Zacharia narrowed his eyes at the King's words. Archer, who was by Zacharia's side, stifled a laugh, knowing why his young lord felt offended.
"Your highness, I would like to thank you on behalf of Lord Zacharia for the warm welcome. However, please treat my Lord with more respect."
The servant stared at the King with sharp eyes and a cold smile, causing him to shudder before flashing them a forced smile.
"Of course, please forgive me for my rudeness, Lord Zacharia. General Alejandro and his wife will be arriving shortly, so take a seat until then."
Just as Zacharia sat down at the table, Alejandro and Nikola strode in. Alejandro's dark blue eyes observed his surroundings in envy and greed as he observed the precious room as his wife completely ignored the expensive artifacts and simply focused her attention on the people present.
The couple reached the King and bowed in reverence. Then, Nikola spoke without skipping a beat, "My King, Lord Zacharia, we made sure that no one was aware of this meeting."
Nodding, the King gestured them to sit at the table before his expression turned serious. He scratched his scruffy beard before letting out a sigh.
"Let's head straight to the point. As we already know, a spy is running amock. Currently, the only information I hold is that this spy is a great danger to both Zatheusyl and Xestal. We have no idea what his intentions may be. This is the reason why I have contacted Arthur Ace. However,"
The King stared at Zacharia before sighing once more. "Arthur Ace hasn't given us much to work with. The only help he has provided has been sending his son to aid us in the investigation. Other than that, we don't have much."
After the King expressed his thoughts, Alejandro observed the little lord while feeling exasperated. How could Arthur, such a powerful and feared person send this young man as help?! It was clear that Arthur believed himself to be on a whole other level than the rest of them. How could such a young kid be of any help? If anything, this little lord will drag them down!
"My King, please forgive my rudeness, but will this boy even be of any help? Wouldn't he just drag us down?"
The King stared at General Alejandro, feeling fortunate that he wasn't the only one that thought this way. Nikola, on the other hand, glared at the two men without hesitation and opened her mouth, preparing to speak her mind.
"Are you listening to yourself? Not only is this the son of a powerful man, but it is clear to see that Lord Zacharia has potential. Did you forget that, when I was about his age, I could easily overpower most of the strongest men in the army?" she said before turning to look at Zacharia and flashed him an apologetic smile.
"Please forgive my husband. He has already forgotten his original roots."
General Alejandro sent Nikola a dirty stare, but she ignored him and kept smiling at the little lord. The King looked quite displeased at Nikola's outburst while Zacharia's lips curved up in amusement.
"There is nothing to forgive. Now, let us continue where we left off," said Zacharia in a bored tone. He couldn't waste any time dealing with these incompetent men. At least Nikola was straightforward and trustworthy...
Gazing at the people in the room, Zacharia spoke, "These last few days, I had been sending someone to observe every staff and member of the Pierce family. Because of this, I have reason to suspect Asher Pierce might be working with the spy."
Hearing her precious son's name, Nikola immediately responded in a cold, sharp tone. "Your proof?"
Zacharia stood up from his seat as he walked around the room. Touching the rim of an expensive vase, he replied, "While I know it is hard for Miss Nikola to hear that her youngest son might be involved with the enemy, you must know that I do not say things without researching for evidence,"
"These last few days, Asher Pierce has been acting like he normally does. Shy, timid, and reserved. Yesterday, however, he completely changed. How can someone change from one day to another? Isn't that too strange?"
Zacharia then stared at Alejandro coldly, giving him no space to reply. "Being bullied by his family every single day of his life would cause emotional trauma. Asher would accept any invitation towards a new and better life. What if, knowing his circumstances, the spy contacted Asher Pierce and offered him a way out? The only thing Asher has to do is provide the spy with information. Then, with the information provided, the spy has a greater chance of succeeding and eventually pulls Asher out of his poor, miserable life. What do you all think?"
The King had already begun contemplating the idea. What Lord Zacharia just said held some truth. However, there was no physical evidence that Asher has been in contact with a spy nor an eye witness. This meant that they needed to investigate this matter further.
Nikola couldn't bear the idea of her son going behind his family's backs and commit such a horrible crime. She knew her son. Asher would never do anything like this. While Nikola immediately threw this idea out of her head, Alejandro couldn't help but believe it was true. His son was indeed useless, so it wouldn't surprise him if Asher had begun to work with the spy.
"Lord Zacharia, with all due respect, I know my son. He would never do anything against his family no matter how much his father and brothers have mistreated them. Despite me knowing this, it would be inappropriate and highly offensive if I do not at least consider your hypothesis," Nikola sighed as hurt flashed in her eyes.
"I will allow you to do whatever you need to do inside my home to prove whether or not my son is innocent. I also want to keep this between us. Ian, in particular, cannot learn about this matter."
Nikola then turned to look at her husband and fiercely glared at him. "If my son ends up being guilty, I will personally hold you accountable. You are the reason why Asher is treated the way he is."
