Jeremiah and David left the study and once they were gone, Reginald and Kingston continued the conversation they were having before the interruption happened. “So, what did the Shaman say after reaching out to him?” Reginald asked.The Shaman from when Jeremiah’s mother, Lauretta, was pregnant had called Reginald not so long ago, but because he was busy at the time he had missed it.When Reginald eventually saw the missed call, he tried calling back but the Shaman didn’t answer.Knowing that the Shaman wouldn’t be calling without a good reason, especially considering the fact that it was on the same day he was reuniting with his long-lost son, Reginald made sure that he got in contact with the Shaman no matter what.He tasked Kingston with calling the Shaman’s number at regular intervals until he eventually answered and that’s exactly what happened.“He said that there is a possibility, although tiny, that Dark Emblem would attack tonight at the welcoming celebration for Young Master
Just then, he remembered that he had sent the guards to take all of them to one room and prevent them from leaving until he said otherwise or it was time for them to go home.“So this isn’t a prank” Jeremiah said skeptically.“Prank? Why would I prank my older cousin?” David said and then chuckled.Jeremiah furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at his cousin suspiciously.Jeremiah wasn’t a fool, he knew a fake laugh and smile when he saw one. After what happened with Mary and all the times she pretended to be a loving wife to him, Jeremiah had learned his lesson and wasn’t going to fall for another person’s deception ever again and that included David. “I don’t know. I don’t see why you would be thanking me for what happened” Jeremiah said and David smiled.“That’s because I agree with you and uncle. What I did, or in this case tried to do to that blonde maid as punishment, was a little too much. If you hadn’t stopped me, I know I would have regretted it later” David said and Jeremiah,
“Condition? What condition?” David asked. Jeremiah knew that there had to be a reason why David wanted his friends free during the welcome ceremony, so he was going to test out how high David’s desperation was. The more desperate David was, the more serious the reason had to be. “Your friends would have to take up roles among the staff that will work in the ceremony,” Jeremiah said. “What?!” David exclaimed, his eyes widened. “That’s right. The only way I’d agree to let your friends out of that room after what they did is if they agree to be a part of the ceremony’s staff.” Jeremiah said and David, who was surprised that that was his condition, blinked multiple times in a second. “B-but why do you want that? I’m sure there are already so many servants and hired staff who would be working in the ceremony, so why do you want my friends to also be a part of it?” David asked and Jeremiah groaned. Deep within Jeremiah’s mind, he thought ‘Normally, you would have disregarded the id
“My phone? What for?” David asked and Jeremiah sighed exasperatedly. “Don’t ask me irrelevant questions and just do it” Jeremiah said, his hand gesturing that David should hurry up. “Okay,” David replied skeptically then he reached into his pocket and took out the phone.“Good, now look for the voice recorder app and open it” Jeremiah instructed and David nodded.“Okay, I’ve done that. Now what?” David asked once he had opened the voice recorder app like Jeremiah told him to.Jeremiah gestured that he should give the phone to him and David did so hesitantly.It was clear by his responses since Jeremiah mentioned his phone that he was very attached to it.The reason could be because the punishment he got from Reginald was that everything he used to have access to was now limited and, as a result, his phone, which was one of the few possessions he was allowed to keep, seemed many times more valuable now.He didn’t want Jeremiah to do something that would damage the phone by accident o
“Outfit for the welcome party? She means a change of clothes?” Jeremiah grimaced then looked down at what he was wearing and groaned. He looked at the full-body mirror on the wall beside him and stared at his reflection, realizing that what he was to attend was a party meant for the high class and he was going to be the center of attention. Because of that, the outfit he had bought from the High Fashion Emporium wasn’t going to suffice, especially after he had slept in it and caused the fabric to get rumpled and a little stained. He had also sweated in it during his tour of the estate and that sweat had now begun to smell a little. Everything made the outfit not be in a condition appropriate for the welcome ceremony and Lynette bringing a change of clothes for him made a lot of sense. “I’ll be right there,” Jeremiah said then left the window and walked to the door. He opened the door and stared at Lynette. Immediately, his attention was drawn to the outfit she came with. “T
“Are you asking me, young master?” She asked, pointing at her chest. “Yes. I mean, who else would be I talking to? It’s just you and I in this room” Jeremiah replied. The maid chuckled bashfully. “Sorry about that, young master. I was just surprised is all” Without meaning to, she started thinking about what Jeremiah’s life must have been like that at twenty-five years old he didn’t know what to expect from a ceremony like the one happening currently when he was a prince. Shouting he have a lot of experience? She thought.“No problem. Anyway, do you have the tips or what?” Jeremiah asked and Lynette nodded.She gave him all the tips she could think of on how to behave and what to expect during the welcome ceremony and Jeremiah thanked her.After that, Jeremiah looked at Lynette from head to toe and the maid became nervous.“Young master?” She asked, wondering why he was checking her out like that.“Is this what you’re going to wear to the welcome ceremony?” He asked and the maid
