Pretending To Be Gilead's Prince and Master Wizard

The following day, I was a bit surprised to see myself in the prince's chamber once again with the blaring sound of my alarm on my nightstand to my right that woke me up from my deep slumber.

The moment I sat at the edge of my bed, I wondered all of a sudden if all the things I discussed with Alex… about the prince's diary, about the last entry, and the things in between are all true and really happened yesterday.

A pang of pain in my head jolted in a split second that caused me to lift my hand and rub my head to somehow ease the pain. Well, at least I have solid proof here that I indeed stayed up all night with that jerk.

I decided to fix the bed and clean myself up for my usual daily training sessions with my three mentors even though it is currently Sunday. And as I shower, I still can't peel my thoughts away from the last words that we read in the prince's last entry.

---

"I must hurry…"

---

We tried our best to decode those three lines yesterday evening, assuming it is the prince's secret code and there is really some meaning behind it. We even checked the map once again just to find out where he last went on his quest, or looked for some clues that could somehow take us to know what it is.

Yet we haven't had much luck with that. And before we knew it, it was already way past our curfew inside the castle.

The mere disappearance of the prince alone now brings more theories and speculations that only Alex and I know about now.

Speaking of that guy, it's quite odd not to see him around my room to do his daily duty of making sure to start my day with me seeing his annoying face and with him pestering me early in the morning.

Not that I missed it or anything of that sort!

Anyway, now is not the time to think about that. I still have my training to take care of. And I don't want Lancelot nor Lucas to suspect that there is something bothering me as of the moment.

---

"Is there something bothering you?" Lucas suddenly asked, which almost made me lose my balance while trying to walk with a book in my head to practice walking with my chin high and to avoid slouching.

"No!" I immediately responded. Geez, I am indeed a terrible liar. "Nothing at all."

Lucas only eyed me with suspicion. It is actually a good thing that Alex isn't here since my other two mentors mentioned that he is still out on the field tending to his troops' daily training as well.

"Well…" I thought I was already improving with my lying skills because of my friends, but I guess I have to give a solid statement to keep the suspicions away from my mentor right over here.

"I was only worried about the results of my magic skills test. That's all." I tried to reason out, using my anxiety about my exam results as my way of escape from this awkward scene.

Lucas must have bought my reason for his mouth slightly gaped and his expression turned into a sympathetic one.

"Oh, I see. Well, as what we always say, believe in yourself and everything will fall into place," he advised. Somehow, I feel guilty lying to him as well.

I forced a smile. "Thanks, Lucas ."

In the next couple of minutes, my training session with Lucas is now done. Now, it's time for my magic skills training, yet Alex hasn't arrived at the scene yet. I wonder why that is.

I looked at both my other mentors with a worried look plastered on my face.

"Do you have any idea where he went?" I asked.

The two only shook their heads and shrugged their shoulders as their response. 

"Well, he is oddly late today huh. He had never been late during our magic training sessions." I muttered to myself.

That guy! Where could he be?

Could it be… he's off to investigate what really happened to the prince based on what is said in the diary?

"I think let's just call it a day, shall we? For you to immediately rest as well." Lancelot suggested. "We will inform him once he gets back here."

I smiled at the archbishop before responding with, "Thanks Lancelot.". And the two immediately left the prince's office to take care of their duties assigned to each of them.

Once again, I experience being alone in this office. It's good to have your own company sometimes, but I can't rest here even if I wanted to. I can't help but wonder what is that guy up to this time… or is he really busy as the captain of the magic army?

Well, only one way to find out.

First, before doing anything else, I made sure that no other personnel from this castle were present in the hallways nor the corridors. 

When I made sure that everything was clear, that's when I went down to the place where I saw Alex tapping the wall for the secret entrance leading towards their secret hideout. I actually don't know why, but I have this impression that I will be finding him in this room for today.

And guess what? I was actually right!

"Holy--- it's only you! I thought someone had already discovered this place." Alex made a surprising reaction the moment he saw me entering into their secret hideout with his right hand ready to aim at me with his magic.

"Relax. It's just me." I said, raising both my hands in mock surrender.

He then returned his hand on his side and continued on what he was doing before I went here… and that is taking down some notes on another piece of paper with a quill in his hand and a small bottle of ink on his right side. 

I suddenly wondered how long has he been here, or how come no one noticed him going this way.

"I didn't know you were into writing." I made a sarcastic remark in which he responded with a pissed look plastered on his face.

"Shush. Don't you know I am busy here?" he said in a grumpy tone.

"So this is why you weren't in the training sessions earlier. And for the record, you have never missed training." I said while ignoring what he just said.

"I'm sorry, okay? But I know I'll have to do this.," he replied, his eyes still glued on what he is writing. "We'll immediately resume your training tomorrow after your classes."

I decided to walk towards where he currently is and sat one chair away from him.

"What is it that you are writing anyway?" I curiously asked.

Alex was not able to respond to that at first and kept himself busy with what he is doing. And just when I thought I will be ignored for the next couple of minutes, I was slightly surprised to hear him speak once more.

"Remember the last three words in the prince's last diary entry?" he asked, with a little hope that I can still remember it.

Well, he is in luck because I am not the type of person who easily forgets things, well except for my brush and other personal stuff.

"Yes, I do. What about it?" I asked once more.

He scribbled down again some notes before turning his head to look at me.

"I spoke with the prince's entourage, the one that he is bringing with him during travels or if he is out with his quests." he started. 

When he saw me puckering my forehead in confusion, he added, "Well technically, he does not bring me or Lucas or even Lancelot to his quests because clearly, we have positions in the society that we have to maintain. Is that all clear to you?"

I nodded. "Yup. Crystal."

He shook his head in annoyance before proceeding, "Well, as I was saying, I spoke with Joseph, the head of his personal knights, and said to me that he didn't bring any persons with him or said something about his last quest. So they have no exact idea as to where he could possibly go that matches the last three words written in his last entry."

"So they are no help at all,"

"Well, I thought so too. But then… I noticed something." His face became more serious this time and that somehow made me uncomfortable.

"What is it?" 

"The look in his eyes…" he seriously said, like that would answer everything.

I waited for him to elaborate more and he did not disappoint me at all by adding these words after.

"The look of someone who has the guts to lie straight to my face."

Now, that indeed caught my attention, and I want to listen to him more.

"And how did you know about that?" I arched one eyebrow at him.

The smirk on his face made me feel that he did something mischievous to that person named Joseph.

"Well, let's just say… I have my ways to know the truth,"

Ignoring his remark, I asked, "So what did you learn anyway?"

He remained silent for a few seconds, maybe asking himself if he should tell it to me or not. But after a while, he looked at me once again and said these words.

"After all the things I've discovered today… I believe the prince has been kidnapped."

---

-THIRD PERSON-

Meanwhile, at a dark and secluded alley somewhere in the eastern part of Central Town, two drunk men were having a good time chatting with each other as their hands were draped over each other. 

They were still consuming down the liquor from their hands when one of them stopped walking all of a sudden and pointed his free hand in front of him.

"Am I too drunk already or I'm really seeing a bloody dead person sitting a few inches away from us?" said that man with a mustache that almost covered his whole chin.

The other man, the one with chestnut brown hair and looked like he didn't shower for two days already looked in the direction where his pal is currently pointing. Even in his drunk state, his eyes widened in astonishment as he indeed beheld a dead man sitting on their path.

The two looked at each other before muttering something under their breaths.

"Shit."