Raptra

The Job af the Assassin and Life of the Prince

"What about his brother?"

Hildebrand turned to the doorway, where Mathazar had suddenly appeared. "Forgive me, Your Highness. Prince Eliezer has just been informed of some... rather upsetting news."

"Is that so?" Mathazar raised an eyebrow. "May I have a word with my brother alone, Sir Hildebrand?"

"Of course, Your Highness," Hildebrand responded, before promptly leaving the room.

The secondborn sat beside his twin and pulled him into a firm hug. "Welcome back, Eliezer. It is good to see your again."

"What troubles you this time?" The younger then inquired, before letting out a chuckle. "Honestly brother, I seem to be asking you this much too often recently."

Eliezer gave his twin an uncomfortable glance. He wanted to tell him everything, but knew that he could not until he was sure of the truth. He missed the times when he would trust his brother fully, when he was absolutely convinced that Mathazar would be there for him no matter what. It hurt him to know that this was no longer the case.

"Ever since I have started seeing Lady Omrea, to be exact," Eliezer pointed out. "I am well aware. It would seem that the more I learn about her, the more I doubt her intentions, although I do not wish to."

Mathazar waited for a moment, expecting an elaboration, but it did not come. It was not often that Eliezer would be this brief with him. This caused him to wonder what Allister had been telling him.

"Are you suggesting that it would have been better if you had never met her?" Mathazar asked.

"I desire to deny such a thing, but if I were to be absolutely truthful, I do not know the answer to that."

Mathazar nodded knowingly. "You are most definitely in love, brother. I can only advise you to be aware of anything that may influence your judgement. Do keep in mind your safety and the interests of Dainia."

"That I shall. Thank you, Mathazar."

That was when Robynne turned up at the doorway and address Eliezer. "Your Highness, the king and queen are currently available to speak with you regarding the agreement with Sorene."

Eliezer nodded. "Thank you, Robynne, and pardon me, brother."

Once the crown prince had left the room, Robynne spoke to Mathazar. "It was the butler. He knows everything, and he is the one providing Prince Eliezer with the information. Thankfully, your brother is still hesitant in believing that you want him gone."

The younger prince scoffed. "Of course his is, I have been much too good to him. I have also frequently been hearing the Red Robin's name lately. It is best that she do not show her face for the time being. I am unsure of how easily you would fold if you ever get caught, but it is something that I do not wish to find out."

Robynne looked hurt. "I would never, Your Highness. Do you doubt my love for you?"

"There is no reason to be absolutely sure of your true intention, is there?"

The maid shook her head. "I see that you and your brother are similar in one way. Neither of you think yourselves capable of obtaining another's love, or deserving of it."

"Would I be wrong to think in such a way?" He then looked her in the eyes. "What would you do for me if you could not have me?"

He smirked at her silence. "Just as I thought. Is this truly love then, which you speak of?"

The prince stood without another word and walked past her out of the room, leaving her to herself.

---

The following day, Eliezer took the letter and thanked the servant before she walked out the door, nearly brushing shoulders with Hildebrand as he entered. He watched as the prince sliced the envelope open, and waited for a minute before speaking.

"A letter from the lady, Your Highness?"

"You are right, Sir Hildebrand. It says here that she wants to see me again, and that she has a gift for me. How... adorable," Eliezer commented, feeling slightly guilty for his condescending attitude, though, it was only natural to question what kind of gift would amuse a prince, who basically already had everything.

"It would be courteous to accept," Hildebrand pointed out.

The prince stayed silent for a good moment before saying something else. "I am not ready to see her."

"That has never stopped you before, Your Highness. I have observed that you have no issue putting on a pleasant front regardless of how you truly feel-" The knight then cut himself off when Eliezer suddenly turned to face him, realizing that his statement might have possibly caused offence. "Forgive me, Your Highness, I did not mean it as an-"

"It is true, is it not?"

"Your Highness?"

"You may be frank with me, Sir Hildebrand. How apparent is it that my demeanor is... studied?"

The knight shifted uncomfortably. "It is... quite so, Your Highness, only up close. Before I became your personal guard, I had always wondered what truly went on inside your mind."

Eliezer nodded. "It is strange that I had managed to convince myself that it was who I was. Nobody seemed to mind until she came along, and compared me to a 'doll'."

"Considering that it is how she currently knows you, I doubt that there would be an issue if you decide to meet her soon. Also, she might grow suspicious if you avoid her for too long. I do believe that you are safe, at least for now, but I shall still be close by should you require my assistance, Your Highness."

