The Third Prince Of Darkness

"Your Excellency," Markuol continued, his voice trembling slightly. "We ask for your support for our mother, to extend a helping hand to her. Perhaps even a word from you could change this situation." 

"And what will I gain by helping you?" I asked.

For a moment, surprise flickered in Markuol's eyes. He seemed not to have expected such a question. In the naivety of youth, he must have thought that goodwill alone would be enough to help their mother. But I had to act according to the harsh rules of this palace. In this palace, everyone had a price, a vested interest. The young man quickly composed himself, straightened his posture a little, and looked at me. "Your Excellency," he said, his voice gaining a determined tone, "We could be of great use to you."

"How?" I asked, smiling.

Markuol glanced around and gestured to the crowd. "It's not appropriate to show you here, but I am sure that when you see our powers, you'll understand how valuable we can be," he said.

Markuol's confident demeanor piqued my interest. This young man was offering much more than just speaking on behalf of his mother. In the cunning and ruthless atmosphere of the palace, such an offer was either a bold move or a desperate attempt. Narrowing my eyes, I looked at Markuol.

"Your powers?" I repeated, carefully measuring my tone. "I am eager to see how your powers could benefit me. Then visit me tomorrow. Does that work for you?" I asked.

After a brief hesitation, Markuol bowed his head slightly in response. "Of course, Your Excellency. Whenever is convenient for you is also suitable for us" he said, with a slight note of relief in his voice.

I was curious about what kind of powers these two possessed, but I also wanted to see how far they would go in this matter. In the palace, everyone had an interest, a secret, and many of those secrets could be deadly. However, this offer from the twins, especially their desire to do something on behalf of their mother, presented a different opportunity for me.

"Then, tomorrow, at the first light of dawn, I will be waiting for you and your sister in my private chamber," I said. "Let's see what kind of power you will offer me."

Markuol and Marsiel bowed respectfully once more. "Thank you, Your Excellency. We will not disappoint you" Markuol said with determination in his eyes.

As I watched the twin siblings depart, I began to ponder the truths hidden behind their offer. In the complex games of the palace, such proposals usually concealed larger plans and intrigues. However, I was eager to see what these twins could offer me. If they were as powerful as they claimed, using them in my own plans could be a significant advantage.

In the midst of the crowd around me, I watched Markuol and Marsiel disappear from sight. In the dark corridors of the palace, such games were always dangerous. But where there was danger, there were also great opportunities. Tomorrow, I would have the chance to seize one of those opportunities.

I needed to return to the party now. I looked around and noticed the eyes fixed on me. As I saw several nobles approaching me, with their daughters, whose faces were slightly flushed, I sighed deeply... Frankly, if I had received such treatment in my previous life, I might have felt quite good, but now, knowing the real reason behind the desperate attempts of these nobles to introduce their daughters to me, this situation had become rather tedious.

A group of nobles pushing their daughters forward approached me. One of them gently nudged his daughter by the arm and greeted me. "Your Excellency, I am Viscount Fhrang, and I would like to introduce you to my daughter Elizabeth on this fine evening," he said, his voice excessively polite.

My eyes fell on the young girl. Elizabeth was looking down shyly, but her shyness seemed to be nothing more than false modesty. As she raised her head slightly and tried to look at me, I noticed the ambition that flickered in her eyes for a moment. After all, no one in this palace could be truly innocent.

"Pleasure to meet you, Elizabeth," I said in a formal tone, trying not to show much interest. "This is a beautiful night for everyone, isn’t it?"

Elizabeth nodded slightly and responded in a trembling voice. "Yes, Your Excellency. It is a great honor for me to meet you tonight."

These kinds of introductions in the palace had become more of a game to me. The nobles, while presenting their daughters to the prince, were actually trying to gain some benefit for themselves. The rules of this game were simple: whoever attracted the most attention would gain a step forward in their family's power dynamics. But I had grown weary of playing these games.

The other nobles around me were also waiting for their turn to introduce their daughters. They all had similar expressions on their faces; polite interest, but underneath, the ambition and calculation were clearly evident.

The more I thought about how superficial these encounters were, the colder I felt inside. In this world, I was not sure if there was anyone I could truly trust after Emilia's death. Perhaps I could trust my mother or Isabella. But the realities hidden beneath these false displays made me feel more alone than ever. I continued to respond politely for a while longer, memorizing each noble's face, but I made sure not to show any special interest in any of them.

Finally, as the nobles' attention began to wane, I took a deep breath and looked around before stepping in another direction. Tonight, I had once again seen the truths hidden behind many masks. However, the most important thing was the meeting I would have tomorrow morning with Markuol and Marsiel. I was eager to see what they would offer me and curious about how this new game would unfold.

"Tuuuut! Tututuuut! Tuuututuut!"

At that moment, a trumpet sound was heard from the entrance, and I turned my eyes in that direction. I saw an incredibly thick and ostentatious group of men and women entering, dressed in luxurious garments. These were the princes and princesses of the Tamerid Empire. The Tamerid Empire had seven princes and twelve princesses... I suppose the Tamerid Emperor is quite diligent...

Anyway, there were some princes or princesses among them who stood out, but most had already been sidelined from the competing throne. Currently, only six were secretly competing for the throne. Four of them were princes, and two were princesses. However, despite the secret but intense struggle among these siblings for the throne, they were currently displaying a very happy family picture. As if they were a family that got along very well with each other.

As the princes and princesses of the Tamerid Empire stepped into the hall, each of them, with their elaborate clothing, caught the eye. Accompanied by trumpet sounds, this grand family displayed itself in all its splendor. While the other guests of the palace immediately stepped aside in their presence, the Tamerid nobles bowed respectfully. My eyes wandered over the large group, aware of the nobility and power that each prince and princess carried.

There were particularly some princes and princesses who caught my attention. They were at the forefront of the secret struggle for the throne. But now, the polite and brotherly behavior they were showing in front of everyone seemed almost like a mask. As a few of them looked at me through the crowd, I saw a faint calculation in their eyes.

Every individual in this family acted according to their own interests. Their internal battle, though hidden, was extremely fierce. In this struggle, which was the most intense of the palace intrigues, every move, every word, carried meaning. However, although I was accustomed to such games, this time the players before me could be more dangerous and clever.

As I looked at them, I suddenly felt that one of them had been looking at me for a long time, and when I looked at the one watching me, my eyes widened. This girl... That person was Princess Evangeline. Her pink hair resembled cotton candy, and she had the largest breasts I had ever seen in my life. She had a beautiful and innocent gaze, but I knew she was hiding her true face.

The Servant Guild regularly issued a list every month. This list, in short, was a list of the most dangerous people. This list was accessible only to the highest members of the Servant Guild, while everyone else had to pay a substantial amount to reach it. At the top of this list were two names. One was the new king of the south, Alpshar, and the other was the emperor of the Tamerid Empire. And the most dangerous tier on the list was indicated in purple.

Just below the purple tier on the list was the red tier, and only fifteen people were listed in this red tier. My father was also in this red tier, but the main point was that this list also included Princess Evangeline, the fifth princess of the Tamerid Empire, and no other Tamerid prince or princess was in the red tier. Additionally, when I requested information about her from the Servant Guild, my request was denied for the first time, which meant that she was in cooperation with the Servant Guild.

Now, as I looked at Princess Evangeline, I saw her smiling as she looked at me. Who would think that this woman is as powerful as King Richard, who is at least in the seventh stage of the Kaizer? There was probably a backstory behind why such a young princess was so powerful, and that likely meant she had an abnormal element like me...