Aurora’s dawn

”MY LADY!! ”-Yelled Rava from a distance.

”It appears our little soiree is over, We have been spotted ”-I notified Licht as i stood up. Rava and Guerin closes in on the distance, panting terribly at the end.

**Licht stands up and stays behind me**

”Prin…cess, Where…..in gods name…..were you?… We searched the entire city, looking for you ”-Rava complains, trying to catch her breath.

”Breathe first Rava, You sound like you are at deaths door at present ”.

”And whose fault do you think it is?!, I could not dare to catch my breath without ensuring your safety! ”-Rava scolds.

”I am sincerely sorry ”.

”Why did you not use a locating spell to find us? ”-Guerin asked, confused.

”Well i was trying out a new desert- ”-I answered. I glanced at Licht… ”Ice cream was it? ”-I asked rhetorically.

”Yes ”-Licht responded sternly.

”Princess, permission to speak freely ”-Guerin asked, looking so calm and serious.

”Permission denied ”-I refused vehemently. My instincts were telling me i shouldn agree to his request, Nevertheless, he still continued anyways….. ”Princess, How could you recklessly eat outside without a reliable escort?!, You could have been in danger ”.

What an insult, Calling Licht incapable and unreliable in front of him without so much as a single stutter…

”But Sir Licht is_ ”-I tried defending Licht but Guerin cuts me off…. ”He is inconsequential! ”.

”This bastard….If you have something you want to say to my face say it! ” was the face Licht had on at the moment.

”Princess, The Imperial court is in disarray, the nobles are divided. Now is not the time to venture off on your own, Something bad could have happened to you ”-Guerin warned.

”I know that but i am highly capable of protecting myself ”.

”Yes but the threat you could have faced in my absence could have been Lethal, Even for you ”.

”His hysteria is maddening but I understand why he is angry ”-I thought, irritated and dumbfounded at the same time.

”Excuse me princess- ”-Says Licht.

”How rude. Can you not see we are having a conversation? ”.

”Well all i see is a meaningless one and our stalkers in black robes ”-Licht notified seriously.

”!!! ”-I, Guerin and Rava appears surprised. Rava instantly backed me and Guerin glances around in search of any odd persons like Licht previously mentioned. I released a small surge of mana and pinpointed the spies. ”Two are on a roof just a few miles south, another two east, five of them are blended in the crowd and one more hidden in a corner north…..Ten of them in total ”-I said in my head, accessing the situation.

”Ten of them, all in different directions ”-Guerin points out calmly.

”Do you think its a trap? ”-Rava asked, on edge.

”I do not know, however, we cannot just ignore it ”-Guerin replies and Guerin looks at Licht suspiciously. ”Impressive of you to notice ”.

”Thank you. Glad to know i can be
eliable ”-Licht says coldly.

”He will not let that go won he? ”-I said in my head questioningly.

”….. ”-Guerin face appears non-apologetic as he continues to stare at Licht. I gave out a fake cough to break the tension. ”Should we split up?, Apprehending them would be easier that way ”-I suggested. Licht contemplates on my suggestion out loud and gives his answer. ”Divide and conquer huh?. Sounds reasonable but_ ”.

”Absolutely not Princess! ”-Rava exclaims, interrupting him.

”Indeed, we shall do nothing of the sort if it means putting your life at risk!-Guerin agrees with Rava.

”W-Why?, I find it more reasonable if we do so…Sir Licht, don you agree? ”.

”I feel apprehensive putting you in danger, but if we have established the fact that you need coddling- ”.

”Sir Licht!! ”-Guerin raises his voice in anger.

”Im merely stating the truth. Besides, we are servants to her royal highness, are we not? ”-Licht takes my side with ground logic. I smiled at Licht, very pleased with him. It has been a while since the assassination attempt and i was craving for some action.

”I shall take the ones in the crowd, Sir Licht shall take on the ones in the roof east, Rava the south and the princess North ”-Guerin lays out our roles. ”Wait, Why do i only get one? ”-I asked, dissatisfied.

”Because you are the princess_ ”-Guerin replied before he gave us the order to begin. Instantly, we went in our designated directions. Our sudden disappearance left them shaken creating the perfect opportunity for a sneak attack. From behind, i gripped my opponent by his nape and interrogated him. Evidently, His mouth remained shut, forcing me to result in torturing him using lightning magic. Only after a considerable amount of bolts did he finally confess the name of his employer.

Prince Theosmos.

Prince Theosmos, shortened as Theo, was the 2nd prince of Kairos and the son of the 3rd concubine, Venus, One of the few concubines who received the gift of immortality from the Emperors blood. Prince Theosmos was one of my few half siblings i could trust. In terms of raw physical power, he surpasses my older brothers and i. Obviously, it was due to the fact that He had no talent in magic. Nevertheless, he bore no ill will towards us. He was also the one who taught me swordsmanship and the art of war. His ability to dominate the battlefield with only his mind alone was unparalleled, granting him the title, Grandmaster, as a sign of acknowledgement from the Emperor.

”Theo?!, Thats impossible ”-I said, infuriated and in disbelief. I tightened my grip around his neck which inflicted a certain amount of pain and rendered him to his knees. I pulled him backwards aggressively and He fell on his back, groaning in pain. Giving him no chance to recuperate, I forcefully placed my foot on his neck and threatened him…. ”Brother Theo would not attempt such a thing like this, Speak the truth or i shall make your death a painful one ”.

”Our nature of our mission was surveillance. We meant no harm ”-He responded, trying to breathe.

”Then why didn you say so earlier? ”-I raised my right brow, reducing the force I brought on his neck with my foot .

