grand Duke who had already died without any offspring, and also, the Hermans.

nHe also did not remember seeing him in the past. Well, he had only met Ezekiel when they were both 14, and his first time to the palace at that. So this man could have been here years before that.

nBut still, even if he was a direct relative, he wouldn't dare to act like that in front of them. Yet this man did and is still not getting arrested for disrespecting the royal family.

n

"Don't think about it too deeply, Nathaniel. Come and sit down,

" His Majesty insisted, gesturing towards the chair opposite Lukas.

nNathan did just that, all the while being aware that Lukas was studying him openly. He doesn't know what to feel about it. It was like he was being judged face to face. Should he be insulted?

nHe looked at the man squarely in his eyes and held his gaze, then felt his overwhelming aura again, making him avert looking at him.

nNathan was internally pissed about this. He is the captain of the knights, and yet he is being repressed like this.

nLukas then tilted his head, seemingly intrigued.

nIt was unusual. He also emits this strange energy but is completely different from her sister's.

n'Hermans… I might have to investigate their ancestry.'

nHis anima definitely felt him but not acted as excitedly as it did with Nadia. Even so, he couldn't brush off the fact that this guy also possesses unfathomable powers.

nHe wanted to know what it was, and how did the Herman's ever have apples that diverged from their tree.

nLukas had met the Marquis, but there was nothing unusual about him. He held no aura or blessings, or maybe there is, but it was faint. Therefore, Lukas concluded that it would be from the mother's side.

nHe had been around, running from place to place, searching for whatever the hell he was trying to find. Thus, he also knew that in all of Rosenthal, there were only two direct descendants from the deities. Then these two came along, adding one to the list.

n'There's three then? This means those bastards would be sniffing their tails soon.'

nNathan frowned, still not used from Lukas's blatant observation.

n'This guy is not even hiding it… What does he want?'

n

"Lukas, this is Nathaniel. The Captain of the Royal Knights,

" Kael mentioned.

nLukas nodded at him, and Nathaniel did the same. The Crown Prince then joined them on the table, sitting beside his father.

nKael, The Emperor, looked at them one by one.

n

"Now, let's get to the reason why I personally called the three of you here…

"

n---------- ****

nI was staring at the cold metal that was placed over my bedside table and had been repeatedly reading the text written on it.

nI had wanted to visit the place inscribed on it to return the name tag. It may be overkill to go out of my way and give it back because they might actually have a spare and don't need this at all.

nBut I still want to. I want to know how that bird is and if it has already healed its injuries.

n'And you know, just also in case that I can buy it from them…'

nI honestly want that bird… That particular blue Falcon. The Hunt would be next year, and having a bird of prey with me would be advantageous. I'm trying to win after all.

nIt is forbidden in Rosenthal to hunt birds and then sell them. Mostly, if you want to have one, you need to hunt them for yourself, but should never sell them.

nIt also applies to those that are bred. Just like the griffins from the north. It is unauthorized to hunt them, for they are the property of the Northerners, especially the Ageras.

nIt is a known fact that the griffins are theirs, and so for those brave souls who would try to hunt them down, they would face the wrath of the dukedom.

n

"Hmmm… maybe, just maybe…

" I muttered, poking the metal plate with my index finger.

n

"Milady, why do you keep staring at that thing?

" Erin asked and peered over my shoulder as she brushed my hair.

n

"I want a pet bird…

" I grumbled.

nKuro looked up from the bed and stared at me, seemingly hearing what I said.

n

"What? You're not going to eat them, aren't you?

" I told him this. The fox only laid its head over his paws and purred.

n'Do foxes purr? Because this one did.'

n

"But Milady, you only have to capture one. You are the King of The Hunt, right? You can do it!

" Erin exclaims.

nOh yeah, I could. But that would be too much of a hassle. I would rather adopt strays than purposely find one myself…

nI stared at the little metal plate again, thinking deeply. All I need is to go to this address and ask for it.

nThe owners would probably pity this pretty lady right here and give it to me. Fufufufu~ Don't I sound incredibly stupid?

nGosh, I could not believe how narcissistic I sound sometimes… This is probably because of this body's innate traits…

n'Tch. Nadia, when are you going to leave your awful presence behind? I possess this body now, you know! It's mine now.'

nAnyway, I will try to visit them tomorrow…

n**

nThe next day, I asked Freesia to inform Uno to ready the carriage. My brother wasn't around, and so is Kai and Lost. I have no idea where those two are, even my maids don't know.

nThe servants who look after them don't either, so I was stuck between scratching my head from how clueless everyone is and being worried. If not for the fact that Lost is unordinary, I would have started to panic.

n'But that's more worrisome, isn't it?'

nNow that I think about it, it escaped my mind that I was going to ask Lost about himself.

nIt's because of that damn fateful event, this is why everything in my mind is a mess.

n'This time, when they get home, I will surely ask him!'

n

"Milady, the carriage is ready,

" Freesia informs me.

nI stood up from the vanity table and went with my attendants to go outside, Uno was already there, waiting for us.

n

"Is milady going somewhere?

" George appeared right beside Erin, scaring the crap out of me.

n'I swear, this man is like a ghost sometimes…'

n

"I'm going to return something that I picked up. I promise to be back before nightfall,

" I told him.

nGeorge blinked but his usually stoic face did not change for even a bit.

n

"Milady can just ask us to return it on your behalf.

"

n'Ah. That is right, huh…'

n

"Oh, but I also have something to do in the Capital, so this is fine,

" I replied and offered him my sweetest smile.

nGeorge looked at me for a moment then bowed. He has no further say on any of our decisions, hence, he could only agree.

nI bade them goodbye and hopped inside the waiting carriage which then left afterward as soon as I was ready.

n

"Uno, here,

" I called out and gave him the metal tag.

nThere was a sort of a window between the driver's side and the wagon. That was why I was able to give it to Uno.

n

"Do you know that place?

" I asked him.

nUno glances at it for a moment with his forehead creasing, then scratches the back of his head.

n'Oh, he doesn't?'

n

"I do,

" he then answered to my relief.

nA satisfied smile lifted to my lips,

"Great! Let's go there,

" and got back from leaning towards the upholstery, humming a happy tune.

nThere was a long moment that passed, probably an hour or so, before the carriage finally stopped a few good meters in front of a big metal gate.

nUno helped me come down, while my eyes were still glued in the front.

nI don't why it was like that but, this place looks like it came out of some horror movie. The atmosphere looked dreary, and if not for the perfectly healthy plants from both sides, I would have thought that this was abandoned.

n'I expected the trees to look dead but… I'm just exaggerating anyway…'

nUno must have thought the same because he glanced at me worriedly.

n

"Let's go…

" I muttered and took a step forward.

n