“You’ll be attending the welcome ceremony with me,” Jeremiah said boldly, and Lynette’s eyes widened. “Y-you w-want me to what?” Lynette stuttered, her face adorned with disbelief. “I said you’ll be attending the welcome ceremony with me.” Jeremiah said, and then noticed her strange reaction. “What? Is there anything wrong with what I said?”Lynette shook her head vigorously.“No, there isn’t anything wrong, Young Master. It’s just that…” She said, then paused when she saw the look Jeremiah was giving her.It was one of confusion, and, most importantly, concern.She instantly became bashful and blushed.“It’s just what? Don’t be shy, tell me” said Jeremiah in a soft tone as he stepped closer, his demeanor reassuring her that he wouldn’t be offended if she wanted to refuse his offer.“It’s just that I’m a maid and you’re… well, you”“Okay? And?” He asked, still not understanding her problem with what he said.“And you want me to be your plus one at an important event where the king a
“Please don’t be offended, young master, but I think you should—“ Lynette said with her head down, as she couldn’t look him in the eyes, but Jeremiah placed his hand on her shoulder.Lynette jolted and then raised her head to look at Jeremiah, only to see his warm smile.“Whether you’re a maid, and I’m a royal, none of that matters to me,” Jeremiah said, and the maid’s eyes widened.“It doesn’t?” She asked.“That’s right. Status, class, and money aren’t things I look at when associating with people, as I’ve seen rich and affluent people who are terrible and low-class people who are the best in the world. At the end of the day, it’s who you are deep down that matters” Jeremiah said.He was speaking from experience as growing up the way he did made him appreciate other things more.To him, it didn’t matter that Lynette was a maid because she was a beautiful person both outside and inside, so he would happily go to the welcome ceremony with her.If his father didn’t have a problem marryi
Inside the Study, Reginald, who noticed that Jeremiah’s mind was elsewhere, asked him what he was doing. Jeremiah had actually been eavesdropping on David, wondering if he would say anything that would expose his involvement in the gas processing plant’s explosion and prove to Jeremiah that his suspicion was right. However, that didn’t happen and Jeremiah got annoyed that David stopped talking all of a sudden. From the last sentence Jeremiah heard David say before abruptly cutting himself off, he concluded that David knew he was onto him and was actively trying not to expose himself. Or perhaps it was just a coincidence, and Jeremiah was wrong about the whole thing—meaning David wasn’t involved in the explosion at all. There could only be one answer to the two possibilities, and time would reveal which one was correct because sooner or later, David was bound to slip up. All Jeremiah had to do was wait for that moment to come. Jeremiah replied “Nothing. I was just listening to wh
David, looking at Jeremiah, blinked multiple times to emphasize his shock.Even though he had once thought that Jeremiah had joined hands with Dean and Adam to kill all the guards—after seeing the dismembered bodies when he escaped the plant—the fact that this was only an assumption and was never confirmed left him with some doubt that Jeremiah had ever gotten blood on his hands.That assumption quickly vanished after he heard about how Jeremiah saved everyone at the welcome ceremony from the Rubik's Cube bomb and even traveled a great distance to save him.However, when Jeremiah admitted outright that he had killed Dean—and went on to elaborate on how he did it—it sent a shock through David's body. He realized he might have been wrong about who Jeremiah had killed, but not about the fact that he had killed someone.‘So he really is a cold-blooded murderer’ David thought and gulped.Just then, David noticed something that felt concerning.He looked at Reginald and the three other men—
David tried standing up but before he did, Kingston offered him a hand. David looked at Kingston’s hand but instead of accepting, he felt insulted. The fact that he had just heard that Jeremiah, his one competition for the throne, was a powerful being who could do whatever he wanted, made him feel weak and useless in comparison, and seeing Kingston’s hand annoyed the hell out of him.Still, he had to maintain composure.“No thanks. I can stand on my own” David said, feigning a smile.“As you wish, Sir” Kingston replied then retracted his hand and stood upright while David went on his feet and walked back to where he once was.“Are you okay?” Reginald asked.However, David, who was annoyed that Reginald felt it necessary to ask that question out of concern for his earlier reaction, forced a smile.“I am Uncle, so please, continue,” David said. Reginald looked at Jeremiah and said “You should also listen to what I’m going to say because it involves you as well” “Okay,” Jeremiah grim