Alejandro rolled his eyes in annoyance before gazing at the King and Lord Zacharia. "My King, what do you suggest we do?"
The King opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Zacharia. "My servant shall work in the Pierce household for a few days under Asher Pierce. He will collect all of the information necessary to prove whether or not he is truly working with the enemy. General Alejandro, Miss Nikola, do you approve?"
Nikola and Alejandro promptly nodded, earning a glare from the King. "Lord Zacharia, shouldn't you also ask me for permission to carry out your plan?"
Zacharia turned to look at the King before turning away. Archer followed his master silently, his silver eyes shining under the sun's rays.
"I don't need your approval."
Leaving the three adults behind, Zacharia walked through the empty halls of the castle. Occasionally, a servant would appear and greet the young lord.
"You will stay at the Pierce household as a servant under Asher Pierce. Everything he does must immediately be reported to me. Like I already mentioned, I suspect he is working with the enemy."
"Yes, my lord."
A few hours had passed since the secret meeting. Asher, unaware that he was in the middle of a controversy, was currently resting inside the library. His head pounded as the information he just read concerning his current world sunk in.
Asher's soul had been placed inside the body of a young, mistreated boy of the Pierce family. The Pierce family had been established since ancient times, controlling the army that serves the King. Every member of the family must be proficient both academically and magic wise for them to bear the honor of being a part of the Pierce family. Unfortunately, the original Asher held no interest in the army or in developing his magical abilities, causing him to become the weakest link of the family.
The past Asher's true interests lied in his artistic abilities. Writing, poetry, painting, you name it. Behind his family's backs, Asher cultivated his love and talents for art. Thankfully, the past Asher held the same interests as the current Asher since he couldn't bear part with his love for art.
In addition to this, the world Asher now resides in is brimming with magic. There are different elements that mages can control, some of the most common ones being water, air, healing, and fire. The most uncommon is earth and the rarest and powerful ones are ice and lightning. There is also light and darkness, but those are deemed useless and can only be attained by going through an ancient trial.
Asher's mother, Nikola, is one of the most powerful water mages in Zatheusyl. Her wild and headstrong nature complements the unforgiving side of the water. Alejandro is a fire mage, but contrary to his wife, his magical capabilities aren't anything jaw-dropping. However, what made him shine was his exceeding physical abilities. Kio and Ian possess a rare element; ice and lightning respectively. Finally, Asher was originally deemed to become a powerful mage because, despite possessing only common magical elements, he was able to control both water and air. Sadly, Asher never held any interest in his magic. The current Asher, on the other hand, planned to nurture his powers. It isn't every day you wake up in a world that holds magic! It's simply a wish come true!
Asher sighed loudly as he closed the large book in front of him. He rubbed his temples as he began to walk out when a maid rushed towards him, beads of sweat running down her forehead.
"Young Master Asher, Master Alejandro has called for you and your brothers."
Nodding to the maid, he followed her as she leads him towards Alejandro's office. Unbeknownst to her, Asher wasn't dressed presentably to greet his father. Because Alejandro had told her to find the youngest master as soon as possible, she didn't pay attention to Asher's wrinkled clothing, messed up hair and barefooted feet.
Upon reaching the office, the maid opened the door revealing Asher's parents and brothers. The maid bowed before leaving, closing the doors behind her.
"Father, I am here," said Asher in a quiet voice, garnering the attention of his family members. Upon seeing the disheveled-looking boy, everyone had different reactions. Nikola stared at her son in surprise and confusion before smiling warmly. Ian smiled mockingly as he thought about how to mock the young boy once they were all dismissed. Kio, seeing as he experienced firsthand Asher's changes, wasn't surprised in the slightest. Instead, you could faintly see how his lips curled up in amusement as a strange light flashed in his emerald eyes. Alejandro narrowed his eyes at his son's appearance before scoffing in disgust, earning a glare from Nikola.
"My sons, I have called you here today to share some important news," Alejandro observed the three males in front of him before continuing.
"A spy is hiding in our household. I won't be giving out any details, but I only wish to tell you to choose carefully who you trust. That is all. On another note, Zara will be taking a few days off because of a family emergency. Seeing as she is Asher's maid, I have decided to select someone to be responsible for Asher,"
"Everyone, this is Archer Silver. He will be in charge of Asher for the time of being."
Just as Alejandro finished speaking, a young and elegant butler appeared from behind him almost as if he had magically teleported there, clearly surprising the three young masters. Asher's eyes shone with delight. While he will miss Zara, he couldn't complain of the servant that was hired to take care of him. Archer was truly a hidden gem. The bad thing is that he might not be as understanding as Zara.
Asher truly enjoyed being alone. Zara tried to always be by her young master's side, but she knew that Asher loved being alone. Whenever she felt that Asher was feeling uncomfortable, she left immediately to grant him his privacy. The idea of Archer not respecting this or understanding how the young boy works made Asher's bright eyes dim. All of this, of course, didn't go unnoticed by the new servant of the Pierce household.