The eerie silence of the night faded away as we go closer to the cell that was isolating the first prince to the outside world.
His screams of insult and curses made my sleepiness to go away.
"I can't believe he is poisoned"
"How come his highness is acting like this?"
"Sir Aiden, the reason for that it is almost time for the taker to reach his or her limit. Now, please make him drink this medicine"
"Alright"
Sir Aiden went inside the cell as he slowly approach the prince.
"Your majesty, will it be alright for Sir Aiden to do it"
"Of course. My blade is always coated with drugs that has paralytic effects. It is designed so that I won't accidentally kill someone since I am too strong"
Right, how could I forget about something so common. Perhaps it was the stress that I can't even think properly anymore.
After Sir Aiden was able to make prince Diego drink the medicine, he became limp as if there was a corpse that was being starved to death.
-Master.
'What is it?'
-Do you want me to suck away the metallic substance in his body?
'You can do that?'
-Yes. It will make the medicine take effect much faster.
'Then please do'
"Your majesty, I need you all to get out of the third floor dungeon"
"Sure"
"Really?"
"In one condition. The party for my brother's coming of age ceremony will begin at ten in the morning. And right now, it is near five. If you can promise to bring him before the party begins we will go away"
"And what if I don't manage to bring in before the party?"
"I will start a war with Loate and kill your family and friends in the most gruesome way possible"
I sure am happy to see that the empress is still the same as ever.
"I promise"
"...."
"Is something the matter, your majesty?"
"That's it? You won't swear an oath using your last name of for the pride of the kingdom of Loate?!"
"No. Why would I?"
Though I have been living here for almost four months now, I still don't get what it means to swear an oath using your last name or about something. The culture difference is too much for it to change in a matter of few months.
The empress laugh, however, unlike when she laugh in front of me previously which showed great amusement, this time, her laugh was that of a gambler's moment.
When a gambler would think and focus whether what to do as she was unsure on what decision to choose.
To trust a competent, yet totally unknown fourteen year old girl from another country who woke up from a coma not too long ago. Or to let her brother succumb to the poison that was making him suffer for his life.
Unlike the previous decisions where she put her other peoples' lives on the girl, this time, it is her brother's life.
Someone who she is deeply bonded with and someone who she deeply acknowledge.
She handed me her sword.
If the imperial crown is a symbol that indicates the wearer is the one who controls over all citizens of the empire, the imperial staff that gives authority to control the nobles, the imperial sword would be the same thing as having all authority on all knights of the empire.
"Make sure to come at the given time, Dianna"
After saying my name, with no hierarchical boundary whatsoever, she left with a constrained face and a smile.
The others followed behind the empress. Soon after, it was only me, prince Diego, and Almas in the third floor dungeon.
'You can do it now, Almas'
-Understood!
The rat crawled towards the prince who was simply suspended in the air.
Almas bit the prince and began to suck the prince's blood.
'You are not going to suck the poison by drinking his blood, are you?'
-Not at all. While I am sucking this man's blood, it also goes back inside. I am simply purifying his blood.
How does that even work?
I should just forget all about it. This is a fantasy world where vampires exist, so anything can happen, I guess.
I took a short nap while Almas was busy purifying prince Diego's blood.
An hour later, Almas returned to me and woke me up by pulling my hair. The pain is indeed usable at waking someone up.
-I finish purifying his blood, master.
'Good work'
I looked closer at the prince who was still suspended on the air. His complexion is now looking much better than earlier. His face lost the tension he had while he was being all aggressive due to the Daitikos.
I left the cell and decided to go to the surface, but before stepping on the stairs, I found John who was fiddling with his fingers.
"You were here?"
"You didn't felt my presence?"
"How can I when I'm too tired. Did you sleep?"
"A bit"
"Well, I hope you still have some energy to bring the prince to a vacant room in the palace without being detected"
"Of course I can. There is a reason why no one has ever landed an attack on my back before, you know"
"I don't want to hear that from the one who was hit a rat on the head by some fourteen year old girl"
After laughing it off, he unshackled the prince and wrap him up using a big cloth, which I don't know where he pulled it from.
"You sure no one would suspect us?"
"Well, considering the fact that the servants always see me carrying corpses around, it would be normal for them to think that this is just another one of those instances"
Wow, I suddenly feel bad about the servants here in the imperial palace. No wonder the servants in the emerald palace, who came from the imperial palace were happy to live a 'normal' everyday life.
As we go around, though they did whispered behind our backs, they paid us no mind and did not question us why John was carrying a body. Perhaps they thought that it was normal that someone would dare to ruin the coming of age ceremony of the first prince which is why they continue on working instead.