'Why did Sylvaine want to meet His Majesty?' Seymour wondered as his carriage moved along the path that led to the palace. His frown lines did not leave his forehead as he thought of all the possible reasons his daughter would wish to meet the man who had instilled fear in his subjects.

'Does she really like His Majesty or is it just that she is intrigued by him and it is all momentary fascination? Seymour's thoughts ran wild, and for an instant, he even wondered if his daughter had fallen deeply for the young King. But he shook his head and dispelled his notions when he realized how absurd they sounded.

"We have reached, Your Grace." The coachman knocked at the door and waited a few seconds before opening it.

Seymour cleared the creases on his robe before he got off the carriage, pushing back his thoughts for the time being. "I will be late today. You may rest until then."

"Yes, Your Grace." The man replied politely before bowing at him.

Seymour looked at the majestic palace before him and sighed lightly as he climbed the steps. But he stopped when he heard a group of people murmur behind him.

"Nikotar, why are you..." He was astounded to see the eight lads whose aura sometimes resembled the young King's.

"Greetings, Duke Seymour." Nikotar took the lead and bowed before the man while the other seven followed suit.

"Well, greetings to you too. How have you all been?" Seymour smiled at them warmly. They were His Majesty's trusted men and one of the few people with no selfish bones. Although they wore dark and grim expressions all the time, they were one of the sweetest people he had ever met and he could not stop himself from showing his care for them.

"We have been well, Duke Seymour. Thank you for asking." The youngest boy in the group, Lyall, replied.

Although he was the youngest, Seymour did not doubt his strength whatsoever. He had once witnessed the man's power, and the scene was still etched in his mind.

"Good, good." Seymour nodded. "When did you return? Please tell me if you need anything. I will help you with anything you need."

"Thank you for your kindness, Duke Seymour. We will be troubling you soon." Nikotar replied, his eyes flickering briefly.

Seymour was surprised by his words. After all these years of knowing them, this was the first time they were willing to take his help. He was beyond ecstatic and he could not control his delight.

"It would be my pleasure. Do you need anything from me now?"

"No, Duke Seymour. We are fine now. We might need your help in a few days. We will come to you then." Nikotar answered for his group, who nodded in agreement.

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Though baffled, Seymour did not force them to reveal what they wanted his help in. The boys were as mysterious as the young King and it would do him no good if he were to probe more than required.

"Are you going to meet His Majesty?" Seymour turned towards the palace and looked at the mighty guards, who stood still without moving. Their stance alone was daunting enough to send weak people running for their lives.

However, Seymour was not one among them. The only person he feared was the young King. His Majesty held absolute power and in front of him, everybody else was his puppets. They would never dare to act on their own accord with his orders.

"Yes, Duke Seymour. We can go together." Lyall added, his red eyes twinkling with mirth while the others just smiled faintly.

Seymour looked at the group suspiciously, his brows furrowing into a frown.

"Why do I feel you are up to something?" He questioned and looked behind him again before he returned his gaze to the group.

"You have nothing to worry about, Duke Seymour. You are never our target of mischief." Felix blurted out before the others could warn him. However, the young man was not affected by their warning signals.

"I should have known. How could you people remain still and do nothing for this long?" Seymour sighed helplessly. "What did you do?"

"Nothing, Duke Seymour. We just taught someone a lesson. You do not have to concern yourself in this matter." Nikotar dismissed the topic, forcing the older man to take a step back.

"If you say so," Seymour was still not convinced. But he did not force them to speak about it anymore.

"After you, Duke Seymour."

The man before him held a higher position and was closer to their King. So, they were especially patient with him and waited for him to move first while they followed him.

Seymour's lips twitched when he imagined the scene he was portraying to everyone looking at him. 'I presume I look like the leader of these lads.' He thought and shook his head. 'These young men will drive me insane one day.'

Even though he was chastising them in his mind, he still sounded gentle and warm, and one of the lads listening to his thoughts smiled in contentment.

There were no guards near the courtroom. But that did not mean the place was empty. All the men knew who was inside and why no one was guarding the courtroom.

The situation was grave; Seymour perceived and glanced at the youth behind him, waiting for him to lead them inside. They dreaded their King even more than he did, and the old Duke wondered if they feared anyone else.

"No, Duke Seymour." The chap who had been listening to his thoughts interrupted him immediately. "We do not revere anyone else other than His Majesty. But we do have someone we respect."

"Who?" Seymour was intrigued and he looked at the boy curiously. "Is it someone I know?"

"Yes, you do, Suke Seymour." The lad answered, his lips arching up while his eyes held a teasing glint. "But I am not in the mood to tell you now."

"You..." Seymour glared at him helplessly. However, his expression only resembled an annoyed but powerless old man who could do nothing but tolerate the troublemakers.

"Hold on." Seymour's eyes widened when he realized what the youth had done. "Were you listening to my thoughts, Felix?"

"I could not help it. Your thoughts were too loud." The young man shrugged as though it was nothing and Seymour was again speechless.

"I need to be careful with you all." Seymour patted his heart as if he was consoling himself. "Otherwise, I do not know when you will start targeting me."

"As we said previously, Duke Seymour, we will never do anything to you," Nikotar stated, his expression barely changing. "You can be at peace."

"I hope so too." Seymour could only smile at them and turned around as he knocked at the door before entering inside while the group followed him, allowing him to take the lead again.