111: Find Those Filthy Verners

Find Those Filthy Verners

Alexander Perryl, real name unknown, age unknown.  0

On the surface, he was an adopted son of a fallen aristocratic family who luckily became a knight under the Order of Thistle, but in fact, he was the leader of the dark forces secretly run by Arlan. He was a trained knight and his swordsmanship skills were only slightly worse than his captain, but rather than his fighting prowess, his strongest weapon was his talent in intelligence-gathering. 

Calculative, sensitive and with a good understanding of people, in addition to his leadership skills and strong loyalty, Alexander was the best person to deal with the prince's dirty work, actions that would earn severe criticism were they to surface in the light. 

The Crown Prince's dark force was an intelligence-gathering organization solely working under his orders, and it had nothing to do with the King of Griven or the kingdom. 

The skeletons in a noble family's closet, treasonous attempts, dealings with the underground gangs, problems that would later endanger the royal family, Arlan would quickly nip them off at the bud through the help of his dark forces.

The span of the Crown Prince's intelligence network, nobody but Arlan and Alexander exactly knew, but their reach not only covered the important places within the kingdom, but also those beyond their borders who could pose a threat to the peace of Griven.

Once Arlan and Alexander were left alone in the study, the large man bowed to him. 

"Greetings, Your Highness."

Alexander placed a stack of papers in front of the prince.

"Your Highness, this is the result of my investigation. These are the potential smuggling routes and the families that were highly likely to be bribed. I dispatched our men to monitor them for suspicious actions. 

"As for the case of human trafficking within the capital, this is the list of nobles supporting them. Those on the first page are the ones directly involved in the business, while those on the next page are the patrons and clients who bought slaves from them. The inventory of collected evidence is listed in the last page."

Arlan silently looked through the list. "We cannot disclose these to the royal court as some of the people here are relatives of generals and ministers. We need to handle them in a way that won't hurt the kingdom." A light smirk painted on Arlan's lips, "I like it when I have to take care of them in my way."

Alexander was well-aware of his liege's way of doing things—and he could not deny he preferred this efficient 'cleansing operation' rather than prolonging things in the royal court.

"Also, the news of His Majesty not being well has somehow spread, and some ambitious people are stirring to take advantage of it."

Arlan threw the document inside a locked drawer of his desk. "Let them jump around some more and clean them up in one move."

"About our planted spies among Duke Wimark's men, they are unable to learn core secrets from their group. Those in the most trusted circle are all tight-lipped and loyal to His Grace. However, we have our men following them. It seems like Duke Wimark is being careful and has yet to make a move."

"He is guarding against us. My brother-in-law is most loyal to my father. He will always do what the King says, and intelligence about Verner family's whereabouts is being strictly controlled from reaching me," the prince chuckled. "Those filthy Verners, you must find them first. Add more manpower in the North. Put locating them as your top priority."

"I have received your orders, Your Highness. The moment we find them, I will bring them to their knees."

After half an hour, Alexander left Arlan's study. Just like Lucas, he also glanced at Oriana who happened to be standing on the side of the grand staircase near the clock. His dark eyes stared at her for a while before he departed. 

'Is this my illusion, or every man who works for that brat looks at me like this as if I have done something wrong?'

—--

About an hour before dusk, Oriana was summoned by Roman. It was time for Arlan to get ready for the night's ball. 

"You have to accompany His Highness as you are his personal aide. This should be your first time attending a ball," the butler said matter-of-factly. 

Oriana nodded. The short training with the Ahrens did not mention anything about attending balls, so she was completely clueless about how to act in social events.

"There will be a troop of escort knights, a coachman, a footman, and three attendants accompanying him. However, as you are the primary attendant, His Highness will only bring you and his knights inside the Count's main mansion.

"His Highness is a guest of honor, and the party will not begin until his arrival. After he is welcomed at the entrance by the host, he will be in the ballroom together with the other guests and you can go relax in one of the the parlors—that is a lounge room at the side of the ballroom meant for tired guests and their servants— and wait for His Highness to call you if he needs help with anything. Do not go to the ballroom without permission as servants are not allowed there."

