"God fucking damnit!!"

Inside a particular room in the royal castle in Belmont, the loud and harsh voice of someone could be heard echoing. 

With his crimson red hair fluttering, he forcefully shoved the numerous books atop his table down on the floor.

"Why the fuck do I have to read all of these?!? I'm the Prince!" He complained as he clutched his fists and slammed them on the table.

"If it weren't for that damned servant!! I could be hanging out with my fiancé!"

The first prince and heir of the Seraphim Kingdom, Claude Von Sera Belmont, was currently undergoing tutoring from the one in charge of the Belmont family's army, Marquis Beaufort.

Normally noble children are supposed to let loose and have fun before their life at the academy starts, but because of his altercation with a servant at his debut, the red haired prince was reprimanded and forced to study during this crucial time. 

"Not to worry your highness." Answered someone from the sides. 

He quietly moved towards the piles of books on the ground and stacked them up one by one before bringing them back to the table. 

"I'm sure that lady Juliette feels the same."

Although still a little shorter than Larc, the boy was noticibly taller than the Prince. He had dark blonde hair that was neatly kept, while his attire was more fitting for a knight than a noble. His body was relatively well kept and his hands were rough, indicating that he had been diligent with training. 

His name was Morris Von Beaufort, the second son of Marquis Beaufort and the self proclaimed right hand man of Claude.

In an incredibly snide manner, the Prince crossed his arms and puffed out his chest.

"Damn right she does. I'm sure she wanted to mess around as well!" He proclaimed as he sat down with a grin.

His face however suddenly changed from arrogant to irritated as he did, as if he remembered something.

"Fuck! If it wasn't for that fucking servant of hers! Fuck!" He lashed out once again. 

"Once I become king, I'll make sure to get rid of that good for nothing bastard."

The Prince continued as he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. 

As if figuring something out, Morris slowly walked over to the Prince. He kneeled Infront of him and firmly placed his hand to his chest.

"My prince" He said as he looked up to the crimson haired boy. 

"If I may, I can teach that servant a lesson, make him see the difference between us nobles and them."

With wide eyes Claude tapped his shoulders and stood up. 

"That's good, Morris! That's a great idea!" He exclaimed. "Once we enter the academy, they'll have less time with each other. We'll strike then!"

"As expected of Prince Claude." Morris answered as he offered a bow.

Clenching his fists, Claude walked towards the window and gazed into the horizon. 

"Just you wait, Larc." He muttered as he activated his magic and produced several hovering fireballs in his palm. "I'll put you in your damn place."

+++

Somewhere far east, a man clad in pure white armour and robes could be seen on top of a hill gracefully riding his bircorn which had two conspicuously large horns on the sides of its head. 

Although the man's old age was evident due to his gray hair, his body was still very well built. With a scar running down from the top right of his forehead all the way to his nose, the man gazed at the sight below him.

Thick black smoke rising high up into the clouds as an entire village burned violently.

With a solemn look on his face, the man gestured with his hand the letter "V" and muttered. 

"May the light of Vanos guide your souls." 

After offering a brief silence, the man urged his bicorn to turn around and move towards a group of soldiers awaiting him at the distance.

With an ornately designed letter "V" etched into their silver armour, the soldiers stood fast and restrained a man kneeling down.

Walking up to them, the white robed man's eyes laid on the soldiers, and then travelled to the kneeling man. 

It was quite evident that the man had just been in battle. His clothes were torn, while his body was full of bruises and cuts. The most conspicuous part of the man however were the dog-like ears on top of his head as well as the dog-like tail on his behind.

A beastman from the canis tribe.

But even after all of this, the beastman's eyes still burned with passion. He bared his fangs and struggled with all his might, to no avail.

Seeing this, the white robed man got down from his bicorn and kneeled down in front of the beastman.

"So this is the only survivor?" He asked in his raspy voice. "Where are the others?" 

"He was the only one we found, your grace." Answered one of the soldiers.

Measuring up the kneeling beastman, the white robed man stood up and gestured for his soldiers to release him. 

"Where are the others of your kind?" He asked the injured beastman. "Dogkins never travel alone, where's the rest of your pack?"

