The Third Prince Of Darkness

I reached the door of a room through long corridors and entered without wasting any time. Inside were Kayle, Luciana, and Isabella. But besides these three, another woman was standing there. Umala, Fiona's eldest daughter and also the so-called queen of the current Tamerid kingdom. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes torn. In short, she was in a terrible state.

Her eyes were filled with tears, and when she saw me, I saw a glimmer of hope in her wet eyes. Evangeline entered after me, and she was slightly surprised when she saw my stepsister's condition, but she didn't show it. There was no need to ask why she was in this state. She was probably desperately running away from her husband, but what I didn't understand was why she came to me. It seemed I wasn't the only one thinking this.

"Now that Ethan's here, we can talk... What's your purpose for coming here, you bitch?" Kayle's harsh tone startled Umala.

"Kayle, calm down," my mother said.

"No, she's right. Umala, why did you come to me instead of your siblings? You must have guessed that I don't have the power to fight the Tamerid Empire right now."I said

Umala lowered her head, and her sobs became audible. As tears streamed down her cheeks, she tried to speak in a weak voice:

"I couldn't trust anyone else... I thought only you would listen to me," she said, her voice trembling. "Your family and mine aren't the same. My siblings would probably send me back. Besides, I married that... man because of that... for my siblings. And I swear I came here without leaving any trace behind me."

Umala's words made the atmosphere in the room even heavier. Luciana leaned back slightly in her chair and thoughtfully fixed her eyes on Umala. Isabella preferred to remain silent, trying to hide the suspicious expression on her face. Kayle, on the other hand, didn't take her stern gaze off her.

"So, you came here for refuge," Kayle said. The sarcastic tone in her voice was too obvious to hide.

"Kayle, enough," Isabella interjected. Her voice had a clear warning. "We're trying to understand the situation. Don't make things harder by treating her like this."

Umala gave my mother a grateful look for her protective attitude, but there was still deep fear in her eyes. She raised her head and turned to me.

"Ethan... I beg you... I don't want to go back there."

The desperation in Umala's eyes made the weight of her words even more pronounced. The silence in the room fell upon us like a wall. Kayle still had her stern gaze fixed on her, but this time there was a hint of doubt instead of mockery. Luciana and Isabella also remained silent, as if weighing Umala's words.

"You don't want to go back there. But do you know that by coming here, you're putting me and my family in danger? The Tamerid Empire knows that their queen is missing, and they're currently tracking you down. And that trail will reach us sooner or later."

Umala staggered for a moment at the weight of my words and covered her face with her hands. Tears flowed through her fingers. Everyone's eyes were on her, but no one dared to speak. She took a deep breath and tried to compose herself, then turned her eyes back to me.

"I know," she said. Her voice was hoarse, but a little clearer this time. "But... I had no other choice, Ethan. If I had stayed there, he would either kill me or condemn me to a worse fate. I swear to you that no one followed me. I calculated every detail while escaping. I left no trace."
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After thinking about what she said for a while, I made my decision. "Go and clean yourself up. Put on decent clothes, but first of all, we need to change your appearance," I said and sent a meaningful signal to Isabella.

Isabella immediately got up and took Umala to the next room. Meanwhile, I saw that Kayle was getting angry. She looked like she wanted to say something, but she seemed to be forcing herself to stop.

Kayle finally burst out. She quickly got up from the chair and began to speak in a harsh voice.

"Ethan, really? You've decided to help this woman! Even though you know the Tamerid Empire will come after us? What if this is Fiona's plan? What if Fiona is trying to put us in the crosshairs?"

"Calm down Kayle, I can more or less guess these things too," I said and sat next to my mother.

"First of all, according to the information I've obtained, the person who brought her here is a close friend of Evangeline. She is the woman who is the leader of the Maid Guild and also seems to have become close friends with Umala. She asked me to hide her, and in return, she made me a very tempting offer."

Kayle frowned and took a step towards me, but she didn't say anything.

"You know how powerful the Maid Guild is, so they may have brought Umala here without leaving any trace. They had already helped me kidnap Roxanne without leaving any trace before. Moreover, the center of the Maid Guild is in the Tamerid Empire, but they said that they now want to leave the Tamerid Empire and come here."

I noticed that Evangeline was also surprised. She was close friends with the leader of the Maid Guild. She had probably asked her for help to protect Umala while going to the academy. In the meantime, she had become close friends with Umala. Although I don't know the real name of the leader of the Maid Guild, I'm almost certain that she is a woman. It wasn't surprising that any woman would be friends with Umala, who had a difficult life.