"Yes, Mister Roman." 

With her head lowered, she entered Arlan's bedchamber. It was the first time she was entering his chamber and was prepared to have another mind-numbing experience of grandeur. 

Contrary to Oriana's expectation, the chamber was rather…bland and simple. Of course, this was relative to the rest of the palace, but it was not what she expected from the frivolous prince.

The size of the prince's bedchamber was large, but only about half of the size of the study, and it was extremely spacious, with only the most basic furniture and two fireplaces inside. Although each of the objects and pieces of furniture were exquisite and ornately made, probably costing thousands of gold, the rather minimalistic style was the opposite of what Oriana knew was Arlan's taste. 

The interiors were a mix of white and gold, the carpet of thick spotted fur, and there were paintings of people and decorative weapons on the walls, but for some strange reason, Oriana could not feel Arlan's personality in the arrangements inside.

As if a statement that the man barely touched anything from this room.

As if he hated staying in this bedchamber.

'What a strange thought. How could the master hate his own bedroom?'

Roman led her way towards the side chamber which was Arlan's wardrobe room, but even before they could enter, Arlan stepped out of the side chamber, followed by two servants holding the hem of the heavy fur-lined cloak he was wearing. Oriana could not help but stare.

Arlan was a charming prince straight out of a fairytale painting.

Clad in a pristine white suit, with golden accessories and a light blue coat that matched the blue cloak, he was a dashing sight. Tall and handsome, strong and confident, lofty yet not vain, with a gentle gaze and a somewhat angelic yet also devilish smile. What Arlan lacked was only a pure white stallion and he would be the personification of the most perfect prince in one's imagination, at least in appearance. 

Oriana looked—no, ogled at this attractive piece of meat with her mouth slightly open.

The next moment, their gazes met, and she immediately lowered her head, feeling a strange warmth erupting on her cheeks. 

'What was I doing? Staring at him so blatantly?'

—

Oriana learned the identity of the other two attendants—the first being Neil, who she met back in the Ahren Residence, and the other was Damien, the same man who brought her uniform to her and always seemed to be in a hurry. Without the butler, she knew she would have to rely on these two seniors for the rest of the night.

The three of them were then provided with a set of 'unassuming' black suits, which was the most ordinary kind of attire meant for a nobleman but a luxurious novelty for Oriana. The fabric was the softest she had ever adorned, and it had the crest of a silver oak and thistle on the lapel, showing her identity as a person of the royal family. The quality of the clothing was tens of times better than the 'young master' outfit she bought back when she was journeying at sea.

'Handsome! He he, maybe a cute young lady will be smitten and fall in love with me at first sight?' 

Oriana could not help but cheer as she admired her appearance in front of the mirror.  After coordinating her headwrap with her attire, she hurried downstairs where the knights on their horses and carriages were waiting for them. 

The first carriage was massive, probably enough for six to eight people to comfortably sit inside without feeling crowded, a pure white vehicle with the crests of oak and thistle, pulled by six beautiful horses with uniform chestnut coats.  It was the ride intended for the prince, a carriage only royalty could ride, and behind was a less extravagant and smaller carriage for the three personal aides accompanying him.

This was also the first time Oriana had seen Imbert and Rafal wearing their official knight uniform, an off-white ensemble that seemingly enhanced their solemnity and arrogance. With sheathed swords strapped on their waists, the sight of handsome knights on horseback was a feast to her eyes. 

Soon, their master stepped out of the palace. 

Night had fallen, and only the lanterns on the pillars and the carriages illuminated the front porch. His striking features were enhanced by the dim lighting, causing Oriana to realize why this prince was popular among the ladies. His attitude and pervertedness aside, this man's beauty was truly out of this world. 

Maybe it was a coincidence, but her eyes met his gaze for a fraction of a second. Arlan spotted her looking at him, and she felt like a thief caught red-handed. 

'Did he see me staring? He saw me, didn't he? Ugh! Why does he have to always find me at such awkward timing? What bad luck.'

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