Eric followed Prince Charles Philip through the corridor, and the two of them entered a rarely visited room in the manor.
After making absolutely sure no one was around, Eric spoke, “Your Highness, must we really be so cautious?”
“The cult has plenty of ways to control Selim. Why bother using Soul Lure Water (Blue), such an inefficient method?”
“Eric, this is exactly why I say you lack foresight.” Charles traced two overlapping rings on the tabletop with his fingertip, the large circle enclosing the smaller one.
“The Duke of York is a Saint-rank powerhouse, and Selim…”
“Is his one and only daughter.”
“But…” Eric hesitated, “His Lordship hasn’t cared about Miss Selim for a long time. He hasn’t even guided her toward Extraordinary Power all these years. If she possessed such power, perhaps her body…”
“Yes, you’re not wrong.” A cold wisp of flame flickered on Charles’s fingertip. He toyed with the flame indifferently as he spoke.
“I just examined her. Selim truly has no trace of Magic Power in her body; she’s still an ordinary person. But that doesn’t mean we can afford to offend a Saint-rank powerhouse.”
“Besides, by law, she’s my fiancée. Our children will have full Inheritance Right. Now, the less trouble the better. We’ll simply use Soul Lure Water (Blue) to slowly guide her.”
“Then, Your Highness, where would you like her to be led? If you’re absent, I, Eric, can act in your stead.” The butler asked cautiously.
“Eric.” Charles’s gaze suddenly sharpened.
“I know you once cared for Selim’s mother. Otherwise, someone like you wouldn’t settle for being a butler.”
He stared at the butler’s slightly bowed head.
“And I hope you don’t project those useless feelings onto Selim.”
Hearing this, Eric broke out in a cold sweat, dropped to one knee, and hurried to explain, “Your Highness, ever since I followed you and found the truth, I have already acknowledged you as my master. There is nothing more important to me than following you.”
“I truly believe, from the bottom of my heart, that only if Prince Charles Philip becomes King can this dying Kingdom be saved, and only then can Humanity find a path forward.”
“Please, you must trust my loyalty.”
“I do trust your loyalty.” The cold fire in Charles’s palm went out as he helped the kneeling butler up.
“No need to guide her further. Just make sure she always remembers her identity as a woman—and as my fiancée. That is enough. Let everything else go as it will.”
“My Selim is a rare beauty. If she can’t learn to be obedient…”
A cold possessiveness crept into his smile.
“Then let her future husband teach her properly.”
“As for that Demon Hunter called Sophia…” A trace of greed flashed in Charles’s eyes. “She’s so greedy for money… surely, if she marries a prince and becomes a consort to the future king, she wouldn’t refuse, would she?”
“It will be as you wish, Master.” Eric flattered him at just the right moment.
“All right, now let’s discuss something else.” Charles’s expression turned serious.
“The Caravan transporting the Sacred Beast failed to arrive as scheduled. The plan’s been delayed. Have you figured out who attacked them?”
“I have some suspicions, but…” The butler Eric seemed torn. He continued, “I can’t be certain who actually did it.”
“Oh? Why?” Charles was not pleased with this answer. “Don’t tell me you haven’t found a single clue.”
“From the traces at the scene, the perpetrator was a master with edged weapons. Almost everyone died from a single blow.”
“Other than some residual ice-element Magic Power, there’s no other clue. It seems… it was the work of a single person.”
“One person?” Charles frowned. “To ensure nothing went wrong, I sent two experienced Moonlight Level powerhouses and a number of lower-level supernaturals… and none survived?”
He pressed further, “Within the Rhine Territory, is there such a powerful close-combat ice-attribute extraordinary? Anyone you suspect?”
“There is, but…” Eric trailed off, uncertain.
“But what?” Charles pressed impatiently.
“But it’s just a groundless guess.”
“Speak!”
“The only person who fits… is the Demon Hunter you saw today—Sophia. Her strength may be beyond even my own.”
“You’re saying she might have single-handedly killed my two most capable subordinates?” Charles’s tone dripped with mockery.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Eric, you need to let go of your biases.”
Charles was quite dissatisfied with this conjecture; he heard only perfunctory words in Eric’s answer, not a proper analysis.
“I know you look down on Demon Hunters, but that’s no reason to brush me off.”
“A Moonlight Level Demon Hunter—how could she deal with my two Moonlight Level subordinates without a scratch?”
“But…” Eric gritted his teeth and added, “Sophia is the Chief Disciple of that one in the Empire’s Demon Hall. If she inherited The Master’s teachings, it’s not entirely impossible for her to face two at once.”
“Enough!” Charles waved his hand impatiently to interrupt.
“In the end, Sophia is just one of his disciples. Demon Hall’s Chief Disciple? Look at her—so impoverished. How much could she really have learned?”
“Besides…” Charles cast a confident glance at Eric and said, “A Sacred Beast would never be slain by mere Moonlight Level extraordinary. You ought to have more faith in the Holy Church.”
“Yes, Your Highness, your lesson is right. I was foolish—please punish me.” Eric lowered his head and no longer argued, even though he believed it was possible in his heart.
But his superior had already spoken, and since his words had irritated Charles, he could do nothing now but wait for whatever was to come.
Charles turned his back to Eric and stood silently, an invisible pressure filling the still air—a psychological tactic to stress Eric further.
After a long time, just as Eric was growing increasingly anxious, Charles’s voice sounded slowly.
“Forget it, Eric. This is not your fault. I won’t punish you.”
This small act of intimidation was Charles’s way of giving his subordinate a warning—he never liked it when his people made hasty judgments without evidence.
“Thank you for your mercy, Your Highness!” Eric stood up, relief flooding his face.
“Now, you should focus on preparing for the ceremony. I don’t want to see any more mistakes.”
“As for Selim and Sophia…”
“They’re just two insignificant women. Send some people to keep an eye on them, but let them be. Keeping them together actually reduces the risk of attracting attention from the Demon Hall.”
“Then I will make the preparations.” Eric bowed to Charles.
“Mm, go.”
“So many troublesome matters lately…” Charles muttered to himself.
“Selim, I hope you know what’s best for you. Otherwise, turning you into a blood-and-flesh puppet would be far more convenient.”
While they were speaking, Selim was glaring at Sophia, full of resentment.
She was very displeased by how Sophia had so cheerfully accepted Charles’s ring.
A brand-new training plan began to take shape in Selim’s mind.