I saw that Kayle had calmed down a bit, but she still looked suspicious. "Still, I want to investigate and observe her and the Maid Guild," she said.

"As you wish, princess. You can even go and kill Umala if you want. I wouldn't care. I'm just telling you that we can gain a lot if we protect Umala, but that's not more valuable than you," I said.

The expression on Kayle's face softened for a moment. A glimmer appeared in her eyes instead of anger. This gaze was a gaze that only I saw, that she didn't show to others. This gaze was a reflection of the deep feelings Kayle had for me. No matter how much I angered her, no matter how much I put her in a difficult situation, her love for me always prevailed.

"Do you think so?" she said, her voice had softened. The harsh, sarcastic Kayle was gone, replaced by a more moderate, more thoughtful Kayle. "So, protecting this Umala will really benefit us, will it?"

I nodded. "The Maid Guild is a powerful organization. They have influence even within the Tamerid Empire. Their support, especially considering that they want to come to these lands, can add a lot to us. Besides, Umala is the Tamerid Queen. Protecting her can also be used as a political trump card."

Kayle thought for a moment. Her eyes were still on me, and her gaze warmed me. "Alright," she said finally. "I trust you. But I will still keep a close eye on this Umala and that Maid Guild. At the slightest suspicious movement, I will not hesitate to do what is necessary."

"I know," I said with a smile. "I wouldn't expect anything else from you, anyway."

Everyone seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. My mother Luciana took a sip from the cup in her hand and spoke with a deep breath.

"Ethan, you made the right decision. But this is a risky game."

"I know,"

Luciana got up from her chair and walked towards the window. Her eyes drifted to the mountains waving on the horizon.

"Ethan, this decision will have consequences. If the Tamerid Empire somehow learns that Umala is here, this could be considered a cause for war."

"That's why we will keep Umala's presence a secret," I said. "The Maid Guild's expertise will be useful in such situations. If they are as talented as they say, it will not be easy for them to find our trail."

Evangeline spoke, slightly frowning,

"What about Fiona? What if she has a hand in this?"

"Fiona..." I repeated quietly. I felt a stir inside me every time her name was mentioned. "If this is a trap, we will solve it, too. But for now, we have to play this game."

After talking to them for a while longer, I left the room. Now it was time to take a look at the concubine palace, which I had been postponing for a long time. After walking through the beautiful gardens with a few guards by my side, I reached the concubine palace. The guards stayed outside while I went inside.

Mrs. Elbuanur, who had been informed of my visit, was waiting for me outside. She was dressed quite elegantly, and her daughter, Marsiel, was standing right beside her. Frankly, I didn't know what to do with these concubines. According to royal laws, as a king, I was required to protect the concubines, even if they belonged to the previous king. That's why I decided to keep them here for now. But the presence of a place so close to me that was not under my control made me uncomfortable.

When Mrs. Elbuanur saw me, she bowed gracefully and spoke in a gentle voice,

"Your Majesty, your visit honors us. This must be an indication of your desire to see the harem in person. We are pleased to guide you."

Her daughter, Marsiel, remained silent. Her face was expressionless, but there was a careful curiosity in her eyes. Her young age and simple beauty stood out more among the other concubines. Unlike Mrs. Elbuanur, Marsiel seemed to have no intention of speaking.

"I would like to hear your report about the concubines," I said, without hiding the determination in my voice.

Mrs. Elbuanur paused for a moment, then began to speak slowly.

"There are currently a total of thirty-eight women in the harem, Your Majesty. Most of them were the previous king's concubines and the daughters of concubines. However, they have sworn allegiance under your reign. Some of them were chosen from the daughters of high families within the kingdom. They are all ready to serve you."

"Oath of allegiance," I repeated in a sarcastic tone. "Shouldn't we question whether their loyalty stems from true devotion or fear, don't you think?"

A slight sign of discomfort appeared on Mrs. Elbuanur's face, but she skillfully tried to hide it.

"Your Majesty, they all have deep gratitude and devotion towards you in their hearts. But of course, we may need to make more effort to strengthen their trust and loyalty."

I turned my eyes to Marsiel. Mrs. Elbuanur must have noticed her daughter's reaction, as she gently nudged her arm, trying to encourage her to speak. But Marsiel was still silent.

"What do you think, Marsiel?" I asked. "Do you think the women here are truly loyal to me?"

Marsiel finally spoke, but her voice was low and a little cold:

"Your Majesty, loyalty is a virtue that is not tested. Perhaps there are those among the women here who deserve it and those who do not. But no one can risk not being honest with a king."