Don't Concern Yourself With That Book

Just then, Ray quickly looked up. His body moved faster than he could process as he quickly stepped back. 

Boom!

There was now a hole on the ground where Ray had been standing. As the dust settled, a man appeared. Standing where Ray once was, the man nonchalantly drew his sword.

“We’ve met.”

“… Duke.”

His white hair fluttered in the wind. Tilting his head, Hernan smiled with a sword at hand. 

“I’m interested in the person you’re looking for.”

Atop his clear pearly smile, his eyes looked glazed over. A mist of bright purple was quickly taking over his eyes. 

“Do I need to spell it out for you?”

Ray spoke whatever came to his mind frankly. His low voice sounded calm but his body was already preparing for the sword to come flying towards him at any time. Right at the next moment, Ray felt tingles down his spine from all the pressure that Hernandez, the duke, was exerting. 

‘Can I stop him?’

He wondered. The duke was a formidable opponent and it was unlikely that he could return from this fight unscathed. But he was sure that the duke thought the same about him. Understanding how grave his situation was now, Ray’s voice became grunted. 

“Move. I’m busy.”

“You’re still as arrogant as ever. Do you really think that you’ve escaped the frontlines?”

“You’re no longer my superior so there’s no need for me to address you formally.”

When he said that, Ray recalled his memories of them fighting together to prevent the 2nd invasion of the northerners eight years ago. In the middle of an icy winter, the northern countries had begun their 2nd attempt in invading the Empire. 

The Empire had sent numerous templars and soldiers to defend the Empire from the invasion. And as a young knight, Ray could be found along with the young duke, Hernan, as part of the ranks. They were knights of the same age. One was a Templar of Beasts who had broken a human’s limits in combat capabilities and the other was an ordinary human who could easily block an attack from a templar. 

It had been a short war. 

During the war, one had been a commander and the other had been an ordinary knight. Despite their differences in status, their skills were on par. They had felt comradeship towards each other though that was until Ray was stripped of his role after falling for his commander’s plot against him. Now, the feelings they had towards each other as comrades have now completely disappeared. 

“Didn’t you resolve yourself to act as if you didn’t know me? You said you’d live as if you were dead. I didn’t expect the person you’d follow to be the princess.”

“That’s a shame. It seems like your sanity has still not returned to your head. I believed you when you said you wanted to live in peace.”

Hernan smirked.

“Peace? What utter nonsense are you spouting? The person I’m serving is the Crown Prince.”

It sounded like he was well aware of it. Ray furrowed his eyebrows. From the looks of it, Hernan still seemed to be suppressing his instincts. But what if they were to start fighting? If he were to get into a fight with the duke here, the fight would not stop in this alley. And there was no way the duke wouldn’t know that. It was obvious what card the duke would show so that things would not escalate into a fight. 

“Has the princess disappeared?”

“…..”

“As I mentioned before, you’ve always spoken with your silences. So, she’s disappeared. Where has she gone? No, who was she chasing?’

Ray didn’t think there was any need to tell him. When Ray ignored his questions and turned his back around, a sword flew towards him as if in response to his silence. Ray quickly sidestepped and pulled out his own sword at a surprising speed. He could hear someone scoffing. Now, not only could he feel a gust of wind blowing at his back, he could feel someone behind him. 

Clang.

He managed to block him perfectly but since his stance hadn’t been stable, he stumbled. But he managed to swiftly regain his balance before taking another step forward with a wide swing. Being relatively lighter than him, Hernan managed to dodge by jumping. His irises were turning purple once again. The moment Hernan kicked off the ground again, his blade began dancing even faster. 

Clang!

Not only was his strokes getting faster but each one was as powerful as its last. Each time it struck something, the power behind his strikes could be seen in the holes it left behind. 

“You fool. Don’t you know that we don’t have any time for a conversation!”

“Then, all you have to do is get out of the way.”

As their swords struck midair, their eyes busily flitted about. Just then, though it was not clear who it was at first, the two men had no choice but to step back. Their unknown figure had been as nimble as a beast’s. 

“Who’s there!”

There were three daggers jutting out of the ground. Hernan quickly chased after the figure with his gaze. He then wondered how he didn’t manage to see the fidgeting legs past the railings. When the once hidden young man made eye contact with Hernan, he curled his eyes. 

“Hello, duke.”

Even in the darkness, his eyes were a vivid red. He shifted his gaze towards Ray.

“This is not the time for you to be fighting like this.”

“My prince.”

“Yeah. Ray, regardless of how bad your relationship with him is, this is not the time. Don’t you agree?”

Dane jumped to the ground. Someone clicked his tongue at his over-top actions. Hernan quickly figured that there were too many people here. The presences he could sense alongside the 7th Princes indicated that he was not alone here. 

“I hope you’re not too nervous.”

Dane said.

“I’m not here for a fight. We’re busy too.”

Then, Dane talked to Ray.

“Ray, let the duke know her location.”

“But.”

“Stop it.”

Dane frowned slightly. Because Hernan had been emitting an intense fragrance. It was the scent of a drug that had only been manufactured in Rome. The fact that they manufactured it was their devastating secret as the drug was often related to illegal activity.

Anyone from Rome would recognise the scent. They weren’t do-gooders and the scent was so strong, it might give off who they were. So, they never used the drug. But the one who carried the scent he hated so much was one man. 

“I want to see Ashley alive.”

Ray and Hernan understood what he meant. 

