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At first, Rufus was confused when Jasper Hawthorne, still the youngest duke in the empire, approached him stealthily in the garden in front of the banquet hall.

He was looking for Hanna when the young duke approached him.

Jasper Hawthorne wasn’t invited to the banquet celebrating the foundation day of the Royal Moon Academy because he wasn’t an alumnus. And the fact that the young duke was wearing a dark robe over some simple clothes was a clear sign he sneaked in.

It seemed like it was an urgent matter.

[Duke Hawthorne may be young, but he’s still a duke like me. He won’t pull a prank on me because he knows it can lead to a war between our families.]

“You’re not the type of person who will approach me for nothing,” Rufus said carefully. “What is it that I need to know this urgently, Duke Hawthorne?”

Jasper Hawthorne looked confused. “Are you just going to trust me blindly, Your Grace?”

“Of course not,” he said. “I just know I can trust the words of an information guild owner.”

.....

The young duke looked surprised.

[Ah, right. It’s supposed to be a secret.]

“Yes, I found out you’re the owner of a large information guild while I was looking for the former Emperor Nikolai a few years back,” Rufus explained. “But don’t worry. I didn’t tell anyone about it, and I have no intention of doing so.”

“It’s a warning, isn’t it?” Jasper Hawthorne asked. “You revealed you know my secret to let me know you’d expose it if I lied to you.”

He smiled at the young duke’s sharpness. “You can think whatever you want to think.”

“I wouldn’t lie to the father of my precious business partner.”

Rufus was aware that Hanna had been working with Jasper Hawthorne for the past few years. Hence, he decided to trust the young duke even though he was a little suspicious. “Duke Hawthorne, let’s not waste time on trivial stuff more than we already had.”

“I received a piece of information from my people stationed in the slums,” Jasper Hawthorne said in a serious tone. “Apparently, they saw a member of the South’s Pirates abducting Lady Hanna Quinzel.”

Rufus grabbed Jasper Hawthorne by the collar. “Bring me to my daughter now!”

***

AND THAT was how Rufus arrived at the slums in just a few minutes.

Jasper Hawthorne already left to hide because he wanted to hide his identity as the owner of a large information guild.

It didn’t matter to him, though.

In the corner of his eyes, he could see Regina and Rubin Drayton. To be honest, he had a lot of questions for the two. However, his attention was focused on the man with golden eyes who was holding the unconscious Hanna in his arms.

Rufus’ face hardened. “Lad, give me back my daughter while I’m still asking nicely.”

He had expected a confrontation, so he immediately grabbed his scabbard.

However, much to his shock, the kidnapper bowed to him politely.

“Good evening, Duke Quinzel,” the pirate greeted him respectfully. “I apologize in advance, but I need to take Lady Hanna with me. Don’t worry, I’ll feed her well.”

For some reason, hearing the pirate talk to him politely lessened his anger.

Before he knew it, he was already calm even though the abductor had his precious daughter in his arms.

[Why do I feel like I could trust this person?]

He must be crazy to think he could trust his daughter’s kidnapper.

[I heard pirates are barbaric. But this person in front of me…]

[Snap out of it, Rufus Quinzel!]

Rufus drew his sword and as soon as he did, the entire blade was soon covered by shadows. He could have summoned his Shadow Beasts, but he didn’t want to hurt Hanna accidentally. “I already warned you–”

He was surprised when he heard gunshots.

Hence, he moved his sword to block the bullets. However, the bullets went past him. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw Regina and Rubin Drayton getting pushed back by the gunshots that seemed to be targeting the two.

[The kids…]

“Uncle Rufus,” Regina said worriedly. “Please don’t worry about us and just save Lady Hanna!”

Rubin Drayton nodded in agreement. “I’ll protect Regina, Duke Quinzel.”

He felt sorry for the children, but Hanna was more important to him at the moment. Both Regina and Rubin Drayton were capable of fighting anyway.

Rufus then faced the pirate again.

But, much to his shock, he realized that the kidnapper had already closed the distance between them.

He unconsciously took a step backwards.

“I’m taking the future Crown Princess with me as a sign of rebellion.”

“Rebellion?” Rufus asked, knitting his eyebrows. “Against the Empress Dowager?”

After all, as the senior member of the Royal Family, the Empress Dowager had the most authority in the palace at the moment.

“I wouldn’t waste my time on someone as insignificant as the Empress Dowager.”

His eyes widened a bit. “Did you just call the Empress Dowager “insignificant?””

“An insignificant puppet, to be precise,” the pirate explained. “Duke Quinzel, tell the Crown Prince that I won’t return the future Crown Princess until he gets himself together.”

“What?”

“I won’t return Lady Hanna while the Crown Prince is still living like a fool.”

“Is that what you mean when you said you’re starting a rebellion?”

“That’s right,” the pirate said, nodding. “You should also get yourself together, Duke.”

He knitted his eyebrows. “And what do you mean by that?”

“Why do you trust Regina Crowell and the current royal family?” the pirate asked. “You should protect the Crown Prince from Calyx Dalton.”

“What–”

“She’s coming back,” the pirate said, cutting him off. “The future empress is coming home soon, so I hope you get back to your senses soon.”

The future empress?

[Argh!]

Rufus clutched his head tight when he suddenly had a splitting headache.

At the same time, pieces of clouds suddenly began to cover the pirate and his daughter.

[No…]

Rufus tried to grab Hanna, but he felt himself quickly losing consciousness.

[Hanna…]

***

“REGINA, just what in the world happened?!”

