Jadiel's office.
"So, Azar and my old man sent you two back?"
Ciel nodded.
"They told me to tell you that they would be spending time in the volcanic area after we returned so don't look for them unless someone's gonna die."
Although they had no choice but to let the volcano explode because the miasma had been rooted deeply into the mountain, the pair from White Night had no intention of letting this kind of poison spread any further.
Ciel would've helped if he could, even if it was to stay free in the wild a bit more, but of course he wasn't allowed to.
Well, as a half blooded fairy who hadn't even completely made sense of his own bloodline yet, Ciel had no use unless they wanted a humanoid miasma shield. Right now, Ciel could only repel—he didn't have the slightest idea how he would purify miasma.
Jadiel habitually spun his gun around his fingers.
"I know. I received Azar's fox avatar last night, saying you would be back this morning. Everyone was excited, even Ivan got up early."
He sighed.
"Well, after the children were sent home, it's been pretty quiet around here."
Ciel peered at him through his blindfold.
"Missing your brother?"
"Yea—wait, how did you know?"
Ciel shrugged. Among the group of children sent home was the small cheetah eve they had rescued on their first mission. That child had become Jadiel's small tail ever since he'd come back, and even though he had a naturally small presence, it was kind of hard to not notice a small spotted kitten always hovering around Jadiel's office.
However, it seemed that the kitty was afraid of both him and Erin, avoiding them like a plague. It wasn't a surprise why Ciel had almost forgotten about him.
"If you miss him, just let him come back as a recruit. We can't always use Dominic's men."
"That's right."
Jadiel lifted his head up, a strange glint in his one eye.
"I almost forgot about that, thanks for reminding me."
Ciel, who had completely forgotten that he had almost taken the voice of one of the new recruits, stiffened.
"Ah, yeah. So…I'll leave you to it now."
His attempt to escape failed.
"Nope. A proper apology is still needed. Go fetch Erin, we're heading to the palace."
Ciel was dangled heartlessly in the air.
'Damn, I knew he was an unreliable guardian. Who asks their child to apologize to the guy who insulted their family?'
*
.
At the palace, Ciel stared dumbfoundedly as the trainee he had slashed bowed profusely in front of him. An unknown man assumed to be his father was pressing down on the unwilling trainee's head as he bowed together with him.
"I'm incredibly sorry for my son's disrespect towards his highness's companions! He deserves to die by a thousand cuts and I'm glad you've already educated him!"
'Sorry Jadiel, I was wrong about you.'
Ciel was still in a daze as the pair were waved away by the smiling crown prince.
Jadiel patted his shoulder, sighing again at the boy's obvious shock.
"Our family knows right from wrong you know? You can trust us a little more."
"..."
Ciel took a deep breath, ignoring this obvious jab.
Jadiel laughed, it was rare for him to beat Ciel in a verbal conversation.
"I'll leave you guys to it. Come back before nightfall."
With his job done, he left neatly, very much like a dad who had just dropped his kids off to a playdate.
Ciel ignored him and asked the guy watching the show from the side.
"What did you do in this short time frame to make them submit?"
Although his whole body was shrouded in a depressed air, Dominic still answered sullenly.
"Well, a certain someone went crazy as soon as he came back, saying that he was too useless and couldn't do anything. Then, he threw a fit and initiated a duel."
'Hm?'
During that time, there were only a few people at the scene.
Looking at the shy kid resembling a puppy, Ciel couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
'Did that little boy feel guilty he couldn't help us?'
In fact, the situation was more complicated than he had expected.
A week ago.
"Your highness! I respect you like how I respect the sun and the moon. A few months ago when you were recruiting subordinates, I gladly sent you my second son, as my firstborn is gravely ill. However, I did not think you were this cruel!"
The young child's smile barely twitched as the middle aged noble's shouts reverbated within the throne room.
Seeing no reaction, the noble's face changed, tears rising up in his eyes.
