"I would like to receive help from Dusk," Cian repeated.

Drayce nodded to agree with it while Arlan spoke, "Rest assured, Prince Cian. That rare species eagle would be more than happy to help you," and he looked at Drayce with a teasing smile that Drayce ignored.

Cian left after lightly bowing to the two who left to go to their chambers.

"Haven't you thought about how they could catch Slayer so easily and hurt him like this in such a short period of time?" Arlan asked.

"Traitors!" Drayce replied.

"Did you catch them?" Arlan asked.

"Somewhere begging for their deaths which is running away from them," Drayce replied.

"Wooh, it gave me shivers, but they deserved it," Arlan added and asked, "How did this all happen?"

"Marquis Percy had already planned it. He was waiting for the moment when Slayer would separate from me, and he would keep me busy with his soldiers. When Slayer went to get you and Prince Cian as per my order, Marquise Percy's soldiers caught him by threatening to kill the Megaris knights they had already captured. If Slayer went with them, they would spare the other knights, and Slayer agreed to it, trusting himself to defend them all. The knight's Marquis Percy used to threaten to kill and made Slayer give up to protect them, turned out to be long-planned traitors who stabbed him first."

Arlan sighed, "Then they sure deserve the cruel death. No mercy for the traitors," this is what Arlan could say as everything was fine, but betrayal was not acceptable.

------

Cian went to see his father in his Royal study, where King Armen was busy handling the matters that he would have to face the next day's royal court session. After spending the entire day around his daughter, who didn't even spare him a glance, King Armen finally returned to his study as he had something else to prepare to protect his daughter.

"Father!" Cian greeted him.

King Armen gestured him to have a seat. "How is commander Calhoun?"

"Seems better now," Cian replied and asked, "Father seems tense."

King Armen sighed. "Tomorrow's Royal court session."

"They won't let go of this chance of using Seren against you, father," Cian spoke.

King Armen nodded, "That is why I need to be prepared. In the last court session, I managed to stop them, but this time they will come prepared."

"We can use what I have collected against them during my stay in the North region," Cian suggested.

"If it's needed."

"Father can leave it to me."

King Armen nodded lightly and asked, "Did you go see your mother?"

"Not yet," Cian replied.

"She must be waiting to see you. She was worried after you were abducted," King Armen informed.

"I will, soon," Cian assured and informed, "I went to see King Drayce at noon."

King Armen stopped what he was working on and looked at his son, "How did it go? Did he meet Seren or had entered the tower before?"

"No, he didn't," Cian assured and explained to his father what Drayce had told him.

King Armen understood, but still, something didn't feel right to him, as if the Mysterious King of Megaris was hiding something. "Something seems amiss."

Cian agreed, "But we can't force him to tell everything. For now, we should just get his help for Seren's sake."

King Armen agreed, and Cian asked, "I was wondering what demand King Drayce will have from Abetha in return for his help. Did he ask for something yet?"

King Armen didn't wish to bring anything up yet, knowing his son's temper, and wished to solve it on his own, "We are on talking terms but yet to reach an agreement. Once it's done, you will know"

"Is father hiding something?" Cian asked.

"I will prefer it if you look after Seren in my absence. She responded to you so you can be by her side to comfort her," King Armen straightaway changed the topic.

Cian could do nothing but listen to his father; after all, he was the King of Abetha.

-------

When it was time for dinner, Dusk brought food for Seren in the same wooden box covered with the blue silk cloth.

After having a magic elixir added to her medicine by Drayce, she was getting better faster. Enough rest and the previous meal added to her betterment.

Dusk entered Seren's chamber with the loud Screech, and everything happened the same as it happened in the noon. She ate it, and this time Dusk didn't have to instruct her about anything.

Cian, who was already present there, was happy to see her progress. He went to her bed to give her water, and this time she accepted it without any hesitation though she didn't look at him.

Cian thought to give her more time as he trusted this time things would be better for his sister, and he would never let her return to that lonely tower.

--------

Once Seren fell asleep, Dusk came to Drayce as he sat in his chamber's window sill. Drayce caressed his head and spoke, "You seem to care for her a lot."

Dusk rubbed his head against Drayce's palm, saying yes.

"What do you think about bringing her to Megaris with us?" Drayce asked.

Dusk, who was enjoying the petting of his master, paused hearing it as his golden eye pupils expanded that showed he was happily shocked and then pecked on Drayce's hand to agree to what he said.

Drayce smiled lightly as his red eyes glittered in the lights from the fire torches. "You seem to like her a lot."

Dusk pecked again only to hear his master again. "You should control your liking once we go to Megaris. We love seeing these wings attached to your body, don't we."

Dusk stepped back as he shrank his wings to his body and looking at his master as if saying, 'not my wings.'

"I am sure you would like to enjoy the starry sky for a while."

Dusk understood what his master meant and fled away in the sky. The next moment, Drayce disappeared with the loud flutter of the curtains and appeared into dimly lited Seren's chamber where the two attendants were sleeping.

Drayce straightaway went to Seren's bed and sat at its edge as he shifted the netted bed curtains aside. He didn't see her since the previous night, and now it was time for him to visit her.

She was sleeping and looked better now, which made him feel relieved. He kept staring at her for a while, which made him protect her even more.

He touched the mark on her forehead again, trying to remember why did it feel so familiar, and moved his fingers in the light emitting from it.

"Once we go to Megaris, I will make sure to find the answers for everything," he said, and his sight followed the veil on her face. "Once you are mine, you don't have to keep wearing it." Drayce felt like taking off that veil from her face, but he stopped, thinking he should not do it without her permission.

"Just wait for a while. You won't be a Princess of Abetha anymore but someone to whom the entire continent will bow," said Drayce as he looked determined.