As the conversation turned toward the future, the Queen leaned in, showing a genuine interest in Princess Artemis’ aspirations, too. The room grew quieter as they all waited for her response.
Betraying everyone’s expectations, she confessed. "My Eldest sister probably would probably take the throne. Since I’m a direct competitor, she’ll probably throw me to a border territory to manage." She smiled at the thought of it. "In that scenario, I wouldn’t mind falling in love with an adventurer or someone who travels around. I would love to explore the world with him—encountering dangers in the wild, living a free life without all the burdens of court politics instead of suffering the harassments from the new Empress."
While Laura furrowed his brows, feeling discomfort in her heart once again, Melissa glanced at her twin brother and then turned back to Artemis. "If you don’t mind me asking," she said, "what kind of man do you picture by your side? What are you looking for in a partner? Or is it just a spontaneous feeling?"
Artemis smiled softly, her gaze thoughtful as she responded. "It’s not spontaneous, no," she began. "Falling in love can be sudden, a fleeting moment that happens because of something a man does or how he looks. But that’s not the same as choosing someone to spend your life with, you know." Her expression became more serious as she continued. "To truly spend your life with someone, they need to be strong enough to protect you—if not physically, then mentally. They have to support your decisions and understand your thoughts. They need to fight for you, even when the opponent is someone they can’t beat. And most importantly, they need to give you confidence, to know that they won’t leave you, no matter how low you get. If I meet such a man, I wouldn’t care even if he has ten wives."
The other princesses were silent, taking in her words, but Kael’s name came to mind for many of them. They couldn’t help but glance at him, noting that he seemed to embody the qualities she just described.
Laura, who had been quietly listening, felt a slight alarm stir within her again and again. Could Kael, her husband, be the man the princess was talking about? The thought lingered in her mind, but she kept it to herself.
Meanwhile, Adam, ever the opportunist, made mental notes of everything. "I can understand the qualities she was looking for in her future spouse, but I don’t know how to accomplish them. Until she is here, I need to talk with her more. That spar, I need to do it tomorrow without failure. I should take every opportunity to impress her."
Soon, the dinner came to an end. Eventually, everyone returned to their rooms. Kael did the same.
Adam wanted to discuss plans to woo the princess, but Kael excused himself, saying that he needed some sleep. He locked the door in the name of mental exhaustion but only sat cross-legged on the bed instead.
After meditating to improve his mental prowess during the next few hours, Kael got up and slipped into his assassin attire, moving through the shadows with ease. He left the palace without alerting a soul and disappeared into the streets.
Kael made his way toward the eastern district, heading straight for the Blackthorn mansion, a well-known place everyone in the city was aware of. It was the residence of Emily Blackthorn, Rowena’s cousin, and Kael’s target was currently residing there.
The Blackthorn mansion was situated in a wealthy residential area—one known for housing minor nobles. Kael blended seamlessly into the shadows, ensuring he remained unseen as he approached.
As he surveyed the mansion from a distance, he noticed the lack of heavy security. "Hmm... 1. 2... 8... 12. Okay, with the guards at the entrance gate, there were 12."
With only about ten patrolling the premises, it became easier for the intrusion. He moved quietly, methodically, toward his target.
Kael moved like a shadow, blending seamlessly with the night.
He thought carefully about his approach as he slipped past the gate guards—those he would spare, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to himself. His focus was on the patrolling knights.
As they circled the mansion, unaware of his presence, Kael teleported into their faint shadows from either the moonlight or the nearby fire lanterns, one by one, silently knocking them with precise hand chops to their necks.
His actions were swift and precise. Within moments, the patrolling knights were all lying unconscious on the ground, each knocked out with a thud.
Once the tenth one was down, Kael’s attention now shifted to the residence. "Okay, judging by the auras, only my two targets were left. Let’s go." Dark aura enveloped him, and Kael disappeared, teleporting to one of the balconies on the first floor.
Meanwhile, inside the mansion, someone stirred. A middle-aged woman, still in her guest room, groggily opened her eyes. "Hmm?"
