Well, of course, it belonged to the enemy. The enemy of peace, well-known by everyone in the palace. The one and only, Ioannis Reis Caelestis, the third prince of the kingdom of Vidalia.
Or as general people knew him, the royal troublemaker.
And currently, the said enemy couldn't be more pissed. Did he map out the whole collection of his escape routes from the palace so he could get kidnapped? Was there no reward for his hard work, only punishment?
That was confidential information, for god's sake! How did people get in? How did they freaking reach his room without getting caught?
Answer: Through a route he, or the others, didn't know.
Ann knew a lot, but even he didn't know every rathole of the kingdom. The other enemy also had their ways. A pretty modified one if he said so himself. He could never have had the funds to make an underground route to the inner palaces with so much developed lighting and trap management.
A literal underground route. So the whole thing was planned quite meticulously by someone who could afford all that.
"Are you sure he isn't dead?"
"Dead people don't breathe, you idiot."
"But he looks like he might be dying."
Appearance-wise, he looked half dead. 'Ann's' wardrobe was a great collection of white. Shirts, robes, nightshirts. Basically anything that didn't come with a upper coat was white. Red just had a special talent for settling onto it.
Adding to that, Reis had taken the role of a possum. Not entirely, cause he couldn't just stop breathing when his heart and lungs already felt like he had swallowed needles. But even after he had regained his consciousness, not after too long, unfortunately, he chose not to move. At all.
Firstly because movement was difficult. Secondly, it allowed him to listen in on these conversations.
He was already tied up and thrown onto a sack of hay, which, surprisingly, wasn't too uncomfortable. What use was opening his eyes? He didn't need to be actually introduced to his kidnappers.
"As long as he stays alive until the boss gets here."
Yeah, I hope so too.
Because of how much it was hurting, he wasn't so sure about that.
|Once the accumulated energy spreads out to open your mana channels, it won't hurt as much.|
Oh, you're alive.
|Due to an overdose, your body has taken some damage. Once the residue is cleared up, it will begin to heal.|
|After that, you will be able to use your skills again. |
As if he had any useful skills to begin with.
But at least the pain would go away.
He didn't have many complaints about the kidnapping. It was more like a cliché. Ann had too many people who hated him, and so far, he had done absolutely nothing to change that.
He was suddenly paying attention to work on top of that. Surely some people would get anxious. That would lead to either assassination attempts or this. Maybe he was lucky it wasn't the other in this case.
He was curious, though, about who managed to hire such skilled people for the job. The security wasn't a joke. They kept records of every small animal that passed inside, but missed two full-sized humans.
It would have made more sense if they really attempted an assassination. Wasn't it too risky to kidnap a prince? Cutting it clean would be the smarter choice.
|You really do think like a criminal.|
Footsteps vibrated through the floor. It was definitely a larger group.
"Why is he unconscious?"
A new voice joined the voice channel of kidnappers one and two.
"He's been like that from the start."
The owner of the voice walked closer to where he was, but Reis continued to play dead.
"Did I tell you to beat him?! He looks half dead!"
"That's not our fault; he was already bleeding when we found him."
That was true. But who would believe that?
"Maybe he was poisoned?"
No, it was simply a mistaken dose of mana awakening herb. Administered by none other than himself.
"I don't care! Wake him up! Pour water on him."
What? No!
It was the middle of autumn. Pour water on him after all that? He'd definitely die.
Kidnappers one and two thought so too. So out of the kindness of their hearts, they first chose to call him to wake. "Your Highness? Are you alive in there?"
After being called a few more times, Reis moved with a low grumble. "Where am I?"
|Acting Skills: +5|
The two Kidnappers sighed in relief. The same cannot be said about the prince and their employer.
Isn't that guy part of the council?
The man, dressed formally, was looking at him with contempt. Reis had seen the same kind of contempt before, at the morning council meeting. He vaguely remembered seeing the man at the evening gathering celebrating his success too.
"Good morning, your highness."
Unlike his eyes, which were comparable to a vulture's, his mouth held a smile, and his tone was respectful as ever. "I hope it hasn't been too uncomfortable for you."
It could have been worse. "Counselor, you do realize you have kidnapped a prince of the country, right?"
That was barely a few levels below treason under Vidalian law. No idiot would try it just because they hated him. The backlash would be too severe if caught.
If. Reis figured that this man had a solid way out, or at least a good enough backing to do this. Getting caught wasn't something to fear. But he tried to test the water anyway.
A crooked smile formed on the man's lips, sending chills down Reis's spine. "Yes. I know I have taken the great duty of fixing the mistakes of the kingdom."
You really don't need to. Why bear the burden? He wouldn't even get the credit for getting rid of the third prince.
But he smiled like he was doing some great deed. "I hope your highness will comply."