Chapter 172: The Second Prince × Majority of the Silent
Only one piece of intelligence particularly caught Joey's attention: the Second Prince had killed one of the First Prince's Personal Guards in a rage, then stormed into the First Prince's quarters, where he had placed her under house arrest.
Even with so much having changed, the Second Prince had still chosen this course of action.
That made Joey question the purpose of her actions. After all, he knew about her Personal Guards.
Of all the princes, the Second Prince was the one Joey found most dangerous.
That was not only because of the extreme narcissism and selfishness she displayed, but also because she commanded a unit of Personal Guards whose abilities were rather unreasonable.
While investigating Kakin, Joey had made a point of looking into its history.
Human sacrifice at burials had also existed in ancient Kakin.
The most unusual form of this practice had specifically concerned Kakin's princes. It was also known as the [Afterlife Companion] system.
These so-called Afterlife Companions were people of the opposite sex buried alongside princes who had failed to become king during their lifetimes.
They would watch over the princes in the underworld to prevent them from becoming vengeful spirits after death and harming the king and country.
Contrary to the illustrious title of a prince's companion, those buried alongside the princes were all members of a lowly caste whose status could never change, the so-called "Untouchables."
The meaning of that term was simple: lowborn people who must not be touched!
These people were all chosen from among Kakin's lowest social classes.
Although social progress had led to the abolition of burial sacrifices involving Afterlife Companions, the status of an Untouchable was not so easily erased.
Even in present-day Kakin, many Untouchables remained.
Their