Episode 117 - Cracked Dreams 3 ‘Eugene taken’

Last Chapter: Eugene reads the note Euria's hidden guard left for Duke Marleigh. Learns that Euria is on an adventure to steal eggs! Eugene embarrasses herself in front of Zene's Crown Prince and Musician Hal by 'daydreaming'.

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“Please step aside from this dangerous criminal, Your highness, Crown Prince.”

The Crown Prince frowned. ‘Dangerous?’ he glanced at the Nameless musician. ‘Where do they see the danger? It’s impossible for this man to harm others’ he thought as he glanced at the Nameless musician’s empty sleeves.

“He is harmless.” with a cold voice, The Crown prince refuted.

The knight shook his head and stepped forward. “Your highness, Crown Prince.” he sighed, looked at the Crown Prince as if he was a naive child, and continued, “He is a criminal. We won’t hurt him if he comes back with us.”

The Crown Prince saw the look in the knight’s eyes but.

“No.” he remained firm.

“You will not take him anywhere.” He said as he stepped forward towards the 10 gigantic knights.

It was a sight to behold. A child who didn’t reach the waist of the knights but is not afraid to go against them. But..

‘Why is he protecting the Nameless Musician? Is he an ally?’ Eugene scrunched her eyebrows as her eyes silently darted back and forth between the Crown Prince, the knights, and the Nameless musician.

She had assumed that the Crown Prince disdained her for helping the Nameless Musician. But is it possible that what he didn't like was her ‘acting skills? Was it because she seemed like a two-faced person when he found out the truth?

Naturally, the knights who were refused countless times by the Crown Prince got annoyed. As the knights no longer wanted to pretend to respect the Crown Prince, one of them stepped forward and declared,

“By the Great Commander’s orders, we must bring Criminal Hal back!” he announced as his right foot collided with his left, resulting in a heavy thud of metal hitting metal.

“If Criminal Hal refuses, we may shoot him dead on spot. If found that someone was secretly helping him,” The knight paused and stared at the Crown Prince as if looking down on his existence.

“They will be questioned and punished accordingly.” he ended by saluting.

Aedelak gripped Eugene’s arms tightly.

“.....” Eugene’s fists clenched tight as she watched in silence. She had naively thought that the knights would look past this situation when the Crown Prince stepped forward. After all, he was a Royal. Their master. But,

‘It seems like there’s no way to get out of this one.’ What can she do if a person with power, the Crown Prince, was unable to stop the knights. She’s no one. Someone who was caught together with the Crown Prince and the Nameless Musician. Someone who helped the Nameless Musician. There’s no way she can just leave!

Moreover, what’s up with this situation. It’s as if the Great Commander, the Greatest Musician Kal, had more power than the Crown Prince of Zene, a Royal, the son of Zene.

The Crown Prince’s anger soared as continued to listen to the knight’s rambling on. With his forehead bulging with veins, he hissed coldly,

“ I. Am. The. Crown. Prince.” His eyes glared at the knights in a murderous look as if demanding for them to know their places.

The leader of the knights hesitated as he stared at the Crown Prince for a few seconds as if contemplating on whose orders he should follow. But eventually, he ignored the crown prince, and with his lips tugged up, he bowed,

“The Great Commander’s orders must be obeyed.”

With a quick hand movement, he motioned for the knights to take everyone away.

At that moment, Aedelak stepped forward, wanting to protect and refuse their orders, however, was stopped by Eugene who held her back.

“Don’t do anything,” Eugene whispered in a voice only the two could hear.

‘If even the Crown Prince was powerless, what could they do?’

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“Duke.”

A hidden guard appeared before Duke Marleigh and Duke Rodriguez very suddenly.

“What!” Duke Rodriguez shouted!

The hidden guard then bowed before leaving without any traces to be seen...

Duke Rodriguez slammed the coffee table in half and was about to rush out when Duke Marleigh held him back.

“What!!” he shouted again! His eyes were filled with anger and a touch of humiliation. His eyes turned red as he glared at Duke Marleigh.

Duke Marleigh shook his head, “Calm down.”

With veins bulging on the corner of his eyes, the Duke attempted to calm down by closing his eyes for a brief moment. However, he re-opened them, and with his teeth gritted, he spat,

“How. Can. I. Calm. Down?”

His jaw cracked from anger as he continued, “They took Eugeneia and Aedelak in plain sight! Are you not-”

Duke Rodriguez suddenly stopped talking as his body jolted from Duke Marleigh’s murderous eyes.

The calm Duke… was angry?

Duke Rodriguez's heart skipped a beat. His uncontrollable anger was calmed seeing Duke Marleigh,

“So why stop me?” he exhaled.

