The Sun has risen once again and our team was, once again for God knows which time, traveling. They were traveling so much that people started to assume that the author, who is me btw ( hi everyone) was illiterate and did not know to write things properly ( maybe true) so he just started writing about how people travel ( which maybe makes the story boring idk).

Anyway. Melton and Niha, who were together in a carriage, were both sleeping soundly, Demi and the messenger were both awake and it seemed like the messenger was a bit nervous around Demi despite Demi not showing any signs of being bothered by him lastly Mathias and Henry were arguing over something once again. After traveling for about three days they arrived back at Frostford (the Capital city) and were accompanied by a guard on their way despite all of them, besides Demi, Mathias, and Messenger, feeling uncomfortable about it. Melton was quite curious about the reason why would a royalty requested a gambler to come. Was it for a business deal? Was it something else? The only way he could find that out was to wait and see how will things unfold.

"Niha was a bit scared since she was still not properly used to this treatment since she, just like me, does not know anything about the influence of other people. Mathias was quite an important person after all. Who knows what was Demi hiding? It does not seem like we will be in trouble but it still looks like it will be another bothersome quest. We are not walking very quickly like Demi makes us do but the amount of guards surrounding us makes the situation weird. We are sticking out like a sore thumb." Melton thought to himself as he was walking together with the rest of the team.

Upon arriving in front of the castle Melton and his team were quite fascinated. Even though they see the caste inside the capital city quite often it is way bigger and a lot more magnificent when you stand in front of it. The castle was white and you could feel it radiate some kind of noble and clean aura even if you are not sure what exactly it is.

After admiring the castle for a bit they went inside and saw quite a lot of people. Some of them were government officials while others were knights and nobles. They all wore fancy clothes just like Demi which made Melton feel like some sort of an eccentric idiot going in his casual outfit.

" They should've at least let us properly dress up. We will look like a bunch of clowns out there." Melton thought to himself. Others at least had somewhat decent outfits but his blue cloth armor with shoulders exposed was peak stupidity.

Upon reaching the throne room there was a figure sitting in it. And right next to it was the announcer.

" Be honored! You are in presence of crown prince Auris Olur" Said the announcer and then the man on the throne stood up. It was a young man in his early twenties. His eyes were azure blue and his hair was short and silver-colored. He boasted a majestic and noble figure that would make anyone instantly gain respect. It was something that amazed the group.

"He looks and gives off a feeling like a prince. At least it is not another one of the weirdos I seem to pick up wherever I go." Melton thought to himself while he was looking at Prince.

After getting up the prince brought them to a private room where they could chat together. The room was quite large and fancy decorated. Upon entering the room Melton saw the maid immediately prepare and bring tea and sweets for everyone.

"They are quite fast," Demi said.

Once the maids finished they all sat down and began talking.

" I'm glad to meet you again. Grand Duke Demi Igra " Prince Auris said. His voice was gentle and mesmerizing so they nearly forgot what he said. After a second the thought reached their brains and processed it.

" Wait? THE GRAND DUKE!?" Melton screamed at Demi.

"Yeah, darling. If I remember correctly that is true. I do not like to boast about it a lot though." Demi said. It seemed like he did not give much thought to how powerful his influence is.

"It seems like he did not tell you guys about his nobility. But he is still your friend so you do not need to give him special treatment" Auris said calmly. He tried to calm them down a little since the thing they heard was like thunder out of a clear sky.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

"That is right darlings. I am still your friendly gambling master Demi. You need not fear me or respect me like you would some boring noble." Demi said confidently and with pride.

"OK.Ok.Ok. Enough with that. Let's hear why were we all called here. Don't tell me we were traveling for days just to chat." Henry said. It seems as if his patience reached the finish line.

"Quite impatient aren't we? Well if you are then I will stop wasting your time. There have been some strange activities around the northern border. I am not exactly sure what is going on but from the intel I got it seems like something quite nasty is getting brewed up. I want you and your team to take care of it so people won't have to worry about the safety of their own lives." Auris said.

"WELL! We surely can do that. But it will cost you, dear pal." Demi said as he put his arm over the shoulder of the prince. Others were a bit worried since he was so relaxed around the crown prince but there was nothing they could do at the moment. The only thing they could do was look and pray they won't be executed because of Demi. He was a grand duke though. Right? He has his influence and respect. Maybe they would excuse him since he is important. Worst case we will have to fight our way out. Melton's head was wrapped up in a bunch of thoughts and ideas. He was nervous but also a bit afraid of the outcome. Prince may have the power he can use on himself and his team. The only thing he could do was hope for the best.

"Hey, Henry. Is he allowed to behave like that in front of the prince?" Melton whispered to Henry's ear. Henry worked in the military so he is most familiar with the way nobels behave. He was also the only one besides Melton who was paying attention to the situation and the one with the best common sense. Niha was very confused by the things they were discussing so she was looking at the things in the room while sipping the tea that was prepared for them and Mathias was too focused on consuming all the sweets playing in front of him. The tea and sweets vere of top quality just as expected by the royal palace and both Niha and Mathias seemed very satisfied with them.

"From what I know that is not something you should do in front of a prince. If he gets angry he can easily bring nooses around our necks and end us for good. Though it seems like he does not mind it that much. I am not very sure what will happen." Mathias whispered back to Melton's ear. They were both filled with anxiety.

" Do not worry my dear guests. Both the royal family and the rest of the nobles who are acquainted with Demi know the way he behaves and tolerates it, or at least bear it in some way. His influence and capabilities are quite impressive so everyone tries to get on his good side while he only works on the things he is interested in. In case you need him you can interest him with a business offer of a large scale. But let's not prolong this any further and instead get straight to the point" Said prince Auris reassuring the party that they were by no means in any form of danger caused by Demi and his behavior.

" I am also quite used to him myself since we knew each other for a long time and our interests crossed multiple times" Auris added

" Let's not prolog pointless talks any further darling. What is the offer? I already assume you were prepared to give me something that I cannot refuse" Demi said to Auris

"Well. Since I know you quite well I managed to get you quite a good deal. You are interested in the business of gems so I decided to give you three sapphire mines. You also like sapphires a lot since they resemble your hair right?" Auris said. It seemed like he prepared well for the conversation.

"Make it four. I would like that a lot more." Demi said. You could see interest and greed in his eyes.

"Aren't we getting a little too ambitious dear friend?" Auris said

"It was my ambition that brought me to the top of the world. You have your ambition too right? Except that my greed for the unachievable is what brought me to unimaginable heights." Demi said intending to provoke the prince.

" My ambition was built on honor unlike yours. I was doing jobs that help both the royal family and the people. Your ambitions were built on things such as assassinations, bribes, slavery, and blackmailing. Our ambitions went different directions wouldn't you say so?" Auris said trying to provoke Demi back.

"That seems like an issue of capability darling. You are just afraid of risks and that same risk is what brings life and prosperity to people. It's been that way ever since the beginning of the dawn. Isn't that true?" Demi said while redirecting the provocation.

"Well. Let's not argue anymore and just go to the point. I will give you four mines but it's better for you if everything is silky smooth after you finish the job out there ok." Auris said. It seemed like the provocation hit him and he was a bit pissed but tried to calm himself down. He was the crown prince after all and falling to such cheap tricks would be a sign of his weakness. Upon finishing the talk they went back to the carriages that were waiting for them at the front of the castle and went their way to the new adventure. This time all five of them were in a larger carriage and you could see fire and ambition in the eyes of Demi as he was looking outside the window.

"This is going to be quite thrilling, won't it? I can't wait to start the action"