The beastman stood up and looked at the robed man with bloodshot eyes.

"You fucking murderer." He answered in a low blood curdling voice. "You massacred the villagers! Why?!"

In response, the white robed man clenched his fist.

"Why, you say?" He answered in a low cold voice.

Suddenly, he moved towards the beastman with blinding speed and struck him right in the face, knocking the beastman down and breaking his nose in the process. 

The white robed man then grabbed the beastman by the throat and lifted him into the air.

"It's because of you, isn't it?" The man's face was burning with anger. "You caused their deaths, you think I wanted to kill them?!."

"Gah-- kuh-- haa--" The beastman struggled as his windpipe was slowly squeezed. 

But even this wasn't enough to deter him. He forcefully grabbed the white robed man's arm and dug his claws into the armour.

"T-the.. village.. gah-- gah-- was.. haa-- i-innocent."

Hearing this, the furious expression on the man's face turned to sadness. He white let go of the beastman and nonchalantly fixed his vambrace that was disheveled.

After catching his breath, the beastman once again slowly stood up.

"The villagers.. they were.. your own people." He said in an exhausted voice. 

"They were honest, good.. people.. and you massacred them!!" He screamed at the white robed man.

In response, the white robed man merely looked to the skies with teary eyes. If not for the bloodstains on his armour, one might see him as holy.

"The villagers betrayed the great God Vanos when they harbored you." He answered while closing his eyes.

"I had to kill them in order to bring them back to the Great God's side." He continued as he looked at the beastman's eyes. "It was an act of mercy."

Hearing this, the beastman's rage erupted. He mustered up all of his remaining strength and charged at the white robed man.

"You bastard!!!" He bellowed.

The white robed man on the other hand showed no signs of panic or distress. Without even uttering a single word, he casually held up his hand and blew away the beastman with an invisible force. 

"Gah!" Exclaimed the beastman as he tumbled a good distance.

Although he wanted to continue fighting, he could feel that some of his ribs were broken. Just trying to breathe was causing him immense pain. 

The white robed man then drew close to him and hunched over. 

"The blood of the villagers are in your.. paws." He said in a low cold voice. 

"I'm gonna ask you one last time." He continued as he drew his sword that was ornately designed. "Where's the rest of your pack?"

"Haa-- haa-- Fuck--"

Before he even finished his words, the white robed man lopped his head off with a clean swipe. 

He reached out his hand as a soldier handed him a cloth.

"Dispose of this mutt, we're heading for the next village." He said as he wiped the blood off of his sword. 

Just as he was mounting his bicorn, a messenger hawk suddenly arrived and perched on the arm of one his soldiers.

The man carefully placed his hand over the metal capsule attached to the bird's leg and drew out a small magic circle. After decoding it, the metal capsule produced a small scroll.

"Where's that from?" The white robed man asked as he walked towards the soldier.

".. It's from the Seraphim Chapter, your grace." The soldier answered as he handed the scroll over. "They say they lost contact with reverend Castor, the one they sent to Carmine in order to raise a hoarder."

"Carmine, you say?" The white robed man muttered as he crumpled the piece of paper. 

"Then that means the anti-mage got him." He continued as he walked towards his bicorn once again and mounted it. "He's not coming back, not in one piece atleast."

"Send back a message to the Seraphim Chapter, tell them to withdraw all Vanosian agents we have in Carmine, avoid that place at all costs..." 

He paused before looking back at the still twitching body of the beastman. 

"For now."

The white robed man then turned his mount around and faced his soldiers once again.

"Also." He remarked while readying his stead. "Activate the execution spell on brother Castor, we must not let the anti-mage learn of our plans."

"At once, your grace."

"Sobat, I appoint you as my regent, continue the pursuit of the dogkins towards the next village, if you find any evidence of them colluding with the beasts, purify them."

"By your will, your grace."

"I must return to the citadel, his holiness the Pope must hear of this." The white robed man said as he turned around and rode to his destination. 

+++

Inside the worker's lodgings in the Carmine estate in Sundgard, Larc was currently sitting on his desk, admiring the ornately designed box on top of it. 

