Chapter 116: Returning [3]
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// So, how is your escapade going, my sons? Are you having fun? //
Nathaniel and Adrian abruptly stopped in their tracks, stunned upon hearing it.
It was none other than Arthur's voice—their father's!
A sense of chill ran through their bones, as they realized that they were fucked up.
Nathaniel's mind raced, trying to comprehend how their father had managed to contact him.
He had skillfully modified the settings of their Telesphere, drawing upon his knowledge from a previous timeline, to ensure that the Imperial residents, including the Elder, would be incapable of tracking or contacting them.
Yet, Nathaniel couldn't shake off the overwhelming sense of confusion.
How was this even possible?
Had he forgotten to block someone's Tele-code?
Nevertheless, what he did was not without reason; it was because they would undoubtedly be bombarded with calls, especially from their mothers.
Considering three days had passed since they ran away, the Imperial Family must be aware of their disappearance.
In the previous timeline, the shitty organization released a Kraken as a decoy to infiltrate the Tower and steal the item they were searching for.
However, their attempt was unsuccessful, and it seemed that the same outcome had occurred here too.
As their primary focus was the Tower and not the Kearny Princess, Nathaniel believed they had no reason to worry.
His confidence was not baseless.
This was because even if they were to release the monster with a rating ranking of A, they would still be fine.
If he were to activate his Enigma and Adrian were to use his magic, the two of them could easily defeat it.
Additionally, the presence of a company of seasoned mercenaries would greatly enhance their ability to accomplish the task at hand.
// Are you paying attention to what I'm saying? //
Arthur's voice boomed through the communication device, shattering the silence.
"Yes, Sire!"
Nathaniel and Adrian replied in unison, their voices filled with a mix of fear and anxiety.
Soon, a resigned sigh escaped Arthur's lips, his tone dripping with sarcasm.
// For now, I will save my words for our heartwarming reunion later. //
Nathaniel and Adrian exchanged nervous glances, judging from the way their father's sarcastic tone, they could easily tell that it would be doubtlessly the other way around.
Arthur continued, his words laced with authority.
// I expect both of you to be present, along with Princess Kearny, to meet me the moment you arrive at the Sun Palace. //
"W-we understand."
Nathaniel stammered, his voice betraying his unease and Arthur's voice grew stern.
// You must absolutely refrain from running away again, as there will be severe consequences. Do you understand? //
"Yes, Sire!"
The call abruptly ended, leaving Nathaniel with a heavy sense of trepidation as he contemplated the consequences that awaited them.
"Arthur would undoubtedly ground us for a whole year!"
Nathaniel grunted frustratedly.
Turned his head toward his little brother and asked, his eyes glimmering full of hope.
"Do you have any other brilliant ideas to negotiate with him? I don't think the same trick would work on him a second time."
Adrian assumed a thoughtful pose, his face adorned with question marks.
"Hmmm..."
Seeing his brother's expression, Nathaniel couldn't contain his frustration any longer.
He clenched his hair in despair, feeling a sense of helplessness.
"Oh, no! We are fucked up! My freedom!"
"Tsk."
Adrian clicked his tongue in annoyance and rolled his eyes in boredom.
Initially, he intended to tease his brother, but witnessing Nathaniel's disgusting reaction, Adrian dismissed the idea and spoke exasperatedly.
"Stop being so dramatic! I'll take care of it, don't worry!"
Nathaniel paused his actions and gazed at Adrian, his expression lightened up.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Ah, I'm glad!"
Nathaniel breathed a sigh of relief and asked.
"So, what's the plan? Tell me!"
"Hehe."
Yet, instead of answering, Adrian let out a mischievous chuckle and began to walk away.
"You'll find it soon enough."
Rolling his eyes, Nathaniel followed suit and fell in step with his brother before speaking sarcastically.
"What kind of behavior is this? Are we playing secret now?"
"At least I'm not playing lies."
Nathaniel shut his mouth and averted his gaze, feeling a wave of embarrassment wash over him.
'Fuck.'
He cursed inwardly.
The fact that Adrian could effortlessly expose his lies with just a few hints left him feeling vulnerable and wary.
