Every nobleman of Roveaven knew that having a noble title also meant having a target on their back, which attracted any kind of hustler. Not to mention the people who easily held grudges and plotted revenge to destroy everything that the noble has in their possession, or steal it for themselfs.
For this reason the nobles had a personal guard to ensure safety. It was common to see robberies in carriages, where thieves stole the jewels or took the nobles hostage for bigger rewards. Only a nobleman who does not leave his territory would be free of such occurrence, although it is something temporary.
Of course, Magnus had been ambushed a few times since he inherited the title of Grand Duke. And for having trained fencing since childhood, he always knew how to defend himself and ensure the safety of his brothers.
Now, Magnus needed to ensure the safety of the eighth prince who was still unconscious.
Don, the coachman, took a long time to rent an ordinary carriage and pick up them. Magnus gave orders to go straight to the Imperial Palace, but to follow it to the south gate, which was close to Lucian's palace.
It was already night when Magnus finally got out of the carriage with the prince in his arms, finding the beta butler waiting anxiously at the door of the castle. As soon as Argus saw his master, he ran to the Grand Duke.
"Your Highness! Is he sleeping? Or is he feeling ill?"
"Where is his room?"
"This way, Your Grace!"
Argus led Magnus into the castle, which was only partially lit and with no servants in sight. It was wise to avoid commenting on how unsuitable that palace was for a prince to live in, though it was hard not to notice the details as he walked through the halls. It looked like an abandoned castle and haunted by ghosts.
Magnus liked that atmosphere, but unfortunately the timing was not suitable for his hobbies.
The servant of the eighth prince went up the stairs, and on the third floor he opened the door to a cold room. Magnus wasted no time, immediately approached the bed where he laid Lucian and covered him with blankets. The only lighting came from the fireplace that Argus lit when he entered the room. The servant approached the prince and watched him carefully, noticing the bruises on his neck.
"Is he hurt? Wait, what happened to His Highness?"
"Quiet" Ordered Magnus, frowning. "The Emperor and the Consort have returned?"
"Huh? I think so, Your Grace. I heard some servants comment that the Emperor took another way back, and they passed through the east gate."
"Go to the Palace of the Sun and call them urgently. I need a doctor too, we had an inconvenience on the way back."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
Argus did not wait for more orders, he just ran out of the room leaving Magnus alone with Lucian. Sighing tired, the Grand Duke leaned his swords against the wall and checked again the pulse and temperature of the alpha, as well as the wounds on his heel.
"Damn, I forgot to take care of it first. Tsk."
Looking around, Magnus looked for some piece of cloth that could tear, but there was absolutely nothing useful in that room. Rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, he left the room and wandered through the corridors until he found the dark empty kitchen, where he stirred through all the cupboards until he found a small basin and a piece of cloth.
Filling the basin with water, Magnus carried up to the room again and dipped the cloth in the water. He wiped the blood stuck to Lucian's skin, cleaned his wounds and removed the grass dirt.
"What the hell am I doing?" He grumbled staring at Lucian's face. "You're just giving me trouble..."
Remaining silent for the remainder of time, Magnus just waited for the arrival of the Emperor.
And what an arrival!
It took a long time before the door to the room was opened abruptly, showing the figure of Cassander with his face completely pale and worried countenance. Magnus raised his eyebrows when he saw the Imperial Consort for the first time wearing sleeping suits.
"Lucian!"
Cassander ran to bed, completely ignoring the presence of Magnus. He knelt in front of the prince's bed and grabbed his hand, looking at him carefully. At the door, soon appeared the Emperor and the royal doctor, expressing the same urgency as the consort.
"Where is he? What happened?"
"Excuse me, I will examine him" The doctor said when entering the room.
Magnus crossed his arms and chose to stand on the Emperor's side, close to the wall, giving room for the doctor to do his work.
"And I thought you were enjoying the rest of the afternoon to have a moment alone" murmured the Emperor.
"Maybe you're too used to leaving him on his own" Magnus replied seriously.
The Emperor said nothing. They keep in silence watching the doctor assess Lucian's condition, even if it took a few minutes. When the beta finally raised his head towards them, Magnus squeezed his fingers on his arm feeling anxious.
