Adela spoke with such anguish in her voice; it was clear from the tone of her voice that she was upset about something. Elise turned her head up, her eyes watering, as if she were about to start crying. "My lady, I am sorry; it's only that I did not understand when you were in a bad mood," she remarked with a pout on her face. "I should have been more aware of it."
Adela breathed out as she turned her attention away from Elise. Elise had never admitted Adela's fault; instead, she had always taken responsibility. Adela moved toward Elise while rubbing her forehead with her thumb. "Whatever it is, just don't misunderstand me, okay?" she added as she put a hand on Elise's shoulder.
Elise shook her head in agreement, but she was totally befuddled by what her master had uttered. Adela's smile was suddenly gone when she noticed Elise's pouting face. "This is the time to embark on an adventure," she remarked. "Do you want to carry it out or not?"
Elise's eyes lit up with delight as soon as she heard it. "I am ready, my lady," she responded. "Tell me where I should go."
Adela chuckled when she heard Elise; she loved this little girl. While she contemplated, she clasped Elise's hand. "We are going to the royal ancient library," she stated, as she stopped in front of the fireplace and turned to face it.
"What?"
Elise's eyes widened, as though she was having trouble believing what her master had said. Adela smiled warmly and added, "Hold your breath and clutch my hand strongly, Elise. We're heading there from here."
As Adela spoke, she dragged Elise after her as she dashed for the fireplace. Elise cried out in terror, "Ah."
[Swoosh]
They both suddenly passed through the flames, which gradually grew larger and returned to normal. Oba arrived there from someplace, and it appeared to be keeping an eye on them. It hissed as it regarded the fireplace.
**
As Ian and Alfred were having a serious conversation, Alfred appeared to be trying to explain something vital to Ian by pointing to something on a map. Ian remarked in a solemn tone while nodding his head.
"Uncle, how can I help you? We have a competition after a day, and I must take part in it."
"I know Ian, but I am also unable to go there and help him."
"Well, who do we have to send?" Ian said.
Alfred once again focused his attention on the map. There were two ways to go to Targoviste. They did not know which route Richard had chosen. Alfred sat on the chair and pondered the situation. He laid his elbow on the table and squeezed his hands together while resting his chin on it.
Ian abruptly cut off Alfred's line of thinking. He exclaimed enthusiastically.
"Uncle, Aunty can help us. You can get away with the emperor stating she was in poor health."
Alfred kept his attention on Ian, thinking that Ian's idea was not a bad one. But there was still a chance that the emperor might find something suspect.
"It's not a horrible concept, Ian, but there is still a risk."
"If we think of helping the prince, uncle, we must also take some risks."
Alfred reflected after hearing Ian's statements. If he wished, he would take the risk. "Then we need to talk to Veronica immediately," he murmured thoughtfully, raising his gaze.
As they ended their discussion, Alfred summoned a guard. "My lord," he said as he entered and curtsied.
"Inform Veronica right now that I am looking for her." Alfred gave the command.
"Yes, my Lord," That man bowed and went out of the chamber after saying it.
[The scenario was changed to the castle]
James was moving through the hallway, moving toward the north. Servants seldom came to this side of the palace. Only a few people showed up, including James and Draven. James was in deep contemplation while he was strolling when out of the blue he heard low groans. James lowered his gaze as soon as he heard the sound. He stopped right there and tried to hear from which side the sound was coming.
James arched his brows slightly and took a step forward. After moving forward a little distance, he noticed a sizable door in front of him, and the sound was coming from the chamber. James's brows furrowed as he wondered what was occurring within the room. Because, as far as he knew, that place was abandoned. The area was indeed quiet.
Just in front of the door, James paused and gave it a thorough inspection from top to bottom. He considered it for a while before pushing to open the door. The chamber was so big that, at first glance, James spotted a lot of lanterns hanging around the chamber. It seemed that people had come, so he did not remain still but took a cautious step forward while checking the chamber.
He could hear the groans more clearly as he descended farther into the chamber. After a minute of strolling, he came to a halt in front of a staircase. James's eyebrows furrowed when he saw the path leading down the steps. He had been to that place many times, but he had never had the idea that there was a hidden chamber. That route appeared to be a forbidden one to some people. It was made for a few more reasons. He began to descend the stairs while he was pondering.
James came to the end of the stairs and spotted a hall room where there were a lot of cages, and as he started walking inside the hall room, he spotted a lot of animals in the cages. James furrowed his brows in shock and mumbled, "W-what is it? What brings them all here?"
There were several creatures in the cages, including snakes, dogs, rats, and cats. He did not know who had imprisoned them here. While gazing around, he heard someone curse, and after hearing the voice, he understood who it was. It was the emperor. He was cursing, and it appeared that there were two other people with him. James came out of the shadow of the wall and saw his father and two men with him, and they were standing in front of his father while lowering their heads. There were also several tables.
But when the emperor ceased speaking, they abruptly stopped conversing. As James peered inside the room, he saw that there was a table in the center of the space and that they were standing close to it. On the table, he saw a gigantic snake, and on the other, a dead body. James's eyes widened, but not out of shock or fear; rather, he did so in wonder upon discovering that the human's body was only half gone; the bottom half was gone. James became aware of what was going on there; it was his father's secret chamber where he conducted experiments on living creatures.
James arched his one eyebrow and stepped inside the chamber, and Draven and the other two men turned back as they heard the footsteps. James cast a squinting glance toward the corner. James remarked intriguingly.
"Father, is it your research center?"
Draven had a serious expression and narrowed eyes. It's difficult to pinpoint the source of his rage. Perhaps his son discovered his secret chamber, or perhaps he failed his experiments once again. Draven clenched his teeth and uttered a curse once again. Derek and Kabuto averted their eyes as they sensed the emperor's rage. And now that the second prince has discovered it, just what would happen if they imagined gazing at each other?
"What are you doing here?" Draven asked in a grave tone.
James's attention shifted as he took in his father's remarks. He glanced at the snake and walked up to his father, saying, "Father, I was strolling about and then I heard some noises, so I followed and found it." He could see its internal organs. He had the notion that this was what his father had wished for. Does his father have any plans to create something new?
"I hope you are not startled to discover my laboratory, are you?" Draven asked as he took off the gloves. He turned around and inquired with a tilted head.
James cracked a smirk lightly on his lips and said, "Why would I, Father? It's your lab, so why should I be surprised?"
"I hope you aren't getting any eerie sensations from it," said Draven.
James remarked while turning around and grinning broadly. "That looks to be an interesting place."
Draven groaned as he proceeded to a table and began inspecting a jar, which was filled with some sort of liquid and had a dead frog. He said, "If your brother finds out, I don't know what would be his response," as he was gazing at the jar. "Perhaps she will have now begun to revolt against me."
To be continued.