Twelve years. That's how long Keith had served the third prince. Four years as a trainee, eight as the head butler. He had seen the prince grow up from a troublesome younger brother to a highly uncooperative and rebellious younger brother.
Unfortunately, he wasn't old enough to compare him like a parent like most other staff members.
This young butler was one of the few who agreed that the palace was too big.
Too much area to cover. Unnecessary rooms to clean. It was too much work. Add the troublesome master into that equation, and it was a bad work condition altogether. Keith was a subject of pity to the staff from other palaces.
Someone as talented as him clearly could have served at a better place. The first prince's palace, for example. Not only would it be calmer, but it would also hold a better future since he was the most likely to be the next king.
Unbeknownst to them, the staff at Ioannis's palace were quite happy with their circumstances. The said unruly prince had made sure to increase their salaries enough to make the shenanigans seem mild. And he didn't treat them badly despite what outsiders thought.
It wouldn't be too far-fetched to say he treated the staff at his home better than the nobles. Keith was years behind in experience compared to the older butlers, but he was paid a lot more than many.
The prince hated working, but was a good employer. Every staff member at this maze with furniture shared the sentiment.
But that didn't mean they didn't have their fears.
In the beginning years of the job, Keith had multiple near-heart attacks. Cause what do you mean the ten-year-old fell off a wall? How did that even happen?
Out of all the pets in the world, he wanted to raise a tiger? He definitely heard him planning to set it off against the guards.
By the age of thirteen, Ann was already throwing death threats in all directions. Keith still remembered the gardeners being fired cause they planted too many roses.
He did warn them, but well.
Compared to everything else, not finding the prince in his room in the morning had become mild.
Setting aside the first time he found the room empty and sent forth a chain of panic throughout the palace, after being through it nearly a hundred times now he knew what to do.
Keith had a detailed data map on how to deal with each situation.
Firstly, inform the guards and look for him within the area. At the same time, send a message to the main palace just in case. The head of security was no joke; he was sure to find and bring him back within an hour or two.
Secondly, don't panic; he would be safe within the palace, no matter what he did.
Thirdly, don't inform the rest of the family in a fit of panic. That was the endgame.
Keith dealt with this calmly, because what use was panic? That just made people more inefficient.
So how were the guards supposed to react when the same composed person was throwing a fit of terror? Running to the first prince's palace with nothing other than the words to say. Words that made less sense by the minute.
"What happened?" Ceron had jumped out of bed after hearing the commotion. But when he saw who was the one responsible, his expression also fell.
"His Highness—he...he's not there! Your-"
"Breathe. Speak clearly."
"You need to see! There's no time to waste!"
It was like any other morning. Keith had gone in to wake the prince in the early hours, expecting the usual bitter comments and curses thrown at every random object. But what greeted him was a disheveled room and bright stains of red across it, so much so that it hadn't even dried up despite turning dark.
The simple message that the prince was missing wouldn't have been anything new, just the daily practice they had taken a break from for a while. If that were the case, would Keith be acting like this?
Phineas had been summoned urgently, but even he seemed confused.
Once the door opened before them, it became clear why this man was acting this way.
"Send the knights out immediately. Don't spare any corner."
"But the security team is already working around the palace, your highness." There were hundreds of people watching over the palace grounds every moment. How could anything miss their eyes?
Ceron didn't look at the guards. He couldn't look back from the sight before him. "Send them across the kingdom."
"And call for the royal mage. We need to see if it's really Ann's…Ann's– just go."
They needed to look. Before something unimaginable could happen. Before their failure to do the one thing they were paid for became a dark mark of guilt in their hearts.
"It can't be…it can't be his…your highness, you think so too, right?"
Ceron didn't know what to say to console Keith. He didn't even know what to say to himself.
Ann was cunning. Even if he was too weak, he wouldn't have let anyone hurt him. This had to be one of his pranks. Yes.
He wanted to believe that. They all did. But there were traces of intruders. Marks of soil on the ground. Traces left behind in a hurry. Something Ann could not have faked. He turned to the older man. "Sir Phineas, what am I to think?"
Phineas didn't utter a single word. He wasn't a man to give excuses. He had let rats sneak into the palace due to his failure. In his heart, he could only pray that the blood belonged to the enemy.