Meeting the Crown Prince

The next few days, Silas travelled with the merchat’s caravan. Throughout the journey, he indeed enjoyed the best meals he’d ever had since coming to this world. He didn’t regret to agreeing to be the bodyguards for this merchant. In addition, they didn’t meet any other bandits after the first one where Silas first saved them. With no hindrance, the caravan arrived at the capital safely.

The merchant brought Silas directly to meet their boss to discuss the remuneration. Since there wasn’t any danger, Silas also didn’t ask for much. In addition to a bag of 200 silver, he also got a membership token from the owner. With this token, Silas would be able to enjoy 25% off every time he bought meals in their establishment.

After that, Silas decided to walk around the capital. While he was sight-seeing, he also looked around for a good location that can be used as a vantage point. The Crown Prince has yet to arrive and he hears that the crown prince’s companion will arrive in the next day. Everyone in the capital was rushing to prepare to welcome the crown prince whom they hailed as their hero. After all, when the crown prince was only twelve, he was able to lead their army to victory in the Necropolis War. And now, he also returned victorious against the Orc Tribe.

With such strength, Silas knew that he couldn’t win if he were to approach him face to face so he had to kill the crown prince in one strike. If he fails this one strike, he can only retreat and waits for the next chance.

The next day the capital welcomed the crown prince with a great fanfare. Silas hid within the crowd as he finally laid his eyes on the infamous Crown Prince. The moment he saw the majestic figure, he couldn’t believe his eyes. One thought flashed across his mind.

‘Why does this Crown Prince look vastly different than the Third Prince?! Fortunately I was told that they were born from a different lady. If not, I would suspect that this was a fake.’

Silas gauged the strength of the Crown Prince as well as their companions. Unfortunately, he knew it was close to impossible to make his move during this parade. So he had to give up on the idea of killing the crown prince today. But that doesn’t mean that he couldn’t test out the water.

He had already set up a very harmless trap along the path of the welcome parade. Though it’s harmless, it will help him learn the strength of this crown prince. “Let’s see how great your reflex is first, Your Highness,” Silas mumbled in a soft voice. In such a loud atmosphere, his voice should naturally be drowned out but for some reason, Silas saw that the crown prince turned his head and their eyes locked with each other. Then, he saw the corner of the Crown Prince’s lips curved upwards into a smile.

This smile made Silas shudder with unexpected emotion and he quickly pulled the hood of his cloak lower to hide his face. He turned around and moved away from the crowd before going into a secluded alley. The moment he got into the alley, Silas forced himself to calm down. His heart pounded in his chest as he recalled the unexpected exchange of gazes that left him unsettled. ‘He… didn’t notice me, did he?’

The smile from the Crown Prince’s face was disarming. It made Silas think that the Crown Prince had known of his existence. And worse, the crown prince’s eyes felt as if it had locked onto a prey.

“What is it…?” Silas muttered to himself, his voice barely above a whisper. He ran a hand through his hair, his thought racing. The encounter had been brief but it had left this nerve-wrecking feeling in his heart, as if the crown prince had seen through him. And it made him second guess if he should activate the trap that he had set up earlier.

But then, he quickly shook his head, thinking that it is impossible. It might have been just his imagination. But doubt slowly gnawed at the edges of his determination, planting seeds of uncertainty in his mind.

Silas took a deep breath, and closed his eyes as he tried to regain his composure. He knew that he couldn’t afford to let doubt cloud his judgement. His job requires him to be meticulous. So he needed to trust in his process. With this renewed determination, Silas pushed down the unsettling feeling and began to chant a spell.

A ball of water formed on his palm, growing bigger as time goes by. Once it had reached a satisfactory size, Silas threw the water ball up the air. The ball circled around for a while before it moved, as if it had found its target. The direction was towards where the crown prince is at.

This was a spell that he created himself, and it was simply based on a childish prank that he had once seen children in the park play. A water balloon.

The water balloon now hovered above the spectators. As soon as it is rested on top of it’s intended target, it began its fast descent. Silas fixed his gaze on the Crown Prince, searching for any sign of reaction or awareness. He had hoped to ascertain the Crown Prince’s ability from this test, so that he could plan his move.

