“Rise for the Crown Prince Zerath!”

  Valtor bowed respectfully. The atmosphere in the office felt too stifling and cold, coupled with Zerath and Lucian's severe gazes, but he attributed that to the dreary air left behind by Malphas's funeral.

  “Drak is indeed not in Casca, correct?”

  Valtor nodded. “Yes, my lord. My knights and I took his search very seriously, but unfortunately, we didn't find any trace of him in the city. I still think that he might be a runaway…” he nervously put forth his opinion.

  Zerath shook his head. “He’s not a runaway.”

  With a grim gaze, he slid a list of names written on a parchment before Valtor.

  “He’s probably the thirteenth disappearance in the realm. There could be many more.”

  Valtor’s eyes widened, stunned. He scanned the names on the list, which were a mix of demons and demonesses with their respective ages.

  “These are all young demons in the working age class,” Zerath said.

  “Yes. Drak is also one of them. But what does this mean…?”

  Lucian said, “These are all demons and demonesses who’ve disappeared like Drak. Nobody has found them yet.”

  He gasped in disbelief. “So many? How is this possible? I never heard of such reports.”

  “Because they didn't disappear at the same time. It has spread out across over a year now.”

  Zerath pushed his chair back and stood up. With his hands at his back, he walked towards the window, staring out at the courtyard.

  “Timelines are not a pattern. They’ve disappeared from different towns and cities, days and times. It’s not easy to spot this because they’re adults and like you suspected, runaway demons are a common problem but not unsolvable. We can find them, even if they might’ve changed their identities.”

  “Indeed. There are some secret guilds who operate and help with such things in exchange for money. Casca also has these,” he coughed.

  “Yes. As much as we want to eradicate these guilds, they’re useful in their own way. They’ve their eyes and ears pretty much everywhere.”

  Valtor cleared his throat. “My lord, I had asked around in such guilds as well.”

  “I’m aware of that. And this is where the problem is. Even these guilds have never seen or met these demons who’ve disappeared. So…”

  Zerath turned. “The last link to find them cannot help us either. Essentially, now we don't have any leads on where to find them or who took them away and why. This is the first case to reach the capital city now.”

  “But I fail to understand why didn't these cases reach us sooner? Like Drak’s father, the families of these demons and demonesses must’ve raised their concerns as well.”

  Lucian took out another scroll. “They had, but the local authorities didn't quite take their complaints seriously. Almost every disappeared demon was considered a runaway in the guise of going to bigger cities for a better life.”

  Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

  Valtor coughed. “Which isn’t the case,” he added, slightly embarrassed.

  Zerath nodded. “It was when I met Sira’s mother in Nethermoor during one of my previous trips when I learned about her disappearance.”

  His eyes then narrowed. “I didn't find any personal vengeance as a reason for someone to abduct her. When I widened my search, I found that she wasn't the only demoness to disappear. The other cases looked isolated at a glance, but they were connected.”

  He turned to face him. “That’s why we need to deepen our investigation for which I need more hands and eyes on the deck. This is where you come into the picture, Captain Valtor. I know Drak is not in Casca, but I want you to continue your investigation even outside the capital city’s scope.”

  “As you command, my lord! I’ll do my best to dig out any information possible,” he stood straight.

  “Good. But I want you to keep this under wraps for now. I don't want unnecessary panic in the kingdom. Do your job discreetly and quietly.”

  —

  Zerath leaned back on his chair, pinching the space between his brows. Lucian offered him a glass of water, which he happily took to quench his thirst.

  “Problems seem to be piling up, my lord. Your burdens have increased, especially after Sir Malphas's murder.”

  Zerath sighed. “Sir Gressil and I need to investigate Eurus’s mother’s disappearance too. Why have I come across so many disappearances lately?”

  “Eurus's mother disappeared twenty years ago, which is a separate matter.”

  Zerath couldn't help but smile. “As always, you never miss the details.”

  “It just seemed to me that the workload is making you cry.”

  “It is.”

  “But you cannot club two different cases of disappearances together and see it as one big lump of a workload,” Lucian’s eyes narrowed.

  “I cannot even complain now, can I?”

  “A Crown Prince’s life is never meant to be a smooth sailing ship, my lord.”

  “You’ll be a fine King, Lucian. I believe the crown should be on your head more than mine.”

  “I’m more interested in working in the shadows, my lord.”

  Zerath arched his brow, amused. “A puppeteer works like that, doesn't he? Which begs the question - Am I your puppet?”

  “Perhaps.”

  They shared a moment of laughter, which Zerath had sincerely needed amidst the seemingly never-ending storms.

  Lucian swiftly returned to his work mode and asked, “Will His Majesty confront King Rosrell regarding Sir Malphas's death?”

  His fingers against the desk stopped tapping, Veloria's outburst invading his memories. A pinch of breathlessness visited him despite his resistance as he tried to shake off her hatred-filled gaze.

  “My lord? You don't seem well,” he blinked.

  “I’m fine, Lucian,” he feigned a smile. “No, I’ve somehow stopped Father from taking this matter to King Rosrell. I believe Elvin wouldn't be such a fool either to get himself trapped by a mere demon’s confession. Any action against them now would only come back to bite us.”

  Lucian nodded. “Only if we had some hard evidence.”

  “Did the knights find anything in the forest?”

  “Nothing, my lord.”

  “The weapon?”

  “They’ve combed through the forest thrice by now.”

  “So we’ve only Nephis's confession, which isn’t enough.”

  “But young lord Astaroth can shed some light.”

  Zerath's eyes squinted at his mention. “It's difficult. The confession connects Sir Malphas with Emberlain Convoy, but nothing connects Sir Malphas with cousin Astaroth. Yes, he hurt Princess Clairette, but Sir Balam already claims that it was out of anger, which is hard to dismiss. We are all aware of cousin’s temper. He can also claim that Sir Malphas colluded with some other demon, but before that plan could bear fruit, the ice-tide incident occurred and cousin got dragged into it.”

  “Indeed.”

  “But at the same time, we cannot dismiss cousin’s Astaroth’s involvement either. Just because he has a temper doesn't mean he cannot join hands with someone for mutual benefits. That’s why I want you to investigate him. Quietly.”

  “As you command, my lord.”

  “Be at ease when it's just the two of us, Lucian. You’re too formal.”

  “Is that another complaint, my lord?”

  “Yes.”

  “Apologies that it’ll go unresolved.”

  His brow twitched, and he eventually let out a sigh. “Anyway, I need you to make preparations for my departure to Nethermoor.”

  Lucian took a guess. “To investigate Eurus's mother?”

  “That’s the best place to start. The last time I went with Princess, I couldn't get the time to investigate it more thoroughly.”

  “Understood, my lord. The preparations shall be done.”

  Lucian retired for the day and as silence fell back in the room, Zerath leaned back on his chair, tired. He stared at the empty space ahead, Vivia flashing before his eyes. Gently brushing his finger against the golden brooch, his lips curled into a soft smile.

  “I miss you, Vivia…”