"Evan…What if…I mean, what if she loves someone and wants to be with him?"
Thinking back to the song she sang that night, Griffin felt uneasy. How could he tell his brother that the girl he wanted to own had a crush on his brother?
"I can be her lover then… I don't know if I love her or not. But I can give her everything she needs, as long as she lives inside my shade. I'm better than all the men in this world…"
"Even better than me?…"
Griffin raised his eyebrows. Do you think you are so awesome?
"Yes, for her. I still have my innocence while you lost it. I keep myself clean and adhere to the last line of male morality…"
Griffin wanted to kill his own brother. He glared at Evan. He kept a smile on his face and never showed his true feelings in front of others but he can relax with his brother.
"The metaphor is very good. Don't use it next time. Or else, you will feel your brother's love.. heavily.."
As for why he firmly believed that Gloria liked him, it was because of the lyrics in her song.
When he was born, the angels descended and blessed him. He could be an outrageous strong man of 8th ring Advanced Mage in his 40s with the blessing of angels.
Only the Royal family knows about that. However, she could know this from Evan. Because of this blessing, he was savagely suppressed by the Emperor and Concubine Daphne after Alaric was born, as he was the strongest roadblock for their son, Alaric, on his way to the throne.
Evan didn't have such a blessing but his strength was given by the Empress. She was a strong 7th ring Advanced Water mage. When Griffin was suppressed ruthlessly by the Emperor, she was afraid that her younger son would be abandoned if he didn't have talent like his brother.
She lost all her hopes on the Emperor after the birth of Evan. She just didn't get dethroned because of her noble background. The Emperor didn't dare to move her but turned his arrow towards Griffin and Evan. So…she gave the younger son all her power and left the Palace, faking her death.
She was living in the Winslow territory, starting over from the beginner mage. The Empress was dead, it was the outside world knew.
Sebastian entered the drawing room at that time.
"Your Majesty. The gatekeepers reported to me that the carriage from the Prince's mansion was waiting in front of the Palace gate and refused to leave. The driver won't tell the reason to the guards either."
Didn't he leave the Carriage for Gloria? Evan thought…
"The carriage was used by Gloria for going to the Academy.."
"Did something happen to the Princess? Should I call the driver inside?"
Looking at the sealed letter and listening to Sebastian's report, Evan got a bad feeling..
He looked at the Emperor with expectant eyes. The power is in the Emperor's hand in the Palace..
"Let him in…"
"Yes, Your Majesty.."
The driver entered the drawing room nervously.
"Your Majesty. Your Highness, the Prince…"
He knelt on the floor.
"Get up. What is the matter?"
The driver didn't dare to get up.
"Your Highness. The Princess is gone…"
"Gone? Where?"
"This servant didn't know.."
Griffin rubbed his forehead.
"Don't start the words from the last. Tell us from the beginning…to end.."
"Yes! Your Majesty. I sent the Princess to the Academy this morning. She only took her knights as guards today. When we passed the deserted place, I was knocked out. The Princess was gone when I woke up."
Evan stood up when the driver's report ended.
"Was she kidnapped in the Capital?"
"Your Highness, this servant was knocked out by Sir Liam…"
Didn't I tell him to report from beginning to end? Griffin wanted to beat the driver.
"Anything else?"
"No, Your Majesty.."
"Then, get out…"
Griffin drove away the driver from his sight.
"Sit down.."
"But… brother.."
"I said, sit down.."
Griffin ordered Evan to sit with a stern face. Evan wanted to run out and search for the girl but sat down under his brother's order.
"She runs away, herself. Maybe she is aware of your thoughts. Cool off your head and think about what you want to do. Don't run around like a headless flies.."
Griffin moved his fingers and gave a signal to Sebastian to make tea again, this time with herbs to calm Evan down..
Evan tried to sense the pendant and veil. He used tracking magic when he made them. The magic circle on the veil was more advanced than the pendant. But he found nothing, as if they never existed.
Even if they are put inside the storage tools or left in the mansion, he could sense the veil. Now, they just evaporated from the world.
Evan gave the sealed letter to Griffin….