“Not the child whose heart has long died.”

His eyes that were as beautiful as jewels glimmered under the lights. Dane smiled quietly. 

‘There’s a reason for her hatred.’

Ashley hated Hernan. Dane could clearly see that. He didn’t need to observe them in any detail to feel her loath. 

‘I gave everything up for her. Is the regret he feels the same as mine?’

Dane erased his smile before winking. 

“… The square. She’s at the west of the square.”

Ray gritted his teeth before saying. Dane then raised his hand and his finger pointed at only one direction. As Hernan’s gaze followed the direction Dane’s finger was pointing in, Dane confirmed Hernan’s suspicions with a smile. 

“Do you see that? Duke. There’s a fork in the road. I’ll take the path you didn’t go on.”

Hernan nodded.

“Thank you.”

“Me?”

Dane smiled. The 7th Prince smiled with an expression that was not like him. There didn’t seem to be any expression on his face but when Hernan looked closer, it was clear that only his eyes were curled. 

“I don’t want you to misunderstand. I don’t like the fact that you ordered Deros to kill people, the fact that you kidnapped women and the fact that you messed up my job.”

“…..”

“It is because of you, Rome has become hated by the Emperor.”

The Emperor’s Shadows. One after another, people gathered around their chief to take care of all the dirty work. And those people were the outstandingly beautiful, dark-skinned people of Rome.  

“There’s only one reason why I’d be cooperating with you.”

Dane spoke firmly. 

“I’m willing to do anything to find her. That’s the only reason why I’m joining hands with someone I can almost consider my enemy. You have a way to find her but your effective range is too small. We have a tool that spans quite a large range but that’s all it does.”

Dane smiled brightly. 

“Find her.”

His gaze held a blade. 

“I believe that our desire to not let her die is the same.”

HIs gaze was warning him. If their goals weren’t the same, Hernan would be the one getting hurt.

“Let’s go.”

The beautiful prince spoke candidly. Hernan turned his back around. 

“You haven’t done anything.”

Hernandez paused. Even though Dane’s voice was soft, it felt like it was holding a sword to Hernan’s neck. 

“You still have something you haven’t thrown away yet,” Dane said. “You joined Castor’s side for the sake of your City of Beasts which is now in ruins.”

He hinted at the contract between Hernan and Castor. Hernan couldn’t stand it anymore and turned around. The prince was smiling. Ever since he was a child, the 7th Prince had been someone whom Hernan could never read. But just then, he realised what the Prince was hinting at. There was poison laced in his bright smile or more like his existence itself was poison. Hernan gritted his teeth. He suppressed his instincts that were threatening to take over.

“I hate you.”

Just as the beautiful prince stated, there was an unbreakable oath between him and Castor which was holding Hernan by a tight leash. That was why he still threaded around the Princess as if he was walking on tightrope even though he was the Crown Prince’s guardian.

“Foolish duke. You still have something you cannot abandon. What can you do with that flippant attitude?”

Dane smiled as beautifully as an angel descending upon the underworld. Someone from Rome in their vicinity flinched. Dane recited. Hernan was already moving away but Dane seemed to have no doubt that Hernan could hear his voice. His warning poured on him and soaked into his skin like rain. 

“Do you love her? But are you willing to lose for that love?”

Hernan squeezed his eyes tight. His legs were still moving but he could still hear him speak. He cursed his great sense of hearing. 

‘Please…’

The words chased after him.

“I want you to make a mistake.”

Dane stumbled on his words. Dane had run over to help but he wasn’t a skilled swordsman. Dane had been as anxious as Hernan. He had been suppressing his anxiety because he wanted to see her safe. Though his eyes were smiling, the rest of his face remained cold. 

But then, someone forcefully grabbed his hands which helped him relax. It was Ray. Ray stared at his bloodstained hands wordlessly. The marks on his palm matched the size of his fingertips. 

“You’re exactly like the princess in this regard.”

At Ray’s words, Dane stared at the bloodstains emotionlessly . Then, he grinned sadly. 

“Let’s go, Ray.”

That was all the all-knowing prince said. The two groups of people disappeared along two different paths along the fork. Their steps began to hasten and their footsteps gradually softened. 

Boom.

The last firework burst. 

The three men ran to find one person.

***

One man’s face could be seen illuminated by the fireworks. The light revealed the smooth curves around his face before disappearing instantly. 

The last firework of the Founding Festival had to be very colourful and very beautiful. At the top of the clock tower, Castor had his back turned against the fireworks. The firework behind him was so big it looked like it could swallow him up. The embers that rained down on him were like the remnants of the end of the flame. 

Her heart was fluttering but it wasn’t out of excitement. The girl stared at him. He looked reverent and sublime but the sight of him also looked ecstatically beautiful. The man’s body illuminated by the constant fireworks looked to be as perfect as a statue but his smile made him look like the devil’s incarnate, 

Boom.

The fireworks that burst once more coloured his face. He looked beautiful. 

In the <Light of Rusbella>, there was a scene where a young girl from a distant country fell in love at first sight of Castor. But her love faced a tragic ending. Because she had to give up her life for her love.

Any woman who had loved Castor did not end up well. In particular, Rebecca, the villainess, had faced an unimaginable death. He was a tyrant who was cruel to women not just Rebecca. No, his cruelty was fair and because of it countless have died by his hands. As if to show that this was what a true tyrant was. 

“Why?”

Ashley managed to speak. 

“Why are you doing this to me?”