Chapter 327 - A Friend For A Minute
"Alphonse... and those bastards from the mainland."
Samael squinted his eyes, leaning forward with his arms on his legs, hands linked. For someone who had been into the depths of hell and crawled his way back to earth, Samael had seen it all. So, when he started sniffing around the case of the undead, he couldn't help but look at the bigger picture.
What he had uncovered was far more alarming than what he had thought. Stefan was the least of his concerns. If Stefan was the biggest threat, Samael could simply use brute force, since his brother wouldn't be able to defeat him.? Hard work and wits, Stefan was far inferior to Samael. Even though Stefan had reached the peak, he was centuries late. Their experience just had a very huge gap..
However, Samael's concerns were the people who were lurking around Stefan. For example, Alphonse. That second prince and was known as the cursed prince was someone who was one of the biggest threats to Samael.
If Samael was known for his brutality for even a petty reason, Alphonse was different. The latter was just pure evil.
"Who fucking knows what that person wants now," Samael muttered as he let out a sharp exhale. "He wouldn't assist Stefan just because of goodwill. He must want something else."
"Something else... or someone else?" asked Rufus, furrowing his brows as he had heard about the second prince. However, he hadn't met him in person all this time.
Samael gazed up at Fabian, who was keeping his silence all this time. "Now that we've confirmed Alphonse is on Stefan's side, what do you think?"
"Destruction?" Fabian cleared his throat as it seemed Samael had finally got into his senses. "Based on Rufus' claims about Grimsbanne, it is not impossible to assume that the second prince and Her Grace had been in contact. Knowing the second prince's nature, he will surely use the Duchess' grudge to use her."
"Make sense." Rufus nodded in agreement. "Still, the current king isn't as foolish as to think that he can trust everyone around him. He must've been keeping an eye on everyone he was scheming with since they could betray him in a snap of a finger."
"But we cannot rule out the possibility that they can be in contact with each other."
"To use Lilou in his scheme... my wife isn't as foolish as that," Samael murmured, breaking his silence, as he knew his wife more than anyone. Lilou was smart and strong — especially now that she had recovered her memories.
"She had proven that when she was able to make Stefan announce we are 'heroes', and held a funeral for us, instead of hanging our heads at the gates of the palace," Samael continued, squinting his eyes into slits. "What her deal with Stefan is obvious, but Alphonse... there's also this cunning Beatrice."
"Poor king. He is surrounded by enemies," Fabian commented, feeling a little sorry that Stefan had to tread on eggshells every second of his life.
"I didn't know you know the second prince." Rufus turned his head in Fabian's direction. "Don't tell me he is your friend?"
"And what gave you the impression I will be friends with such a despicable man?"
Rufus remained silent, blinking, as he found Fabian's question stupid. What gave him the impression? Wasn't the answer too obvious? Fabian clicked his tongue and let out a deep exhale.
"He was a good friend." Fabian's answer brought a frown to Rufus' face. See? Fabian's friends were just as violent and as crazy as him. Just look at the person Fabian was calling his master, he was a monster!
"During the time where I enjoy night walks, I had this fateful encounter with him. We became friends for at least a minute or two before we decided to go our separate ways." Fabian summarized, smiling as blood suddenly dripped from the corner of his lips. "How unsightly."
He took out an already bloodstained handkerchief and wiped the blood off of his chin. Rufus just stared at him, shaking his head, as he couldn't believe this information.
"When you mean for a minute or two, how long is it?"
"Over a minute, but under two minutes, Rufus."
"How did you become friends for a minute? And then decided to go on separate ways?" Rufus' brows knitted. Part of him already guessed what happened, but he needed to make sure.
"I slit his throat." Fabian's tone was calm, as if he was merely telling his brother what he had prepared for breakfast.
"I knew it." Rufus shook his head, sighing heavily as Fabian's relationships in the past were all similar to that. It was just that, unlike Rufus, who had this strong sense of responsibility for the people, Fabian was not even the opposite.
Fabian just indulged in violence... for fun. If Fabian didn't change, it would force Rufus to kill his brother with his own hands.
"If you slit his throat back then, how was he alive now?" another question came out from Rufus' mouth, curious as it would be impossible to live if Alphonse met Fabian even before the latter served Samael.
"I don't know." Fabian shrugged.
"You didn't dissect him?"
"I was not in the mood and he was too pathetic." He sighed, shrugging apathetically. "Also, it is not fun to torture someone whose eyes don't seek life anymore. I take pleasure in my victim's screams, Sir Knight."
A sinister smirk appeared on Fabian, which Rufus noticed. "Do you still take pleasure in them now?"
"Of course... not."
"Fabian..."
"This won't do." Suddenly, Samael, who remained the entire time, clapped and sprung up to his feet."
The Barrett Brothers gazed at him, cocking their head. What won't do was he talking about?
"My lord, are you going somewhere? I don't think letting everyone know that we are alive will be beneficial," said Rufus in a knowing tone. "Isn't the purpose of this death is that so we can move freely with no eyes on us?"
"Yes, and also to reduce the risk since my plans involve my wife. Where's my wife now?" Samael cast him a look of nonchalance. "Fabian spoilt the plans, and my wife is in Grimsbanne — crying, maybe? We won't know if she is in contact with Alphonse unless we ask her, right?"
"My lord, you don't mean..." Rufus' eyes widened, noticing the resolve in Samael's eyes.
"We will set off tonight to Grimsbanne. You two need to prepare." Samael touched his ear as a habit, but his earring was not there. "Right... I put Catharsis to my figurehead to make it look believable. Well, whatever. Let's go."
Fabian and Rufus looked at each other in shock, but they still followed. That night, the three of them headed to Grimsbanne in secret.
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