"I wonder if my lady would find it desirable." 

After picking up his gift for Juliette, Larc and Claudia continued on with their little "date" around the city.

Although it was quite enjoyable, nothing particularly noteworthy really happened. It was just as if two normal commoners would spend time together around the city. 

The two went home shortly after in order to prepare for Juliette and Jorgé's return.

Because today was Juliette's debut, she and her brother, as well as her brother's fiancé, princess Camilla, made the trip towards Veerwood Lake, the ancestral home of House Carmine as per their family tradition. Afterwards they would return to the estate and celebrate the young lady's debut into the aristocratic world.

Even the Duke and Duchess, whom have since moved into the capital and entrusted the territory in Jorgé's capable hands, would be returning today, so it's natural that the servants are a bit uneasy. 

Just as Larc was lounging about in his room, he heard a sudden knock, followed by the angry voice of a woman whom in Larc's own words, past her prime. 

"Larc! Open up!"

Lazily walking towards the door, Larc opened it with an annoyed look to his face.

"What's your problem, miss Milin?" He answered begrudgingly. "shouldn't you be preparing for lady Juliette's return?"

"The preparations are complete! Unlike you, I don't take my duties lightly!"

Hearing this caused a vein to appear on Larc's forehead. Although he held Milin in high regards, he'd be damned if anyone questioned his ability to serve his mistress.

"You know I take my duties to my lady, very seriously."

"Seriously enough to go behind her back and escort the princess?"

"!! Wha?!"

Hearing Milin's rebuttal greatly surprised Larc. He was thought by sir Alford to be extremely honourable, but he was also thought how to be covert. He was surprised that Milin knew of his little "expedition."

Trying to keep his calm, Larc tried to play it off.

"I don't know what you're talk--"

"Oh don't give me that, brat!" 

"!"

Milin then entered the room and forcefully slammed the door, greatly surprising Larc. It was common knowledge that Milin and Larc frequently buttheads with one another, its a common occurrence in lady Juliette's entourage, but this time however, was different.

Milin was furious.

"Have you no shame?!" She exclaimed.

"Wait I--"

"What if people recognized you two?!?"

"But--"

"What would you do if lady Juliette were to hear word of this?!"

"Kuh! I--"

"Do you know how big of a scandal this is?!"

"Yes, but--"

"Should the royal family find out about this, you would very well be executed!"

Larc was blasted by Milin.

He wanted to retort, but Milin's tirade was non stop. In the end, he was forced to just sit on his bed and be scolded like a little child. 

After a while, Milin finally let out all of her frustrations and calmed down.

She took a chair over to the table top beside the bed and took a sit.

With an annoyed look to her face, she rested her chin on her palm, an awkward silence filled the room as the handmaiden just stared at the young butler. 

"Larc."

"?"

The first to speak was Milin. 

Larc hesitated to look at first because he believed that Milin would berate him again. But when he did look at the handmaiden's direction, what he saw was a look of sadness and disappointment.

"Do you remember why and how you became my lady's personal butler?" She asked in a low voice.

"Yes, I do." He answered as he looked down on the ground.

Of course he did, how could he forget. That was the day he was born. When the mind of Ryouma and the boy from the slums became one. It was the day that he saved Juliette, and Juliette saved him.

"Then you know just how much you mean to my lady, yes?"

"..Yes."

After hearing Marc's answer Milin straightened her sit and looked at him with serious eyes.

"If you do then please don't do anything that would hurt the young lady." She asked with concern on her face, kind of like how an elder sister would look after her younger sister.

"She means a lot to me, both as a servant and as a family. I'd do anything for her, do you understand that, Larc?"

"... Yes."

"I hope you don't forget, everything about us belongs to our lady. If you understand then it's good."

Milin then stood up and tapped Larc's shoulder before heading towards the door. 

Just as she was about to exit though, she looked back and sent a glance towards Larc's direction.

"I will not say anything to my lady." She said while looking back. 

"I'll leave it in your hands. Whether you say anything or not is up to you, I just hope that you'd do the right thing." She continued before proceeding to exit and close the door, leaving a sullen Larc alone in the room.