"The bruises on his neck look like signs of hanging, which may be why he lost consciousness. But he's out of danger."
"So he'll wake up, right?", Cassander asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will treat His Highness' wounds and observe his condition a little more, but at first he will be fine."
The Emperor let out a long sigh and pulled away from the wall going to the Consort to caress his shoulder lightly. Then the Emperor turned to Magnus with that authoritative and majestic countenance, giving him an order.
"Follow me."
The Emperor came out of Lucian's room and Magnus pulled off the wall to follow him after grabbing one of the swords. The nearest room was a rest room, where the Emperor approached a chandelier and lit it to give some lighting.
Magnus already imagined what was to come, considering the urgency of the situation. Magnus was used to seeing the Emperor frown when dealing with problems that put people's lives at risk. However, it was impressive to see him arrive at the eighth prince's palace immediately.
"What happened to Lucian?"
"Straight to the point," thought Magnus.
"A group of mercenaries attacked my carriage on the way back" Magnus took the card out of his pocket and handed it to Rehael, who read it carefully. "It looks like they had a target."
The diamond Emperor's eyes narrowed as he read the short message contained in the card.
"Were they trying to kidnap Lucian?"
"That's what it looks like. They were six, five of them tried to keep me busy when the sixth mercenary managed to catch the prince. They were well organized for a group of mercenaries."
"Which leads us to believe that they knew Lucian would be with you."
Magnus agreed to the head silently. While waiting for Don to return with the carriage, he analyzed the blade of the sword that one of the mercenaries used and that Magnus "borrowed" after defeating him. Now, he unsheathed his sword and approached the chandelier that illuminated the drawings on the blade. This detail caught the attention of Rehael, who leaned to look beyond the dry blood stains.
"Some mercenaries don't mind showing off valuables that they have obtained during robberies, although most of them avoid showing off just to stay undercover. But it seemed that they all had the same type of sword."
"What do you mean by that, Grimwood?"
Raising his crimson eyes to the Emperor, Magnus kept the expressiveness by pointing out the conclusion he reached.
"A group of mercenaries ambushed a prince and a Grand Duke, and carried swords made with details that only a nobleman could obtain. It is natural to think that the contractor is a nobleman."
Rehael remained silent for a few moments, bringing his hand to his chin as he thought of something. Magnus also looked at the sword, observing the drawing on the blade. Some blacksmiths left a small mark as signature of their creations, but that symbol of a rose does not refer to any blacksmith Magnus knew.
"Make an assessment of the material of this sword" ordered the Emperor suddenly. "and also need you to return to the ambush site. Go with a team of knights to try to find out their identity and track where they came from."
"I've already looked into it myself, and there was absolutely nothing useful about those guys that could identify them. Just the card and the swords. Even their costumes are too common."
"Haa..." Sighed the Emperor massaging his temple. "In this case, can you map the last activities of the mercenaries?"
"Do you want to try to find their meeting point? You know that there are several groups scattered in the capital, it will be difficult to find something so specific."
"I know" said the Emperor, staring at the card again crumpling it in his fingers. "But I want to know who's behind it. Try to find out where they came from."
Magnus assessed the Emperor silently, being surprised to see him care so much for one of his sons. For a moment he thought of telling Rehael about what Lucian told him, about people trying to approach him by being with Magnus. However, the omega chose to remain silent.
Based on the way Lucian had spoken, it was expected that absolutely everyone in the Imperial Palace would be suspicious. From the Emperor to the servants.
"As you wish, Your Majesty. Then I will leave right now."
"Don't you want to stay with Lucian and wait for him to wake up?", questioned the Emperor with some suspicion.
"My fiancé was wounded in front of me. So I need to vent my frustration."
The Emperor noticed the peculiar brightness coming from those crimson eyes, and the coldness in his tone of voice. The frustration of a guy who fights without caring about the blood on his clothes could be more deadly than he imagined. Magnus did not seem to mind that his white shirt was dirty with blood, nor that the swords he carried were in such a state.
What to expect from a noble man who did not care to hide his power?
"Very well. I hope you bring me good news."
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
In silent steps, Magnus walked out of that dimly lit room. Clenching his fists, the Grand Duke was frustrated that he had almost failed to protect the eighth prince.