Suddenly, the Crown Prince turned his head and their eyes once again locked with each other. In that fleeting moment, a surge of unease washed over Silas once more. He saw a glimmer of amusement in the Crown Prince’s eyes, a hint of recognition that sent a chill down his spine.

‘He knew!’

The water balloon burst into a cascade of droplets when it got near its target, showering the area with a gentle spray. The crowd gasped, some ducking and laughing as the water misted their faces and clothes. The atmosphere was momentarily filled with a sense of light-heartedness and surprise.

But for Silas, his heart went cold when he felt a figure had stood behind him. Especially when the Crown Prince were no longer on his horse with the group of his parading companion.

“Of all the assassins that I’ve encountered, I have to say that you are quite interesting,” a warm and confident voice sounded from behind Silas. This confirmed that someone had approached him from behind and he did not notice it. This fact alone caused a shiver to run down his spine.

Silas turned around slowly, his eyes widening in astonishment as he found himself face to face with the Crown Prince who stood tall and composed. There was no trace of water droplets on him, which had meant that he had escaped before the water balloon had exploded. Silas’s mind raced as his heart pounded against his ribcage. Only one thought that ran through his mind. ‘Was my cover blown?’

The Crown Prince’s gaze bore into Silas, his eyes displaying a mix of curiosity and amusement. He wore a confident smile, as if thoroughly enjoying the unfolding situation.

“You must be mistaken, Your Highness,” Silas said after a while. Though he appeared calm, his brain is already working on a way to escape this situation he is in. “I am only here to enjoy the festivities. To welcome Your Highness back after his victory against the Orcs. I mean no harm…”

Hearing Silas’s reply, the Crown Prince couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle. “Oh? Well, I do not doubt your ‘intentions’, my friend,” he said, his voice seemed to be carrying a hint of mischief. “Tell me, who was it that sent you, hmm? Was it the Second prince? Third prince? Or the Ninth Prince?”

“…”

“Not willing to answer?”

“…”

“Well, since you are unwilling to answer then, you leave me no choice. I will have to arrest you under the suspicion of trying to assassinate the Crown Pri—”

“No one sent me,” Silas said in a firm tone. “I had always adored you. I kept hearing of your heroic deeds and meeting you in person has always been my dream,” he added. He was naturally lying but there were no fluctuation in his voice, as if what he said was the truth.

He looked up, his eyes gazing into the Crown Prince’s own. Then, with a solemn voice, he said: “I apologize if my actions were misunderstood but I really did not mean you any harm, Your Highness.”

“Adore me, you say?”

Silas didn’t know why, but he thought he could hear the joy within the Crown Prince’s voice. Regardless, Silas saw a glimmer of opportunity in the Crown Prince’s behaviour so he clenched his hand, praying silently in his heart for things to go his way.

“Would you care to explain the water balloon?”

“It was an impulsive act!” Silas immediately replied. “An act that was driven by my curiosity and admiration! But you see it yourself, Your Highness, there were no harm done!” as Silas said this, he gestured to the crowd that was still in a jovial mood.

“Curiosity and admiration, huh?” The Crown Prince’s amusement seemed to deepen and Silas was now sure that the Crown Prince was indeed feeling joyful. “Very well, I’ll give you a chance to prove your intentions. Whether it is adoration, or killing intent, we will find out sooner or later.”

After that, he appeared to send a gesture to someone behind Silas and before Silas could react, his mouth and nose were covered by a piece of cloth. Silas instinctively stopped himself from breathing but a sudden sharp pain at the side of his abdomen made him gasp, effectively inhaling the drug that was administered to him. His vision blurred and he could feel himself losing the control of his body. Before long, Silas’s body slumped. Before he completely lose his consciousness, he seemed to hear the Crown Prince’s admonishing tone.

“Can’t you be more gentle? What if you hurt him?”

“My apologies, Your Highness. But he wouldn’t inhale so it was the only way to get the drug into his system,” the other person replied.

“Bring him to my private residence on the eastern palace. I will be there after I greet the Emperor. Make sure he’s unharmed…”

“But, Your Highness… is he really…”

“My prophecy has never been wrong. He’s the one I’ve been seeking for the past few years.”