”He did not want you finding out because he thought you would be opposed to the idea ”.

”That is true but that still does not fill in the gaps. Why now? ”-I pried.

”…. ”-He keeps silent.

I exhaled, electrocuting him once more with lightning magic. Only this time, there was a tremendous voltage increase. He ended up passing out. Perhaps i over did it.

I left to reunite with the others, hiding him inside an empty wooden barrel and placing a lock spell on it to prevent his escape forehand. I used magic to expand my vision rage and check up on them. I saw that Guerin was chasing after one of them who fled from the scene, Rava…..had her hands full with extracting information from them were as Licht had already taken them down and had gotten into a brawl with some thugs. I negated my presence and hid by a fruit cart as i watched Licht pummel them mercilessly.

His fair skin and knuckles, now stained with blood and his attackers half dead and bloodied on the floor, and in the midst of it all, he kept smiling, leaving me with shivers in my spine. I thought he resembled my father. With a single glance at my direction he noticed me and called me out ”Why are you hiding down there Princess?, Come on out… ”.

I revealed myself rather nervously. ”H-Here I am ”.

”Finished so soon Princess? ”.The blood dripping down his fists were distracting. ”Y-Yes. There was only one after all ”.

”What a pity. I was coming to pick you up after i took out these discourteous fellows, Im very sorry ”-Licht says, looking disappointed.

”I-Its fine. Seeing what transpired here, I very much understand ”.

”Thank you for your understanding Princess, I promise it will never happen again ”-Licht bows his head.

”Ha-ha Again you say? ” I sincerely hoped to never see him in that state again. One person omitting that much bloodlust is more than enough for me….I thought with a pale face.

”Princess!! ”-Yells Rava and Guerin from a closing distance.

”Now that everything is done, Should we go back now?-I asked Licht, smiling so brightly.

”I shall lead the way ”-He grins.

We went back to the palace afterwards. Guerin summoned a few guards to assist in bringing the spies to the castle. I called for discreet meeting with some of my siblings, some of the ones i actually trusted. Formally introducing them; There was Bestla, the daughter of Terra the 5th concubine. She played a huge role in information gathering seeing as she was the head of an intelligence guild called White rose. Igfritria, the daughter of the 2nd concubine, Nadia. Igfritria, Tria for short was a high ranking court magician who had countless connection with other magicians, including the ones from the magic tower in Kairos and other countries.

The magic tower was a place where mages study various magic and perform all sorts of experimentations regarding all type of sorcery except dark magic. It was forbidden in Kairos due to various reasons in the past.

There was also Lazef and Orin, lastly included Ron, Trias younger twin brother. He was a bookworm and though his eyesight were as clear as day, he insists on wearing those ridiculously expensive and glamorous gold rimmed eye glasses. ”Those glasses could buy a mansion, Hes so damn wasteful….Ugh my eyes ” I said in my head, trying not to go blind from the intense glittering radiating from his glasses.

”I heard from Guerin, these people claimed to be working for Brother Theo? ”-Orin begun the conversation.

”Preposterous! ”-Lazef says in disbelief.

”I agree with Brother Lazef. I do not believe Theo is the culprit here ”-Bestla chimes in.

”Did you use a different approach?, Surely it would help with_ ”-Tria points out, forcing my abrupt interruption. ”Are you saying i should torture him?. Do you think that was not the first thing i tried when i heard his accusations against brother Theo?!! ”.

”Forgive me, I spoke without thinking ”-Tria apologizes sincerely.

Among all of my siblings, i trusted and revered Theosmos the most. He practically raised me. Among all of my siblings he was the second oldest, second to Brother Lazef. This was because concubine Venus ran away from fathers bed the day after they shared a night of passion. She loved father however, betraying Mother weighed heavily on her conscience. After all, Venus was Mothers personal guard and the last noble to survive from Mothers homeland. Mother learned of their horrible betrayal and sought her out. She rummaged the entire continent for her, wishing badly to end her life with her hands. When she finally found Venus, She also found innocent 8 years old Theosmos. They lived a life worse than beggars. Always scrapping for food, Bones visible under the skin, Dirt and bruises all over their body.

Instantly, the desire to kill her fled her heart and she took Venus in again and Theosmos. Her benevolence and forgiving heart touched Venus. She regretted ever giving into her lust for Father and swore to never betray her again. Since Nadia was already made 2nd concubine at that time, Venus was crowned third.

”Calm yourself sister. Im sure Tria wasn doubting your tactics. ”-Lazef appeals to my anger.

”All i can say is that Brother Theos movement has proven to be quite suspicious these days ”-Says Bestla.

”In what way? ”-Ron asked.

”Well, in the past few days he has been recruiting mages and mercenaries and communicating with the northern duke, Arwin ”.

Arwin chatterglass, was the only duke of the northern region of Kairos. Its walls and borders are nearly impenetrable and it snows there for 300 days in a year but the city and castle is enveloped with warmth because of the fire magic stones mass produced and placed all around the city each year.

”Duke Arwin commands the Paladins, the strongest forces in Kairos. The number of soldiers are no joke either. Why is brother communicating with him? ”-Ron states, openly questioning Theos motives.

”If hes planning a coup_ ”-Bestla tries to speak but Lazef cuts her off ”BESTLA!. Watch your words ”.

”…. ”-Bestla becomes silent.

”But…..What if… ”-I uttered anxiously.

Immediately, Every one in the room stares at me, wanting to know what my next words would be.

”What if Sister Bestla speculations are true, then that means…..We now have a coup on our hands ”

The rooms atmosphere becomes dark and the silence was frightening.