Meanwhile, the boy who seemed to have it all, moved his eyes from the window to his back. His eyes narrowed to see an enigma of a servant he had previously ordered.

“Your Highness, you need to hear this…”

“What is it this time, Elmias…” Eran couldn’t help but narrow his eyes since the shadow assassin he thought would have done his job was kneeling completely in front of him as if a grave sin he had committed befitting that of punishment.

“Y-You H-Highness, I didn’t mean to notice this but…” again Elmias paused to take a breath then gulp but that stance made him choke in his saliva by the time that Eran had already made his move.

The young crown prince was already in front of the shadow assassin gripping tightly to his neck as if breaking Elmias’ neck would satisfy him to erase the doubt for tonight’s mission and yet, the eyes never lied.

Elmias was stuck by looking directly at the moon, just behind Eran’s back, and not even braving himself to look directly at Eran.

By the time Eran had enough, he shoved Elmias as if he wouldn’t rebel against this young boy’s actions, and Eran was indeed perfectly correct.

No one will ever harm a royal member, not the slightest when they are handed the secret down to the imperial household family.

Eran’s eyes shone as if they are engulfed with fire. It is the exact depiction of an unquenchable thirst from his curiosity.

Yet, he barely even heard Elmias struggle with his coughing as Eran stamped his heart a few times to make the shadow assassin remember his place.

When Elmias finally decided to say the words despite the pain he’s been enduring, Eran’s eyes doubled their size a complete one-second freeze before finally backing away from the torn assassin.

“Your H-Highness, t-the young master of the C-Corest household, had meddled with your plans a-and before I could even do something to them, there is t-this individual blocking my moves on g-getting the lady…”

Silence overwhelms the surrounding and before Elmias know what to do, he became frozen on the spot.

A laugh so impenetrable that it can even destroy one’s eardrum reverberated within the corners of the room. Despite the knowledge that any noises could be heard, Eran didn’t mind.

His laughter served as a warning though to the shadow assassin and in one swift movement, Elmias was already gasping for air as his whole body had been controlled by this invisible string of magic.

Veins continued to pop in his face, as his whole body became red.

“Then you should have done better this time. But I guess, your time isn't yet enough since you just got me some piece of news I could use…” Eran finally let go of Elmias as the assassin fell to the ground gaping as if he had been revived from the dead.

Seeing this invisible force, and yet dark mists surrounding the crown prince, Elmias’ eyes shivered. He knew that he would never betray the young boy because if he did, he wouldn’t be able to escape hell.

He knew from the first time he laid eyes on the boy that he is crimson.

“Now, tell me more about how these two people met, I guess there’s a lot of time left… oh and don’t keep me waiting Elmias, my hunger would be dangerous…”

 

***

 

“Why can’t you even speak for a moment, Deim? If you’re going to hide these things from me in the first place then it should have been better if you didn’t say those words----” Celia wanted to warn Deim. She wanted to let him know that she was tired of playing the same games he used when they went to that temple.

However, with Deim’s hands back on her shoulder, Celia could only open her mouth without uttering any words at all.

There’s confusion written all over her face, that wasn’t all. She wasn’t prepared to hear something from behind her that made Deim pull her. Now that he was within his chest, he uttered some words and Celia doesn’t even know if it is some name or some symbol’s name.

Yet, just after hearing that vague words, Celia’s eyes couldn’t be wider than now upon seeing a shadowy motion moving to her behind.

As she wanted to turn and look at what was going on, Deim’s hands continued to control her head until the screeching sound came to a halt and now, Deim knelt in front of the lady sitting on the ground stumbling a second later after the creepy noise stopped.

“What was t-that?” Celia uttered and yet, Deim only managed to narrow his eyes.

After a second of observing the lady, Deim knew that it was impossible to explain everything to her, and that made him carry her like a bride in a dark aisle.

“What are you doing, Deim!”

