[A month later]
The city of Rix, a city located near the edge of the Hendrix Kingdom, with a population of roughly 7 thousand people. Its population was quite below average, as the average population for a city was 15 to 20 thousands. As a city near the border it was not completely surprising that its population would be low, however that wasn't the only reason.
The city's rampant crime has been a major cause of people to moving into other cities, those who could afford to start a new life in another city left it and only those who either thrived on crime or just couldn't leave and had to deal with their circumstances.
The time of day was midday with the sun being about an hour after high noon, it was summer as such it was a bit hot with hardly any breeze.
A woman with dead and lifeless eyes was engaged in a sweaty yet not so steamy sexual act with three different men in the discomfort of a back alley, those who saw her minded their business and said nothing about public indecency.
The woman could smell their horrid unwashed bodies as they took turns enjoying her no longer sacred garden, While the men were enjoying themselves, to the woman this was another day of trying to earn a living, she didn't like it, their grubby hands felt disgusting on her body but what can one do when they neither possess the skill or any knowledge that can earn them money.
Even though she could read and write and do basic arithmetic it was still difficult finding a job that was willing to hire her, she had no connections so she could only turn to prostitution, after all it was far better to have sex on your own terms than have some ugly bastard force themselves on you simply because he is your boss.
It also did not necessarily help that the city she lived in was infested with crime and corruption, and the people who lived here were those who had nowhere to go or nobles who liked the freedom of a city that was practically lawless.
In the vision of her dead fish-like eyes she saw it, just across from the alley she was in, in another alley a man was stabbed in the stomach and then was stripped clean of his belongings, leaving him bloody and naked on the floor.
The wall the woman used to lean on as she was getting ravaged was a building where two important individuals were meeting in, within one of its rooms, one decorated much like an office.
A tall, muscular, and handsome man with a thick mustache and short buzz cut hair sat on his comfortable chair behind a desk and smoking a cigar. In front of him was a middle-aged man wearing noble like clothing. He was seated on a red couch with a bit of displeasure on his face.
"I wish you'd stop smoking when I'm around."
The old man said while using his hands to blow away the smoke from his face.
"Too bad old man, if you don't like it then don't come to my house".
The man responded and blew a puff of smoke that caused the whole room to become fuzzy and foggy even more, causing the nobleman to cough up a storm and waving his hands hurriedly to dismiss the smoke.
"You're such a rude man, Barret. I came here to tell you that the prince contacted me".
"Oh! What did his majesty say? Does he want us to mess up this city even more?"
"No, but you'll need to slow your activities for a bit"
"Why? what's happening?"
"The contact said two things, the first being there's a possibility that spies from the Dreyer kingdom will be arriving in this town or are already in this town, so we need to investigate that and restrict any movement outside of the city."
"Hmm am I supposed to use my contacts and network to search for these people?"
"Yes, do whatever you need to find them, the second thing is that princess Reniella will be arriving in some time in the future to investigate the matter herself so hold off on the criminal activities until she leaves."
"What! I'm supposed to stop my business simply because some spoiled Brat is visiting, don't fuck with me old man, do you know how much money I'd lose?"
Barret asked in frustration, to slow down his business meant slowing down the import and export of his merchandise and he would have to temporarily pause the slave trade which was what earned him great amounts of money, customers and "investors" are also going to be displeased at this and he'd have to compensate them meaning he loses more money and that's something he cannot allow.
Unfortunately, the old man before him did not care for any of those things.
"The princess is not just some spoiled brat, she is perhaps one of the strongest people in this kingdom capable of destroying everything we've worked for and ruining the task we were order to do in this city"
"Fuck off old man, I don't care how strong she is, losing money isn't my style if she doe-"
Unfortunately, he was cut off before he could further elaborate as the nobleman stood from his chair and spoke to him sternly in a way that left no room for refusal or disagreement.
"You can and are replaceable, don't overestimate your worth, any money you use can be easily made back, just follow the orders you're given".
The Nobleman clarified, this ruffian's job was to ensure that the prince's plan moves as intended any objections from him were not accepted nor will they be considered, he may bark all he wants but if he proves to be a hindrance then he can be replaced.
"Why you little…"
There was burst of aura that filled the room and shook the air within it and made itself known, however a split second later it vanished like it was never there.
This was due to the sudden appearance of a woman with black long hair wearing black clothing resembling that of an assassin, her eyes were a deep amethyst, she had pitch black Hair and she had appeared right behind Barret and in her hand, she held a knife and placed it at his neck.
"Go ahead, try your luck, scum".
Her voice was laced with malicious intent that promised a swift death, small beads of sweat trickled down his forehead as he realized his situation, the cold feeling of metal against his neck reminded him about his complete lack of strength when compared to the woman.
"Fine, I'll do as the prince commands".
He said with a grimace on his face. He wasn't pleased at all, and to add insult to injury, the woman took the cigar from him mouth, threw it on the floor, and stepped on it.
"Good, now I'll be leaving, Apphia, come".
The woman quickly disappeared as the nobleman exited the room, leaving the mustache man to rage at the disrespect he was shown. He slammed his fist on the table and destroyed it completely.
"I'll fucking kill that bitch".
The rage in his eyes was clear as crystal, he didn't like being under the thumb of someone else but what can he do, it was thanks to the prince that he's even alive, the only thing he can do is be grateful for the opportunity he was given.
"Ptui!!"
He spat on the floor, he swore to kill that stupid noble man one of these days, if not for revenge, then for his pride as a former bandit.
.....
A/N:Short chapter, sorry about that.