The Face in the Shadows

Three days later.

The sky was black, thick with dark clouds and endless drizzle.

The earth was black, dim and lifeless.

The coffin was black, carried by soldiers toward the cemetery outside the city.

A long procession followed behind it. At the front were naturally the two princes—William and Richard—followed by nobles great and small from Blue Lion City, as well as Lords who had hurried in from all across the Blue Lion Kingdom.

The atmosphere was solemn and grave. Everyone struggled forward along the muddy road without saying a word. Cold rain fell all around them, pattering against the ground. It was as if the rain itself mourned King Donas, having fallen for three full days and dropped the temperature by more than ten degrees. White mist constantly streamed from the mouths and noses of those walking in the procession.

This was destined to be an agonizing funeral.

The funeral continued as the procession reached the cemetery.

Surrounded by vast stretches of yellow leaves in the Birch Forest, the coffin was carefully lowered into a prepared grave in a clearing among the trees.

The priest began reciting the eulogy. Earth was scattered into the grave, along with flower petals.

"Now you are being laid to rest. The time has come for you to depart this world..."

"Rustle, rustle, rustle..."

"You have fought the good fight, finished the race you were meant to run, and kept the faith..."

"Rustle, rustle, rustle..."

"From this day onward, the crown of righteousness shall be placed upon you, and supreme glory shall be preserved for you..."

"Rustle, rustle, rustle..."

"The world shall remember your greatness, the earth shall preserve your body, and the sky shall receive your soul..."

"Rustle, rustle, rustle..."

"You shall become eternity..."

"Rustle, rustle, rustle..." Amid the eulogy, the grave was gradually filled. Soldiers brought over large pieces of turf and laid them over it, ensuring that plants would grow above the grave instead of leaving behind a patch of dead earth.

After that was done, the mourners stepped forward one after another and placed the flowers in their hands before the tombstone. Before long, the entire cemetery had become vibrant with color.

The funeral reached its end. Some people closed their eyes before the tombstone and softly spoke of their memories of King Donas during his lifetime. Others quietly departed.

First Prince William remained by the tombstone. After one person laid down a bouquet of flowers, he slowly walked over to William, lowered his head, and whispered, "Prince, everything is ready."

William looked toward Richard in the distance and said nothing. After a long while, he murmured, "Link, do you think I'll be a good King? Do you think I'll do better than Father?"

"Of course!" the other man answered firmly.

"Is that only what you think, or does everyone think so?" First Prince William asked.

"First Prince, everyone does! Everyone believes you will be even more outstanding than King Donas," the other man replied.

"Whew..." William let out a breath, his eyes flickering. Then he turned to look at the other man and spoke only one word. "Good."

"Yes!" A brilliant light immediately flashed in the other man's eyes...

The funeral ended, and Richard returned to the palace.

Guard Captain Edward led the entire guard unit in escorting Richard back. The moment they entered the palace, he froze slightly. Looking at the empty hall, he could not help asking, "Where... where is everyone?"

The maids who usually filled the hall, preparing all kinds of experimental materials for Richard, had all disappeared.

"I gave them all a long vacation," Richard said calmly.

"Hm?" Edward was still stunned.

Richard walked into the laboratory, with Edward close behind him.

Richard took out a black Wooden Box and began placing various experimental potions and small experimental instruments inside. As he worked, he said, "My respected father—King Donas—is dead. My dear older brother—Prince William—is about to become the new King. It is time for me to leave as well."

"Is Prince going to his Fief?" Edward asked tentatively. To be honest, Richard's Fief had not even been decided yet. It seemed far too early to start packing.

Richard neither confirmed nor denied it. "Since I am leaving, I should naturally travel light. Those I cannot take with me should be allowed to leave."

Richard continued packing. Once he had finished with the laboratory, he went upstairs to pack his bedroom, with Edward still following him.

After placing the Chapter of Munro and several scrolls into the box, a chaotic sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside the palace. It was not a few people, nor dozens, but hundreds.

More than a hundred soldiers had surrounded the entire palace! Richard glanced out the window and calmly withdrew his gaze, continuing to pack. Edward's pupils abruptly contracted, and he said with slightly hurried breathing, "Prince, these people... these people... seem to belong to First Prince. It looks like... First Prince intends to harm you!"

Before Richard could give an order, Edward had already shouted at all the guards, "Hold every entrance and exit of the palace! Do not let them rush in! Protect Prince's safety!"

"Yes!" The guards moved with nervous panic, desperately guarding every entrance and exit of the palace.

Inside the bedroom, Richard's expression remained as calm as an ancient well as he placed item after item into the Wooden Box.

Seeing Richard's composure, Edward could no longer hold back. "Prince, let me cover your escape. I do not know why First Prince is doing this, but while they do not have too many men yet, we still have a chance to break out!"

"Do not rush. Wait a little longer," Richard said. He turned around, his back facing Edward, and took several books and scrolls from the bookshelf.

Edward stared at Richard's back, his expression blank before turning complicated. He slowly exhaled. His eyes flickered, his teeth bit through his lip until blood seeped out, and his hand settled on the hilt of the longsword at his waist.

More than a month earlier.

A simple dinner was underway in First Prince William's palace.

William was speaking. Beside him, a figure listened attentively. The lighting was dim, making the person's face impossible to see clearly.

Suddenly, William's voice became solemn. "I did not call you here for any other reason. I want to be a good older brother and protect his safety. No matter what he does, as long as it is not too excessive, I want to let him have his way. At the same time, I want to be a good King and properly protect this country. Therefore!"

The figure shuddered and leaned forward, stepping into the candlelight and revealing his face: golden hair, the face of a young man in his twenties, and a face filled with kindness, as though it could dissolve all malice. His expression was incomparably serious and respectful—Edward Angle!

"If I have to choose between being a good King and a good older brother, I will choose the former. Originally, there was no conflict between the two, but my younger brother is too intelligent—intelligent enough to frighten me.

"He is not passionate about power and does not want to become King, which is why I have the chance to become King. But what if... one day, he suddenly becomes interested? Father wants me to grant him a large territory and give him sufficient freedom. If that happens, I will have no idea what he does in his territory.

"I am truly afraid that, one day soon, when I wake up, he will already have brought a powerful army to the city walls. He may even have breached the royal palace, with a longsword held to my throat. I believe that, at that time, he would kill me without even blinking, as easily as killing a chicken.

"He is cold-blooded. He has been that way since childhood. He calls me dear older brother and addresses Father as Your Majesty the King. Yet behind that politeness lies extreme detachment. I feel that he has never regarded himself as a younger brother or a son, but rather as a stranger.

"Granted, this 'stranger' has never done anything out of line. Everything he does follows the rules. But I still cannot rest easy, because his indifference toward life truly terrifies me. Three years ago, when blood flooded his palace, his expression did not change at all. He merely watched in silence. He was the same throughout those six months of imprisonment.

"A person like that is simply too terrifying. And... I personally ordered what happened three years ago. Who knows when he will confirm that and seek revenge?

"Whew... So I need you to do something for me. That is... find the right opportunity and kill him. I will create the opportunity for you, but you must make your own effort as well. As long as you succeed, I will overlook your family's attempt to place bets on both sides. I will guarantee your family's safety and interests. In short, do it well! Also, Mia asked me to send you her regards."

Edward's expression changed several times before he answered with absolute resolve, "Yes!"...