“Shh, if you continue to shout those figures will continue to hunt us…”

“Then explain it to me in the right words, Deim. Since you came halting me to that place, you’re acting weird, and earlier, when you pull me over, what is that---”

“Figure? Well, it’s not the right time as I will explain everything to you when we get there, Celia”

“There? Where is even there?”

Just when Celia was about to know the answer, Deim’s mouth came to a gap, but no words came after. His facial expression changed and instead of being worried, he seemed to be cold.

Celia knew that expression ell, and it is described in the novel where the original Celia died. However, Celia right now, heaved a sigh since that cold stare wasn’t directed at her.

Yet, that made her puzzled, if that stare wasn’t directed at her, then who was it directed from? When Celia turned her head to look at whom Deim was looking at, a voice of laughter came springing out of the dark empty looking hallway.

“It seems that you, Deim continue to meddle in my affairs, right now…” The voice is deep, low, like a seductive whisper. But for Celia, she felt as if she had been bathed in cold water.

The appearance was enough to distinguish that the person right in front of them is no other than the crown prince. The moon’s light beamed right into his appearance making his chestnut brown hair shine like silver and his emerald eyes whisper some charms that Celia knew made her heart skip a beat.

Was it because her body wasn’t hers, to begin with, or was it because a part of Celia’s, the original villainess’, emotions are still intact for that young boy?

Shaking her head while turning it to Deim made her sure that she was just fine and the feeling of her heart skipping a beat earlier was nothing of a sort of just seeing how gorgeous the young boy was.

But for Deim, he had seen all that he needed to see, to know his confirmation. Even though he had heard some awful news about the lady, he also heard that she liked the crown prince.

Seeing the lady’s expression earlier just confirmed his suspicion but not the part where he knew about her bad attitude.

Deim’s eyes couldn’t help but to narrow and his grip on her tightened. It’s as if he felt as if his heart has been ripped apart.

“Well, if it wasn’t the two of you. I wonder why my partner hasn’t arrived yet at the designated place it turns out that she had this rendezvous with one of my friends, right Deim?” Eran said.

He was testing the lady if Celia would just deny everything and run over him just like how she always does.

Eran even knew that she was the one who suggested being engaged with him. That’s when he discovered how obsessed she was with him. Gladly, the process was still slow and they weren’t even officially engaged in paper without the emperor’s confirmation.

Seeing Celia be torn and break her attitude in front of him as if all that she’s been doing was just a façade to capture his attention made him vomit.

However, Eran knew that he could still use her, and her family until he provided them the exact ruins he had in mind.

Eran’s grin became wider after seeing how torn Celia was like she was biting her lower lips, however, after a second, the crown prince widened his eyes never expecting what the young lady said.

“Deim, would you please let me down, I promise I wouldn’t do anything to trouble us”

“But, you could---”

Celia cut Deim’s words by sighing. Then after a few more seconds, she looked straight into the young boy's eyes and then smile. Though that smile never reached her ears.

“I know what I’m doing and from now on just trust me. Friends should trust one another, okay?” Celia’s voice was warm and convincing that Deim became speechless. Instead of looking at Eran, Deim’s gazes focused on Celia and how she turned her back from him to face Eran, whose expression seemed to see a ghost.

“Your Highness, it was rude of me to greet you at this late hour. I do apologize for it. However, I wanted to go to that room to discuss something important to you …” She paused and looked straight directly into Eran’s eyes.

This time, she wasn’t like her old self throwing her arms around Eran and trying to kiss him. Right now, Eran felt as if she was a changed young lady. She felt different from her previous doings.

It’s as if she had matured from her past actions and what’s left to do for him was agape.

He wasn’t expecting the sudden change of the lady…

“I guess this would be the right time now… Your Highness, I Celia from the Crenst household would like to apologize for my past mistakes. From now on, I am renouncing my like of being engaged with you, I hope for your consideration, Your Highness”

“Did you hear that Eran?”