He made a mental note to be more cautious when conversing with his clever younger brother.
Returning his gaze to Adrian, Nathaniel couldn't help but click his tongue in both admiration and annoyance at the brat's astuteness.
He had always known that Adrian was intelligent and mature beyond his years, but in this current timeline, Nathaniel found himself somewhat a bit scared by his brother's intelligence.
Lost in his thoughts, Nathaniel was jolted back to reality by Adrian's voice.
"Is there something on my face?"
"Huh?"
Nathaniel blinked, momentarily taken aback.
He quickly recovered and answered without much thought, trying to divert the situation.
"Ah, it's nothing. I was just thinking how handsome you are."
Adrian abruptly halted his step, his eyes widening in surprise as if he had encountered a strange creature.
Nathaniel furrowed his brows, confused by his brother's reaction.
"What?"
Instead of answering, Adrian contorted his face into an exaggeratedly ugly expression before swiftly running away from Nathaniel.
"Hey! Why are you running?! Wait!"
Nathaniel called out, his confusion growing.
He started running to catch up with his brother, but Adrian unexpectedly quickened his pace, shouting.
"No! Get away from me!"
"What is wrong with you, Ian?!"
Bewildered, Nathaniel couldn't comprehend Adrian's behavior.
"No! I'm straight! I don't like men!"
"What the hell are you—"
Nathaniel shut his mouth after realizing what Adrian meant.
"What the hell! I'm straight too! It's a misunderstanding!"
The chasing game continued for a few minutes, both brothers running and laughing until they finally decided to stop, their laughter subsiding into heavy breaths.
"Haa… haa…"
Nathaniel placed both hands on his hips, gasping for breath, while Adrian leaned against the wooden wall in the corridor, trying to steady his labored breathing.
"By the way, let's grab something to eat. I'm starving."
"Haa... haa…"
Adrian nodded in agreement, his breathing gradually returning to normal.
"Good idea."
With that, they headed toward the ship's lounge.
Nevertheless, Nathaniel couldn't help but wonder what that shitty organization wanted from the Kearny Kingdom.
The truth was, a few weeks ago, his subordinate had infiltrated inside the Kearny Palace, but he received news that they found nothing; there was no 'item' there.
'If it's not the item, then what that dark organization wants?'
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After finishing their meal, they were informed that the Kearny Princess desired to meet with them.
Consequently, they proceeded to the meeting room.
—Click.
The door swung open, and as soon as two boys entered the room, Charlotte and Leilla instinctively stood up and gracefully performed a curtsey.
"I greet His Highness the First and Second Prince of the Empire."
'Ho?'
Adrian raised an eyebrow inquisitively upon seeing it.
'It seemed they eventually came to their senses, huh?'
The fact that she changed her attitude meant that they decided to go along with them to the Capital and resumed the peace treaty, just as he had predicted.
Nathaniel felt a sense of surprise at the respectful gesture.
He glanced sideways, and as Adrian remained silent, Nathaniel eventually answered with a warm smile adorning his lips.
"You may rise."
Charlotte and Leilla straightened their posture, and once they were all seated, Charlotte proceeded to introduce herself.
"I offer my sincerest apologies for the belated introduction. Allow me to properly introduce myself as Charlotte Agnessa, the fourth Princess of the esteemed Kearny Kingdom."
After a brief silence, she resumed.
"First and foremost, I would like to express my profound gratitude to His Highness for the invaluable assistance provided to my crew. It is thanks to your intervention that we were able to narrowly evade a perilous fate. Furthermore, I humbly extend my sincerest apologies for any rudeness I may have displayed previously."
"So, what is your choice?"
Adrian's frigid voice reverberated throughout the room.
Nevertheless, Charlotte couldn't help but notice the striking contrast between the Princes of the Empire.
The black-haired teen, the First Prince, exuded a warm and welcoming personality, while the white-haired boy, the Second Prince, displayed a cold and ruthless demeanor.
However, despite being the firstborn, she could discern that the First Prince held a great deal of respect for the Second Prince, which was weird.
Brushing it off, Charlotte opened her mouth.
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