The White Castle. The heart of Angelbay City. A majestic and imposing structure that stood on a raised platform at the highest point of the city, with a panoramic view of the surrounding landscape.
They were now on the large bridge — the only way to reach the castle. The whole area was very different from the rest of the city. This part was secluded and large enough to accommodate a few other sections, such as a big church on the adjacent side. The religious building was also an architectural masterpiece, adorned with intricate sculptures and delicate, silver-veined stone carvings.
On the other side of the castle was a beautiful garden with lush greenery and colorful flowers. The winding paths led to koi ponds with bridges spanning the clear waters. Flowerbeds lined the cliff's edge, the delicate wildflowers and coastal plants swaying gently in the sea breeze.
As Evan and Ardyn walked straight towards the majestic castle, the walls and the gatehouse loomed larger as they approached. The magnitude of the height took Ardyn's breath away, like a colossal giant that threatened to step on him.
He had never seen a building this big before in his entire life. Although he had seen his fair share of skyscrapers that seemed to reach the clouds, this one was not only tall, but wide enough to accommodate probably more than a thousand people in the vicinity.
Funny, the soldiers posted at the gates didn't seem to flinch at their presence. In fact, they seemed relaxed, with arms leisurely crossed in front of their chest. They were not holding their weapons at all.
Then again, there were also quite a few civilians nearby, chattering to themselves happily. Some were admiring the castle while some were going in and out of the nearby church.
"Hey… don't tell me…" Ardyn began to speak, the words choked in his mouth.
Were they going to enter the castle? Why else would they be here?
Or were they going to attend the banquet? But none of them seemed dressed for the occasion...
On the other hand, Evan seemed to be preoccupied with something else. "Ardyn," he said, grasping Ardyn's arm and pulling him over, "let's go this way."
Huh?
Blankly, Ardyn let himself be dragged along, though the confusion was still evident in his eyes. "Where are we going?"
Evan laughed as he went down the stairs leading to the garden. "Here, of course," he chirped, jumping down a few steps to land on the greenery with a soft thump. Apart from them, there were about three other people nearby, but they were near the edge of the cliff, busily admiring the waters.
"Uh… wait, uh," Ardyn said, confused as Evan let go of him and motioned for him to follow. "You live… beside the castle or something? Is there a greenhouse here?"
Evan chuckled. "No, no," he said, moving to one of the large bushes at the bottom of the bridge. It was a somewhat secluded area, and they had to duck through a large tree to get in. It actually looked like some kind of secret place. "I'll explain later. Here, let's go through here."
Ardyn peered over at the younger man's shoulder, scrunching his nose at the sight of the thick leaves. "Is this some kind of secret passageway or something?! We're gonna go through here? Are you serious?" he said incredulously.
They were currently standing in front of the great walls that surrounded the castle. There were no doors, and the walls were made of white stone, partially hidden by leaves and vines. It didn't take a genius to tell that there were no obvious points of entry.
It also seemed that this path would lead them to the lower part of the castle, while the road connected to the bridge provided access to the second floor.
"Yes. We're entering through here," Evan answered, chuckling again as he touched the stone wall beside the large bush with the palm of his hand.
Then, something magical happened.
Ardyn watched with his jaw dropped open as a bright white light emanated from Evan's hand, causing his sight to blur for a moment. Then, when his eyes adjusted back to normalcy, the light faded, leaving behind a sizable hole in the wall that was big enough for them to go through.
"Holy cow!" Ardyn exclaimed, eyes wide in shock. He had only seen this kind of thing in animation shows and in manga drawings, so to witness it personally himself was taking the air away from his lungs. "That's so cool!"
Evan bowed dramatically. "Thank you, thank you. Now, let's go!"
He went in first, ducking enough to get himself to fit right into the opening. With a small hop, he was inside.
Ardyn, on the other hand, was suddenly hesitant. Didn't this mean that they were sneaking into the castle? What if Evan was actually a thief and Ardyn was going to get involved in some kind of trouble?
Or what if Evan was actually a bad guy who was leading him to a place where his gang was waiting to beat him up and rob him? Was he going to die for a second time??
As if sensing Ardyn's panicked thoughts, Evan poked his head out of the opening. "Ardyn?" he asked, his voice full of concern. "What's the matter? Why aren't you coming?"
Ardyn blinked, then shook his head. I'm overthinking things again. Evan has been nothing but kind to me this whole time. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt first.
Besides, I have nowhere else to go.
"…Sorry. I'm going," Ardyn apologized and ducked into the hole, stumbling onto the stone pavement.
"All right," Evan said, going back towards the wall and casting his magic on it once more, causing the opening to shrink back into its original state.
Ardyn looked around and saw the huge castle right beside him, reaching high into the sky. It seemed he was right; they were indeed in the lower section of the palace outside.
"So," he began, turning towards Evan, "what now—"
"Prince!"
The sudden, unexpected call made Ardyn jump. He whipped his head towards the source of the unfamiliar voice and spotted a stranger running over them with urgency in his steps.
The person stared at them with a weary yet panicked expression on his face, pausing in his tracks to catch his breath. He was a tall, heavyset man about their age, with curly brown hair and an open, friendly face. He was dressed in rather fancy clothes: a golden robe worn over a crisp white tunic, complete with gold trimmings on the sleeves, and dark-colored pants.
Wait… Ardyn realized as the man's words slowly processed inside his head.
Did he just say…
…'Prince'?