Reginald started by revealing the history of Crimson Fall to David, who at first was confused as to why he was telling him an old folk tale but soon realized why when Reginald told him the part that only the king and a select few knew. The moment David heard about reincarnation, his eyes widened, asking himself if such a thing existed.Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only bombshell he was going to hear as the story continued to unfold.Reginald told him that it was the Garrick family's mission to make sure that Lord Crimson, the powerful dragon who ruled over Crimson Fall for centuries, reincarnated and like that wasn’t enough, he gestured at Jeremiah and told him that Jeremiah was Lord Crimson, reincarnated.“I’m sorry what?” David asked, trying to make sure he wasn’t mishearing things. “You heard me right. Your cousin, who we all thought was dead, is our one true ruler. The all-powerful, Lord Crimson” Reginald said passionately. David’s eyes blinked multiple times as he looked at
The boldness with which Jeremiah said “Yes, I did” demoralized David. It was like he was telling David that he didn’t regret what he did and was daring him to reprimand his actions. Knowing that he couldn’t lash out at Jeremiah for what he did, David had no choice but to gulp and accept what happened and move on— making him more mad because he hated being made to feel small and insignificant. “I’m sure you had your reasons but can you please tell me why you hurt my friends,” David asked, making sure to choose his words carefully so as not to sound like he was confronting Jeremiah. “Friends? I think you’re misunderstanding something, David.” Reginald said and David quickly looked at him, wondering what he was talking about. “Jeremiah didn’t hurt your friends but your friend. Only one person was hurt by his hands” Reginald clarified. David grimaced. He reflected on Reginald’s words and remembered that the king had said “friend” instead of “friends” when he revealed that the per
That’s right, he had completely forgotten about his punishment because of the night he had, but it’s a good thing Reginald was bringing it up now.What was his uncle going to say? Hopefully, something along the lines of, he had seen that David had learned his lesson and because of that he had decided to bring the punishment to an end. David thought and started smiling discreetly.“After the aftermath of the explosion at the welcome ceremony, I have decided that—“ Reginald said, but David cut him off.“Explosion at the welcome ceremony?! What explosion?” David asked and Reginald paused.“You haven’t heard about the explosion yet?” Reginald asked. “No, I haven’t. There was another explosion but at the welcome ceremony?” David replied.David had been so anxious to find out what Jeremiah knew about the gas processing plant explosion that he was tunnel-visioned from everything else. He had just gone to his room to freshen up, changed clothes, and then went to Reginald’s study for the mee
After looking at everyone in the Study and seeing how they were staring at him— especially Jeremiah’s whose stare was like a predator’s to a prey— David, who realized that he was in a hot mess, thought of how to get away from the situation.How could he spin the story and change the narrative in his favor? He wondered and his brain started working at a million miles an hour in search of the answer.Soon enough, a thought came to his mind and he decided to go with it.David started chuckling, making everyone wonder why he was doing that.What did he find so funny?“Uncle, what gave you the impression that I knew about the explosion before it happened?” David asked.Reginald, who thought about the question, grimaced and adjusted how he sat.“Well, if I remember correctly, you were rambling about how we should leave the area and were adamant about it for a good minute before the building exploded, so I thought that your behavior was because you beforehand that the building was going to e
Once inside the study, the first thing Jeremiah did was pause and groan when he saw David standing in front of the desk. Kingston, who was just as surprised as Jeremiah at the sight of David, jolted and asked “Sir David, you’re already here?”“Yes, he is. Truthfully, even I was surprised when he arrived before you two did, but for some reason, he seemed eager to have the meeting which I guess is a good thing because I have so much to ask him” Reginald said.David, who was trying his best to keep his cool and act normal, turned to Reginald and smiled. “I just wanted to tell Uncle what happened because I know how worried he was about my disappearance and maybe that will calm his mind a little,” David said.Reginald, who didn’t know the young man’s true motive and believed his words, smiled. He took David’s feigned concern for him as a sign of David changing and attributed it to the punishment he gave him working. Speaking of the punishment, what was going to happen now that the guard
Jeremiah, Kingston, and Steven went to Reginald’s study while Elizabeth went back into Jeremiah’s room to spend some more time with Lynette’s corpse.Since the body would most definitely be kept in Jeremiah’s room until the funeral tomorrow, this was going to be her only moment of privacy with her former protégé. Though it would be a one-sided conversation, as Lynette could talk back, Elizabeth was going to say everything she had in her chest and hopefully feel at ease with losing someone she cared about so soon.A couple of minutes later, after finally being at peace with Lynette’s passing, Christabel came to the room and she too got her chance to say goodbye to her friend and fellow protégé.After that, Christabel and Elizabeth reminisced on past moments they and Lynette spent together when she was alive and the experience made the remaining two form a stronger bond than what they had before.Just then, the room door was knocked. “Who is it?” Christabel asked after Elizabeth used