"My household only has two sons, the first had both his legs crippled in a carriage accident when he was young, and he is still bedridden now. My second born was raised as the heir, and this may have given him some arrogance. But he is only 14 years old! No matter what he had done, it shouldn't have warranted his voice being silenced forever! With both our children crippled, how can a lowly count's household like ours survive?"
His words stirred up hushed whispers among the previously indifferent nobles on the sides.
"–Such cruelty at such a young age!"
"Forever silenced, does that mean our highness made him a mute?"
"The princes' deaths must have twisted the poor child's mind!"
"Didn't I say! Such a young shaman will be corrupted by the spirits!"
"Shh! If such words are heard by the young heir, I'm afraid you won't just lose your voice!"
"It really runs in their blood, doesn't it?"
"Don't forget how the first two princes died."
Dominic's ascension to the position of crown prince had already dissatisfied many families, not to mention that there would be no regent in his place while he matured. Although both his brothers were filling in that position, they were, in fact, still dead.
I know I'm not popular because of old traditions, but are they really doing this in my throne room?
Dominic was not surprised by the increasingly radical voices, and raised his hand.
The ghosts of both the eldest and the second princes materialized, stepping forward at the same time.
""—Silence!""
Although they were ghosts, their previous presence was still there. As a barely acknowledged crown prince, Dominic had spent the majority of his free time diligently growing his mana reserves. With a flick of his hands, mana flowed into the princes, adding color to their gray features.
Dark military boots echoed cleanly on the floor, and the numerous gold chains around both princes' ceremonial uniforms clinked gently together. The bright midday sun's rays shone through the large window behind the throne, and under the light, hair that was the exact same shade as Dominic's sparkled like scarlet crystals. The golden sunlight was easily reflected as if it had not landed on hair, but instead, on a precious diamond.
Nothing else was said as the nobles watched in awe as the two princes took their places standing beside the throne, just like how they had done in the past.
It was like time had rewound.
The nobles' feelings were mixed.
In the kingdom of Anatol kingdom, there were only four people with hair that reacted like this under the sunlight. Even if someone happened to have the same shade of red as the royal family, their hair would not resemble crystals under the sunlight.
Now, there was only one.
The ghosts faded away, and Dominic smiled.
"I cannot deny the facts, I was gravely shocked when I discovered what my companions had done. However—"
Not letting him finish his words, the noble lunged forward again, landing on his knees.
"Your highness! You must avenge my son!"
With his words interrupted, Dominic's eyebrows twitched.
'Those two had fought tooth and claw to gain the support of the nobles in this room, but in the end, their presence only gave me a few seconds of silence?'
Another noble stepped forward.
"Your highness, it is as you said. His son was crippled, cutting off his family line. Without a proper successor, their next generation can only become commoners. Your highness, this time, a noble count's family was broken. Your highness, your power has no bounds. At such a young age, you're able to control two full grown ghosts with their own consciousness. However, though this may not have been your highness's intentions, we must take measures to prevent another incident from happening. "
[Translation: You've caused a big mess. Even if you're powerful, you're still a child. How about we assign a supervisor for you?]
Dominic's face darkened.
'Now that I've proven that my brothers can't suppress me anymore, he wants a regent.'
His plan had backfired.
The noble continued, a greasy smile on his face.
"Your highness, we know you are close with young master Norama. But, the Norama family might feel burdened by your highness's trust. If your highness doesn't mind, archduchess Athne has been a loyal vassal for centuries. Her status is on par with the Norama dukedom and she was your mother's teacher. If your highness is willing, how about inviting her to share some advice from time to time?"
Dominic's face darkened.
His mother's teacher would only know noblewoman's etiquette, what would she know about governing a kingdom?
"Marquis Ailes, I see no—"
"Ah, your highness shouldn't disdain her for the fact that she's a woman, after all, she is the head of a matriarchal family, and has plenty of governing experience. Moreover, you are also—"
–Bang!
The doors to the conference room slammed open.
"Enough!"