“I’m so sorry, Aunt Amber,” Regina said to the hysterical Duchess Quinzel. “Lady Hanna said she wanted to go to the night market in the commoners’ area, so I asked Lord Rubin to accompany. We didn’t know we would be ambushed by pirates who traveled all the way here just to abduct the future Crown Princess…”

That was the story that Regina and Dilan (in Rubin Drayton’s body) had come up with.

After all, they had to return to the Quinzel Mansion with the unconscious Duke Rufus Quinzel with them.

The duke didn’t fight Lewis Crevan, but the two had a long conversation.

Unfortunately, Regina and Dilan didn’t hear what Lewis Crevan said to Duke Quinzel.

[There was a thick fog around Lewis Crevan and Duke Quinzel when they were talking. That stupid fog served as a soundproof barrier.]

The person who shot Regina and Dilan nonstop was probably the one who controlled the mist, too. If her hunch was correct, then that person could be Jeno Dankworth. He was the only one who could wield a gun and control clouds, after all.

[Princess Neoma’s people are showing up one by one, huh?]

“My baby…” Duchess Quinzel whispered between sobs while clasping her hands together. “My baby was kidnapped… and my husband came home unconscious…”

[Is she going to break down?]

Regina had always thought Duchess Amber Quinzel was weak mentally.

Hence, it was easy for her to manipulate the duchess even without using any kind of spell or medicine.

[It’s such a shame that Duke Quinzel witnessed Hanna Quinzel being “kidnapped.”]

If Hanna Quinzel was just taken away by Lewis Crevan without any other witnesses aside from Regina and Dilan, then Regina would have told Duke and Duchess Quinzel that their daughter was killed by the pirates.

[That would have made it easier for me to swallow up Hanna Quinzel’s inheritance.]

.....

But no.

Since Duke Quinzel witnessed Hanna being kidnapped, then Regina couldn’t claim that the Quinzel Heiress had died.

[Dilan tried to manipulate Duke Quinzel’s memories, but it didn’t work.]

Unfortunately, they couldn’t figure out why Dilan’s power didn’t work because Jaxson Emmett and the Black Hawk Knights found them. Apparently, the duke instructed the Quinzel Knights to follow him before he left the banquet.

“Sir Emmett.”

Regina snapped out of it when she heard Duchess Amber’s firm voice when she summoned the Vice-captain of the Black Hawk Knights. And when she got a good look at the duchess’ face, she felt a shiver down her spine.

“Gather the entire troop,” Duchess Amber said firmly, her green eyes glowing dangerously. “I will lead the search for my precious daughter.”

Jaxson Emmett bowed his head. After all, when the duke was out of commission, the Quinzel Knights were instructed to follow the duchess’ will. “As you command, Your Grace.”

Regina didn’t want to admit this, but perhaps she was wrong about Duchess Amber being mentally weak.

[Or perhaps the duchess is just too scared to lose Hanna Quinzel.]

***

[MY NAME is Taylor Taylor.]

It might sound like a joke, but Taylor chose that name himself because he didn’t like the sound of Crowell or de Luca as a last name.

He wasn’t a part of the two main families, anyway.

However, just because he wasn’t a part of the two main families didn’t mean he sucked at his job.

For the past five years, he was stationed to guard the cave where Princess Neoma de Moonasterio and the others had disappeared to. According to his bosses, the forgotten royal princess might return anytime using the same “door.”

Hence, it was his duty to kill Princess Neoma as soon as she stepped out of the cave.

[It’s okay. I have one thousand elite assassins with me. Even if she’s a de Moonasterio, she can’t come out unscathed after getting attacked by a thousand men–]

His thoughts were interrupted when suddenly, he heard footsteps from inside the cave.

“Men, get ready,” Taylor Taylor yelled while drawing his sword. “Someone is coming out of the cave!”

His thousand men yelled as a response but–

THUD.

THUD.

THUD.

Huh?

The mean on the frontline began to collapse one by one.

[No, they just didn’t collapse– they’re dead already!]

Taylor Taylor had good eyesight. Hence, even though he was in the rear, he could see that the people on the vanguard were dying one by one while grabbing their necks as if they couldn’t breathe. And when the victims fell to the ground, their bodies had already shriveled as if life was sucked out of them literally.

He rarely got goosebumps, but he did get one this time.

Taylor opened his mouth to speak to the enemy, but he realized that breathing suddenly became PAINFUL.

[Why…]

“Trevor, how many people are here again?”

Huh?

Although Taylor was dying, he couldn’t help but notice that the voice he heard just now sounded so beautiful in his ears.

“A thousand men, Princess Neoma.”

Taylor’s eyes widened in shock.

[Princess Neoma de Moonasterio!]

Taylor Taylor was shocked when two people came out of the cave– a male and a female who were both so good-looking.

Especially the lady.

White hair, ash-gray eyes, skin as pale as the moon…

[It’s really Princess Neoma!]

Taylor Taylor had always thought that the rumors about Princess Neoma’s beauty were an exaggeration. But now, he could clearly see that people didn’t lie when they said the royal princess could rival the Goddess of Beauty herself.

[So beautiful… yet so dangerous-looking…]

“A thousand men? Only a thousand?!” Princess Neoma asked as if she was offended, then her beautiful ash-gray eyes turned glowing red. “This is so embarrassing! At least a hundred thousand enemies should have come and greeted me just like how Luffy fought one hundred thousand fishmen!”

Uhm, what?

Taylor Taylor couldn’t help but think Princess Neoma was a little weird.

However, those thoughts of his were soon forgotten when he saw what appeared behind the royal princess.

It was a gate.

To be precise, a Hellgate.

Taylor Taylor only had one thought then.

[Tonight is the night I’m going to die, right?]

***

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