The prince took a deep breath and agreed. "Well then, I believe that I should write her back."

Hildebrand smiled and nodded as he turned to leave. "May I suggest having it delivered with a little gift of your own, Your Highness?"

---

The letter from Eliezer would arrive with an elaborately-wrapped pink rose stem, and it would read as follows:

My dearest Raven,

I trust that you and your companions are doing well. Your gesture is much appreciated, and I would like to inform you that I am available the day after tomorrow at noon. I hope that you shall not be opposed to meeting at the lake west of Dainia Palace once again, for I recall that you had enjoyed your time there previously. I eagerly await your response.

Best regards,
Eliezer of Dainia

Word association Game!

Fluffy

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Factory

The Job af the Assassin and Life of the Prince

Having asked the question, Eliezer had gotten the answer he feared. "You knew all along, and yet you said nothing until now..."

Allister had known about Raven's intention from the very beginning, yet he still let it all happen. What if she had not decided to back out and had finished the job? There was a possibility that he would not be sitting where he was at this time. Granted, his safety was mostly his own responsibility - something that he had neglected the day he had left the palace to go to the village, but it still hurt that the butler had let him do it, knowing full well that the woman he had gone to meet was an assassin after his head. What was then implied about the one who had hired Raven to kill him was even more disturbing. It was rather apparent that Allister was suggesting that this person was his own brother.

"I- It cannot be... Prince Mathazar would never..."

Mathazar had been Eliezer's closest confidant for as long as he could remember, and until Raven came along, he seemed like the only person who truly understood him. It could not all have been a big lie, could it? The crown prince had trusted nobody else as much, until recently when Allister had earned that same trust due to the matters concerning Raven. However, after the butler had admitted to keeping quiet about something that had put him in danger, he was unsure if it had been wise to have given him that trust.

Hildebrand was appalled, and flared up once again. "You are in no position to play any games with us when you had said nothing and watched our crown prince walk right into what you knew was his possible death, Mister Cornell!"

That jolted the prince out of his thoughts, and he turned to his knight. "Sir Hildebrand!"

"Your Highness!" Hildebrand protested.

Eliezer simply shook his head at Hildebrand in response, indicating for the knight to say no more to the butler. Overwhelmed, he then rose from his seat, finding it a good time to take his leave.

"If you would pardon me, Allister," he addressed his butler, before signalling to his knight that they were leaving. "Sir Hildebrand."

Hildebrand immediately stood and strode ahead to open the door, and as the two young men left the office, the knight glanced back and returned Allister's death glare before shutting the door.

---

"I worry for your situation, Your Highness," Hildebrand began, as the two reached the prince's quarters.

Eliezer let out a sigh and sat down. "I... do not know who to trust anymore, Sir Hildebrand. My butler had thought it acceptable to have me in danger, my brother is being accused of betraying me, and my lady had initially only wanted to be close to me so that she could run me through."

"Mister Cornell insists that she truly loves you. Do you believe that is so, Your Highness?"

"Am I not fortunate that she fell for me? Otherwise I would have been dead. I wonder myself how love happens, I wonder what it is about me that makes her feel such a way. She tells me that I remind her of her father before he met her mother, that I am unhappy, just as he was. Perhaps she is sorry for me."

As Eliezer shook his head at the ideas he was sharing with his knight, Hildebrand shifted uncomfortably. He had not the slightest idea how to respond to what the prince had just said. As far has he had been concerned, Eliezer had always had it together, and he had never thought that he would see his crown prince in such a mess. He eventually decided to pose another question.

"Will you continue to see the Moon Raven after knowing her initial intention?"

"I do not need the pity of someone who was after my head, but I desire her attention. I find that she has made me want something that I should not. I appreciate her, yet I despise what she has done to me. I am therefore unsure."

"I may be wrong, Your Highness, but from what you have just told me, I believe that you might be in love."

"And what enjoyment it has brought," Eliezer commented bitterly, the statement obviously being one of sarcasm.

Hildebrand thought it appropriate to stop prying into the prince's feelings, and his next inquiry concerned his duty. "Permission to begin investigation on the Red Robin, Your Highness?"

Eliezer nodded. "Granted. In spite of everything, I at least owe the Moon Raven this."

"I shall work to discover who she answers to, and I sincerely hope that I am not led to your brother."

Word association Game!

Rifle

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People

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Units

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Hope

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Axis

The Job af the Assassin and Life of the Prince

You are savage XD

Also, next week's going to be hectic for me, so I'll probably only be able to post a response next weekend, which means you can take your time with this one.