Duke Marleigh closed his eyes for a moment before answering, “The two were taken away because they were seen with the Nameless musician and the Crown Prince. Nothing will- no, nothing can happen.” Promissum will protect the two.

Duke Rodriguez raised his voice, “What about the hallucinating thing? That can happen!”

Duke Marleigh shook his head, “The Commander and the King will save Xenperia some face. They will not use that power randomly- yet. You, barging there and making a fuss will make the situation more complicated.” he paused and continued, “Look, we have to be calm to fix this…”

When he found out that Eugene and Euria had secretly helped the Nameless Musician, he knew that this situation would arise one way or the other. Just that, before he could keep it hidden, Eugene was caught together with the Nameless Musician.

Duke Marleigh sighed as he shook his head at Eugene’s luck. Sometimes, he just can’t tell if Eugene’s luck was really good, or if it was really bad.

And though he convinced Duke Rodriguez, inside, he felt incredibly nervous and tense. When he told Duke Rodriguez that the commander might save them some face, he meant it. The Commander and the King know how much Xenperia treasures Eugene. But, when he told him that they will not use the hallucination power randomly, he had said it to calm Duke Rodriguez down. Truthfully, he was not very confident with that statement.

Knock. Knock.

Just then, a knock to Duke Marleigh’s room was heard.

Duke Rodriguez and Duke Marleigh stared at each other in silence.

“Come in.”

The door opened and the person came in.

The person was Louis.

“Duke Marleigh, Duke Rodriguez. The knights are downstairs with orders from the King.” Louis announced as he walked inside. However, he paused when he saw the broken coffee table.

The two Dukes frowned.

“What orders?” Duke Marleigh asked in a calm voice despite the tension.

Louis replied, “Emergency summons to the Royal Hall.”

‘That fast?!’ Duke Rodriguez and Duke Marleigh immediately looked at each other.

Seeing this, Louis frowned. The unbreathable room turned silent for a few minutes before Duke Marleigh broke the silence,

“We shall go.”

Louis nodded and turned around to leave, however before he could take the last step, Duke Rodriguez confessed,

“Eugeneia got caught.”

Louis paused.

Without turning around, he repeated the Duke’s words,

“Caught?” he asked his voice without a hint of worry in them.

Duke Rodriguez sighed, “The guards caught her with the Nameless Musician today.”

“Just like that?” his voice was still calm as he asked.

“Yes.”

“And Aedelak?”

“Aedelak was with Eugene so they took her as well,” he replied but frowned at the teen’s back. Louis was 10, but he was unexpectedly still calm even though his sister was taken away.

“I see,” Louis replied before stepping out. But before Louis could turn to the hall, Duke Rodriguez stopped him again.

“Are you not worried?” he asked with his voice raised.

“.....”

Louis turned around and stared into Duke Rodriguez's eyes calmly. With a face that showed neither frustration, anger, or concern, Louis’s lips tugged up.

“She’s too smart to be in danger,” he answered and he bowed to the two Dukes before leaving.

“......”

Duke Marleigh and Duke Rodriguez who were left in the room stared at the closed door in speechlessness. Louis’s unexpected reaction made them feel as if they were wrong to be angry just now.

Look! Even her blood-related brother isn’t worried!

Duke Rodriguez scratched his head. He wanted to laugh but was unable to bring himself to laugh.

“He’s the same exact copy of Levis before Levis met Moniqua,” he said as he sighed. Everything about Levis and Louis was the same. From appearance to personality. Everything.

Duke Marleigh thought quietly to himself as he stared at the closed door,

‘Hurry and come already Levis, Moniqua,'

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Ron Graeme stood by the stairways, waiting for Louis who went to report to Duke Marleigh and Duke Rodriguez. His heartbeat nervously as he came up with reasons as to why the King would suddenly summon everyone to the audience hall this late into the day.

‘Is it because of the situation yesterday?’ he thought silently. ‘Or… does he want to exchange poems again?’ he chuckled slightly as he remembered the King’s dark face when Eugene took control of the situation and won.

Just then, a footstep heading downstairs could be heard. Ron immediately knew that the person who was walking downstairs was Louis because of how calm and patient the footsteps sounded.

Ron Graeme waited until Louis got closer before breaking out in a huge grin! As he turned around to face Louis to share his funny thoughts, cold sweats began dripping down from his forehead as he instinctively and immediately stepped back.

The hands he reached out to Louis dropped down and trembled in fear. His eyes lowered to his feet just before Louis' eyes could meet his whilst his breath hitched.

He was unable to bear it. If his eyes were to meet Louis then, his legs would have gone weak.

When Louis walked past him, his legs that he barely managed to keep strong, gave out. Ron clutched the stair railing for help as he gasped for air.

Louis...

Louis was furious.