When Nicholas said that name, it made his heart beat a little faster which was strange. He didn't know anyone who was named as such, but somehow, he actually liked that name.
"Were those two women actually not crazy… but witches?" Nicholas slowed down a little. His forehead creased and then he shook his head and continued walking to his destination.
Among the enemies of the human kingdoms, while lycans were at the forefront of those who came up in the Crown Prince's mind, there were also witches who manipulated things from the background.
The kingdom of Riga had participated and started a lot of witch trials in the past to snuff out the individuals who were practicing witchcraft.
Anything supernatural or related to magic was considered a big sin in the kingdom. That's how witches and werewolves were hunted and became the royal enemies.
Nicholas chose to stay in the tavern to hear about rumors of Duke Romanov and he was filled with a countless array of stories. One after another they filled his mind with a lot of questions.
"When the Limberg family faced their downfall, I think I saw one of the carriages from Duke Romanov's castle be around in the city square." One of the patrons laughed. "One of the windows was rolled open actually."
"Did the duke spit on them?"
"Well, if he did, that serves them right! Even a foreigner duke knows that those people were never the best lot!" One man said. "The Limberg family traveled to the capital and then overpriced their goods."
Nicholas sighed and chose to take note of that information but it wasn't really about the duke himself. Who was this duke and what was he trying to do? Was this connected to his sudden arrival?
It didn't make much sense for a duke to suddenly bully a small house for no reason. It was kind of out of character actually. So, it made Nicholas ponder about their line of decision-making.
"What made him even come here?" Nicholas mumbled to himself. "Is it truly just a change of pace?"
"Well, probably that. The kingdom of Riga is beautiful and offers a lot of countless opportunities for everyone!" another person chimed in and raised his glass.
"The duke has been visiting a lot of other nobilities here around Hastings but he has also frequented the capital too," one man answered Nicholas with a shrug. "Business probably."
Nicholas was silent as he drank his ale. "Really? But I thought he has been busy for the last few months. No visits whatsoever."
"Well, that's because he has a wife now!"
"A wife?!"
"Yes! A wife!"
Nicholas' eyes widened at the mention of this new information. The crown prince glanced at the one who spoke. He asked, "Can you confirm that? How did you even know that kind of news if the duke is a bit reclusive."
The prince knew that he was starting to raise some suspicion by asking too many questions. However, he was the one buying the rounds of drinks for the patrons that they couldn't care less.
"The mayor of this town, Lord Lancaster, tried to invite Duke Romanov to an event," one man in a blue shirt said with a chuckle. "I happened to be one of the men who was fixing the mayor's house back then and the duke mentioned he was busy with his wife."
"So the duke actually went and visited the local mayor here in Hastings?" Nicholas raised a brow. That was surprising because as far as previous reports said, the duke only visited high nobility. The mayor was just a small viscount.
Nicholas heard that Duke Romanov only cared about the people who could actually help boost his reputation and never those who tried to only rub shoulders with the man. Did Duke Romanov want something out of the mayor?
"Well, a foreigner's got to be polite."
"Yeah! He's not even from here so his title as duke doesn't mean a flying dung beetle's here!"
"But the thing is, the duke declined and the event ended up getting canceled anyway," the man explained to Nicholas with a shrug.
"And why is that?" Nicholas raised a brow.
"The mayor's son? Richard Lancaster's the name… I think the boy got into an accident of some sort?" the man said. "He broke his leg and arms after he fell into some hunting pit he originally made."
At the mere mention of the guy's name, Nicholas' nose immediately scrunched up in disgust. The reaction surprised Nicholas actually because he didn't think he'd suddenly be filled with hate for a person he never met.
"Did… did I ever meet him though?" Nicholas muttered to himself as he closed his eyes and sighed inwardly. He honestly couldn't tell if he did or did not and that was the problem.
"Say, this Lancaster's boy tried to go on a hunting trip somewhere," one of the men said. "Not too far away from Hastings actually, just Redgrave."
"I see…" Nicholas finished his drink and stood up.
All of the stories about Duke Romanov were interesting and yet not exactly as helpful as Nicholas hoped they would be. If anything, the only thing that stood out to him was the marriage part.
On his first research into Duke Romanov, there was no mention of any woman, but suddenly he found out that Duke Romanove was now married?
Nicholas stepped out of the tavern and eyed the castle of his late uncle in the distance. His expression became icy and he started to step forward.
"Your Highness." One of the men suddenly came and stopped the crown prince from moving towards the gate. "We've been instructed by your mother, Her Majesty, to stay low and abstain from contact."
"Will you listen to her who's in the royal palace far away from here or to me who's currently with you?" Nicholas raised a brow. "I won't be visiting the duke himself and will just observe the castle in the distance. I can do that, right?"
"Yes, your highness." His soldiers bowed to him.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