A low murmur escaped her lips as she glanced toward the window, sensing something was off. "Someone’s here," she whispered under her breath. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the surroundings. Her lips curled into a creepy smile all of a sudden on the realization. "The Queen was indeed quick to act. She sent her hound. Never expected it would be this soon, though. Anyway, let’s welcome our guest." She murmured, motioning her palms forward.
Kael, meanwhile, was already well into the mansion. His steps were light and deliberate. He knew exactly where he was headed, not because he knew about the mansion or anything. His Aura sensing can help him track down any person he encountered previously.
Rowena’s room was just ahead. The air felt tense as Kael’s dagger glinted in the faint moonlight.
He had already encountered Rowena before, and now he would have to deal with her, quietly and without hesitation. His dark eyes remained fixed on the door to her room, and with a steady hand, he slowly crept forward, poised to strike.
Just as Kael was about to reach the bed where Rowena was lying down, an invisible barrier blocked his path. And in the second second, the barrier materialized, proceeding to envelop the intruder. Kael didn’t even have time to move and he already found himself trapped in a shimmering, forceful barrier.
Rowena immediately woke by the activation of the defensive barrier, her eyes snapping open as she took in the sight of the assassin standing in her room. "Who are you?" she demanded, her voice sharp with alarm.
Kael assessed the barrier, his expression calm and controlled. He raised his hand slightly, focusing his primordial dark energy.
Thin, black threads of energy surged from his hand, weaving out like tendrils of darkness. With a focused motion, Kael released the full strength of his energy, and the barrier shattered with ease, disintegrating into nothing.
Rowena reacted quickly. Her hand shot to her storage ring, pulling out her sword. "Guards." Her voice rang out, shouting for her guards. The sound of her frantic command to alert the mansion echoed in the air, waking up the servants.
Kael moved swiftly, aiming to deliver the lethal blow, but just as he struck, an invisible energy barrier erupted once again, this time, around Rowena like a protective shield. The sudden force of the shield sent a shock through his arm, causing him to recoil slightly while the energy shield was shattered like glass.
A cold voice interrupted the tense silence. "K," the voice spoke with a chilling familiarity. "I didn’t expect we would encounter this soon."
The middle-aged woman appeared beside Rowena, her presence commanding and calm. She assessed Kael with a calculating gaze, her posture confident and unshaken. Kael didn’t flinch; he drew his second dagger, getting ready for a serious fight.
The woman then turned to Rowena. "Leave," she said coldly, "I’ll take care of him."
Rowena’s frown deepened. "I can fight too."
The woman shook her head, her eyes hardening. "That is K, Rowena. Maybe, if it is day, you can fend him off but in the darkness, he is a shadow. He isn’t something you can battle with. The guards were out. Just use your servants to make as much noise as possible. Go."
Kael chuckled under his mask, his voice low. "I don’t think so."
Suddenly, Rowena made a break for the door, trying to escape. Kael moved to intercept, but the woman stepped in front of him, blocking his path. Rowena sprinted past them and headed outside.
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The woman looked back at Kael. "You won’t be able to stop her."
Kael smirked beneath his mask. "Do you know why criminals fear me? Not because they think they can’t defeat me. It is because I have a perfect track record," he replied, his voice dripping with confidence. "Zero assassination failures. When I target someone, they... will... die."
"Shadow Knight, go."
Without warning, a dark energy surged from Kael’s back, merging into a black spectral shadow. The shadow grabbed one of Kael’s daggers and shot forward like an extension of his will, faster than the eye could follow. It moved with deadly precision toward Rowena.
The King Clown gasped, realizing too late what was happening. "No!" she shouted, attempting to move to intercept. But the shadow was too fast, and before she could react, it plunged the dagger deep into Rowena’s neck.
Rowena’s body shuddered for a brief moment, blood spilling from the fatal wound before the shadow twisted the dagger and delivered another blow directly to her heart. Rowena collapsed to the floor, her life quickly slipping away. Blood pooled around her as she took her final breath.