"Brother, please unseal this letter. The tracking magic is invalid now…"
You put a tracking spell on her? For his younger brother, there are too many complaints to complain about.
The corner of Griffin's mouth began to twitch repeatedly. He wanted to preach about morality and human nature but he felt his brother was pitiful. He was biased towards his brother.
Alas, he sighed and began to unseal the letter.
"Here, it's done.."
With the strength of 8th ring Advanced Mage, unsealing the letter sealed by 7th ring Advanced Mage was easy matter.
"Dear brother….
Your sister has something to do. So I left without saying goodbye. You don't need to miss me so much. We will meet again anyway. Next time we meet, I will invite you to my home.
I will miss you.
Your sister
Gloria…"
He put the letter on the table and leaned back on the backrest.
"Ha…my possession ran away…."
He laughed, making sarcastic comments…
"Brother,lend me some of your shadows.."
"I want to, but they are not free…"
"Why? The Empire is at peace, isn't it?"
Griffin shakes his head..
"They are sent out to search for someone.."
"Is it more important than your dear brother?"
Looking out of the window, Griffin didn't know how to tell him about his offspring.
"I am searching for my offspring and the woman who gave birth to them."
He told Evan all the cause and effects of his problem.
"So, you don't know who is the mother of your offspring? The children are not born from your concubines, right? But why? Your concubines in the herem didn't have it but an unknown woman has it? Are you sure it's not one of your concubines?"
"I'm sure. They can't.."
"Why are you so sure?"
Did you do something to your concubines, such as putting medicines in the food or what? Evan didn't understand and asked him with eyes…
This time, it was Griffin's turn for speechlessness…
"It's not secret in the Royal family, but you didn't know as you were sent to the Temple from a young age. The pure the bloodline, the requirements are harsher for the other half. Not any bloodline can bear children. My bloodline was so pure that no woman without pure Royal bloodline can't conceive my offspring."
Evan could only say 'oh'. He didn't even say that kind of thing. As a member of the Royal family, he didn't feel any sense of participation.
What a scumbag who didn't even know who he slept with!!!
Evan didn't dare to say it outright but muttered in the heart.
"So, I can lend you some but not much, okay?"
"Okay. But lend me some elite knights too…"
"Didn't I give you a hundred last time?"
"What if it's not enough?"
Griffin narrowed his eyes and looked at Evan.
"What do you want to do?"
"I think she went back to the Mirkwood forest. I am going to arrest her.."
"No, you can't go anywhere. Evan, even if you don't need to care about politics as a Prince, you need to care about the soldiers and knights participating in the war as a Priest. I called you today not just to talk about her but tell you to go to the front line as support.."
Evan can't heal despite being able to clean up the dark magic in the wounds and injuries. He didn't have much use in ordinary wars.
However,in the war with Demons who used dark magic where not all healers could clean the dark magic in the injuries, he was the key factor to stop the casualties.
"Go to the front line! Me?"
"Yes. Having you in the front line can lift up the morality of the Empire's Armies. You are strong and your lethality is also very high for the demons. I will also go after some matters are handled."
Evan nodded. Be it as a Prince or a Priest, he has responsibilities to bear …
"Do you have news about Alaric?"
"No…our bastard brother is hiding quite deep. That's why I can't go to the front line recklessly. You go first. I will go after you come back. Even if the cronies of Daphne are gone, we can leave the Capital without you or me guarding…"
The tea Sebastian poured was cold now. Evan warmed up the cup with light magic and drank it in one go.
"Actually, I quite like him. He was smart, good looking and not arrogant. Without father Emperor's partiality and Daphne's greed, can we become good brothers?"
Alaric was a good boy when he was young. Griffin can't say good or not when the child gets older. Who in the family with power struggles lives without layer after layer of mask?
"I guess not…. Our mother hated his mother. Do you think half brothers won't kill for the throne while the real brothers, fathers and sons are killing each other?"
"But I don't want the throne. Being a Prince is quite good, without the burden of the whole Empire.."
Silly boy, only you think so… But thinking back, he didn't want the throne either. He just wanted to fight back because he was suppressed by his own partial father.
After all,he was not worried about the scarcity but the inequality.